Over the past couple of days, I have seen so many posts on the donation button on Ben Henry’s The Baseball Card Blog site. The original post is a plea of sorts from Ben as he has recently quit his day job and while he looks for another job, he is dedicating himself to his blog. On a side not, he recent posts have been fantastic.
What I don’t understand, is why there is such an uproar over this? Almost every blog I have been to has some kind of advertising on it. Also almost every blog I read has at sometime received from it’s readers some free swag. Why not set up the donation button? If someone wants to donate they can. If they don’t then they don’t have to. It’s not like his blog is a pay site, you can still read and not donate.
I have heard some very discouraging remarks about Ben and from what I can tell, through my correspondence with him, he has been nothing but nice to me. His writing is superb, he has more blogroll links than all of us combined, he has done more to promote the hobby than any other blog, Stale Gum and Wax Heaven included. His countdowns have been great and his insight has been dead on.
Over the past few months I have noticed the baseball card blog world becoming kind of cut throat. For me, I do what I want to do on here and if you don’t like it then whatever, but I’ve been averaging 400 hits a day so someone likes the site. I’ve gotten quite a few emails of people asking me how to create a better blog, or what makes people want to come to your blog. I respond to each one as critically as I can in order to help people.
I can say that thanks to people like Ben Henry and Mario Alejandro, I decided to start a blog myself. So I guess for that, I am indeed indebted to both. But as far as donations go, I won’t donate to either. That’s my prerogative. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s that I can’t afford to. Don’t mistake that donation button as a must make a donation, because it’s not. But if you have some extra money and you want to donate it, why the hell not? If you take this as an insult then you read it completely wrong.
Cut Ben some slack and all other other bloggers out there who are looking for ways to turn a blog into some cash. Ben is one of the best writers in the blog world and I for one would hate to see this backlash lead to him quitting the blog world. It would be a shame. So instead of complaining about all the injustices of the blog world and who did what on what blog and tell us how you hate it, sit back and remember why you started a blog and stick with it making it as good as you can.
Amen! I agree 100%!
from ABWax: “Over the past couple of days, I have seen so many posts on the donation button on Ben Henry’s The Baseball Card Blog site.”
Many posts? Good. That lends some credibility to what I’m about to say…
DISCLAIMER FROM Treausre Never Buried: Please continue to read Ben Henry’s work until you feel lead to do otherwise. He is one of the most talented and knowledgeable card bloggers on the internet.
Chem, I agree with most everything you’re saying. Even though I’ve written what is apparently a very controversial post I still agree with you. And you can bet your collection that I’m going to pursue every avenue available to make some “card” money from my blog. Donations are a great idea for blog authors. Ideally, I think everyone should give their readers the option of anonymously contributing to someone that has inspired them.
But, If you feel that you’ve truly inspired people in whatever way, shouldn’t you be able to put a donation button on your site and then let it and your work speak for itself? If you’re really “that” good, do you need to give reasons?
I don’t see any need to personally knock Ben Henry and I don’t advocate anyone else doing it. If 100% of Ben Henry’s readers quit reading his blog tomorrow because of my post, is that wrong of me for pointing out my problems with his post? His readers have as much of a choice to donate as they do to continue to support him with their presence, no matter the reason.
Either way…
I wasn’t being unfair, I didn’t misquote him, and I didn’t ask anyone else to follow my lead. I linked specifically to his post and I praised him wholeheartedly as much as I felt necessary.
You say, “I for one would hate to see this backlash lead to him quitting the blog world.” If there is backlash, isn’t that his fault? I don’t think anyone reading the various card blogs is so naive’ to stop reading Ben Henry just because someone else did.
I’m glad that there were “many posts” about the donation button. I would hate to feel like I was the only that considered this an arrogant way to beg for money.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If Ben Henry loses all his readers over his post, if I lose all of mine over bashing his “reasons” (not the donation button), or if you lose all of your readers for defending it, then so be it.
I’m like you,
“I do what I want to do on here and if you don’t like it then whatever”
At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
I might give the option to donate on TNB someday but you can also bet your collection that I won’t be giving reasons why. I’ll let my work speak for itself.
Considering that Ben Henry’s work could be considered “outstanding” by most, I think that he should have done the same…
I really have to disagree with you on a lot of this, but thats cool, no bad blood here.
Ben’s insights are far from “spot on” in my opinion. If the year was 1985, then yes, he would probably be correct. Of course that’s not what we are debating.
The thing that makes everyone so angry is that a lot of people have stumbled across his blog and he has inspired a lot of those visitors in some way. Now he is saying that isnt enough for him, he wants donations because the notion of being a muse is a cash worthy venture, and that is bull.
Just my thing.