Debate: Donate or not Donate! This is the dilemma. Don't let Free Software and Free Documentation die. Nothing free is Eternal!

A donation is the voluntary giving of something you own. The donation is an action that consists of a voluntary liberalization between living people, being essential for the participation of two parties, one that will be the one that makes the free disposal of one or more of the goods that are their property or in their defect of which by any title is empowered to dispose, the donor; and the other party, called the donee, who will have the power to accept it or reject it, without the need to deliver any type of consideration, unless it is clarified that the donation is made at a charge. In some legal systems, the aforementioned action is regulated through a contract. The donation will always imply that the donor's patrimony is reduced and, on the contrary, that of the donee increases, while, by contract, the donor can reserve the usufruct of the donated until a stipulated time or for life, then, when the donor dies, the donee receives the donation in question. Note: Taken from ABC definition (http://www.definicionabc.com/general/donacion.php).

What is Free Content?

Basically it can be said that "This concept can be interpreted as the documentation that guarantees the free use of it, that is, the copying and modification of its contents, with the only restriction of not modifying its license", although "I personally conceive this concept as the same but in a broader sense, that is, it encompasses all that written manifestation, mainly non-technical literary works, such as stories, educational books, novels, among others ».

For more information on the subject you can read this other post of my authorship:

Debate: Free Documentation versus Copyright and Intellectual Property! Because not everything is Free Software.

But in our case for now we will refer to as Free Content to all written or multimedia technical (technological) Documentation, created and made available by millions around the planet for the collective benefit of anyone who requires it, without any prior monetary obligation.

And how can we contribute so that said Free Software and its respective Free Content remain Free, Updated and Lasting over time?

Every day on the Internet there are millions of people who are creating free content on the network, such as Manuals, Guides, Tutorials, Video tutorials, Podcast, writing technical publications and / or answers (technical solutions) in Forums, Blog or Social Networks about programs or program errors (Operating Systems, Applications, Games, among others) or collaborating directly or indirectly with all kinds of creative and original content, translations, opinions, and of all kinds. Has click HERE to expand on this topic.

And beyond the professional, personal and human satisfaction to help the neighbor (friend / colleague / collective), what these fabulous creators get free content created in a world where money is needed for everything to feel satisfied by our daily actions and live acceptably well at?

I certainly repeat the «professional, personal and human satisfaction to help the neighbor (friend / colleague / collective)»It should be reward enough, but that leaves many with a critical situation, on a daily basis, where many people have trouble continuing with that free activity not compulsory. And this situation can occur in variants such as: The maintenance of a Hosting, the development and publication of a new podcast, buy (acquire) a program or game (not free) for GNU / Linux that you want to review or disclose, to be able pay to collaborators, illustrators, programmers, and other professionals participating in your creative activity, so as not to have to dedicate that precious useful free time to having to walk the street trying to find extra (technical) jobs to complete your budget (fixed if you have it) and live with dignity.

Therefore, we see more and more initiatives that ask for support from public form, in form of donations, but there are many more who ask for this support from privately (financing campaigns), and it is a pity that in many cases there is no one who can provide that help. This is likely to end to some extent, and over time, in a cessation of that activity. Certainly many have preferred to choose the alternative path of advertising to obtain profit by number of visits or the type PTC (Pay to Click / Pay per click) that many free consumers do not seem to like, but that usually represents a last attempt to keep producing free content for free users little given to donating towards free content creators.

In some cases it can be understood that in certain countries due to economic crisis or legal obstacles, it is not easy to donate in world freely convertible currencies, Tales como el Dollar and Euro (or their equivalent in Pounds, Francs, Crowns, Yen, Yuan and Rubles), but that does not imply the power contact the creator of such content and offer some kind of assistance that he could request to continue his creative work.

Let us bear in mind that in addition to professional support for free content creators, to whom we read, listen, and enjoy their publications daily, are the encouragement that we provide to creators, to continue creating, and improve their content, too the financial one is important to help them stay in time and independently!

And we certainly know that the free content is king on the internet. But free is not necessarily free. And although it is said that paid content is better, the reality is that when it is not free, it loses posts (visitors / readers / consumers) quickly. This, it seems, can end in different ways, but some are quite predictable. Low-quality content, since if the person who generates it does not charge, they will quickly lose interest and abandon that unpaid creative activity, as well as when an online information medium stops hiring qualified personnel to create (search for new or innovative information) , since copying and modifying what already exists, is enough, and more if you are not going to pay anything or little for it. Example: You just have to see the national written press, and the average level of quality. This borders on the pathetic and draws on a very high percentage of material from foreign agencies. That is, it no longer gives work because the creative or new is no longer sold, but what is copied and modified.

As recommended reading, I leave you these links to contribute to the debate raised: