Questions About Patreon

I was asked again what this "Patreon" thing was all about. So I thought I might explain the three different ways people can support me, and this blog.

First, for those of you who wish to make larger contributions, be they on a monthly basis or an ad hoc basis, I recommend you email them to me via an Interact bank transfer. However this kind of transfer is only available in Canada, so that limits things a bit. If you are in Canada and wish to support me in that way, please send it to "rmcbride@mcgi.ca". Yes, that's my regular email address. Yes, I did just intentionally publish that information in my blog. No, I am not worried about SPAM.

Second is the "Donate" button on the top right of my blog home page. This button works to deposit funds into my PayPal account. Once again this is best for single, lump sum contributions. Since it connects to PayPal, you can use all kinds of payment methods including PayPal itself, credit cards, and even pre-paid Mastercard debit cards. Note that PayPal charges me 3% as a handling fee, so if you donate $100, I get $97 and PayPal gets $3.00. This is an approximation. There is fine print on the PayPal site.

Third is the Patron approach through an organization called Patreon. You will find the link at the top right of my blog home page as well. This is the one most people are asking about. It is intended for those of you who wish to support me and my blog by making a small monthly contribution on a consistent basis. If you are one person who wishes do pledge $20 a month, terrific! If there are 10 people who can pledge $20 a month, that adds up. As with all these services, there are small fees associated with this method which are taken from the contribution. Also, as with similar services, you can make your pledge using your credit card or PayPal.

Of course all of this assumes you want to support me and contribute. If you don't, or can't, no worries. I understand completely. There are so many competing demands in our lives these days. Regardless, I hope you find something worthy here. I know I do. I'll keep writing as long as I can.