Do you think donations are begging?

Do you think that asking people to donate if they found your website useful is begging?

I personally do not think it is because you have just changed the buyer seller relationship from "pay me this much if you want information" to "pay me if you wish, if you like the information."

Hence, you are getting money for your efforts but you haven't made it obligatory on the buyer to pay you. This is quite different from begging where you ask for money for nothing in return.

I have heard people saying that asking for donations is begging. I would like to know what people here think.

 

Of course they are not begging. If a site offers something that I've used a lot I really respect the site I often give a donation. There's nothing wrong with that.

However if its a site like "Buy me a car" or something like that then that's stupid.

 

Not a begging - but kinda ineffective: friend told he got 2 donations from like 100k visits (he developed and shared extremely useful set of AJAX scripts).

 

It makes the site look unoficial but how DP has it set up it doesn't look like begging.

 

Donating is not begging. I mean if you provide someone something useful and they want to give you something in return why would I stop them?

Skinny

 

sometimes you need to "beg" a little to make pple move a little. ^^

 

I dont think its begging. Anybody thats worked in a job that requires you to get tips to survive knows that not getting paid for making someone elses life easier (useful information, delivery, table waiting) feels like a rip-off. I think of donating like tipping when it comes to things like websites (no actual foundations) because if it was useful sometimes I want to show my appreciation.

 

Asking for donations to a site or product that benefited the other person wouldn't be considered as begging imo.

 

If the site is helpfull it is not begging
By the way I have had a thought of building a internet begger site on 1996 but could not afford the domain and hosting

 

Its like saying the glass is half full or half empty.........Its all how you take it

 

as long as the donor benifits its mutual, shouldn't be considered as begging. But asking for giving nothing in return is absolute begging.

there has to be consideration.

 

It depends, if its for a good cause, you're offering useful content, or offer useful apps, then a donate button wouldn't be begging...

 

Sounds like begging. But the real question is: so what?

 

It's not begging. To write an articel/post, we have to do the research and there's nothing wrong with receiving something in return. Besides, it's not like we push them to.

 

Just recently set up donations on one of my sites. My visitors kept asking for it.

It can be a little revenue boost, but not anything I would depend on as income in your business model.

 

It's not begging but it is not very effective unless you offer something in return. Something extra that isn't freely available that is.