Tip sent. And I hear you. Part of why I haven’t written many original stories for Medium (most of my substantial articles have been imported from my own blog) is that I don’t fully trust any social network on “monetizing” my content. I’ve had a tip link and Patreon page set up for the last year or so, but have gotten very little support. Fortunately, I’m privileged to have my living expenses covered by my spouse, who has a very good job. But I still feel I should get some compensation from people who enjoy my writing and (Creative Commons-licensed) photos, if they can afford to pay.

Many folks nowadays don’t like to pay for things you can’t hold in your hands (high-end video games being one exception). Since I’m not offering any incentives on Patreon for people to give me higher amounts of money (as that privileges people with higher incomes, and I don’t want them to dictate what I write or photograph), I’m languishing compared with crowdfunders for things like digital watches and video game consoles.

Writers and educators deserve to be paid. Thank you for your work.