a sad email

[mickey]

I received an email from Khan Academy soliciting a donation. If even Salman Khan has yielded to the impulses of greed then there is NO hope for the world left at all.

 

[TheRealCallie]

Well, they could make it membership only and make you pay for it from the start. At least this is just a request. Websites aren't free to maintain, you know.....

 

[Cavey]

Well, they could make it membership only and make you pay for it from the start. At least this is just a request. Websites aren't free to maintain, you know.....

I just had a similar discussion with someone yesterday. They use AdBlock Plus for everything, but then have a fit should a website add a donation button or hide content behind a 'paywall'.

I was around at the inception of the WWW - the good old days when everything was free and advertisements were rare. It was ****.

 

[mickey]

I didn't see Callie's post until Cavey quoted it, for obvious reasons. Salman Khan has made his fame as a philanthropist and someone committed to the public good without wanting anything in return except the satisfaction of doing good for society. He's also obscenely rich and doesn't need "donations" in order to keep Khan Academy afloat. Khan Academy was founded on the principle that education should not be barred to those who can't afford expensive commercial tuition fees. With the introduction of "donations" to Khan Academy, through spam emails signed by Salman Khan himself, Khan Academy is betraying its founding principles and on its way to becoming just another greedy company in a world in which greed is glorified the way Calli8e and Cavey just glorified it. That's what is sad.

 

[Cavey]

I did not 'glorify' anything. Please do not attribute motives to me that do not exist. My post was a reply to Callie's statement that websites are not free to maintain - that's why I quoted it - it had nothing to do with the your original post, Salman Khan or the academy.

 

[TheRealCallie]

Donations aren't required, they are optional. That's not glorifying. You can still use the website for free, you don't HAVE to donate.

 

[SofiasMami]

If the Khan Academy had a paywall, that would be sad. But asking for a donation? Meh.
Also, don't fool yourself into thinking the venture is purely altruistic. They make oodles of coin by gleaning and selling users' information, just like every other website.

-Teresa

 

[Sometimes]

Well, this isn't about the original subject, but, thank you mickey for posting about this because I didn't even know it existed. I'm checkin' it out!

 

[TheSkaFish]

[video=youtube]

Hahaha. That was too easy!

But really, having a donation option isn't bad. It would be a shame if they put up a paywall, but that would somewhat defeat the purpose of the site. Idk. It's just like here. Some people might have really strong feelings for the site and want to donate to it, of their own free choice.