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Ask for donations and see what happens? You might be shocked by the money that comes in.

eps 12y ago
Got any numbers to back this up? Donation model being a sustainable source of revenue is an urban legend. Just look at Cobian Backup - really popular, of a decent quality, massive install base, donation-based model - the author ultimately gave up (after several years!) and put it up on sale, because donations just didn't work at all.
- davemel37 12y ago
  I really don't see any risk in trying it. what are you saving yourself from by dismissing it based on anecdotal evidence? A couple minutes of work?
  - eps 12y ago
    Nothing against "trying it", but your comment implied that you've seen cases where shocking money started pouring in. I take that you are actually not aware of such cases. On the other hand Cobian is just one high-profile account of donationware not working. The whole model is just wishful thinking.
    - davemel37 12y ago
      I'm basing it on the Stanford story about using $5 and 2 hours, where a group that was filling up bike tires for a buck switched to asking for donations and started making more money... Alot of it has to do with how and who you ask. If this guys is getting emails from people thanking him for making it, I am sure a well crafted message saying, "we can only continue creating these great tools with your generous support." Here is a blog post I wrote about that stanford story. http://www.davidmelamed.com/2013/01/15/theres-no-excuse-for-being-broke-3-simple-strategies-to-cash-in-quickly/ http://www.davidmelamed.com/2013/01/15/theres-no-excuse-for-...
      - bbcbasic 12y ago
        It is more likely to work with face to face contact.
  - jfoster 12y ago
    There's a lot of things that can be easily attempted. That can't be the sole basis for trying something, especially something that has already been tried a lot but doesn't seem to have taken off. (at least without there being something different about how you are approaching it, that is)
csixty4 12y ago
I haven't run the numbers, but I get maybe $20 a month in "buy me a coffee" donations on http://statetable.com http://statetable.com. It's enough to cover the domain & hosting, and the rest goes to fueling my caffeine habit. It's not shocking money at all, but it's honestly more than I expected from a donation link.
moepstar 12y ago
If you're creating content and are on the lookout for a little coffee- or hosting-money, using Flattr might be a nice supplement... https://flattr.com/ https://flattr.com/

eps 12y ago

Got any numbers to back this up? Donation model being a sustainable source of revenue is an urban legend. Just look at Cobian Backup - really popular, of a decent quality, massive install base, donation-based model - the author ultimately gave up (after several years!) and put it up on sale, because donations just didn't work at all.

davemel37 12y ago
I really don't see any risk in trying it. what are you saving yourself from by dismissing it based on anecdotal evidence? A couple minutes of work?
- eps 12y ago
  Nothing against "trying it", but your comment implied that you've seen cases where shocking money started pouring in. I take that you are actually not aware of such cases. On the other hand Cobian is just one high-profile account of donationware not working. The whole model is just wishful thinking.
  - davemel37 12y ago
    I'm basing it on the Stanford story about using $5 and 2 hours, where a group that was filling up bike tires for a buck switched to asking for donations and started making more money... Alot of it has to do with how and who you ask. If this guys is getting emails from people thanking him for making it, I am sure a well crafted message saying, "we can only continue creating these great tools with your generous support." Here is a blog post I wrote about that stanford story. http://www.davidmelamed.com/2013/01/15/theres-no-excuse-for-being-broke-3-simple-strategies-to-cash-in-quickly/ http://www.davidmelamed.com/2013/01/15/theres-no-excuse-for-...
    - bbcbasic 12y ago
      It is more likely to work with face to face contact.
- jfoster 12y ago
  There's a lot of things that can be easily attempted. That can't be the sole basis for trying something, especially something that has already been tried a lot but doesn't seem to have taken off. (at least without there being something different about how you are approaching it, that is)

csixty4 12y ago

I haven't run the numbers, but I get maybe $20 a month in "buy me a coffee" donations on http://statetable.com http://statetable.com. It's enough to cover the domain & hosting, and the rest goes to fueling my caffeine habit. It's not shocking money at all, but it's honestly more than I expected from a donation link.

moepstar 12y ago

If you're creating content and are on the lookout for a little coffee- or hosting-money, using Flattr might be a nice supplement... https://flattr.com/ https://flattr.com/