Two Readers Who Made A Difference — And How You Can, Too

NOTE: This post originally was published March 30 at 12:21 a.m. It will remain in this slot for several days, but new posts will appear below it.

Dear Readers,

In November, I introduced “penny-a-post” annual subscriptions. These were designed to allow readers to value the PP Blog’s editorial well of 2,500 articles between 1 cent and 4 cents each.

A couple of my readers did something special for me: They subscribed twice — first at the $25 level in November, and then once again in January and February, respectively. They have been with me for a long time, practically since Day One.  They play active roles in the antiscam community and have helped educate many, many people across the world.

I am deeply appreciative for what they did. It was most unexpected, and provided one of those moments that restore a doubting soul.  I hadn’t even contemplated double-subscribers.

Even so — and despite the fact these two extremely thoughtful readers created a life-affirming moment for me — I want to discourage double subscriptions. One has to be enough, at whatever level an individual reader can comfortably afford.

In thinking about their gesture toward me and this Blog and what I need to do to survive contractions or inconsistent revenue in other areas, I have come up with another approach. I am hoping several of you will become a special type of subscriber, a PPBlog100 subscriber.

When I introduced the penny-a-post theme, I was hoping to attract 25 subscribers at the $25 level immediately and another 100 to 150 within a few months. I expected a smaller number at the higher levels, perhaps 50 or so spread across the three other options during the course of a year. It was my hope that the numbers in all the penny categories would build as the months progressed.

As I saw it, new subscribers coming aboard each month would improve month-to-month revenue and perhaps even fortify it by guarding against revenue declines elsewhere. The automatic renewals a year later, coupled with staggered renewal times across a 12-month period, would reduce the number of fires in a very uncertain world for journalists and publishing in general.

Because the volume at the $25 level simply isn’t where I need it to be and I managed only to pick up one subscriber at a level higher than $25, I am now introducing a $100-only category, the PPBlog100. It is my hope this category will help maximize revenue on a per-subscriber basis in the immediate near term while giving the lower levels — especially the $25 and $50 levels — more time to grow.

Regardless of category, all paid subscribers will be helping keep the Blog free for those who cannot afford to subscribe and for those who simply choose not to. There is no paywall at the PP Blog.

Our editorial well now stands at 2,627 posts since December 2008. Our stories help keep people out of harm’s way and provide genuine opportunities to learn. When something reminds us of something else — an emerging fraud scheme pulling the same tricks as an earlier scheme — we inform readers. The sooner they spot the pattern, the safer they will be.

Much of the history of the online Ponzi world since the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme in 2008 is recorded in our well. We connect dots and describe patterns and common themes. Some readers and researchers use the Blog as a means of understanding how schemes evolve.

The button below is solely for the $100 PPBlog100 subscription with annual renewal. No one who has to dig deep should subscribe at the $100 level. It is for readers who can do so comfortably and want to make sure that the Blog and I can continue to weather the continued storm in publishing.

The other options remain available here.

My sincere thanks goes to all of my readers — tonight especially to the two described above and others like them who have gone the extra mile as the battle against the cross-border Ponzi scourge continues.

Patrick