Writing for Dead Air
Looking around here I am reminded of the ever-famous Johnny Fever on the hit TV show from yesteryear, WKRP in Cincinnati, when he used to speak into the mic proclaiming he was talking into dead air.
"For anyone actually out there," he might say.
Or the Congressman many years ago who asked a series of questions for which he received no real answers for. He kept tapping his microphone and looking over at the Committee Chair asking, "Is this thing on?"
Who is the audience at read.cash? I mean, is there one left?
Sure, a handful of us have stuck around absent Rusty's generosity. And some, including me, have continued to foster some sort of hope that the site can do fine without the free money flying around.
There was a bit of activity post Rusty. But nothing like it was. And it seems to be getting even quieter now.
Maybe it's the holidays and everyone was just busy. Maybe that's it. It's hard to say that couldn't be the case. The timing sure fits. Yet, at this time last year it wasn't as dead as it is now.
So, it probably is not the case at all.
I want to keep the "faith," and I will. For the time being. And I will continue to do my part to play a role in at least providing a modicum of incentive for anyone still left here who also has the "faith."
I should note, it is not about making money right now. I mean, yes. There are a handful of people who are keeping the bells ringing. And frankly, to a much higher tune than I am. People like @Pantera, @Telesfor and @Coolmidwestguy.
Right now, I am keeping my tip amount right around the 3-cent mark. It just works for me. Like anyone else around here I am sure their banks are all dwindling down just like mine is. I don't think they are concerned whether or not they actually make any money any more than I am.
If their thinking is similar to mine on this issue, it's that we simply want to keep the site going and that is what matters more than making a profit at this point. It's about maybe even adding a few of our own bucks to the coffers to keep it going.
Maybe some of you are already doing that.
At the same time, is the dead air a bad thing? I mean, think about this another way. How alive was the air when Rusty was around? Were there a lot of people here committed to the site? To its success? To making a contribution?
Or did people just simply want the free money, all else be damned?
What is left in the air that remains are more dedicated people, passionate about the site, interested in making a contribution, and sharing and helping each other. And perhaps even still committed to what one of the main purposes was for any of the sites that Simon and Marc were involved with.
Promoting Bitcoin Cash.
Look, the bottom line is I will remain here for as long as it makes sense for me to be here. And I will take what time I can to try to enlighten people on why I think the site still has life and why I think it should. And why you should too.
But, like most things, there may come a time, and I am well aware of this, when it won't make sense. I am going to have to seriously weigh in on that at some point. Luckily, I really enjoy writing, and so I don't feel like spending the time putting together a 3-10 minute piece is a waste of time.
I am still honing my craft and plying my wares, and I am good with that come money or not.
Right now, for whatever it is worth, and for whatever time it makes sense for me to do it, I'll be Johnny Fever talking into his mic, whether or not there is anyone actually tuned in or not to listen. I will continue to check in with others and see what they have done and contribute my 3-cents here and my comment or two there.
I may even up the ante a bit.
Because again, it's not about the money right now. It's about the investment. And it's taking sort of a business idea approach to the whole thing.
That is, often in business one must spend money in order to make money. I am not sure why the same would not apply to something like this. If no one spends any money, there is no money to go around. No one gets anything. And at the same time, I have to put some of my own money where my mouth is.
There is either a payoff at some point or there isn't. I am not willing to toss it all in right from the words "Rusty stopped tipping." Because I also know that Rusty didn't start with us—in fact, he was only with us for about one year of this idea. If the site was able to grow and blossom before Rusty, why would it not be able to continue to do so, and perhaps more so, post Rusty?
Because let's look at just one more thing here. About that dead air. In a way, wasn't that kind of what we were potentially writing to when Rusty was around? You could either call it dead air because no one is here to read a single word, or you could call it dead air because no one who was here actually read a single word.
While we all want to get a little bit of loot for our time spent here, at the same time I want to write to you because you like what I have to say. I want to have an audience of real people who like to read my words and enjoy it. And if I am to be compensated for doing it, I want it to be earned.
Not from a robot who technically can't read and frankly doesn't care. But from real people who can read and potentially do care.
You know, when Stephen King sat down to write his novels, he did not do it because he hoped the publisher would like his work and simply send him a check. He did it because if the publisher liked it and put it in print, real people would go to the bookstore and buy his books—in that way the compensation comes both in terms of money and a happy audience who genuinely cares about the words.
So, dead air be damned, I will write to it now. For whatever that's worth. If you are out there, I look forward to hearing from you.
You. Dear reader. Dear fellow writer. You are out there, aren't you?
Tap, tap, tap. Is this thing on?
Lead image courtesy of Pixabay, user paulbr75. University Of Georgia Football - Free photo on Pixabay
We are still here despite the absence of Rusty. In fact, I'm already here even before Rusty shows up. Maybe there are times that I'm inactive due to personal reasons but I come back from time to time.
I have a lot of memories made from this place. This is where I also honed my writing skills and was able to interact with the other authors around the globe. Truly, the platform thrives way back pre-Rusty because of the people who are determined to make their readers happy. How much more on post-Rusty? Let's hope for it to thrive more which I think is possible.