For those of you who read HA, maybe comment from time to time, this blogging thing may look simple. Write up a few posts, and then go on with your day. Certainly, some of us (er, me) just post somewhat rarely, and expect to stay at our day jobs.
Goldy expects to actually make a living from writing here, and as a fan of the blog who wants to see the quality stay high, I certainly appreciate that. As a friend of Goldy’s, I think it’s nuts: Someone with his skills in technology and knowledge in politics should by rights make a lot more money than he does.
But Goldy keeps on chugging here. For a lot less than a decent political operative makes, he’s helped more than just about anyone locally outside of the Burner campaign push the Responsible Plan into the public discourse. He has stood up to the Chinese importers of tainted pet food, David Irons, and the shameless Republican hacks pushing their lies after the 2004 election. He’s done it all with well researched, informative, and most importantly, fun posts.
Writing a compelling blog, even one with modest readership compared to many of the large national blogs, requires a lot of work. Even for Goldy, who has one of the most tolerant comment policies, there is a good deal of moderation. The new look that you see is the result of a lot of late night coding. The research that goes into his posts takes a lot of time.
So, please, Goldy only has one fundraiser per year. If you care about a quality alternative to the mainstream local media (or just if you enjoy his critiques) give some scratch. If you care about the stories he’s helped push, please give a bit. If you’ve enjoyed discussions in the comment threads (and surely someone has) consider giving a few bucks.
Also, for the long term, advertising may be a better way to go, especially if you’ve got a company or a cause you’d like to promote.