Comments on: Donation questions http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/ News from the Staff of Podiobooks.com Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:02:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Matthew Wayne Selznick http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-211 Matthew Wayne Selznick Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:40 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-211 I think the idea of offering several different donation levels is a good one -- as is the "subscription" model. If you're going to go with subscriptions, create several different levels so that people of different income levels can feel comfortable. Give each level a nice name, too... something like "Supporter," "Patron," "Superstar," "Angel," "Archangel," and so on. Offer to provide links back to folks at the Angel and Archangel level. Too complicated? If you're going to have one suggested donation level, keep it under $15.00. Fifteen is just a little too close emotionally to Twenty, and might make people balk. I think the idea of offering several different donation levels is a good one — as is the “subscription” model.

If you’re going to go with subscriptions, create several different levels so that people of different income levels can feel comfortable. Give each level a nice name, too… something like “Supporter,” “Patron,” “Superstar,” “Angel,” “Archangel,” and so on. Offer to provide links back to folks at the Angel and Archangel level.

Too complicated?

If you’re going to have one suggested donation level, keep it under $15.00. Fifteen is just a little too close emotionally to Twenty, and might make people balk.

]]> By: Evo http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-204 Evo Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:13:47 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-204 Chrisitiaan - Your terminology is a little off. You're talking about a Content Distribution Network. Things like Dijjer and Coral are great, but they require port different than standard HTTP traffic travels upon. As such, network administrators of organizations and companies block access to any ports other than those essential for standard network travel. If it doesn't travel on Port 80 or some other port used for some standard business need, network admins will have it locked down. Dijjer requires admins open port 9115. Anyone trying to get a file behind a firewall with that port closed will be unsuccessful. I've tried this with Coral in the past. Great tool. Great concept. But problematic. If a CDN goes with port 80, we'll be all over it. The good news is that my relationship with the wonderful folks at <a href="http://libsyn.com" rel="nofollow">LibSyn</a> make this, for now, a non issue. If you've got a podcast (other than a podiobook) and you're not using LibSyn... why? Cheap, effective and reliable. I'm happy as a clam with the guys. http://libsyn.com Paul - The concept about one donations split is a good idea. We've talked about it, but never with anything concrete. We'll take your ideas and use them as spring board. Thanks! Chrisitiaan -

Your terminology is a little off. You’re talking about a Content Distribution Network. Things like Dijjer and Coral are great, but they require port different than standard HTTP traffic travels upon. As such, network administrators of organizations and companies block access to any ports other than those essential for standard network travel. If it doesn’t travel on Port 80 or some other port used for some standard business need, network admins will have it locked down.

Dijjer requires admins open port 9115. Anyone trying to get a file behind a firewall with that port closed will be unsuccessful. I’ve tried this with Coral in the past. Great tool. Great concept. But problematic. If a CDN goes with port 80, we’ll be all over it.

The good news is that my relationship with the wonderful folks at LibSyn make this, for now, a non issue. If you’ve got a podcast (other than a podiobook) and you’re not using LibSyn… why? Cheap, effective and reliable. I’m happy as a clam with the guys. http://libsyn.com

Paul - The concept about one donations split is a good idea. We’ve talked about it, but never with anything concrete. We’ll take your ideas and use them as spring board. Thanks!

]]> By: Paul Campbell http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-203 Paul Campbell Sat, 28 Jan 2006 12:52:23 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-203 Why not have two, or more buttons? One for the current $ amount, and another for the $14.99. This would say, to me at least, that you are happy to take the lower amount. I think your higher level donations will actually increase. What I would like is the ability to make a single donation and have is split between several books. Either evenly or manually selectable. That way I can make donations to the nine authors I'm subscribed to, and you only lose one transaction fee to PayPal. I believe PayPal also supports subscriptions. What about an option to make a donation every month, to be divided between the books that I'm currently subscribed to. Which reminds me, I feel I owe you a donation for all these fantastic books. Thanks. Why not have two, or more buttons? One for the current $ amount, and another for the $14.99.

This would say, to me at least, that you are happy to take the lower amount. I think your higher level donations will actually increase.

What I would like is the ability to make a single donation and have is split between several books. Either evenly or manually selectable. That way I can make donations to the nine authors I’m subscribed to, and you only lose one transaction fee to PayPal.

I believe PayPal also supports subscriptions. What about an option to make a donation every month, to be divided between the books that I’m currently subscribed to.

Which reminds me, I feel I owe you a donation for all these fantastic books. Thanks.

]]> By: Christiaan Theron http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-202 Christiaan Theron Sat, 28 Jan 2006 12:24:31 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-202 Hi I understand that with each new title added bandwidth costs will increase so I wish to suggest an Open Source RSS bandwidth costing saving measure. http://www.dijjer.org/faq.php#podcasting Hi

I understand that with each new title added bandwidth costs will increase so I wish to suggest an Open Source RSS bandwidth costing saving measure.

http://www.dijjer.org/faq.php#podcasting

]]> By: Russell Burt http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-201 Russell Burt Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:12:24 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-201 I guess I'll give my opinion... though I can't really back it up. Just a gut feeling. I would not raise the suggested donation. And, I'm not commenting on the value of the work here by any means. I guess ten bucks just seems like a good swivel point. It may just be low self esteem talking, but I'd rather someone think, "wow, what a bargain," than "well, I guess its worth that." I think people feel good about being able to give the suggested amount, and I'm just afraid that 15 beans would raise a lot more eyebrows than 10. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because even ten dollars is a lot of money to me. I encourage the users of the site to give their opinion on this, as I feel their input would be the most useful. I guess I’ll give my opinion… though I can’t really back it up. Just a gut feeling. I would not raise the suggested donation. And, I’m not commenting on the value of the work here by any means. I guess ten bucks just seems like a good swivel point. It may just be low self esteem talking, but I’d rather someone think, “wow, what a bargain,” than “well, I guess its worth that.” I think people feel good about being able to give the suggested amount, and I’m just afraid that 15 beans would raise a lot more eyebrows than 10. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because even ten dollars is a lot of money to me. I encourage the users of the site to give their opinion on this, as I feel their input would be the most useful.

]]> By: Thomas Moore http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-193 Thomas Moore Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:55:51 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2006/01/27/donation-questions/#comment-193 I think you should follow magnatune's lead on this one. Charge half of the price of an average audiobook as the default-- unfortunately that comes right out to about 10 or 15 dollars-- From my perspective I'd say 15 dollars seems reasonable. Audiobooks are expensive pieces of work that people spend a lot of time making. I think you should follow magnatune’s lead on this one. Charge half of the price of an average audiobook as the default– unfortunately that comes right out to about 10 or 15 dollars–

From my perspective I’d say 15 dollars seems reasonable. Audiobooks are expensive pieces of work that people spend a lot of time making.

]]>