Moral issue question

[Molly]

I've had a moral issue nagging me lately. I have been following a popular blog for a few years. I had found the blogger quite inspirational, but lately she has been doing a lot of asking (aka begging) for money from her readers. I started to get annoyed with this, then found another blog where many other people have also become disillusioned. We have been venting over what we perceive as people getting scammed into supporting this blogger's lifestyle. But she actually has a very interesting life and is a good writer. I am both drawn to her and repelled.

The moral issue is this: I feel like I am participating in gossip and should not be doing so. I really could just ignore both blogs, but it's like watching a story unfold and I can't look away. Will she make it or will her lifestyle fold like a house of cards? I've told myself that it's ok to just read, but not participate, but sometimes I can't help but add my two cents.

I would love to hear opinions from others. What is the difference between healthy dissent and gossip?

[redfox]

Gossip is avoided when one talks directly to the person, rather than around or behind them.

[puglogic]

Gossip doesn't make me feel good about myself. "Healthy dissent" would be to approach the writer and express concern about the direction she's taking. Who knows - she may find your comments helpful.

It is not easy to make a living writing/blogging, but I would not respect someone who just asked for money. Selling a service or a product, yes -- because you're delivering benefit in exchange for support for your lifestyle. If she's not capable of producing something valuable, that's different. For example, I support a certain blog whose author has MS, especially because what she delivers is very valuable to me and I want her to keep providing it.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I had found the blogger quite inspirational, but lately she has been doing a lot of asking (aka begging) for money from her readers. I started to get annoyed with this, then found another blog where many other people have also become disillusioned. We have been venting over what we perceive as people getting scammed into supporting this blogger's lifestyle. But she actually has a very interesting life and is a good writer.

well of course she does, you support her lifestyle


I am both drawn to her and repelled.

well if I felt that bad about giving money (and I would if I think it only went to support people in a better lifestyle than I have myself, I have felt that kind of weariness and disgust at giving before), I certainly wouldn't, but beyond that.


I would love to hear opinions from others. What is the difference between healthy dissent and gossip?

seems more like gossip


It is not easy to make a living writing/blogging, but I would not respect someone who just asked for money. Selling a service or a product, yes -- because you're delivering benefit in exchange for support for your lifestyle.

well she could try to sell books or something rather than blog and ask for donations, but it's really all the exact same thing: selling informational/verbal content, it's just marketing models and what model you want to choose (clickthrough is a model as well, but I'd rather not be the product). So I'm sure she thinks she is providing a service. I don't mind giving a little help to a blogger in financial trouble if I've enjoyed their blog, but just supporting someone in a lifestyle (that's ever so interesting on their blog), I couldn't do it.

[reader99]

Gossip is avoided when one talks directly to the person, rather than around or behind them.

+1

[Xmac]

Healthy dissent is to agree to disagree.

If she said, "I think it's okay to ask for money for blogs", a healthy dissenter would say, "I disagree, it's not okay with me but I think you're interesting and I love your blog. I read it frequently".


You're only opposing an idea, with another idea in your own mind. You have an idea that scams are wrong or unfair, and another idea that she is scamming you, which you don't know is true. You only absolutely know (based on what's presented in your post) that you receive good writing and you don't want to pay for it, in case it's not fair?

It has nothing to do with her.

[JaneV2.0]

She's providing content, information, entertainment. It seems like it's not unreasonable to ask for some compensation--a lot of blogs have donation buttons. Maybe she's suddenly fallen on hard times. At any rate, it's your decision to contribute or not. I'd steer clear of the poisonous gossip site.

[catherine]

Well, as they say in AA and Al-Anon, you may not agree with all of us... take what you like, and leave the rest.

[Suzanne]

It could be argued that the blogger is providing a product: a blog that the OP considers to be of high quality. It takes a lot of time and energy to produce a blog page, and to do it regularly and continuously. If the blogger wrote a book, she'd charge for it, the money would go to support her lifestyle, and the people who bought the book wouldn't quibble for a second, or see her expectation of compensation as begging for money. My mother was right: nobody will buy the cow if you give the milk away for free!

The gossip sites are best avoided. That stuff gets really ugly, and character assassination is unfair.

I do make occasional donations to bloggers whose blogs add value to my life, just as I buy books from authors whose works I enjoy.

[Float On]

Is there any accountability to the readers in the donations she receives?

[ToomuchStuff]

Gossip is avoided when one talks directly to the person, rather than around or behind them.

+1. Talking about it here, in essence is gossip. But even inspiration can be found this way (inspired not to be some way).


Is there any accountability to the readers in the donations she receives?

I would expect that would or should be part of the blog itself.

This thread made me look for an old post, that I couldn't find. Someone posted a link to a site which had one of those humorous animated video's, about how to make money blogging/as a minimalist. It seemed apt.

[Molly]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. That is why I love coming here - I learn so much from different viewpoints.

Puglogic - You hit the nail on the head. Participating in the dissenting or negative comment blog (however you want to look at it), did not make me feel good. On one hand, I wanted to express my opinion. However, when I did, I felt bad about it.

I guess the issue I have, along with many others, is that this blogger lives better than us. Not financially, but with her many adventures. She quit her job and works out of her house with various odd jobs, but it is never enough. She is chronically late with her house and car payments, so she will post an alarm and ask for money. This is happening with greater frequency, and she started to get emails from readers telling her to get a job like the rest of us. To which she replies that she makes more money with her various at home jobs than she can working in an office.

In answer to your question, Float On, there really is no accountability.

I believe I received the answer I was looking for. If I don't care for the direction this blogger has taken, I am free to move on without participating in the negativity.

[enota]

Personally, I find that negativity is like a slow poison. It is very easy to see the downside sometimes and all too often I am sucked into negative thoughts. I find, however, that when I consciously turn away from negative thoughts and negativity my personal outlook becomes much brighter and I am generally a happier person.

I try very hard not to participate in negative posts or threads. Sometimes I fail, but I try. If it were me, I would not go to the gossipy board because nothing good can come of it. As for the blogger, I would contribute what I could from time to time if I enjoyed her posts. I know it is annoying when people beg, but it may be her only source of income.