It would be rather easy to double The BRAD BLOG’s readership in a week or quadruple it in a month. It’s a pretty simple matter to pound out short “Look What This Republican Idiot Did Today!” items and other similar knee-jerkery. It brings in tons of traffic. But there are plenty of places that do that. Instead, I’ve tried, since opening this joint almost 10 years ago, to offer stuff that actually matters. We may not always succeed, but that is always my hope. I have tried since our inception to choose carefully what we devote attention to, in hopes of publishing things that we can actually add something beyond “me too-ism.” It has always been my goal to remain a unique place on the worldwide Internets where focusing on helping to better educate the electorate is the prime directive.
That, however, doesn’t necessarily bring torrents of clicks and eyeballs. Yes, it’s easy to offer crap that brings clicks. Sideboobage, literal and otherwise, makes lots of money for its progenitors, and it’s really easy.
There is a reason that The BRAD BLOG does not receive regular financial support from either foundations or corporations, and it’s not because I’m against the idea, in principle — so long as we’d be allowed to maintain 100% editorial independence. But it’s because we are truly independent here, unlike many of some of the finest progressive websites on the net, that we find ourselves now in our tenth year still raking the muck on our own, with only reader support to help keep us in rakes.
By way of just one recent example, I didn’t even bother trying to pitch our exclusive investigative special report last week on what happened to the attempted Prop 37 “recount” to any other news sites. Though my independent work at such places helps to fund what we do here, it’s unlikely that any of those sites, even progressive news sites, would be interested in paying for such a report that isn’t particularly sexy and calls both Republican and Democratic officials on the carpet. It took some three weeks (at least) of digging and researching to make that report possible. And you’ll only find that sort of work — and my KPFK radio report that followed it in support — generated here at The BRAD BLOG, despite how important I believe that story is to the nation; despite national election expert and UC Irvine law professor Rick Hasen declaring that it “calls for a legislative response”; and despite the fact that meetings are taking place this coming week in Sacramento to discuss what can be done about some of the problems that special report helped to expose.
I could detail many other things that The BRAD BLOG does and offers exclusively, or, at least, unlike any other place on the net, but hopefully you get the idea.
Nonetheless, despite my recent plea with our 9th Anniversary announcement, only a tiny fraction of the thousands who read this site regularly and/or every day, answered the call to chip in support to help keep us going. I’d really like to make it through our 10th year (and beyond!), but unless something around here changes, that may be very difficult, if not impossible.
So, not to belabor this, I’m going to simply re-run below the section from that recent announcement that includes easy options I hope more of you will consider using to help keep us going. We’ve got only a few signed books left. [We’ve now sold the last of those, thanks! So if you now want one, please grab one at the author, Marta Steele’s website!]. My thanks to those of you who have already chipped in after previous recent pleas (and, especially, to those of you who signed up to be sustaining monthly supporters!). But, to be perfectly blunt, we need more help. If you can afford to do so, I hope you will consider it. If you can’t, I certainly understand. I hate asking, but I must. Either that, or I can start running nothing but “Republicans Suck!” videos and sideboobage! You’ll let me know what you prefer.
Here then, once again, are a few easy ways that you can help us keep going…
• ONE-TIME DONATION
If you are inclined, out of pure thanks for what we do here, and/or encouragement to continue, we’d ask that you hit our tip-jar with an online “anniversary gift” of any amount you’d like.
You can contribute with either a credit card or PayPal at that link. Alternately, snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” is also very much appreciated!
A one-time donation of any amount, from $10 to $1,000,000, is quite welcome! (We’ll even be grateful for $5 if that’s what you have to offer. Truly.)
• MONTHLY SUSTAINING SUBSCRIPTION
Even more than a one-time donation, sustaining, automated, monthly contributions of any amount you can comfortably afford is greatly appreciated as well.
Monthly sustaining subscriptions of any amount you like are a quick and easy matter to create, via credit card or PayPal, as you prefer, and help to keep us alive year round! (For amounts other than those in the drop-down box below, please see the form in the light blue box mid-way down our right sidebar where you can specify any number!)
• COOL NEW PREMIUM OFFER!
[NOTE/UPDATE: We’ve now sold the last of the limited number of signed copies of Marta Steele’s new book! Thanks for those who purchased! If you’d like one now, please grab one at Marta’s website! And, otherwise, read on below to find out about this very cool new book, in which we are featured quite prominently throughout!]
If supporting The BRAD BLOG for the sake of support alone isn’t enough to help you crack open your wallets, don’t worry! We’ve got something to help sweeten the deal!…
Marta Steele’s newly published book, Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols: The Election Integrity Movement’s Rise and Nonstop Battle to Win Back the People’s Vote, 2000 – 2008, may be just the ticket!
Finally, someone has endeavored to tell the real story of actual election fraud concerns in this country, and of the rag tag band of citizen patriots who have been quietly — and sometimes not so quietly — fighting against all odds to restore the very underpinnings of our democracy: the vote, the right to have that voted counted, and the right of we, the people, to know that it has been counted accurately.
Steele chronicles the story of real American citizens and the fight for real democracy, while the rest of Rome — and the partisans and the mainstream corporate media — fiddle and burn.
She also cites our work here at The BRAD BLOG hundreds of times throughout her book, beginning on page 1. (Thank you, Marta!)
Readers of this site know that the story of U.S. democracy’s sorry swoon over the past decade has not been in the horse races, but in the track conditions on which those horses have run. In Steele’s book, she finally documents what many of us have been trying to do about those conditions, and what the horses have left behind on the track.
While the accompanying “Endnotes” CD alone, included with the book and featuring TONS of supporting material, is well worth the price of admission all by itself, frankly, the book also includes a foreword by our friend Greg Palast, a preface by our friend Danny Schechter and an intro by our friends Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman.
Steele has generously contributed a limited number of signed copies of Grassroots, Geeks, Pros and Pols to readers of The BRAD BLOG in support of our work here (thank you again, Marta!!!) Please consider grabbing yourself a copy, while supplies last, right here in support of our work as well!…
SOLD OUT OF OUR SIGNED COPIES! THANKS!
GRAB A COPY OF THE BOOK AT MARTA STEELE’S WEBSITE!
Be a dear and send Brad and Desi a green colored valentine! 🙂
Hi, Brad– I’m willing to double my current (modest) monthly amount to a new (still modest) monthly amount. Please advise how I can do that without confusing the system and myself.
Suggestion to other readers– If enough of us were providing monthly automatic amounts, it would sustain this blog more painlessly. There is precedent for this in Consumer Sponsored Agriculture (CSA), in which people pay a set amount to a local farmer to sustain the family farm while getting locally grown unadulterated food. We readers can engage in Consumer Sponsored Journalism, so Brad can remain the rare beacon of factual and snarky reporting that we know and love.
Love the Consumer Sponsored Journalism idea!
But for now my contribution remains the part time thingee that it isee. It’s not in the mail. It’s here beside me. It’ll be in the mail shortly after I go out in half an hour. My apologies for the delay. I really can’t thank you enough, Brad. I hate money. Don’t have a regular income. But realize that money is the coin of the realm(so to literally speak)and as such has considerable meaning. Still, this contribution so barely scratches the surface of the tip of the iceberg of the stars in the universe of how much you mean to me and how highly I hold you in regard.
much love,
Dave
Brad – It’s a tossup between a one-time cc donation or check via snail mail. Please confirm if you take a hit (2 or 3% ?) on credit card payments.
Brad, I truly believe that you should transition to a subscription-only policy and end the free content. Let it sink or swim.
Sheila Bernard @ 2:
First, thank you! Particularly for your long time subscription support of The BRAD BLOG! Second, it looks like, for whatever reason (usually because a credit card has expired), your monthly subscription was cancelled by PayPal last month.
So…the process should be easy here. Just create a new monthly Subscription (using the dropbox options with the “SUBSCRIBE” button in the article above, or in the light blue form half way down the right sidebar for a different amount of your choosing) and you should be golden!
Third, thank you again!
Rick H. @ 4 asked:
Indeed, we do take a 3.xx% hit on credit card payments, as opposed to snail mail checks. On the other hand, I believe we’ve only got one book left at this point, from those Marta Steele’s was generous enough to offer. So if you want one of those and plan to send a snail mail check, PLEASE let me know so I can reserve one for ya, and let everyone else know there are no more books available!
And, either way, thank you, Rick!
Thick-Witted Liberal @ 5 said:
That is one of the options that I am very much trying to avoid. The fact is, that might help us survive. On the other hand, it’s the opposite of our mission to help inform and educate the electorate as widely as possible.
So, I hear ya. And that may end up being our only choice. But, for now, I’m gonna work like hell to avoid it if I can!
I’ve spread the word to my facebook friends. I hope some of them can help.
I’ll pass on the book, Brad. Someone else can score.
Check’s in the mail tomorrow.
All of us can also spread Brad’s material far and wide as helpers to syndicate his work. On Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Email, and other social aggregate sites I probably don’t even know of. Hopefully we can all donate a little dough too to the BradBlog, otherwise I hope Brad leaves this request at the top of the page until the needs are met. Peace and thanks for your upbeat attitude while dealing with some of the most important and critical issues of our day. Thanks!
Click above or Make a check out to…
Brad Friedman
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028
: )
Brad,
Maybe you could do what the Nation is now doing? Have a floating pop-up about a digital subscription. There are plugins for that.
Donated.
Thanks for all you do.
Brad:
I’ve been trying to set up a $5.00 dollar monthly payment, but I can’t get it to work. I’m sure I’ve entered my information correctly, but I get this message:
I have no idea what an “Account Overview page” is. but I surely have enough money in my check-card account to pay the bill.
I really don’t like paypal. It’s always a problem.
Larry Bergan –
No idea! Perhaps they don’t allow use of debit cards for that?? Have you tried dropping PayPal Customer Service a line? They’re usually pretty good (at least in my experience.)
My apologies for the difficulties! And my thanks in advance for the effort!
Brad:
I was able to get a one-time payment of $20.00 through with no problem, so I guess that’s just how I’ll have to do it.
Thanks!
Brad,
I desperately would LOVE that book, if you still have a copy – signed or not!
As you know, I’ve been making a modest monthly contribution for some time – so to all the others out there who haven’t “gotten around to it” please start sending Brad some monthly scratch. We don’t want to lose the very best in the business. $10 or $20 a month (or more if you can) would help him tremendously. Tell me you would REALLY miss that much money (and I know for some you really CAN’T afford it)- that’s 67 cents a day for a $20 monthly contribution – do you get 67 cents-worth of news every day from Brad? I sure hope so!
Another way to do the monthly donation is to go online to your bank and ask them to cut a check every month to Brad as follows:
Brad Friedman
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Your bank should be able to handle that with no problem and there shouln’t be a charge to you OR to Brad. “Try it, you’ll like it!”
Thank you, Tom! You’re a hero! And, of course, I’ll get you a book one way or t’other!
Thanx Brad. Can’t you hit up anyone on the Board at the privately owned Federal Reserve Central Bank of the U.S.? Tell them you want to be a 2nd “independent” eye on the U.S. monetary system for all Americans and world people with a genuine interest.
Always a had a different school of thought in regards to someone in your situation that was the trying to raise money from internet readers to support your often self made positions. Except for the outside chance that a fan will donate a cool 3 mill to support your efforts, the BB Flagship might finally be going down for a lack of investors? Not good.
You have had so many victories in almost 10 years of blogging but no elite athlete’s salary yet? What’s up with that? Faux News NI?
How do you value the importance of your independent work and how about the intellectual style of reporting on your blog? Could there be a different path for attaining personal wealth than your current model of collections to make a handsome living? If you still are into this line of work, I think these are some of the questions you need to ask yourself. My idea would be something along the lines of starting your own news agency.
Your stories and election coverage as well as informed guest bloggers has given you 10 years of cultivating cred. So 1 thing what you have do is create a different model of acquiring wealth then asking for monetary gifts from readership donations. Can you see that as creator of Bradblog how this is an incredibly hard sell to eek out a living?
So I think additional different plans must be utilized to continue doing what your doing if that’s still your goal or even the ideal of taking your blog ideas to the next level on your own terms.