TypePad Offers Tip Jar
Perhaps inspired by bloggers' frustation with AdSense, TypePad has introduced a “tip jar” which offers bloggers “the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your effort” by giving visitors ways to contribute using PayPal
or a credit card. Give TypePad credit for introducing a new concept in
a competitive market but I'm not sure the idea - although intriguing in concept - will work because a
visitor has do something before a transaction can happen. This is why
AdSense doesn't work for many bloggers because the people visiting are
mostly there for a quick read even if a contextual ad is conveniently
nearby. Despite some reservations, Michael Parekh
is putting a tip jar on his blog “not for the money but the experiment
of what people do when these types of features are introduced” - and he
plans to donate the proceeds and those from TypePad's contextual ads to
the Red Cross. Fred Wilson
figures his “tips” are comments, links and e-mails . As for AdSense, it
took me six months to make a whopping US$130. Then again, if I wanted
to do something for money I'd be begging for freelance.
