I haven't mentioned my donation project for a while, for the simple reason that there wasn't much to talk about. The status for the month of May is the following: I received 2 donations this month, for a grand total of $22. I don't think I should be quitting my day job just yet. :)
Although the generosity of some long-time readers last month surprised me, the result of this month is more in line with what I expected. A donation is like throwing money into the hat of a street performer. It is an expression of appreciation of the performance already given, with no expectation of any future return. And the streets of the internet are lined with performers, many of which don't even have a hat out. So why donate if you can get everything for free?
Note that while I spent the donations for game- and thus blog-related purposes, e.g. my WoW subscription, filling up my Playstation Network "wallet" to buy PS3/PSP games online, buying games on Steam, and today's Warstorm review, I would have spent exactly the same money on the same games if I hadn't received any donations. So while your donations are welcome as a token of your appreciation, you don't have to feel obliged to donate so I can afford to blog about games. The donation button stays up as a social experiment on blog monetization, not as a serious source of financing. It is a reminder to myself that in spite of some "how much is your blog worth" websites spouting great numbers, the true commercial value of a niche blog like this is just a handful of dollars. It saves me from taking myself too seriously. :)
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