It’s time to say goodbye. I have been writing this web log for a while. I started it on the recommendation of Rajesh Jain in September 2003 with this post.
Over the years, I have written around 3,300 posts. I estimate that around a third of them are pretty good. I like them. I hope that you too liked some of them.
In the past, before the days of social media, daily readership was around 5,000 but over time it has decreased to around 1,000. Not too shabby but a noticeable drop for sure. However, that decrease in readership does not overly bother me. I write because I want to write. If people read my stuff, that’s great.
I still want to write but now I want to know if my readers care for what I have to say. Economists (my tribe) have a simple metric for judging the value of what one produces: the consumers’ willingness to pay. Something is only worth what others are willing to pay for it. If you disagree with that, argue for your position.
Over the nearly quarter century I’ve been writing this blog, only one person has volunteered a contribution. He sent me $25. Thank you!
That amounts to an average of the princely sum of a $1 a year! Panhandling in the streets of San Jose, CA, would have probably netted me around $25,000 a year.
Now it’s time for a change.
Now I will make this blog available only to paid subscribers. The archives will be free but for future articles, I want a monthly subscription of $1 per month. It’s not an amount that will break anyone’s bank, but it will signal that one cares.
Why make it paid? Not because I am starving (which, truth be told, I am most of the time) but because I want to with the proceeds support a few people who are. Whatever I get from subscriptions will go directly to those who need a bit of help.
But of course, I need to figure out how the paid sub thing works. I will ask my tech-savvy friends how to get this done. Keep tuned.
Please let me know what you think. Leave a comment with your reaction.
The heading took my breath away! But as I read through, I started breathing again. Thanks.
I like the subscription idea.
Also, please leave a tip-jar kind of thing if somebody is so floored by an article that they want to give more for that article as a kind of gratitude.
At the risk of sounding over-the-top, you are one of my gurus in economics. You have led to quite a few aha moments for me where I changed my long held beliefs based on your explanation.
So thanks again. And keep writing behind the paywall.
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Ah, this was a fun read everytime it ended in my inbox! I am a little saddened that even this is turning into a paid sub. 😦
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