Nullius in Verba
Starting next month, my blog will cost $5 per month.
It's an affordable price, less than 25 cents per post.
Many independent writers, musicians, and podcasters use Patreon or the like to charge for their work.
I'm also going to be offering advertisements and product features, which I get affiliate revenue.
I hope you are okay with this.
Does this change the way you feel about what I convey?
Will you still be a loyal reader?
No, I'm not really going to charge because I write for me, without any third party incentives or influences.
But in reality, when something is free, it may be too good to be true.
You must ask yourself, "How do they make money?"
The cost is not nothing for Facebook or Gmail.
You are paying the cost by providing them your personal data.
Then they know how to target you with products to buy.
They are inside your head in a way.
You are the revenue model.
Your time and attention support ads.
What's the free product costing you?
It may not always be apparent, but monetary incentives, desire, and ego drive the world. Everyone has their own agenda, no matter what. It's ingrained in the human spirit in order to survive.
The just ruler makes decisions to benefit everyone, not for any single citizen.
Your parents too want the safest path for you, but that isn’t usually the path of your dreams.
And companies, they seek to maximize profits, not to maximize the customer utility, although maximizing for the customer could lead to a much more loyal following and more profits.
The ancient Latins knew this and they had a saying, Nullius in Verba, "On the word of no one" or "take no one's word for it".
But if you do find something that's created on the premise of authenticity and day after day they show up with candor, building a long-term relationship of trust, that's when you can take their word for it.