I noticed some trends in both the green and the orange threads of yesterday’s diary, Keeping Bloggers Afloat. I will take the blame for not being clear enough on some points…it’s a writer’s responsibility to communicate clearly. Still, there were a lot of comments that seemed to miss the point.
First of all, a lot of people expressed a desire to contribute to me directly. Sites like Daily Kos and Booman Tribune are limited liability corporations. I set mine up that way for two reasons: taxes and protection against lawsuits. I agree to publish what y’all right without any preview, and that exposes me to liability. My lawyer has already negotiated my ass out of one problem that a user’s diary caused me. If you would like to make a large donation to the site (which I will obviously welcome) you can visit the store and buy color bumper stickers at $25 a pop. They are small and you can fit a stack of them in a drawer, or toss them out if you don’t want them. I get all proceeds from the bumper stickers, while Wolverine Writer, who administers the store, gets a cut of everything else. He has like seventy kids and can use the help, too. But, the idea for a monthly Salon-type webzine is not just about helping me make a living. It’s about helping smaller bloggers like Susie Madrak.
Many people objected to the idea of putting content behind a wall. Of course, the whole point of emulating Salon is that their content is not really behind a wall. All you have to do is endure a 15-30 second commercial and you are able to access all their content for 24 hours. For a monthly webzine, this seems like a small price to pay. They aren’t any have and have-nots in this system, just those that have the money to avoid the commercials. It’s not much different than the subscription feature at Daily Kos.
A lot of people thought that is was a poor business model. There are ways to keep the overhead costs pretty low. The initial programming could be donated, the server costs would be fairly low. The only real costs would involve finding someone to solicit the advertising and someone to put it into the layout each month. All the content would be provided for free, in return for a share of the overall profits. I envision a kind of blogger’s cooperative.
The webzine would not replace any blogs. It would just aim to provide a broader platform for bloggers to write within. It would also expose fans of Booman Tribune to other bloggers and vice-versa.
Another thing I found was a familiar basic hostility towards bloggers blogging for profit. I don’t know why so many on the left have such hostility to the idea of people getting paid in return for their work. It’s not something I find attractive. Part of it is the fierce egalitarian and hyper-democratic ethos of the blogosphere. The diary feature allows every user to be the equal of a front-pager, and many people don’t even bother to read the front-page, preferring to read user diaries. That’s understandable, since many of the diarists are more talented than the front-pagers. But, we shouldn’t forget that the sites would dry up pretty quickly without constantly updated front-page content. And if I don’t pay the server bill, the site will be gone in a hurry.
Moreover, there are not that many community sites, and some of the most talented bloggers do not run community sites. The webzine would be a great way for them to get more readers and some extra cash.
Finally, peeder threw a fit in the orange thread about my asking for volunteers. I can’t say I understand his objection. People don’t seem to mind donating money to their favorite causes and bloggers, why should they not be asked to donate their time and expertise? For many people, that is all they have to offer. I thought Kid Oakland’s response was appropriate.
In any case, a lot of people offered good advice and/or offered to help out. I don’t know if we will do this, but it is something Susie and I are considering and I thank everyone that gave constructive advice and feedback.
