I'll try to keep this brief, since I would like to concentrate my focus elsewhere today (chiefly on finding permanent employment, maybe learning new skills if I have the time) and my Internet connection is playing up again. My regular readers (for whom I am thankful) have probably figured out that I tend not to publish anything that's shorter than several paragraphs. I feel that if I do and expect to earn tips for it, I'm cheating my readers out of opportunities to tip from the communal pool of funds, which are certainly in short supply on Pub0x. I have found that not everyone shares that sentiment, however. I'm not judging them for it; I just don't read their content. After all, there's no rule to that effect on how to best post on this site and we are largely free to abide by our own. (I have frequently found that there are more posts I want to tip than I have opportunities to do so, so I conserve them to the authors I feel deserve what little I am permitted to give.) Clearly, I have set myself a small challenge, but I think I managed it well. You are welcome to disagree, of course!
In one of my previous posts, I wrote the following:
"I could really do with earning more for my writing here on Pub0x, but experience has taught me that that's unlikely to happen. (I know for a fact that there are people who read my writing and like it, but don't bother to tip. I have a problem with that, since I don't write and post solely for my or their enjoyment.)"
I'm inclined to consider that people agree with me, since I earned more tips on that post than I expected to. (Tips are a good proxy for approval, in my opinion. Surely, people don't tip well posts they don't like, right?) Maybe those tips are out of sympathy for my situation. Whatever, the fact remains that people tipped, for whatever reason ... However, I received the following as part of a comment from WinterYetiMonkey (the rest of which I cannot fault and I do not wish to single out that commentator nor take them to task):
"First, if you’re going to be looking for income as a writer, you’re going to have to keep your opinions about your audiences positive. Calling them cheapskates or rat-bait are not going to win you friends, and you need an audience if you want to make income as a writer. You are working for the client, not the other way around."
Frankly, I disagree (at least in part). Clients who don't pay aren't clients I want. I know that much from experience attempting to go into business for myself. I have good readers who treat me well and I appreciate them. I'm not taking a swipe at them here. I have strong opinions and principles. That isn't going to stop me from calling out and criticising/commenting on things I consider to be injustice and problematic, as I see them. Perhaps unfortunately for my finances, I consider it more important to stick to my principles and be right than to say nothing for the sake of raking in cash. That includes what I consider to be cheapskates on for-pay content sites like Pub0x. If someone is happy to read my content and like it, but doesn't have the decency to leave a tip (even a small one, which the tips on Pub0x frankly are in my not-at-all humble opinion), then that person is a cheapskate rat bastard in my eyes. I don't care for them and they're not the people I want in my target audience/readership base. It's not even like they have to tip out of their wallets on Pub0x. I understand why people are reluctant to do that with their own funds. Although I'm not at all pleased about it, I do reluctantly concede that they might have a point. (I also concede that not everyone whom reads my writing likes it and I don't expect those people to leave me tips, because that's not fair to them.) Quite frankly, I don't want their attention and would be quite happy for them to take themselves elsewhere. If that were otherwise, I could easily go back to wasting my time publishing on Blogger, Facebook, FL and Tumblr while earning nothing for it. The expectation/entitlement of getting stuff for free is strong on those sites and I don't like it. I've certainly not had difficulty gathering followings (although modest) there. Alternately, I could write in a private diary nobody else sees.
That's not why I publish posts on for-pay sites like Pub0x, instead of elsewhere. I want my content read and I want to be compensated for it financially (even if modestly). I don't feel that that agreement is being honoured (at least not in a way that's fair to me). Perhaps the problem lies with the site itself and the pool of funds for tipping is too small, so people hoard their tips. That's fine and I don't have a problem with that, but if you're going to tip me for the content of mine you read and like, please don't bother. I certainly stop reading content on Pub0x once I run out of allocated tips for a day, even though I don't have to; I'm just trying to be fair to the authors whose content I enjoy, since they've clearly made an effort to get it up here and that deserves compensation (small though it is) in my view.
Besides, if you don't want to be called out for bad behaviour, then don't perpetuate it. It's as simple as that. If you're not doing the thing(s) that draw my ire, then you are not one of the people at which it is directed. If it's about you, then don't it about you; it's not a good look. It's really not that hard. Otherwise, you'd do yourself a favour going elsewhere because "ain't nobody got time for that" noise. It's really up to you.
I certainly don't have time for them! I hope you don't, either.
You (hopefully) wouldn't do it in a restaurant after an enjoyable meal, so why do you think it's acceptable to do it here (or on any other Website on which you consume for-pay content, even if you aren't required to pay for it up front)? Do you pay for the porn and/or other entertainment you consume, or do you somehow think that we you something? I'll point this out to you now: We owe you jack shit if you're not going to pay us for what we provide. That doesn't change just because we're not demanding payment upfront and you get to decide how much content is worth to you. You are here for entertainment and I am here to provide it in exchange for crypto. Welcome to the ugly reality of Capitalism, mate, the current oppressive system under which we live! Everything that can be monetised will be (including you and I), whether we like it or not.
On that note, I'm off to see if I can farm some fiat/crypto by additional/other means, since I'm not coining it by any means here. Have a great rest of your weekend, folks. Happy reading and don't forget to tip worthy content!
