Children, have a seat and let me tell you a story. Way back in your granddaddy’s time, ten years ago, every day some high school-aged kid on a bicycle would come by the house and deliver a thing called a “newspaper.” The newspaper was exactly what it sounds like: a stack of papers where a bunch of writers got together every day and wrote up a summary of the day’s news. Toward the back of these newspapers the editors would usually print a series of very long and very long-winded opinion columns, plus a few short, usually poorly-written “Letters to the Editor” written by locals with too much time on their hands.
The editors of these newspapers were in complete control of every single story and opinion printed in these so-called newspapers. The opinions were usually from grumpy old white men, rambling on about how the Good Old Days had passed and the times were a-changin’. They had a complete stranglehold on the way the news was reported and on the voices that got amplified.
Horrifying, right?
The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. This newfangled Information Superhighway allows anyone with an opinion and an internet connection to share that opinion with the world. Some people use it for nefarious purposes (lookin’ at you, Gamergate). Then there’s Eclectablog. Every day, Eclectablog is proud to bring you the best progressive news from around the state of Michigan with a sprinkling of diverse opinions. We do our best to lift up voices that would otherwise go unheard, and to speak truth to power. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you’re no longer shackled to the outdated, backwards thinking of people like Nolan Finley. With one click you get the real story – stories like the ongoing Emergency Manager fiasco, the disaster that is the EAA, and the Flint Water Crisis. I sincerely hope you enjoy and value what you read here. If you do, I hope you’ll consider supporting our quarterly fundraiser so we can keep the lights on.
For those groups and individuals who find what we do here at Eclectablog worthy of supporting with a direct financial contribution, there are three ways to help.
First, you can make your donation using the PayPal form at the top of the right sidebar. You can choose which level of support you wish to give us from the dropdown box or choose a different level if you wish by using the “Other amount” box. The default is $60 which is basically $1 per week after the fees are taken out, a pretty good value.
Or you can wait until the TinyPass pop-up pops up (every tenth click on the site) and donate that way. If you do that, the popups will go away as long as you have cookies enabled. Like with the Paypal form, the default amounts for annual or monthly donations can be adjusted to whatever you wish them to be. They are currently set to be around $1 per week. Again, it’s a great value.
Finally, if you would prefer to send a check, send Chris an email and he’ll give you the address. This is the most beneficial way for us because it avoids the Paypal and Tinypass fees that are taken from contributions to the site.
If you work for an organization that would like to support our efforts by placing an ad, click HERE for our ad rates and more information.
By the way, you don’t have to be an organization to run an ad. Maybe you’d like to surprise your favorite progressive with a birthday message on Eclectablog or help promote your favorite group. Again, click HERE for more info.
If you cannot afford to support us financially, there are other ways that you can still help.
For instance, please share our content on your Facebook page or other social media like Twitter, Reddit, etc. Put a “Like” on our Facebook page and click the “Invite friends” button and encourage your friends to like us, too.
Thanks so much for your continued support,
John, Chris, Anne, Amy, LOLGOP, Tony, Emma, and Judy
