Based upon the results of TBP as we approach the halfway mark of this year, I would say the economy is in the toilet.
Oddly, page views are up dramatically versus last year, while advertising revenue and donations are in the shitter compared to last year. The charts below are a little hard to read, but show page views year to date are up 16% and are tracking to get back to near the 12 million mark we achieved in 2021 and 2022. In case you’re curious, the month in green was the denial of service attack month when TMWNN rode to the rescue and kept TBP alive. Otherwise this place would not have been around for the last ten years.
Page views are the only positive trend in 2024. TBP does tend to do better the worse the economic, political, global, and social situation gets. So the page view trend should continue, as we spiral towards our November rendezvous with destiny and the ultimate climax of this Fourth Turning.
A year ago I was still using five ad companies, with numerous complaints about the volume and type of ads. I made a decision to only retain two ad companies, in order to make the user experience on TBP better. I was hoping an increase in donations would fill the gap. Advertising revenue is down 80%, as we have far less ads and the two ad companies are paying drastically less than last year. The advertising environment is poor, reflecting the poor economy.
Google has been screwing me for years and the beat goes on. I’ve been banned by Google Adsense for over a decade. Six months ago Google threatened to not allow any ads to show on TBP if the user was using Google Chrome, unless I buckled to their ridiculous demands. I told them to fuck off. It seems the majority of internet users still use Google Chrome, so that has further cut ad revenue. In addition, when legitimate ad companies have approached me about running ads on my site, they end up walking away because they partner with Google Adsense and require Google Chrome to work.
Amazon did un-ban me last year, but their commission structure is far worse than it was several years ago. In the old days TBP would average a 6% commission on purchases through the website. Now it is 3%. Based on the monthly sales this year, my TBP economic indicator says the country went into recession in May. Below are the monthly Amazon sales through the TBP link.
January – $9,552.95
February – $14,068.26
March – $9,840.64
April – $12,324.72
May – $5,347.46
You can do the math. Amazon generated about $160 for TBP in May. That equates to one generous donation from a TBP reader. Which brings us to donations as an economic indicator. At the beginning of the year I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of donations. Through February we were well ahead of last year’s pace, but there has been a dramatic drop-off in donations in the last three months. I am chalking it up to the deteriorating economic conditions in the real world, because the number of visitors is way up. Donations are very lumpy, as we only have 46 readers who donate automatically through Paypal each month.
I’m always surprised and gratified when a large donation comes in through Paypal, Stripe or the PO Box. But at the current pace, donations would finish 20% below last year and 30% below the year before. All of these revenue trends don’t bode well for my master plan of retiring from the rat race in the near future and running TBP full-time. My boss quit this week after staying for less than two years. No loss. He was an empty suit. They announced the interim boss yesterday and it is a woman I despise and who dislikes me intensely. Factual reality seems to offend her, so we are not a good fit. I really need an exit strategy, other than the one below, and a successful TBP is my best bet.
I understand how difficult everyone’s economic situation is, just based upon what I see with TBP. But there are a few ways you can help keep me getting out the truth about our government, politicians, banking cabal, military industrial complex, Big Pharma, regime media, and the billionaire global elite pulling the strings. First you can spread TBP links on other websites and social media to broaden our reach. Second, you could buy me out for $1 million. Otherwise, there are 3 donation options:
2. Via Stripe, click here.
3. By Mail
Burning Platform LLC –
P.O. Box 1520,
Kulpsville, PA 19443
I know many people don’t like Amazon, but if you are going to make a purchase using Amazon, please use the TBP link:
Lastly, TBP makes small commissions from purchases at the TBP Merchandise store and from MyPillow:
Use Promo code ILMF2 at MyPillow
Thank you for your support and readership through the years. Hopefully I can keep this going until they throw me in the gulag or until we can achieve a successful outcome to this Fourth Turning. Meanwhile, I’ll try and keep the lights on.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
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To donate via Stripe, click here.
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Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
