Comments on: A Summer Lunch, and Micropayments for Bloggers with CoinTent

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:12:23 +0000

Hi Kate – I’ve had a couple people sign up and pay for the content, but at a pretty low conversion rate given the total pageviews. The service is relatively new, so I would imagine that once it has more users, conversion rates would go up – it will be interesting to see how quickly it catches on. Thanks for your comment!

By: Kate @ ¡Hola! Jalapeño

Kate @ ¡Hola! Jalapeño — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 11:44:34 +0000

Such an interesting discussion. What have you seen from this post alone? It seems most are against paying for content, but have you had people click the link to get the extra recipes?

By: sweetgreenkitchen

sweetgreenkitchen — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 22:36:59 +0000

Katie – first off, the tart looks amazing! As do so many other recipes on your lovely site. I’m already thinking about ways to modify it, not that it isn’t already perfect as is, but I can’t help trying to put my own spin on just about every recipe I read!

As far as the pay for content bit, as a relatively new blogger I can see both sides of this, but as a surfer for recipes and reader of many blogs, I feel like it would be too much nickel and diming for my taste. I think perhaps creating an e-book or something of that nature seems a better way to generate income than asking for payment on individual recipes, but that’s just my opinion. I would definitely love to figure out a way myself to earn a little extra income, but until then I’m just having fun cooking, eating, learning how to use my camera and posting with the hope that others will find some pleasure from all my hard work too!

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:08:10 +0000

Great comparison to mp3/movie content – there’s been such an evolution in that field (oh the good old days of Napster!) and personally, I want to pay for digital content, but just wish that providers would make it easy (like, really easy) for me to buy it and then use it however I want. I imagine you’re right, that food/other internet content will keep evolving… I just hope blogs don’t disappear entirely (like some doomsayers have suggested).

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:03:46 +0000

MB, that’s so sweet of you! Your frequent comments are donation enough :-) I’ve definitely thought about the donation option, but have always felt like it would be a little weird. After reading your comment, though, I did a brief survey of friends and family and they all thought it would be totally normal. Maybe I’ll do a Katie at the Kitchen Door kickstarter someday…

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:00:33 +0000

Hi Jacqueline – So interesting that you think bloggers need to be clear about their goals when they start their blogs! I can definitely see how having a favorite blog turn into a pay-for-content sort of thing could feel like a betrayal as a reader, but doubt there are many bloggers out there who start a blog with such a clear mission. Great food for thought.

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:57:57 +0000

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sabine! It’s interesting – I definitely started out in the same boat as you – 100% hobby – and was amazed (still am, actually) that there were people out there that were interested in following along. As it’s grown though, I feel more pressure to post regularly and create unique content, and I think the desire to be compensated for that work comes along with that pressure. Of course, it’s still so much fun to do most days – and with a lot of great perks like free cookbooks :-)

By: katieatthekitchendoor

katieatthekitchendoor — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:51:44 +0000

JC – I very much agree, the idea works best for me when applied to bonus content. The point of a food blog is to provide recipes, so blocking them all would feel counter-productive, but getting paid for extra content feels reasonable. Not sure how effective it would be, but an interesting idea!

By: huntfortheverybest

huntfortheverybest — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:36:43 +0000

what a gorgeous tart!

By: JC

JC — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:02:43 +0000

I think this is an interesting concept. While I don’t think it is a good idea for basic content that you would otherwise be providing on the blog, such as recipes used in posts, it might be useful for bonus content. If you have a drink in the background of a photo that you wouldn’t otherwise post, but offer it for the additional charge that makes sense. You could do the same with a meal plan. I post weekly meal plans fairly often, but the readers then have to click through my site to find all of the recipes, with this option they could then view a condensed version all in one post for a minimal fee, saving them time. Definitely something I would have to consider though.

By: Mallory @forkvsspoon

Mallory @forkvsspoon — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 01:41:18 +0000

I see both sides of this discussion. I see that we pay for content when we buy magazines, however would readers be willing to purchase content when online, from bloggers who are not considered professional chefs or photographers, etc… I feel people find the Internet a place where content should be free of charge because they are not receiving an actual physical product. i.e. why some people feel that mp3s and music should be free but have no problem buying a cd. same goes for books. it is all content, however the way people obtain and use that content also determines whether they deem it worth their hard earned cash. but then, i also see that i am putting a good amount of time and effort into each post and recipe. i am also wondering how the dynamic of blogging world would change if we started to charge for content. would people remain faithful or would they jump ship and read those that aren’t charging? and I have also heard of bloggers thinking about bundling content and offering subscriptions … so several bloggers would join forces and offer content. how would that alter the blogging world? all I know is that it is always changing and it is very hard to stay ahead of the game….or in the game.

By: MB@Bourbon and Brown Sugar

MB@Bourbon and Brown Sugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 21:48:23 +0000

As a new blogger, I feel my blogging style and look is evolving and improving every month, but is still somewhat of a work in progress. Like Sabine, I do this as a hobby, and for me, it started with a desire to write more consistently, and share my stories and recipes with others. I worry that if it were a requirement to pay for a post, people might spend their limited blog surfing time looking elsewhere for recipes and ideas. I wouldn’t be opposed to placing a button on my blog that would be truly voluntary (but I suspect then only blood relatives and dear friends would share their pennies with me :) Having said that, I would be happy for other bloggers to have a button on their page for a voluntary donation. I would gladly send my pennies to those who inspire me (including you, Katie!)

By: jacqueline

jacqueline — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 18:57:40 +0000

Part of the fun is reading and sharing, if you start charging for content you change the dynamics and you might as well buy a cookbook. If bloggers want to earn money,they need to say so upfront,BEFORE you connect with an audience! Thanks for your thoughts though,respect the honesty.

By: sabine

sabine — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:21:23 +0000

Hi Katie! As tempting as it sounds to make some extra pennies with blogging recipes, I´m not really feeling comfortable with the thought of it. I personally consider my blog as my hobby – so fully 100% voluntarily I cook, bake , take pics – and post whenever I think I can provide some acceptable quality for my (few ;-)) readers. No one forces me to do so, and although it is quite a lot of work indeed, I´m well aware of the fact that I am neither a professional cook or photographer. So I can hardly expect anyone to pay for my content. But I´m full of ideas, it´s great fun, and it´s really wonderful to learn how many amazing food blogs there are out there. Yours included, and btw love todays sandwich. There would be a whole lot more to say, but so far, I´m done for the moment. Thanks a lot for sharing &take care! Sabine.