Paying back for plugins, cont'd.

July 13, 2009

pluginWhile the debate over supporting authors of WordPress plugins goes on, I’m continuing my effort – launched a month ago – to compensate the developers of plugins that I use. Two or three plugins a month, between ten and twenty dollars per plugin, assuming that the author has made an appeal for donations and set up a payment mechanism (like a PayPal page).

Today, the authors of cforms, CommentLuv, and FD Footnotes have a little something from me in their PayPal accounts.

The list thus far:

Six Seven down, six to go.1 We’ll pick up where we left off next month.

And we’ll reiterate that if you’re using a plugin and haven’t donated even a couple of bucks2 to the developer, you’re just a deadbeat. I know that for a fact, because I used to be like you.

But not any more.

  1. I hadn’t included WMD Editor on the ‘to pay’ list earlier because I hadn’t found a donation note on the plugin page, but last night found a hint of one elsewhere on the author’s site and contacted him to verify it. Donation sent! See, that’s how it’s done, people.
  2. Yes, I equate “gratitude,” “respect,” and “thanks” with dollars. Or Euros. Or quatloos. Whatever. Your gratitude, while touching, doesn’t pay the electric bill.
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After I read your first post on this topic, I asked Son #2, who has dabbled in developing plugins and phone apps, what he thought about it. His reply was something along the lines of...most developers would do it anyway, just for the satisfaction.

Although I'm sure the money is appreciated.
.-= Kathy G´s last blog ..Baseball Is Everywhere =-.

I certainly don't mean to discount or overlook developers who do this kind of work for the love of it, or for the pleasure of contributing to the WP community, or for other reasons that have no direct connection to $$$.

I do think, though, that there are a fair number of plugin authors who would like some financial return on their investment of time and talent, and who are understandably frustrated with the limitations of a donationware model in which hardly anybody donates, or even thinks of donating.

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