It is a recurring theme here on Going Private (and more often in my responses to reader mail) that the risk-return calculation for actually writing on the blog is, shall we say, suboptimal. There is some non-zero probability that the blog will get me fired. It is quite a bit of work to write and the market for the scarce resource of my time is (at least at present) highly competitive. No revenue from ads (which I am simply opposed to as I'm not in this "for the money," because I think ads are plain ugly on blogs, and I believe them a distraction to readers who should be focused on the content, not some statistically improbable phrase matching algorithm's idea of what is related to the content) makes it into my purse.
Thus far, the only benefits have been the occasional kudos of favorable reader mail and the cathartic effect of writing about my views and experiences in this industry. In reality, this is enough. Be this as it may, I have been inspired by Abnormal Returns' addition of a "tip jar" to include my own- more as an experiment than anything else. (As they started the trend, please go there and donate before sending me anything). Proceeds will be used to defer the cost of the Typepad subscription that keeps Going Private "out in the open." Perhaps, if you feel you got something unduly useful out of Going Private, you will consider clinking the jar.
