[openbeos] Re: "One Hour for Haiku" - Coordinating Voluntary Cash Donors
- From: Czeslaw Czapla <czapla@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:07:33 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
Hi, Simon.
Thank you for the thoughtful comments.
Here is where you can reach Michael:
Cheers,
Czeslaw
-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Porter
Sent: Apr 27, 2007 11:51 AM
To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [openbeos] Re: "One Hour for Haiku" - Coordinating Voluntary Cash Donors
Hi Czeslaw,
Just a few comments,
> Hi.
>
> I suppose that the PayPal subscription service would suffice. Simply
> adding a PayPal "Subscribe" button to the Donations page on the Haiku
> website would be pretty easy, and would certainly be better than
> nothing. I just read up on it at the PayPal site.
>
> Honestly, I think that it suffers from several deficiencies relative to
> my proposal.
>
> It lacks publicity; the transactions are private and hidden, and nobody
> has any idea that I am making a small sacrifice each month to help out
> the project.
>
> It is impersonal; I receive no regular communication (not even a form
> letter) from Haiku in connection with my financial commitment.
>
> It furnishes none of the psychological benefits and incentives that come
> from membership in a group of voluntary contributors (camaraderie,
> feelings of belonging, doing good together, mutual recognition and
> respect, etc.).
I agree with your above points. I wasn't suggesting use of the Paypal subscription option in exclusion to anything else. As I mentioned in my previous email I think it would help encourage donations if you received regular communication about how your money is being put to use.
> It is removed from my direct control; my payments to Haiku Inc. would be
> entirely automated. My personal act of contribution would become a
> silent, faceless transaction between my credit card company and PayPal,
> completed without my intervention or agency, rather than a transaction
> between me and Haiku Inc. I might even forget about the fact of my
> subscription altogether -- until I find myself annoyed at that
> mysterious recurring charge on my credit card bill each month. The cash
> amount itself would be invariable (comparatively speaking), as would the
> timing of the donation. These latter factors, frankly, could frighten
> potential contributors away from initial participation because they
> effectively make greater demands on participants than an email reminder
> service. In other words, the PayPal thing *feels* like a bigger
> commitment, whether or not it actually is.
I disagree about a subscription payment method feeling impersonal. I myself would quickly get annoyed if I was nagged through email each month to initiate a donation. That's just me being lazy though, I can see your point on how some would prefer to have more control on when and how much of a donation is given. I think the important thing is to try and achieve regularly donations without becoming too imposing.
With a bit of coding it should be possible to collect details for a mailing list/newsletter while letting paypal handle the transaction. Many online stores have integrated paypal in this way. I would take some time to implement though. I wouldn't mind helping out with this.
> On the other hand, automated payments through PayPal subscriptions would
> certainly be funded each month -- just like clockwork...with mechanical
> precision...
>
> Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to make a fuss or get myself all worked
> up. But I do believe that there are substantive differences between
> these two alternatives and I would be remiss to keep them to myself.
> Surely, either solution would represent a step forward from our present
> position.
Definately. I think Micheal suggested setting up another mailing list to continue this discussion. I'm not sure what his direct email address is as I've only just signed up to the mailing list. I was previously keeping track of the mailing list through RSS. If someone could pass this along I would appreciate it.
Regards,
Simon Porter
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