Okay, here’s the deal.
I’m stretched pretty thin right now. I have more chances to turn a profit than I did when I first started writing Deity Shmeity and dialing back here to rev up there makes sense and dollars. Sure, I enjoy writing this blog, but there are things I enjoy more. In short, both the financial and leisurely opportunity cost of continuing has become high.
This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m quitting. It could just mean that my motivation is changing--but I need your help to change it. I need a sign that you want me to keep writing. This sign falls somewhere between pinging me with a comment affirmation and paying me for my content. I’m asking you to donate to my favorite charity, Relay for Life.
Relay for Life hosts fundraising events across the country for cancer research. Mostly schools, business and churches participate. It would be awesome for an atheist or skeptic organization to represent as a Relay team, but it’s too late for me to organize such a thing locally. Perhaps there is such a group in your area, in which case you should support them. If not, I’m asking that you donate to my fundraising page.
This isn’t the first step in turning this blog into a business model. I have no plans to ask for personal handouts. Having my readers contribute to cancer research will give me a quantifable justification that this blog does some good. Y’know us atheists, we like quantifiable evidence. My listed goal is a very conservative $200, some of which will be covered by nonreaders of this blog. I’ll just say, the more donated, the more I’ll write in the future. I’ll let you know the results in a future post. Thanks in advance.
If you have something to say and you feel passionate about it, you will write, just maybe not as often.
ReplyDeleteI guess I feel obligated to find something to say every week. This gambit failing will free me of this obligation--which I realize is just in my head. Still, I don't want it to fail.
DeleteI agree with Lady Atheist. If time constrants prevent you from blogging as often as you'd like, you can still blog, just not as often. I like your voice and want you to keep blogging.
DeleteI've always found writing more of a compulsion. Whatever you end up doing,man,good luck.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be for me, I'll explain why it is less so now in a future post.
DeleteI write because I have something to say, if I didn't feel I had anything I wanted to say, I'd stop. Whatever you decide that you want to do, or have time to do, by all means go for it.
ReplyDeleteI feel I have less to say...
DeleteSo let me ask a dumb question ... on your fund raising page, what is the difference between selecting 'Donate on Our Behalf" and "Dedicate a Luminaria"? I know what a luminaria is ... but where would this one be and where does the $ go if luminaria is selected?
ReplyDeleteI am new to online sites like Relay for Life. Is it an exclusive American Cancer Society site -- ie all $ to a ACS project or is it more like Indiegogo with varied projects?
BTW, (1) don't stop posting on your own site and (2) if you take a break (I did for three years due to a variety if reasons) - keep posting on other sites - your thoughts have serious merit and should be shared. Cheers.
Luminarias are generally for a specific person who has or had cancer. They go on display at a Relay event, in this case the one in Gwinnett county.
DeleteIt goes just to the American Cancer Society. Thanks for your donation, it means a lot.
And thanks for the kind words. I thought about that. If I stop posting here, I might periodically post elsewhere.
For example ... and forgive me if I am breaking some kind of protocol here ... I am hoping you (and others) will choose to share thoughts about my post "The Genesis Model _ Is Space = God?" on my new blog, Ideas Are Physical, which you visited a few weeks ago .
ReplyDeleteYour blog helped decide me to attempt what I'm calling a "live book" effort (to review some of the wide range of logics and beliefs that are "out here" - wherever "here" is). So keep writing and sharing your thoughts - here and elsewhere. Peace.
I'll check it out when I have time to digest it. I'm probably going to do a round-up of recently started blogs for a fresh pov soon.
DeleteYours will be one obviously, or else I wouldn't have brought it up. :-)
DeleteA writer feels compelled to write...if only to himself. It's nice to make money doing something you love...but if you love it enough, you will do it knowing there is no profit other than sharing your feelings and having others share theirs with you. I do hope you continue writing. We each are a unique piece of the great puzzle of life and personal communication among us is very important.
ReplyDeleteThe money ain't for me--just my piece of mind, but I know what you mean.
Delete> I might periodically post elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteLots of blogs need the exchange of ideas (I suspect), not just for the flow, but for motivation. But I also think the culture as a whole needs it. During a certain period I spent a bunch of time playing World of Warcraft, so there is always that, but curiously the part I liked the best was guild-building and social interactions - talking about being able to put people on tilt!! Ciao
I've never been a guest post guy, opting for interviews instead, but you never know.
DeleteWe've got a big relay for life event in our town too. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm traveling now, but if I can get to a secure connection within the next week or two, I'll drop some coins in your cup. ;-)
Keep up the great work!
If you can, that'd be great!
DeleteIf you accept donations, then you'll feel an even stronger obligation to write which leads to feeling guilty when you miss your own deadlines. Then you'll feel like a loser and close the blog to make this feeling go away and feel like crap for a few weeks until the blogging itch slowly grows again. I'm on my third or fourth blog in about five years at the moment.
ReplyDeleteTake a nice long break or maybe find some new interests. But try not to feel guilty or obliged to write.
If I was asking for money for myself, maybe. This deal won't make me feel bad either way, just trying to raise money for charity.
DeleteI just got to a secure connection. (Sorry, I guess I'm a little paranoid.) Donation should be up there. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! Thanks, man. I owe you a favor.
Delete