Okay, first I write this stupid thing: is there a firefox plugin, or config, to block BlogAds? Because that fucking crap keeps crashing my browser. Relentlessly. Then, and not before then, of course, I think to myself: how could I be so stoopid? Behold, the power of teh Googulz! And then what should I see in the no.3 spot of the Google keyword search “block blogads”? You damn right: This - News takes money. People who block Blogads are working against the blogs they support. Because that is the money which pays for the news. Just keeping up this site requires both contributions and ads. I’m not raising money until after the holidays. Sure, that’s a bit longer than the quarterly cycle I’d like to keep, but I rather any money now go to things like phone cards for Walter Reed. I can wait, I’m not going to starve, my computers work, and I can buy Christmas gifts. I also know people may well be broke after the holidays. But I can take that risk. But that cushion only exists because of blogads. That’s what paid for Thanksgiving dinner and the silly PDA version of Madden 2013 I impulse bought.
I’ll talk about transition issues later, but for now, I think what makes blogs viable is that people do support them, not only emotionally, but financially. Instead of selling out, we’re supporting what we believe in. And yes, I support blogs with cash as well. Why? Because things are not free. For too long, people have accepted volunteer work and amateurism as “grassroots” work. Well, we need to build an infratructure of sites which represents our beliefs. Does anyone think the Nation or New Republic is the best that we can produce? Or there is no need for new voices? Well, nothing is free. when you have the power to smack some dumb cracker like me upside the head from beyond the grave - then goddamn. You are a giant. Yet another reason the loss of this great man diminished us all. What the hell. If all it means is restarting firefox once in a damn while and losing 30 seconds of online time - that’s not much of a sacrifice, right? Respect to everyone at Group News Bite, and have a great weekend.