I used to have about ~$15/month deposited on flattr* for quite some time, and the main reason that I've been using brave is not because of its anti-ad stance but rather their anti-tracking + the possibility of a way to fund content creators.
I am also contributing about ~10€/month on patreon for different software projects and writers. I've written to more than one youtube channel producers asking them to look into alternatives so that they could take my money. The Quilette model is also something that I do appreciate.
Believe me when I say that I am more than willing to support people that create content. And depending how much you are asking for me to send you, I'd gladly take on your offer.
* story time: I got a call from an Eyeo recruiter some months ago, who was looking for people in their ad-block/acceptable ads team. It turned into a most-of-the-time-friendly discussion about how acceptable ads does nothing about the tracking of the users, so I wouldn't be interested in joining their team and me asking him to call me back only if he had some position on flattr.
The problem with Patreon - and thus Quilette, which is 95 percent funded by Patreon - is that there's a massive gulf you can't cross. Popular Content Creator who has a hojillion Patreon backers and gets $10,000 a month from 'em has no worries; person who plays about with it in their spare time and gets $5 a month can buy a beer. Job's a good 'un.
But what about the person who wants to write full time, but hasn't built the audience yet? How do they go from $5 a month to paying the bills? In my case, I didn't have to: by the time I switched careers I had enough regular clients to cover all my outgoings, albeit only just. Quit the day job, picked up some more clients, and here I am doing it full-time to this day.
If I were relying wholly on Patreon - or Brave, or Flattr, or even Medium - I couldn't have done that. Patreon isn't going to give me $300 on spec to write an article that might not do well; Medium won't front me a few grand against royalties so I can take time to write a book.
D'you know who will? The traditional publishers.
I appreciate you have a personal stance on this, but so do I - and mine comes not from the perspective of "I'd like to read this but it's on a website I don't like" but from the perspective of "if I don't get paid for this I'm literally homeless."
Actually, I have a Patreon account - https://www.patreon.com/ghalfacree - I signed up just before the new fee scheme came in to lock in the old rates, but never launched it (hence the zero backers.) Don't really have time to give it the love it would need to gain traction, either - again, we're back to the problem of not having the cash to go from zero Patrons to I-can-feed-my-children Patrons.
I am sorry but this is the point where we disagree. "I still need to make a living" is not that I would accept as an argument to justify all of the unethical issues that arise from the attention economy industry.
Yes, this means that I will actively find ways to accelerate the demise of these business. No matter how much I want to support content creators, it does not make me responsible in guaranteeing their job.
I am also contributing about ~10€/month on patreon for different software projects and writers. I've written to more than one youtube channel producers asking them to look into alternatives so that they could take my money. The Quilette model is also something that I do appreciate.
Believe me when I say that I am more than willing to support people that create content. And depending how much you are asking for me to send you, I'd gladly take on your offer.
* story time: I got a call from an Eyeo recruiter some months ago, who was looking for people in their ad-block/acceptable ads team. It turned into a most-of-the-time-friendly discussion about how acceptable ads does nothing about the tracking of the users, so I wouldn't be interested in joining their team and me asking him to call me back only if he had some position on flattr.