I just donated to MMD and I am ashamed that this is my first donation
to this worthy enterprise.  I have been following the discussions of
purpose and format for quite some time and have developed a philosophy
that make sense to me and one that I have not heard expressed before,
that there is a strong parallel between the way MMD operates and your
local public radio station that depends, to a great extent, on user
contributions to keep operating.

The service is there for the taking, but every once-in-a-while, they
have a fund-raising drive (sometimes called a "Beg-A-Thon") to subtly
twist your arm -- er, make you see the wisdom of contributing -- to
keep the resource available.

Over the years (I go back to 1995) I have extracted knowledge from
MMD that has allowed me to improve by rebuilding skills which, by
extension, have contributed to my financial well-being.  And while this
is not a particularly lucrative field of endeavor, the personal rewards
and appreciation, both verbal and monetary of my customers, have been
more than ample recompense.

In those 22+ years, I have posted many of my own "tips" learned in the
"School of Experience" as a way of pay-back/pay-forward for the wealth
I have received; it hasn't been enough.  The "scale" of value leans
heavily in my favor and it's time to (help) teeter it the other way.

Chances are that an honest self-evaluation of your own MMD relationship
will reach the same conclusion.  Do something about it.  Today.  Or
else I will call up Ira Glass and have him post one of his logically
unassailable pitches.

John Grant

P.S.: The format of MMDigest is not broken; please don't fix it.