I’m excited and anxious to introduce something new today.

The tl;dr version: If you like the work I’m doing and want to support it financially, you can do so with a monthly donation. You can also make a one-time donation here.

Some background: Two years ago, I started an experiment where I began running Google Ads on my site. The idea, back when I started it in May 2015, was to make a little extra dough on the side and also learn how the business of online publishing works.

Here’s some real talk: In more than two years with Google Ads, I received one check. It came after I canceled my account.

Relying on advertising traffic is a lousy way to try to make a buck in publishing. Ad money follows traffic at scale — if you don’t get a ton of traffic, you don’t make any money. And if you try to drive a lot of traffic in order to make a lot of money from advertising, it changes how you write — and not always for the better. Plus, as someone who studies the economics of media, I’m intrigued by the subscription model of media.

So here’s the deal: If you like The Other 51 and are able and wiling to, you can make a monthly donation at this link. It can be for any amount per month. If you prefer to make a one-time donation, you can do so here via PayPal.

If you are not able or willing to donate, no worries. The site and the podcast will remain free.

In the future, if this grows, I may add tiered rewards levels — where those who are able to donate more get something return. For now, you can consider this a virtual tip jar.

Plus, with the launch, I’m removing ads from my site. Any support you give will help keep the site and the podcast ad-free.

Thank you guys SO MUCH for listening all these years.