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Gittip does not allow the giver to identify himself. This isn't exactly "patronage", IMO, it is like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way

by cjdrake 14y ago

Gittip does not allow the giver to identify himself. This isn't exactly "patronage", IMO, it is like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way to work. That's more like "charity", except worse--you cannot deduct it on your taxes. BTW, I like gittip. I got an account the other day (https://www.gittip.com/cjdrake/ https://www.gittip.com/cjdrake/). Just not sure about the definition of "success" here. Probably a few people could make a nice side-income from donations, but we're going to have to keep our day jobs :).

jaimebuelta 14y ago
I think the system can still work with a few extra bucks each month. At least, is a way of showing people working on open software that someone is caring about what they are doing, which could make them keep doing it. But yes, I agree that the possibility of leaving day jobs is very small... Also, long-tail economy can develop, with top 10 getting a lot and the rest of people getting a lot less...
japhyr 14y ago
This isn't exactly "patronage", IMO, it is like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way to work. It's much stronger than that. It's like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way to work, and making a commitment to drop the same number of coins in that person's hat every day. It's even stronger, though. It's like handing a $10 bill (or more) to a trusted person standing next to the street performer, knowing that person will drop the same amount of money in the performer's hat every day. And further, you make a commitment to renew that $10 whenever necessary. Gittip is removing the friction from making small, recurring donations. That is a powerful model, and if it continues to grow, a not insignificant number of people will be drawing a reliable, meaningful income from their open source work.
- cjdrake 14y ago
  I agree with your points. Perhaps my use of "drop a few coins" sounds a little more dismissive than I was intending. Artistic patronage is when a rich guys pays you a salary to produce art. When Michaelangelo worked for the pope, his "day job" was to build the pope's tomb :). Gittip allows people to tip artists, and it does this very well. Can it truly be extended to patronage?
  - whit537 14y ago
    Yes, Gittip is crowd-sourced patronage. In another context I've said that Gittip will be born when the first person announces that they're depending on it for their livelihood: http://ryandeussing.com/blog/2012/09/24/chad-whitacre-gittip/ http://ryandeussing.com/blog/2012/09/24/chad-whitacre-gittip... Personally, I think we'll get there in a year or two.

by cjdrake 14y ago

jaimebuelta 14y ago

I think the system can still work with a few extra bucks each month. At least, is a way of showing people working on open software that someone is caring about what they are doing, which could make them keep doing it. But yes, I agree that the possibility of leaving day jobs is very small... Also, long-tail economy can develop, with top 10 getting a lot and the rest of people getting a lot less...

japhyr 14y ago

This isn't exactly "patronage", IMO, it is like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way to work. It's much stronger than that. It's like dropping a few coins in a street performer's hat on the way to work, and making a commitment to drop the same number of coins in that person's hat every day. It's even stronger, though. It's like handing a $10 bill (or more) to a trusted person standing next to the street performer, knowing that person will drop the same amount of money in the performer's hat every day. And further, you make a commitment to renew that $10 whenever necessary. Gittip is removing the friction from making small, recurring donations. That is a powerful model, and if it continues to grow, a not insignificant number of people will be drawing a reliable, meaningful income from their open source work.

cjdrake 14y ago
I agree with your points. Perhaps my use of "drop a few coins" sounds a little more dismissive than I was intending. Artistic patronage is when a rich guys pays you a salary to produce art. When Michaelangelo worked for the pope, his "day job" was to build the pope's tomb :). Gittip allows people to tip artists, and it does this very well. Can it truly be extended to patronage?
- whit537 14y ago
  Yes, Gittip is crowd-sourced patronage. In another context I've said that Gittip will be born when the first person announces that they're depending on it for their livelihood: http://ryandeussing.com/blog/2012/09/24/chad-whitacre-gittip/ http://ryandeussing.com/blog/2012/09/24/chad-whitacre-gittip... Personally, I think we'll get there in a year or two.