That Little Box Over There

Hey folks,

So if you've been visiting for a while, you'll probably notice something new over to the right. Under the search button and About Me and the RSS feed and such, there's a PayPal Donation button. There's no reason to be coy about it, so why bother? The button is there to collect money from you for the purpose of growing my own bank account. There's no charity at work here. This is just plain ol' me, asking you for cash.

Let me start out by saying that I don't really like having the button there.

For one, I've always been of the opinion that new site features should be features, and not just window-dressing. Crosstawk.com is pretty sparse, and to be honest, I like it that way. We don't even have Google Ads. So having a button over there that serves you no purpose other than to take your money just feels kind of wrong.

So why is it there at all? Well, Crosstawk.com is actually kind of expensive. There's the monthly plan I pay for at Squarespace.com, not to mention our hosting plan at Libsyn.com. They're not bank-breakers, but over the months, they do add up. This isn't even taking into account new episodes of Rough Draught, which entail bussing up from Miami to Tallahasee and buying new and interesting beers. That kind of endeavor costs nearly $200 per trip.

And the thing is, I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's rewarding enough, personally, that I don't mind spending the cash to make it happen. Whether people decide to donate money or not, I'll continue to do these things, and I'd never even think to start charging for content. Everything on Crosstawk.com will always be free, and I have no illusions that people would stop listening altogether if it wasn't.

So, to bring this awkward post to a close, I'll just say this: if you'd like to donate some money (of any amount you see as fitting), I'd appreciate it more than you could ever know. If you'd rather not, I'm still right there with you. You guys don't owe me anything, and I don't expect anything of you aside from your ear each week.

Please believe me when I say that I'm truly grateful for you taking the time to read this,

Karl Castaneda