You may have been a big fan of Saved By The Bell when you were younger, and Screech (played by Dustin Diamond) was often criticized intensely by his peers, Zach, Kelley, Slater, Jessie and Lisa. Several years ago Dustin Diamond had appeared in several media outlets to promote his website which sold t-shirts for $15 to raise $250,000 to save his house.

Professional beggar

It later turned out that Mr. Diamond was not hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and his home was not at all in jeopardy. However, the idea of reaching our to internet uses to beg for donations is certainly a popular choice.

Cyber begging is a term that grew during the first decade of the 21st Century. The idea is to have a website that allows a user to keep their privacy and anonymity and accept anonymous donations from strangers. This is a practice that has been used often, and many have been able to get the monetary relief they needed thanks to cyber begging.

Many families or individuals may have fallen on hard times, and asking for money can be a difficult endeavor. The idea of shame deters many from asking family members or even random people on the street. Cyber begging allows these people in need to actively ask for donations for their troubles without the shame. This form of donations offers privacy, safety and security as added benefits to use PayPal, a popular way to receive donations.

Related terms such as internet begging, internet panhandling and even crowdfunding are also interchangeable terms that roughly mean the same thing. Many websites now offer cyber begging web pages, some paid, some free. You simply sign up to a website’s service and post your story.

Does Cyber Begging Work?

Yes & No.

Karyn Boskak was a high-end television producer before being laid off in 2000. She had racked up nearly $20,000 in credit card bills, which was unable to pay minimums after being laid off. In turn, she started savekaryn.com where she openly told her problem (credit card debt), asked for thousands of people to donate $1 to her, and offered advice for those with credit cards to be safer.

Karyn’s website worked. She told her problem in a matter-of-fact way and made her goal. However, her story was an early example, and the idea spread quickly. You can now find several cyber begging websites available for you to create a page. However, with influx of websites like this, its more and more difficult to find and receive donations.

Many artists, song writers, bands and filmmakers are all in need to funds to complete their next project. Coming up with money can be difficult and crowdfunding is an excellent idea. By asking hundreds and thousands of random uses to donate what they can to an artist(s) cause can be helpful.

Recommended Cyber Begging Tips

There are a few tips you can use to increase your chance reaching your goal. First, find a donation website that requires payment. The free donation websites are often flooded with fake and misleading stories. A paid site offers a more legitimate chance for users to obtain donations.

Second, tell a straight-forward, compelling story. Stories are what make others act. Having a truthful story about your problem, your solution, and the amount you need will have a better chance at receiving donations by cyber begging.

Last, write well. Check for spelling, grammatical errors, etc. Having poor writing skills may deter donors from donating to you. It is much easier to read a well written script from someone who is truly in need of help.