I recently paid Indie Auto’s quarterly sales taxes, so this is a good time to publicly thank all of you who have made a donation. Because we don’t run advertising (at least that isn’t satirical), the survival of this website depends upon readers showing their support.
In addition, Indie Auto doesn’t have a paywall. That means we effectively operate on the honor system — that if you appreciate what we’re doing here you will chip in.
I very much appreciate all of you who have shown your support. That said, I continue to have mixed feelings about how well the current system is doing.
As a case in point, over the last year Indie Auto’s readership has more than doubled but donations are still not covering basic costs. Over the long run that’s not a sustainable solution. I can’t bring myself to clutter the website with “real” advertising, so I continue to research alternatives, such as partial paywalls . . . and have yet to find a solution that sounds like the way to go.
I mainly say this to give you an update, but I always appreciate any thoughts you have on this topic, either in the comment thread below or as a message to the editor. And if you would like to make a donation, go here.
If a paywall is needed to sustain the site, then so be it. If the amount charged is a fair one, I don’t see an issue from most of your readers.