Babblr is a simple idea: an IM add-on for Tumblr, so you can chat with your GIF and pro-ana pals without leaving the site. It proved to be a popular idea, too: so many people downloaded Babblr that its servers crumpled. Now the team has a solution! They're going to spam you and ask for money. Uh. No.

In an email innocuously titled "Important Babblr update!," the begging gets off to a gentle start:

With all the excitement of yesterday (FINALLY, Tumblr has instant chat!), we bet you are little confused as to why your Babblr chat is not currently working.

This is like a conversation in which you slowly build the confidence to ask your parents for money. Here it comes:

Being just a small start up of three guys, we are going to need some help getting Babblr going strong.

How you can help get Babblr up and running faster?
Donate and spread the word so we can get Babblr up and running ASAP! Every dollar you donate will go toward getting Babblr up and in action for good!

The first 10,000 to donate $5 will get:
A limited release of Babblr before we give a full release to the public.

So, in exchange for giving these people $5 for software that was supposed to be free, you'll get access to that software, which is now inaccessible due to bad planning. This is the way things are now: a company, presumably with its eye on making money for itself at some point, passes the hat around because it feels entitled. It thinks you should foot its server bills, you should bankroll its distribution, and you should come to the rescue when it's needed. It's not laziness, it's openness. It's not irresponsibility, it's crowdthink. It's not mooching, it's crowdfunding.

Imagine walking into a restaurant. The waiter informs you that all of the plates are broken, but for a $20 donation, you can eat lunch. Or, try coming back in a month. Why not!