The Vision

One Purpose, Many Motivations

"I don't blog for money."--Doc Searls 

"Me, I would blog for bucks tomorrow."--Ed Cone

The Challenge

I love blogs. The first thing I do each morning is get my blog fix. And, over the past year, I've noticed a disturbing trend.

Over and over, we see people start writing online, and then falter or stop. And many people -- including those who support themselves and their families through their writing -- can't even afford to start writing online.

The problem isn't technology or writer's block. It's time.

If we supported the writers we enjoy, we could help them keep writing. We could give them "time to think and write more deeply [so that] the quality of the work I produce is vastly superior."

And, we could vastly expand the online writing universe, by giving all the potential writers the support they need to start -- and to continue. Imagine that.

Finding an Answer

The current answer -- donations -- doesn't work for online writing. Reader reactions range from "giving a donation is slightly stressful" to "I will not voluntarily give money to a [blog]."

So, how do we come up with an answer that is easy and fair, yet smart, and appealing to both readers and writers?

1. Make it Easy

Paying each writer, one at a time, is too painful to think about. It's one of the reasons why donations don't work.

Instead, let's use the Disneyland approach: "entrance to the park costs money, and all the rides are free." We'll pay one price for unlimited access to all of the writing -- say, as little as $9.95 per month.

2. Make it Fair

This approach sounds pretty good. However, if each writer automatically gets the same portion of our payments, that isn't very fair -- what if we never read Sam?

Instead, let's automatically divide our payment among all of the writers we read, based on how often we read each one. In other words, if you read Jill more than Jack, Jill gets that much more of your payment. If you never read Sam, Sam doesn't get any of your payment.

3. Make it Smart

It's easy, it's fair -- we've just created a smart marketplace for writing. If you enjoy a writer, just read them to support them. As a writer writes more frequently, or writes better entries, they'll be read and receive more income, from more people.

When? Now.

This is a person-to-person endeavor, as personal as any conversation, using the Internet to connect us in ways broadcast media never has -- or could. We're not a "target audience" or a "consumer" being fed a manufactured "content product"; we're people supporting each other, making our own decisions.

Every writer is a potential reader; every reader, a potential writer. The playing field is level -- anyone can choose to support writers, or to write and be supported by their readers.

We know what we want. And, we have the power to make it happen.

Ready to participate? Welcome. To begin, go here.

Regards,

The Blogit Team