@Brad – It’s always going to be tricky, it will work well for some and not at all for others

@markowe – Yes I think so. People say “aren’t you leaving money on the table”, I disagree, by putting up adsense you are chasing *real* money away by grasping at pennies

@DarrenC – It’s a shame that everyone sees content as something that should be free, but there is real value there (when it is good), I don’t think we value our own contributions enough

@daklen – sociable?

@Brad – It’s always going to be tricky, it will work well for some and not at all for others

@markowe – Yes I think so. People say “aren’t you leaving money on the table”, I disagree, by putting up adsense you are chasing *real* money away by grasping at pennies

@DarrenC – It’s a shame that everyone sees content as something that should be free, but there is real value there (when it is good), I don’t think we value our own contributions enough

@daklen – sociable?

My business vision and goals have to be crystal clear – I want all my visitors to become my high-value customers, not to go “clicking off” somewhere for a few cents profit to me.

When you see Adsense on a site that ostensibly belongs to a business, as someone pointed out, you can’t take them seriously, it looks tacky and almost MFA-ish…

My business vision and goals have to be crystal clear – I want all my visitors to become my high-value customers, not to go “clicking off” somewhere for a few cents profit to me.

When you see Adsense on a site that ostensibly belongs to a business, as someone pointed out, you can’t take them seriously, it looks tacky and almost MFA-ish…

I too tried it on my blog, and then removed it after a few days. I was not personally comfortable with the presentation and the notion of my assigning the ‘value’ of a cup of coffee to my posts.

For the record, I’m not doing this as a full-time blogger/consultant — I may have a different perspective if I did

Good experiment though, thanks for stimulating it.

I too tried it on my blog, and then removed it after a few days. I was not personally comfortable with the presentation and the notion of my assigning the ‘value’ of a cup of coffee to my posts.

For the record, I’m not doing this as a full-time blogger/consultant — I may have a different perspective if I did

Good experiment though, thanks for stimulating it.

Hi there…very interesting post you wrote. I once wrote to you about whether you knew of “Buy me a cup of coffee” icons out there instead of “beer.”

Anyway, your post struck a chord with me. I’ve had the Paypal donation button for a while and have gotten a few donations ranging from $10 to $50. I agree that people tend to send in a donation to express genuine gratitude, especially when they are feeling “good.” Good point.

Steve Pavlina has a little thing at the end of each post with a link to a donation page. Apparently this works well for him and doesn’t seem to bother his readers. While my level of hits a month is no where near his, I’ve been contemplating this as a way to increase my efforts to make money online.

But aside from the desire to make money, one thing that will always be important, as you pointed out, is providing quality content. Always think about what’s in it for the reader, not yourself.

Thanks for your post.

Hi there…very interesting post you wrote. I once wrote to you about whether you knew of “Buy me a cup of coffee” icons out there instead of “beer.”

Anyway, your post struck a chord with me. I’ve had the Paypal donation button for a while and have gotten a few donations ranging from $10 to $50. I agree that people tend to send in a donation to express genuine gratitude, especially when they are feeling “good.” Good point.

Steve Pavlina has a little thing at the end of each post with a link to a donation page. Apparently this works well for him and doesn’t seem to bother his readers. While my level of hits a month is no where near his, I’ve been contemplating this as a way to increase my efforts to make money online.

But aside from the desire to make money, one thing that will always be important, as you pointed out, is providing quality content. Always think about what’s in it for the reader, not yourself.

Thanks for your post.

@George – Heh, people are always mixing us up. If it is any consolation it is an easy mistake to make although the “other” Chris Garrett is younger and better looking

@Tony – Hmmm, that’s a tricky one. I think I understand your point but Brian does very well both with advertising and consulting. I think providing it is done with a light touch and not in a grasping way it is ok. It’s hard for people to leave money on the table too …

@Steve – why would you donate to your own blog? I think that would be called an investment

@Rise – you are welcome

@Dubber – Yes at the end of the day you have to feel comfortable with what you are doing.

@George – Heh, people are always mixing us up. If it is any consolation it is an easy mistake to make although the “other” Chris Garrett is younger and better looking

@Tony – Hmmm, that’s a tricky one. I think I understand your point but Brian does very well both with advertising and consulting. I think providing it is done with a light touch and not in a grasping way it is ok. It’s hard for people to leave money on the table too …

@Steve – why would you donate to your own blog? I think that would be called an investment

@Rise – you are welcome

@Dubber – Yes at the end of the day you have to feel comfortable with what you are doing.

I have a full time salaried position where I get paid to think, write and talk about the music business. Sure, New Music Strategies is a personal ‘above the call of duty’ extension of that role, but I kind of feel bad begging for drinks from an industry where most people are operating with a budget you could stick under a glass.

The music businesses I consult with pay me (at least, the ones I ask for money do), the university pays me, I get money for speaking engagements and workshops… and while I’m far from rolling in it, I do all right for coffee.

As a result, my un-monetised blog, the free e-book and the odd bit of free guest lecturing and speaking are strategies that pay me in different ways. Asking for a coffee or a beer just felt a bit gauche on top of that.

And while I’m here, Chris, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the blog. It’s been a real source of clear thinking and good advice. Cheers.

I have a full time salaried position where I get paid to think, write and talk about the music business. Sure, New Music Strategies is a personal ‘above the call of duty’ extension of that role, but I kind of feel bad begging for drinks from an industry where most people are operating with a budget you could stick under a glass.

The music businesses I consult with pay me (at least, the ones I ask for money do), the university pays me, I get money for speaking engagements and workshops… and while I’m far from rolling in it, I do all right for coffee.

As a result, my un-monetised blog, the free e-book and the odd bit of free guest lecturing and speaking are strategies that pay me in different ways. Asking for a coffee or a beer just felt a bit gauche on top of that.

And while I’m here, Chris, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the blog. It’s been a real source of clear thinking and good advice. Cheers.

I might have put it on the side bar instead of every post and had a link saying “support this blog”. But your way wasn’t an issue for me. I see the “buy me a coffee” button as similar to going to a bookstore and buying a book for 30 bucks. You like the author, his voice and his style so you buy his product. This is very much like that to me because you are giving the author something of value for the value you recieved.

Because my blog is new and my traffic is still growing I may not get much from it now, but I would use it before I would use affiliate ads.

Am I making money if I donate to my own blog?????

I might have put it on the side bar instead of every post and had a link saying “support this blog”. But your way wasn’t an issue for me. I see the “buy me a coffee” button as similar to going to a bookstore and buying a book for 30 bucks. You like the author, his voice and his style so you buy his product. This is very much like that to me because you are giving the author something of value for the value you recieved.

Because my blog is new and my traffic is still growing I may not get much from it now, but I would use it before I would use affiliate ads.

Am I making money if I donate to my own blog?????