Tip Jars Part Two
November 16th, 2008 by 
John Dilbeck
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about tip jars since I wrote What do you think about tip jars on websites? back in September.
As I wrote in my last comment on that thread, I leave tips on some very useful sites, such as thefluffanutta’s SquidUtils.com. He provides an outstanding service for Squidoo lensmasters and I’m happy to leave him a tip when I think about it.
I’m going to leave the PayPal donate button in the right column of this blog, whether or not it gets used.
On the other hand, I removed the TopSpots list yesterday.
After two months, with thousands of visitors and no nibbles, I simply deleted it. *Poof!*
I’ll still use that service to advertise this blog on other blogs I like, but won’t be offering it here.
In general, I don’t like to have paid links on my sites, and this was the only one where I was doing anything like that. So, even though I was playing by all the rules I know, it never felt comfortable for me.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with TopSpots, but it just doesn’t feel like a good fit here.
Act on your dream!
JD
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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 at 3:54 am and is filed under Advertising, Musings, Web Services. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 16th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I think I agree with your choice, John, as I’ve obviously never added it myself, though I thought about it. I do like your “Buy Me A Coffee” thing, though, and I want to add something like that onto my blog. How did you do it?
Mitchs last blog post..All In One SEO - Testing
November 17th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Good morning, Mitch.
It’s pretty easy to create a Donate button at Paypal. Just login and click the Merchant Services tab.
You’ll see several buttons and a lot of text links below them. In the left column, under “Create Buttons,” click the “Donate” link.
Now, it’s just a matter of filling in the form and getting the code. I set my button so that the donor can set the amount of the donation. It can also be set by you, if you prefer.
There are other ways you can customize the button. Apparently, something has changed since I created my button, because I don’t see that particular style available. I don’t think the appearance of the button is all that important, if you use one of the standard PayPal buttons.
On the other hand, you can use your own image, if you prefer.
Then, it’s just a matter of finishing your setup and customization and click the “Create Button” button at the bottom of the page.
Copy and paste the code on your blog and you should be good to go.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 17th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi JD - Just dropping in to say hello. Not opposed to the idea of tip jars. They are voluntary and people may have their more generous moments depending on the day.
Just subscribed to your blog post here. Thought it might be a good way to keep in touch with each other.
Will be sending you an email asking your opinion on another matter.
Cheers,
Wayne (Builder99)
November 17th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hi JD - just tried to sent a comment and it appeared to not go through. Will try again using a different website url (Have had that same reaction at another website powered by WordPress - I think) After changing the website I entered comment was displayed.
Will be sending you an email about another matter.
Cheers,
Wayne (Builder99)
November 17th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Good morning, Wayne.
It’s always good hearing from you.
I have some rather tight settings for comments on this blog to try to filter out as much spam as possible. All new commentors are moderated for the first couple of posts before they become trusted enough for the script to automatically approve them.
In your case, the first comment was marked as spam - probably because of the domain you linked to. You’ll probably do best to link to your own blog so you can get more readers to visit.
I unspammed it.
The second comment was waiting for moderation. Of course, I approved it.
I’ll check my email in a few minutes and get back to you.
Thanks for subscribing.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 17th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Thanks for sharing this information, John. I’m saving it, and I’m creating one also. I’m probably going to add it to the end of every post, though, to help it be seen. Thanks!
Mitchs last blog post..Another Blog? Another Website?
November 17th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
If I may be so bold Mitch…B A D idea my friend, that’s highly regarded now as being a really desperate/greedy move; especially on a blog that with affiliate product sales.
OK so that was a quarters worth, but it’s all the same true.
John - I too have been thinking about removing the top-spots. It’s been about a month and I did have 1 link after 2 weeks which was cool but still…
I’m thinkin’ the big hinkin widget may be having an adverse effect….especially since my primary audience is beginner-semi beginner.
People like Lynn Terry and Alice Seba never have an empty spot…you can see the difference though…
Also now that my readership is growing more steadily, and I’m officially going into the money arena, I’m all about the testing.
Your opinion? Am I dropping it too soon since I did get a hit after only two weeks? But the rest of what I said makes sense too…
Color me confused.
Dennis Edells last blog post..UPDATED - We Will Stay Do-Follow, But…
November 17th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Good afternoon, Dennis.
I advertised on the TopSpots widget on Lynn Terry’s and Sire’s blogs. I could not find a way to track visitors from the widgets as opposed to others parts of their blogs, but there were visitors.
I know this is a new blog, but that big widget with no links kept glaring at me every time I came to do anything here and it was starting to bug me. It was like hearing the infamous here-comes-the-shark music from Jaws.
I believe in giving something time to work, but there should be some results in a reasonable timeframe, don’t you think?
I can’t tell you what to do, but, for me, removing it was the right decision. I haven’t had any second guesses about it.
And, now that I’ve received my first tip in the tip jar, I’m feeling better about it.
I won’t get rich, but it’s a start!
The only thing I can suggest is this: What did your TopSpots advertiser pay and for how long?
If you delete it, should you refund all or a prorated portion of that amount, even though you have not received it from ScratchBack.com?
That was a question I was considering before deleting it. Because of the terms of service and the very long time with no takers, I could not see getting paid in a reasonable time using the widget.
The PayPal donation button, however, pays immediately.
That was the thought that helped me decide.
Still, I’ll make much more money from the affiliate programs I promote than I ever will from the tip jar. I just didn’t see much use in wasting any more time thinking about it.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 17th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Good afternoon, Mitch.
You’re welcome. I hope it works well for you.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 17th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Dennis, now you’re freaking me out a little bit. I just saw where one of the top bloggers has added a dollar payment due to read his posts unless you subscribe to his newsletter, where you can read the article for free. Otherwise, though I don’t see it all that often, I hadn’t even heard or seen anyone else doing it or talking about it. Now I’m not sure what to do; that’s rare for me.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:38 am
John - “but that big widget with no links kept glaring at me every time I came to do anything here and it was starting to bug me.”
Same here.
“I believe in giving something time to work, but there should be some results in a reasonable time frame, don’t you think?”
I feel the same way, which is why I’m a little torn. It’s only been a month and I did get my first link after only 2 weeks which was cool….tired of lookin’ at that widget though, and my readers may also.
She paid for a week and it’s passed, so nothing to refund. All I would be losing is the $4 or so in my account.
I’m officially getting into affiliate marketing myself, so it may just be a no-brainer for me as well.
I’ll think on it a few days…
Dennis Edells last blog post..$5 Paypal For The Best Favicon Idea!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Mitch - Please explain…I don’t see the connection between Garry’s article charging and my top-spots widget??
Dennis Edells last blog post..$5 Paypal For The Best Favicon Idea!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Dude, you’ve gotta keep up.
You told me it was a bad idea to add the Paypal thing. I’m commenting on that.
Mitchs last blog post..How To Memorize Anything
November 18th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
LOL Mitch, sorry. It IS a really bad idea at THE END OF EVERY POST on a blog that does have affiliate programs and such everywhere also.
The Garry thing is a totally different scenario…and quite ingenious if ya ask me.
Dennis Edells last blog post..$5 Paypal For The Best Favicon Idea!
November 18th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
At the end of every post will be a stretch, But if you feel your readers wont mind, go for it. I thought about doing something like this a while back but decided against it. My blog is not a year old yet and I want to build it up first.
Larrys last blog post..Reasons to Use Polls and Surveys on Your Blog
November 18th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Just to be clear, Dennis, it’s not having something at all that’s the problem, it’s having it at the end of every post, right? I asked Lynn Terry about it earlier today and she basically recommended the thing that John just removed, of all things. Then again, hers is totally full, and people keep paying to get to the top, so I guess that’s much more of a difference than what we might endure for a short while.
Mitchs last blog post..Planning For Building A Commerce Website
November 19th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Hi Larry,
Welcome! Thanks for the comments.
Mitch,
I agree about not putting a tip jar at the end of every post, but that doesn’t mean it would not be the right thing to do on your blog.
As we know, the art of marketing is testing and eliminating things that don’t work and emphasizing what does work.
Your example is perfect. Lynn Terry’s TopSpots widget is a little cash cow for her and she’d be nuts to delete it. Plus, (possibly) it sends traffic to the people who advertise on it.
The difference between her blog and mine is that she has much, much more traffic and she’s spent years building loyalty with her readers. I may not agree with everything she says, but I respect her advice and integrity. That’s why I bought a link on her widget in the first place.
So, while it didn’t work on my site, it may be a perfect fit for yours. Or not.
Only testing will give the answer.
The same thing is true about using a PayPal tip jar on your site.
Test it in the sidebar (where it’s practically invisible for most people) for awhile, and then test at the end of every post, or vice versa.
Keep what works best on YOUR site.
See if your readers complain or if your traffic stats decrease or increase. Those are important factors, too.
Every site, every business, and every person is different. My solution may work for me, but not for anyone else.
But, I’m betting you already know this. (grin)
Act on your dream!
JD
November 19th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Thanks John. I’m still thinking about it, but I’m probably going to add the widget, then we’ll see where things go.
Mitchs last blog post..“Legitimizing” Spam?
November 19th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Mitch,
I agree with John on the Lynn thing, in fact I mentioned her and Alice Seba above…INDIVIDUALLY they have a ton more traffic then we do COMBINED lol.
Donations - I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear.
“I personally” think they are a no-no in any location on any blog that also pimps other things for sale, especially if one is crazy into affiliate marketing.
So basically I don’t agree with it at all on blog/site that also sells. If one wishes to test it in a very non-blatant way somewhere in a sidebar, then I say good luck.
That said, yes it is a DEFINITE subscriber KILLER to have it at the end of every post.
Dennis Edells last blog post..A Monkey Can Do Your Job!
November 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Now for a good example, hehe.
Take my blog about to launch, that you’re not supposed to know about yet. LOL
You probably noticed the sidebar headline calling for “free ad swaps”…I will most likely also have a donation thingy; maybe even after every post!
What? Huh? The reason being, considering the nature of the blog, my plans are to have NO PAID ADVERTISING WHATSOEVER.
Make sense?
Dennis Edells last blog post..A Monkey Can Do Your Job!
November 20th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Dennis,
I’m certainly not being contrary, but I just don’t understand why people would unsubscribe for that reason. If one was writing one or two paragraph posts, or not really doing anything except selling, I might understand a bit more. But if a site is actually writing real articles most of the time, and you’ve seen the length of some of my posts, having that at the end doesn’t seem like it should be the death of readers or subscribers. Just asking, but wouldn’t you personally be more apt to unsubscribe from a blog where the writer said you couldn’t read the entire article for free unless you subscribed to the newsletter than someone who hopes people are getting some kind of value from the posts they’re writing?
In a way, it’s almost the argument some have about whether to monetize or not, as I notice you’ve mentioned that, for your “unnamed blog” (sure, promise me to secrecy, then reveal it yourself! lol), you’re not having any paid advertising. Does that mean you’re not monetizing the blog at all?
I still haven’t decided, by the way, which is why I’m engaging in the conversation. I’m just wondering which blogs you’ve seen where someone has asked for what I’m thinking about doing and suddenly showed a major decrease in subscribers. I’d like to write some of those folks.
Mitchs last blog post..9 Instant Tips On How To Leverage The Power Of Squidoo - Guest Post
November 20th, 2008 at 4:45 am
I think a lot of this comes down to our purpose for blogging.
Some people do it for a hobby. Some to socialize. Others have a burning passion for a cause. Some do it to inform, others to disrupt.
Many of these people dislike advertising, some abhor it. They’re not blogging to earn a living.
I do it to earn a living and because I like it.
All my blogs (and other sites, too) are monetized in some way, either via Adsense ads, affiliate links, or - now - a tip jar.
So far, the tip jar is really a non-issue in terms of revenue. I earn far more from Adsense and affiliate links than I’ll ever earn from donations and I think that’s proper for what I’m doing.
I only added the tip jar at someone’s request.
In fact, I’ve only received one donation in my tip jar. (Thanks. You know who you are.)
So, why am I spending so much time thinking and writing about tip jars? Because it caught my attention and I wanted to learn something about it.
Thanks to all the comments in this and the previous thread, I know much more about tip jars than I ever did before. Now, I think I can make an informed decision on the subject.
Honestly, I don’t think a tip jar, a buy me a beer, a give me an Amazon certificate, or anything else similar to those would have any effect on how I view the blog.
In Mitch’s case, I learn something from almost all of his posts, so a tip jar here or there would have no effect on whether I visited or not.
Unfortunately for those of us doing this to earn a living, the majority of people who read a lot of blogs are blind to ads, anyway. Most of us rarely click on ads. I think we’re more likely to click on links for more information than on something that helps our friends earn a living, too. (That’s just a personal opinion with no facts to back it up.)
We are likely, however, to click on something that may help us earn more money when we see one of our friends using it.
Still using I’m Just Sharing as an example, I’m going to continue reading it on a regular basis, regardless of the number and types of monetization approaches Mitch decides to use.
On the other hand, if he changed the way he writes and started posting one or two paragraph articles trying to sell everything that comes down the road - as I’ve seen others do - then I’d be out of there.
It’s not the monetization approach that affects me, it’s the value of the information and the quality of the opinions.
I recognize that I’m atypical and how I would respond probably isn’t a good way to judge how someone else would.
I’ve finally come to the conclusion - for me - that I think there is some minor value in tip jars and don’t see any reason to oppose them.
I’m enjoying this discussion.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Thanks for your thoughts on this one, John. I know I’m going to add something, just not quite sure what yet. My thought was how the “tip” button was all that different from the many blogs I go to asking someone to “buy them a beer” if they liked the post. One long time internet marketer, Paul Myers, has it at the end of every newsletter he sends out, and I’ve continued subscribing for at least 5 years now because he writes pretty good stuff. That’s why I wondered who has suffered from asking for it; not saying I’m going to actually do it at the end of every post, or set it up so that it’s at the end of every post (like the subscription request is now), but, well, one never knows, right?
Mitchs last blog post..New Series - Writing And Marketing A Book
November 20th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Right.
It’s always good to examine the alternatives, do a basic pro vs. con comparison, and then test to see if our expectations match the actual results.
(I did it! I always knew I could write a short comment eventually.)
November 20th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Mitch - it’s all about perception. Perhaps it’s changed with so much rampant use of it, but the tips at the end of every post were considered just plain begging for many years.
Garry is a bad example - he will get signups non-sop because of who he is; one of the most straight shootin’ MMO guys in the business…if either of us tried the $1 thing we’d be sunk….more on that later.
As for the blog with no name…you don’t see a link, do ya?
Will it be monetized AT ALL? That will be talked about within the first couple posts, but as I envision it right now…I don’t see very much at all, no.
It’s not the monetization approach that affects “me” either…I’m just talkin’ about general perception. Unless things have changed big time, if you were to poll quite a few more places, the answer would come back the same.
Dennis Edells last blog post..A Monkey Can Do Your Job!
November 20th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
John, I’m stunned also.
Dennis, I don’t know why I keep forgetting Garry’s name; I guess he’s not quite a part of my lexicon just yet. For me, I’m not signing up for any more newsletters for awhile, because I have so much stuff already. Still, there is a paid model that he’s created. However, I’m thinking more along the lines at this point of having something on the side instead. I’m going through some minor rearranging of stuff right now, along with my new series.
Mitchs last blog post..New Series - Writing And Marketing A Book
November 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 am
I have the tipjar on my blog and although I’ve only had a couple of hits, until something better comes up I reckon I will leave it on. The only thing that will drive tipping is the popularity and traffic of the blog, and as mine is relatively new I don’t think it really has had a chance.
In regards to the conversation between Mitch and Dennis, I believe Mitch was referring to having a “Buy me a coffee” link and not a tipping jar widget. In regards to that I use a plugin which I have found works quite well, and instead of a coffee people buy me a beer. I was thinking of changing it to a scotch but that might be asking too much.
Sires last blog post..What Type Of Commentator Do You Aspire To Be?
December 1st, 2008 at 7:05 am
I’ve had the donate button on SquidUtils for a while now, and it sees a little bit of use now and then. Donations are generally more forthcoming if you state a need for them, e.g. to pay for a new server.
I’m considering trying out TipIt instead - this makes it super easy for visitors to tip small amounts, and for donations less than $10 it works out cheaper than PayPal. They have a nice bit of Javascript you can put on your site, which might attract more ‘tips’ than a PayPal button would.
Still undecided though - have a look and see what you think.
thefluffanutta
December 4th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Good morning, thefluffanutta,
I always welcome your comments and feedback - and the service you provide via SquidUtils.com.
The more I learn about tip jars, the more I’m beginning to think they are likely to be ineffective for most sites.
If there’s a service that I use regularly that I know helps my business, I’d be more likely to pay a monthly fee rather than donating to a tip jar.
I don’t have any experience with TipIt, but I did go read their FAQ page. It looks to me like they’re mostly a middleman between the domain owner and PayPal. Once again, you have to have at least $25.00 in your account before you get paid, but with a PayPal donate button, you get paid almost immediately. (TipIt’s minimum amount for payout is 15 pounds, 20 Euros, or 25 US Dollars.)
Now, for something like SquidUtils, I’d be willing to pay a monthly fee for the services you provide.
I haven’t had the time or energy to really do much with Squidoo over the last three months or so, but it will play a big part in my plans for 2009. What I like about Squidoo is they pay me to use their service, in return for content I provide and visitors I attract to their site. I like that model, but it certainly won’t work for most sites.
SquidUtils adds some real functionality that I like, and I just learned about your RSS feeds for SquidCasts. This is something I’ll be using in the future.
I know you have expenses related to servers and bandwidth. Have you considered setting up a monthly subscription fee for lensmasters who use your service a lot?
Back to TipIt. I don’t see much that I dislike (on first glance), except for the minimum amounts before payout. In my case, I think I’d be more inclined to click a PayPal donate button than TipIt, because I have a lot of history with PayPal and trust their service.
Does anyone else have any thoughts about TipIt?
Act on your dream!
JD
March 24th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Do be sure to watch for and reply to any emails from PayPal (which can sometimes be difficult to discern from phishing schemes).
I once had a donate button on a really old page on a site I had. After Katrina PayPal sent an email that if I didn’t prove I was a non-profit or respond by their deadline that they’d do something - probably close my account.
Fortunately I did call them. The link I had was long before Katrina and I had never actually used it. It had to do with a project I had considered and did not pursue. But PayPal was very serious about my removing it.
Apparently there were too many scammers taking “donations” for Katrina that weren’t. Just wanted you to know just in case.
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Blog Traffic Up 54.87% in the Last 30 Days: Our Proven Traffic Improvement Strategy
March 24th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Good evening, Internet Strategist.
That’s good information; thanks for passing it on.
I can just imagine how many scams that PayPal has to watch out for and it would be easy to get caught in a scenario you describe.
After months of testing tip jars, both PayPal and others, on various sites, I’ve decided they are completely ineffective for what I’m doing and I’m removing them from the sites as I make updates.
I’ve already removed the PayPal tip jar from this site.
Act on your dream!
JD