Thread by @LibertyBlitz

1/ Thread on my latest post, as well as additional realizations I've come to from publishing free content on the internet over the last 7 years.

2/ Yesterday, I announced I had removed all ads from my website. From the very beginning, ads from a variety of sources have been the primary source of revenue helping to support the work I do. Here's the post if you missed it.
libertyblitzkrieg.com/2019/02/21/imp…

3/ Over time, it's become clear the click ad model is pernicious to high quality content on the internet. Content creators chase clicks and it invariably reduces the quality of work published. You go for quantity over quality.

4/ I had enough of this by 2017, when I started offering various donation options and started only publishing less frequent, higher quality work. I left the ads on the site while I figured out how to move forward and if a voluntary reader-supported model could work for me.

5/ Here's some of what I learned. First, many people have donated without any expectation of anything in return. Some have donated generously. These are some of the most thoughtful and appreciative people out there. If this includes you, thank you very much.

6/ Of course, the vast majority of people who read and enjoy my work, in some cases over many years, never donate. Even more interesting, the people who do donate never ask for anything in return. They never ask for my time or help, they are just appreciative and thoughtful.

7/ The people who email me or DM me asking for stuff, random help, or to look at their projects, these are the people who never think to donate. It's almost the exact opposite of what you might expect, but it's taught me a lot about human nature and the state of things.

8/ In case you haven't picked up on it yet, the response to yesterday's post was disappointing. Which is fine. Sometimes you get to a point where it's time to make changes, move on from what you've been doing, reassess how you're spending your time, etc. I've reached that point.

9/ I'm not sure yet exactly how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to start spending more of my time engaging with, and providing content to people who are willing to contribute to my work.

10/ Life is short. I'm very pleased about how I've done stuff up until this point and I wouldn't change anything. I felt a duty to put stuff out there I thought might help people. But it's time to changes some things and shift my priorities.

11/ The first thing that's going to change is my weekly links post will only go to supporters. I will keep it public for a month in transition, and then it will be the $5 Patreon tier and higher. If you want to sign up, do it here:
patreon.com/michaelkrieger

12/ I understand many of you don't want to do Patreon. I get why and respect it. I will also send out the links post to people who support on PayPal or by check, Bitcoin, etc if you want to receive it. You can do $5/month recurring donations on PayPal as well.

13/ Anyway, let's end this on a positive note. Thank you to everyone who has donated over the past couple of years expecting nothing in return. You inspire me. I gave without asking for anything for nearly a decade. It's time to consider a slightly different path now.

14/ Here's how you can support my work if you so desire. Thanks for listening and I wish everyone a wonderful weekend.
libertyblitzkrieg.com/support-libert…