Become a Subscribing Member

A membership subscription is $3 a month. The members-only perks include:

• Supporting the full-time writing and growth of shawnblanc.net.
• Access to Shawn Today, a daily video/audio broadcast of ideas, thoughts on technology and design, plus what coffee I’m brewing that morning.
• Possibility of winning some cool stuff

If the value and enjoyment you get from shawnblanc.net is worth $3 a month then I would love to have your support as a subscribing member.

Just 3 bucks a month.
Like a good cup of coffee.

Payment Details

Payment is managed safely and securely through PayPal. Note: you do not need a PayPal account to become a member.

The subscription is $3 a month and is billed in three-month increments to save me some money on PayPal merchant fees. So technically the subscription is $9 every three months. (If you would prefer to pay for your membership annually instead of monthly, you can do so here.)

Members-Only Benefits and Rewards

As a subscribing member you are directly supporting me and enabling me to write full-time on shawnblanc.net. Your subscription helps cover the hard and soft costs associated with this site. This is, and always will be, the primary benefit of being a member.

However, there are, of course, a few additional perks to being a paid subscribing member:

• Shawn Today: A short, daily broadcast just to the members of shawnblanc.net. It’s fun, short, raw, and behind-the-scenes-ish.

  On Shawn Today I talk about things such as: what I’m working on that day, what coffee is being brewed, what news has interested me, and, most importantly, what ideas are churning in my mind. A lot of this stuff is the early stages of what ends up being written on shawnblanc.net, or the commentary for what has already been written. If shawnblanc.net were a movie, Shawn Today would be disc 2 that contained “The Making Of” and “The Director’s Commentary”.

• Q&A: I’ll be taking time to regularly answer questions sent in by members. Sometimes in written format, other times in audio or even video.

  These questions can be about Macs, productivity, design, or coffee. And they can range from troubleshooting tips, suggestions for software needs, feedback on business model ideas, or critiques for designs. Sometimes they will be answered on shawnblanc.net and sometimes they’ll be answered in Shawn Today.

• Giveaways: Prizes will be given at random to members. Not all members will get something every quarter — it’s more like a regularly-held raffle or door prize. The amount of items being given away will depend on the amount of members and will be things like t-shirts, coffee mugs, software licenses, gift cards, books, posters, etc.

  If you have something you’d like to donate for the giveaways, please get in touch. (You don’t have to be a member to contribute to the giveaway.)

Additional Payment Options

• Annual subscription: If you would prefer to pay for a year at a time instead of by the month, you can sign up for an annual subscription membership here. ($36/year)

• Make a donation: If you feel the content is worth more than $3 a month, then, in addition to becoming a member, please make a donation.

Possibly Asked Questions

Why should I subscribe?

• Because you enjoy the content, quality, and style unique to shawnblanc.net.
• Because you’ve found value here and you’d like to see this site grow.
• Because you’re loose with money.
• Because you believe in supporting independent writers and creators.

Why aren’t you doing a members-only email list, or a private forum, or something like that?

Because I don’t want the content hidden behind a paywall. Paywalls make content more difficult for you to access, and by their very nature restrict an idea or an article’s ability to reach others.

There are only three reasonable ways to deliver content that’s behind a pay wall: (a) email; (b) authenticated RSS feed; or (c) private forum / members-only area.

And if you’re a nerd like me you very likely: (a) don’t want more email; (b) use Google Reader and thus can’t subscribe to feeds which require authentication; and (c) don’t want to remember to log in and check a members-only area of this site to get content.

So why should I put what may be some of my best work behind a paywall and then make it more difficult for members to access it? If anything it should be easier. And the only way to keep it easy is to publish it publicly and let you continue to access it the way you have already chosen.

Secondly, ideas that spread win. And only free ideas can truly spread. If I write something that is hidden behind a members-only paywall, suppose you want to link to it or talk about it publicly? You either have to remove that content to a public location or else not talk about it. It’s a scenario that puts all of us at a disadvantage to having conversations and spreading one another’s ideas.

What if I don’t subscribe?

All the content on shawnblanc.net and the RSS feed will continue to be free for everyone. This is the way it should be. If you cannot subscribe then that is fine. Your time and attention is greatly appreciated, and I am glad to have you as a reader. Thank you.

What about the advertising you already have on this site?

The Fusion ads and the RSS Sponsorships cover the hard costs of this website. However, they do not generate nearly enough income to fully support the writing I do here. Which is why I need the support of you, the reader.

Managing Your Membership

• Support: If you have any questions or problems with the subscription process, please email desk@shawnblanc.net.

• Unsubscribing: The details of your subscription payments and the ability to unsubscribe is all managed via PayPal, here.