Howdy everyone.
As some of you know and may have noticed, the
Communications Superguide refresh for 2015 has been a much slower refresh than last year. Fact of the matter is, it's getting even larger and more encompassing as it's expanding into Canadian and international options, and it's a labor of love that's seriously starting to cost me both financially and time-wise to keep going. As such, I'm rapidly approaching a fork in the road: either this is the last year and update the guide likely ever gets, or the time spent on the guide needs to be net cash positive. The wife and I aren't FI, so we don't have the FU money to just keep doing what I love.
I'm not sure if many have noticed, but the guide and
Technical Meshugana is supported only by a meager Amazon storefront and donations. Miraculously enough, the greater the traffic and the more people from here I've shared the resource with over the years, the less financial support I've actually received in response. There's just enough money coming in to keep the server lights on. I've sought to be an unbiased, unflinching resource... at least as best as I possibly can. There are no ads and no referral links to service providers in the guide to color or taint my recommendations, and I don't perpetually rattle tin cups.
So, some of these are questions for the people in the community who actually
care about whether the guide still exists or not... not that I'd want to stop others from answering honestly and leaving feedback as well. I'd rather have an accurate idea of realistic support in the community than inflated bias. Anyway, questions:
1) Do you think the guide is actually a unique resource worth trying to keep around, or would you prefer that I just shut up and let everyone frolic in the never-ending stream of MagicJack, Ooma, Republic Wireless, and StraightTalk recommendations?I know I get a lot of kickback and insults from users of these services for speaking out against their shortcomings, and I frequently get accused of hatred myself despite not actually being hateful about the services. Can I be critical? Yes. Blunt? Absolutely... but I've always though it valuable to have a counterargument, especially when there's known alternatives in the same price ranges that don't carry the same shortcomings. Sometimes we get so focused on price around here, that we can compromise the entire purpose of the tool itself. However, if price alone is all that matters with the majority anymore, I see no reason to continue.
2) Do you think monetizing the recommended service providers in the guide would compromise the integrity of the guide itself?I'm personally
very uncomfortable with the idea of doing this, because then it just looks like I'm shilling for the kickback and I might lose the credibility of being an independent resource. I like the idea of being an unbiased, independent resource.
3) If I were to put together a book, would anyone actually be willing to buy and read it?The book itself would be a bit more timeless and less carrier specific, and it'd also let me meander a bit more and have a little fun instead of being hideously information dense. The best way to describe what I'd write would be a book covering quality, frugal communications - both the practical and philosophical aspects with a bit of humor peppered in where appropriate. Think Marie Wynn's Plug-In Drug meets John Muir's How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, but with less doodling and more disgruntled legal chimpanzees.
4) If you were inclined to and actually wanted me to keep the guide and research going, what other means would you actually be willing or able to provide financial support to keeping it going beyond donations, service referral links, and an Amazon aStore?I know ads can be a revenue generator, but I lose some control of who advertises on my site and I'm also uncomfortable with the potential security risk that some ads can impose. Plus, I really like my AdBlock and trying to support sites I like through other financial means than ads, and prefer an internet not wholly festooned with billboards... as such, I'd feel like a hypocrite sticking them on the site. Beyond that, I'm drawing a blank... might be too close to the trees to see the forest. Any other clever ideas with some lateral thinking?
I'd love to keep doing this for you folks, and for others outside this community... but reality is starting to dictate that it needs more support than it's currently getting, and the heart of the project is almost
too anti-consumerist for its own survival without random acts of generosity. Something needs to be decided. As such, I'd love to hear some feedback... good, bad, or otherwise.
Thanks, as always.