About

More of a library than a blog, ChartPorn is compiled by Dustin Smith (an economist in Washington DC), primarily for personal reference and inspiration.  Please forgive the occasional lapse in blogger etiquette — I always try to link to the original source and credit any bloggers appropriately, but I’m sure I miss the target occasionally.

Please email me (dustin@chartporn.org) if you have any suggestions or comments.

Enormous thanks to the bloggers who assist in finding this stuff, and to the wonderful researchers, analysts, and graphic artists who created them in the first place.

My Thoughts on Blog Monetization:

I created Chart Porn because I love graphics. I love data. I love visualizations.  I love sharing  with other people the information, perspective, and inspiration that I gain from all these works of data art.

I maintain Chart Porn because it’s fun. I have enjoyed watching it evolve over time, and I am regularly entertained by the emails I get behind the scenes from designers, news outlets, researchers, students, and other bloggers. One of my favorites from last year asked very politely if I could please mirror the blog under a different name so they could forward it to their family without embarrassment. (Ummmm… No.)

A friend asked me not long ago if I was making any money from the site now that it has a bit of a following. To be honest, I hadn’t thought seriously about it. I have a full time job. Hosting Chart Porn doesn’t cost all that much (though I did just upgrade to a bigger server), and I’ve always thought of it as a gift. I love the minimalist design of the site and don’t want to mar it with tacky advertisements.

After giving it some thought, I decided to add a donation box to the sidebar of the website. If Chart Porn makes you laugh  or look at the world differently on a regularly basis, and you want to show your thanks monetarily, then feel free to click on the box. If not, that’s fine too. I’ll keep posting cool charts either way.

Thanks!
Dustin