Donation buttons may not make you rich or provide you with a regular income from your weblog. However, it might just help cover some of your blogging expenses (server/hosting fees, Internet fees, etc.). So, if you're inclined to set one up, one easy way to do it is to use PayPal's service.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 mins.
Here's How:
- Go to https://www.paypal.com/.
- Sign up for an account, if you don't have one yet. Just follow the instructions and you'll have an account up and ready in no time.
- Once your PayPal account is active, log in.
- Go to the 'Merchant Tools' section. Look for the 'Accepting Website Payments' section. You will then find a link called 'Donations.' Click on that link.
- Provide the necessary information to set up your donation button. Just add the optional information to facilitate the donation process (donation name/service, donation ID/number, donation amount, currency, etc.).
- You can also add more options, such as providing customized 'thank you' pages, cancellation pages, etc.
- Once you're ready, click on 'Create Button Now'.
- Copy the HTML code and paste it on your blog template.
- Encourage your readers to use your donation button (or 'tip jar') to send donations.
Tips:
- Unless you know what you're doing, try not to fiddle with the PayPal HTML code too much. Otherwise, it might not work properly.
- If you have several weblogs or websites using the same PayPal account, you may wish to provide different names/services or IDs/numbers per weblog or website.
- The use of name/service and/or ID/number is also useful if you seek specific donations (e.g., for server/hosting fees, for new digital camera, to fix old car, etc.).
- Write a short blog entry intoducing your 'tip jar' or 'donation system'. Tell your readers why it's there, what it's for, etc. It's up to you how you wish to encourage your readers to donate - just make sure you don't oversell it.
What You Need:
- An active weblog.
- An email account.
- A PayPal account.
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