For lack of a better term, this is my “begging page.” It’s not a good term, but this page hopes to offer some explanation of why I am requesting donations on the site.
This blog began as a means of processing a number of things as I traversed the liminal space of changing paradigms of “church” and the Christian faith. I began writing for myself, and to a large degree, I still write for myself. As people began reading, commenting, and linking, a small community grew. I have a reasonable number of RSS feed subscribers now, and as of the beginning of November 2007 — just a month shy of this blog’s third anniversary — I have apparently had more than 4,500 visits in the past 30 days (almost 6,600 pages served), which represents more than 3,100 unique visitors, almost 1,700 of which are repeat visitors. Somewhere along the way, “writing for myself” became in part a “labour of love” as well. I’ve been encouraged by hearing from people whose lives I’ve touched and who can relate to the things that I’m writing. In my first blog post here, I offered the quotation, “We read to know we are not alone.” It has been been my deepest privilege to be the author of words which tell people they’re not alone.
On some level, I need to write. I’ve been writing in periodical or blog-like formats online almost continuously since 1999, though the sites I’ve written and and run have changed. I intend to keep writing, and as a matter of fact, have turned to writing as a career path effective spring of 2007. Over a period of some 18 years, I have had two business careers in the insurance and technology / Internet fields as an entrepreneur. As I faced some business changes in early 2007, I ultimately opted to leave the company in which I was a partner and begin a new career as a writer. The business card says “freelance writer, thinker, strategist.” I’ve noticed that thinking isn’t very lucrative if you don’t connect it with one of the other two activities, so my main focus at the moment is to make a living writing and earn enough to put soup on my family’s table. Our family can testify to God’s continual faithfulness in the area of finance, through some bleak times, through business-building years, and through other factors that leave us without great personal resources with which I can begin a new career without concern for the transition time into a good income… and this is where our friends and my readers are invited to participate.
I do not earn very much through the advertising which appears on this site, and I try to keep it as unobtrusive as possible. It covers the hosting bill, but not remunerate me for the hours I spend writing. It is my earnest hope that I would be able to earn some portion of my income through writing here, and thereby to be able to pour hours into it, including interaction with site visitors, as might any pastor, shepherd, or paid author. The alternative for me is to have less time for writing here and to instead spend time searching for paid assignments and pouring more and more hours into those.
On the basis that “the worker is worth his wages,” I decided to start requesting donations for my writing. If you feel compelled to offer a donation of any kind, I would be deeply appreciative. Even a few dollars here and there will add up for me exponentially. While any gifts are not tax-deductible, if this impacts your decision about giving, please let me know and I’ll see if there might be something we could do.
To facilitate donations, I have placed a button like this one in my sidebar, and have begun tagging the footers of my posts with a request. PayPal handles the transactions, but you can use a credit card without creating a PayPal account.
I’ve actually been writing for many years, and am happy to turn to it now with an increased intentionality. On technical subjects, I’ve been “Slashdotted” back in 2000 and again with my first article returning to writing for a technical audience in 2007. What you find here is my most natural writing style (with very little editing), but it doesn’t reflect the range of styles I can write. I am strong on technology and business matters including marketing, and the intersection of these areas. And, of course, I love to write on matters of faith and spirituality. If you are in need of a writer in these or other areas, please contact me for a non-pseudonymous reply. And hey, a regular column would be nice if anyone is looking for a columnist!
There you have it: I’m not very good at begging. If you donate, I offer nothing in return — I’ll keep writing here, and it will remain free for general consumption… but I do promise not to spend it all on beer, and you will be aiding in making my life just a dollar or two less financially stressful, and building toward me being able to write more here. And of course, there is the gratitude offered by me, my wife, and our two delightful but starving children (I’m just kidding about one of those adjectives).
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