Dear TiddlyFriends,
Most of you know me as the author of TiddlyTools.com ("Small Tools for
Big Ideas"), where I publish and actively maintain hundreds of
original TiddlyWiki addons (plugins, scripts, themes, etc.) that I
have written. You also know me as the moderator and a "key
contributor" to the TiddlyWiki GoogleGroups, where I often post
detailed instructions, explanations and solutions in response to
questions posed by people who are using TiddlyWiki in many different
aspects of their daily lives. Some of you may also know that,
professionally, I earn my living as an independent consultant,
specializing in User Experience Design and Information Architecture,
providing software design and development services to companies and
individuals in Silicon Valley and the surrounding San Francisco Bay
Area, as well as remotely over the net.
What most of you don't know is that, since 2006, I have been providing
ongoing TiddlyWiki consulting services to the UnaMesa Association --
the non-profit organization that holds the copyright on the TiddlyWiki
source. In addition to earning a modest but steady income (enough to
cover my basic living expenses) from working directly on UnaMesa-
sponsored TiddlyWiki projects, the primary effect of their financial
support has been to help promote the overall health and growth of the
worldwide TiddlyWiki community by allowing me to focus most of my time
and effort on creating and publishing new addons and providing
technical assistance to the TiddlyWiki community without the constant
distraction of seeking out new clients/projects.
Unfortunately, since the beginning of 2011, UnaMesa has been facing a
fiscal shortfall that has significantly reduced their financial
support for my TiddlyWiki activities. Although there may still be
some funds budgeted for specific UnaMesa-sponsored projects, funds for
general TiddlyWiki "community support services" have been completely
exhausted and are no longer available. Regardless, despite this loss
of funding, the *need* for these community support services has not
changed. In fact, as TiddlyWiki continues to grow and evolve, it is
being applied to an ever-increasing variety of sophisticated real-
world applications for which technical help and assistance are almost
certain to be even more vital.
>From a personal perspective, the problem is simple: in order to
continue providing full-time support to the worldwide TiddlyWiki
community, I must quickly find a way to replace the loss of revenue
from UnaMesa, ideally without the distraction of finding and working
on *non*-TiddlyWiki consulting projects. Of course, TiddlyTools.com
is an open-source effort, so there are no licensing fees for the
addons I have published, and my online assistance has also been
offered free of charge. However, there *is* a "tip jar" form on
TiddlyTools.com (see http://www.TiddlyTools.com/#Donations) that
allows you to easily make voluntary contributions (via PayPal) as a
way of showing your appreciation and support for my continued efforts.
You should consider making one (or more) donations to the tip jar if
you:
* use TiddlyTools plugins, scripts, etc. on a regular basis
* have been helped by my online answers, even if you didn't ask the
question!
* request specific help for your document (and I provide a useful
response)
* request enhancements to plugins to add new features for specific use-
cases
* or, just generally appreciate and want to support my TiddlyWiki work
You should also note that, in addition to rewarding specific efforts,
your donations will help give me time for ongoing general maintenance
of the main TiddlyTools.com document in response to updates in the
TWCore, as well as time to develop and publish new addons and
TiddlyTools QuickStart(tm) documents (pre-configured, task-optimized
mini-applications). The amount and frequency of your donations are
entirely up to you, and should be based on how much benefit you feel
you actually receive as a result of my work. Ask yourself how much
time/effort you've saved, and how much that is truly worth in real
dollars... and then donate an amount that you feel comfortable with.
Even with generous community contributions, I don't realistically
expect that my *entire* monthly budget will always be covered by
voluntary donations from the TiddlyWiki community (though it would be
very nice -- and would bring me great JOY!). So, in addition the
TiddlyTools.com "tip jar", you can also directly **HIRE ME** to
provide professional-quality consulting services for your TiddlyWiki
documents, including analysis and evaluation of the overall document
design, diagnosis and debugging to help locate and fix complex
document errors, general solutions for common problems, and custom
development of new plugins (or enhancements to existing plugins) to
support your specific needs.
My professional services are available on an as-needed basis, or as
ongoing consulting as part of a planned, scheduled project effort.
For tasks under 1 hour, you should make a suitable donation to my tip
jar. For short-term projects or complex diagnostic/debugging
requests, I offer reasonable hourly, daily, and weekly rates. For
larger, long-term projects, a fixed-cost monthly retainer can also be
arranged.
It is my hope that, through a combination of consistent and generous
tip jar donations combined with earnings from private TiddlyWiki
consulting projects, the TiddlyWiki community itself can provide the
funds so I can continue to do the work I love without distractions:
providing full-time technical support and advice to the worldwide
TiddlyWiki community.
So, my friends, it is now up to you... as the holiday season
approaches, please consider giving thanks by making a gift to the
TiddlyTools "tip jar". Whether its just a 'stocking stuffer', or
Santa's entire workshop, your financial support will truly be "the
gift that keeps on giving".
Be Well, Be Happy.
much thanks,
-e
Eric Shulman
TiddlyTools / ELS Design Studios
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