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WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I DO THAT? I thought long and hard before making the decision to set up a donate button here at my site. Some people advised me against it. However, I've seldom followed anyone's advice (LOL) so why start now? Rather than go into a narrative explanation, I thought it might be better to write up a FAQ about this development. Q: Why set this donation option up now, Bill, when Wind and Wire is getting ready for a hiatus or even your retirement? A: I view it much as a street musician passing the hat after he/she has played his/her music. I never felt comfortable doing this kind of thing during the site's heyday because I didn't want it to appear you had to "pay" for Wind and Wire. I also wanted to avoid any conflict of interest that might creep into people's heads if artists donated, lest they think an artist who donated would get preferential treatment over one who didn't. By waiting until now, should you choose to donate, you're doing it as a way of showing appreciation for all the past efforts, again much like tipping the street musician after he/she has finished playing. Q: Don't you think it's being a little mercenary asking for money for something you supposedly loved doing? A: Well, the reviewing music part was a labor of love, but all the rest of the business of maintaining the site was work, not fun. I still did it gladly but it wasn't enjoyable. Also, keeping the site relatively banner and ad free (I put up a few banners now and then, I think the only ones were for an online radio network for awhile and then to announce the new magazine, E-dition) was something I always tried to maintain, unlike other review sites. Hopefully, people noticed that and appreciated it. Q: So, what will you do with the money? A: Before I wrote a single word of the first issue of Wind and Wire, the magazine (back in March of 1997), I bought a Apple PowerMac 5620 (120 MHz, 48 meg RAM, 1.6 gig HD), which I'm still limping along with: the floppy drive is shot, as is the SCSI port so no zip drive and it barely works to surf the 'net any longer. If I make enough from the donations, I will finally upgrade to a better computer. This will allow me to continue working on the W and W archives (which I will finally be able to finish once my leave of absence starts) and the CD store plus stay in touch with people without resorting to what I do now, i.e. use my work computer (I have lost the ability to email from my Mac due to new security protocols my ISP instituted which my ancient Mac won't support). After that, should I net that much money, I would use the leftover to finish paying off old debt from the magazine (yes, some of it is still there). The last thing I would use the money for is as seed money should I decide to re-launch the site after this leave of absence, either online or as a new hard copy version of Wind and Wire, which I'm considering doing. Q: Since this is not going to be an anonymous donor kind of thing, how will you avoid any conflict of interest issues should artists or labels donate? A: First of all, after all these years, it should be fairly clear my integrity would forbid me from letting that enter into any journalistic aspect of my site. However, at this late stage, I'm pretty well set on my final 50 or so reviews as far as knowing what I'm going to review and what I'm going to write, so it's a moot point. The donate button will stay up for at least a month after the updates stop, if that makes some people feel better. If some folks are worried that I will take retributive action if they don't donate, well, I won't even respond to that possibility. Hopefully, no one will think that about me. Q: Don't you worry what people will say or think? A: LOL...if that was the case, I would've left the scene in 1999 or even sooner! Seriously, sure, it concerns me. That's why I asked a select few people in the business about this beforehand. But, the way I look at it, I have nothing to lose. Anyone who thinks ill of me for doing this, well, I can't change that opinion. I'm not thrilled to have to do this, but in the end, I've had many offers of help through the years (artists asking to donate music tracks, fans asking if they can help with the work) so I'm hoping that this is an indication that some folks won't mind if I pass the hat. If the hat comes up empty, well, that's the way it goes. I'm ready for anything and everything (well, no threatening letters, I hope!). Q: Will you accept donations other than on PayPal? A: Sure. I only chose PayPal because of its universal acceptance based on what I see on the Internet. If people want to send money or checks, that's more than fine with me. Just don't make the checks out to Wind and Wire, since I closed the business account a few years ago. Make the checks out to me personally. Here's my address:
So, there you have it. In all honesty, if you know me, I'm really shy about asking for help, so if you do think this is a sucky thing to do, at least cut me some slack and don't email me just to flame me. If you gotta flame me, do it behind my back! (LOL) Thanks for any thought you give to doing this. I (and Kathryn and Onyx) appreciate it. Bill Binkelman
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