Thank you, reader Helen!

I recently got an email that pleasantly surprised me, notification of my first ever (after 22 years, 4,832 posts) paid blog subscriber!

Thank you, reader Helen. Your contribution is already helping people via Kiva.

Why I have Subscriptions on Ghost?

Typepad, my blog host from 2004-2025, didn't support subscriptions but in the early days I had display advertisements, sponsored links. and attended blog related vendor events with varying levels of support (mostly free attendance if I got there).

I never made much from display ads, so removed them—and stopped posting affiliate links—in 2015. Typepad was supporting my hosting so there was effectively no cost to blog (see Disclosure).

Ghost does cost (but I cover that) and has a subscription system. I set up some levels, starting at Free, to make that button work!

Why Subscribe?

Currently all content is free & public but if you subscribe you will get email newsletters about new content when posted, the ability to comment on posts, and access to any 'subscriber only' content I may create in future (unlikely).

Currently I'm not charging for subscription—if you choose the Free level, I'm just grateful you care enough to do it—but there are optional paid levels.

They offer nothing more than the free level, but all proceeds will be donated to my long established RobiNZ Blog Kiva Microloan Team that was originally set up to 'pay forward' my free Typepad hosting.

Funds are loaned, using Kiva, with repayments re-loaned upon receipt.