Wow! I can’t thank you enough for the close to 1400 submissions to last week’s mini survey about a paid version of DD. Almost everyone added some feedback, some very elaborate, all of them constructive and kind. It took me half a day, but I read every single one of them. The split between paying/non-paying was about 40/60. Let me share some of the most frequent comments:

“Don’t remove the ads.” So many of you like the ads in DD. Even in a paid version, many of you wouldn’t mind keeping them, as long as they continue to be unobtrusive and relevant.

“More/not more content” While many who selected ‘paid’ like the idea of more/exclusive content, quite a lot also stated that the time commitment required for the current DD was just right.

“Subscription fatigue” I hear you. As mentioned, I totally understand the fear of subscription-itis. Personally, I keep a list of ongoing payments to give me a better sense of control. I’m more lax with those deemed a ‘business expense’ which, for many of you, DD might be.

“Corona-induced austerity” A large part of those who selected the free version said that they’d like to support DD in the future, but currently experience financial stress. (It pains me to read this and not because I want your money.)

“Offer a DD & Offscreen package deal.” I’m so grateful to see that lots of you are (paying) Offscreen readers! There are several reasons why I’d like to keep the two apart. A main one is that I want to become less dependent on Offscreen as the main source of my livelihood.

“Do a Patreon.” Patreon serves a lot of creators well, but apart from personally disliking the Patreon experience, I generally try to avoid being exposed to the whims of large platforms.

One suggestion that stood out to me was the idea of letting a minority of paying readers support the majority of non-paying readers. In other words, keep things free and accessible for everyone by letting those pay for it who can afford it. Inspired by Kottke.org or even The Guardian, this model depends on the generosity of a segment of readers that see the benefit of avoiding a two-class system. It is less about ‘bang for buck’ (i.e. What else do I get?) than it is about helping the dissemination of content you believe should be available to everyone.

I really like this model because it aligns well with my own values as a publisher. The income from such a model would allow me to lower the cost of my sponsor slots, making it (hopefully) easier to fill them. Over time, it would lessen my dependence on advertising until it eventually could replace ads entirely. I have more to say about this in the near future. Thanks again for your thoughtful responses! – Kai

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