What do you do with the money from your tip jar?

Sincerely · Post by **Sincerely** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:53 am

If I had a tip jar and someone actually tipped me, I'd feel so guilty about spending it on anything BUT the comic.

CSchaefer · Post by **CSchaefer** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:07 am

K-Dawg wrote:drugs and women.

That's my plan! At this point, I've gotten just enough to afford... Well, I think I can manage half a tablet of aspirin and a disdainful glance from Margaret Thatcher.

Parrrrtay!

Warren · Post by **Warren** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:59 am

CSchaefer wrote:
K-Dawg wrote:drugs and women.
That's my plan! At this point, I've gotten just enough to afford... Well, I think I can manage half a tablet of aspirin and a disdainful glance from Margaret Thatcher.

Parrrrtay!

That Thatcher is HAWT! Like Sandra Day O'Connor, with a cool accent!

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 3:23 pm

sorcery101 wrote:That's why I changed what my donators get. Now I give them the password to a gallery that has extra comics in it and wallpapers. Plus when ever the total reaches 100 I update on thrusday. So far it's working out fairly well. I use the money mostly on food and school supplies, but maybe 20% goes to advertising. Though right now I'm trying to get the money to fix my plane ticket to a convention.

Yeah, something like that. That's a pretty good idea. Even with the wallpapers, they're now getting a choice.

- Joel Fagin

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 4:08 pm

I don't have a tip jar either. If I had it I'd probably give tippers something extra in return, being that I'm easily guilted.
I don't spend any money I earn by webcomics, it's such sum that I think it'll be more effective to save a lot of it and then buy myself something nice, than to spend those pennies as they come.

TRI · Post by **TRI** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:12 pm

I see what Joel means now. But I don't think I could do that. I just wouldn't feel right holding back on people like that: saying "you can read the comic for free but if you really want the full experience...."

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:47 pm

TRI wrote:I see what Joel means now. But I don't think I could do that. I just wouldn't feel right holding back on people like that: saying "you can read the comic for free but if you really want the full experience...."

Then don't. There are other options.

The one thing you know they want is the comic. If value for money means enhancing what they already have, then for a comic you need to make it better quality, larger, faster, more convenient to read and without advertising. Possibly coloured if you don't normally colour.

So, if they donate, let them download the previous chapter of the comic in a full colour, high quality CBR,* or zipped up website.** Without the advertisements, donation buttons and suchlike, you have room to make the comic larger and with the huge hard drives people have nowadays, I'm sure lots of people would like to have the convenience of the comic on their computers.

For the loose-change price of a donation? I'd leap on board for half a dozen comics I read.

BTW, not being in a position to try this myself, I'd love to know how it goes if anyone else does.

- Joel Fagin

* Compressed comic book format. Basically a RAR with the advantage is that you can get some nifty software to read them.

** Note the lack of PDF in the list. PDF comics are a pain to read.

TRI · Post by **TRI** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:03 pm

Joel Fagin wrote:Make it better quality.... Possibly coloured if you don't normally colour.

That again would go beyond my comfort zone. (Not that my comfort zone counts for anything other than what I draw and read.)

There are a lot of comics that do that 'though... although I notice they call it a "subscription" not a "donation."

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:44 pm

TRI wrote:
Joel Fagin wrote:Make it better quality.... Possibly coloured if you don't normally colour.
That again would go beyond my comfort zone.

I expected that with the colour. That's fine. But the rest is to do with the limitations of the internet not you being mercenary. On the web, you don't have the full screen to play with, you need the ad banners and the quality must be low enough to make it fast - and even then it's slow.

There are a lot of comics that do that 'though... although I notice they call it a "subscription" not a "donation."

That's different. That's a set price for a set service - not value for money at all. With a donation, you pay whatever you consider fair for what you've already read and get a bonus higher quality version to download if you want it.

With a donation, you're getting more and better product for what you might have paid anyway. Semantics, yes, but that's marketing.

- Joel Fagin

Elegant Gremlin · Post by **Elegant Gremlin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:30 pm

Currently I am working on an animated short for my comic. While I don't plan on charging for it, I may do something like "If you like this, feel free to leave a donation" or depending on how long it takes me, a "reaching a goal of $50 will bring another animated short" type thing.

Give them a taste, then ask them for some donations.

Sorcery101 · Post by **Sorcery101** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:15 pm

Joel Fagin wrote:
sorcery101 wrote:That's why I changed what my donators get. Now I give them the password to a gallery that has extra comics in it and wallpapers. Plus when ever the total reaches 100 I update on thrusday. So far it's working out fairly well. I use the money mostly on food and school supplies, but maybe 20% goes to advertising. Though right now I'm trying to get the money to fix my plane ticket to a convention.
Yeah, something like that. That's a pretty good idea. Even with the wallpapers, they're now getting a choice.

- Joel Fagin

It has worked out very nicely. Especially the i'll update on thrusday's thing. I had a few people donate simliar because they saw I was $10 away from another thrusday comic.

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:57 pm

Just out of curiosity... How does the money from donations get divvied up between the person being donated to and the money men controlling the transaction?

- Joel Fagin

EvilChihuahua · Post by **EvilChihuahua** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:03 pm

I hope this thread doesn't spawn a bunch of David Willises.

*cough*SELLOUT!*cough*

TRI · Post by **TRI** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:29 pm

Joel Fagin wrote:Just out of curiosity... How does the money from donations get divvied up between the person being donated to and the money men controlling the transaction?

At least one comic's donation link goes to a page that begins "send cheque or money order to P.O. box #...."

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:15 am

EvilChihuahua wrote:I hope this thread doesn't spawn a bunch of David Willises.

*cough*SELLOUT!*cough*

Making money doesn't mean selling out.

Killbert-Robby · Post by **Killbert-Robby** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:26 am

My tip jar... hmmmm... when/if I get one, I'd probably not spend it. At first I'd have really bad guilt issues because I dont want to misuse it. Then I'd spend like $3 of it when I'm stuck for cash. Then I'll get looser and looser (with the money) and then it'll be like an extra $ of pocket money a week.