This is hard work – your support helps make it possible

With Election Day right around the corner, things are in full swing at Eclectablog. In addition to our daily drumbeat to re-elect President Obama and to do everything in our power to keep Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as far from the reins of power as possible, we’re also bringing you information about the candidates and ballot initiatives that will appear on the ballot. These are rehashes of articles others have written — these are interviews done by us and analysis by us — the type of original content you’ve come to expect from Eclectablog.

Some of the exciting things coming up this week and information on how to make a contribution to help us keep things going after the jump.

Oops, we did it again

I’ll keep the blah, blah to a minimum today. You know why we’re doing this: blogging doesn’t pay much and we have expenses to pay. We’ve already made a lot of improvements but, as yesterday showed, when we get slammed by traffic, the servers we’re on still struggle to keep up. At one point yesterday, this piece was getting over 500 hits per minute and the server said “screw it” and shut down. Poor thing. The next step for us will cost money.

So, that’s why we come to you four times a year to ask you to ask for your help. Every little bit helps. If you get value from what we do at Eclectablog, please consider making a donation. Details are after the jump.

Think of it as an investment

Hi, folks. Thanks for your patience as we make our way though fundraiser week. I listen to Michigan Public Radio every morning and realized that we’re running competing fundraising drives this week. Ironically, judging by the Alexa scores — a rating system for website traffic — Eclectablog actually gets more traffic than MichiganRadio.org.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to donate a lot of money to help out. If a significant number of our regular readers were to kick in $5 or $10, it would go a long way toward paying our bills.

Details about how to donate and about the prizes you can win for donating after the jump.

People talk…

Today is Day Three of our week-long fundraiser at Eclectablog. We’re asking those of you who get some value from what we do here to contribute just a small amount back to help us keep the lights on and buy us the occasional beer.

I have asked some friends of the blog to share why they think what we do here is worth supporting and the response was phenomenal. Today I’d like to share them with you (after the jump.)

I know what you’re thinking. We’re in the middle of an election. I’m not even maxed out to President Obama yet how can I donate to a blog? But I also know something else about you. Something strange is happening in America. While 81% of Republicans say the economy is getting worse – despite improvements in the job, stock and […]

Support your local bloggers

It’s that time of year again, when we come to you, hat in hand, asking you to support what we do here at Eclectablog. Make a $25 contribution this week and be entered in a drawing for one of five signed two-poster sets of Anne C. Savage’s photomosaic images of President Barack Obama.

Details and some of the highlights since our last fundraiser after the jump.

The eagle has landed. I repeat, the eagle has landed

If you’re reading this, then all is well and the transfer to the new server has gone smoothly.

A big shoutout to my pal Charles Gaba at Brainwrap for his work on this. We’re happy to have found a new home that can accommodate our explosive growth.

Obviously, along with these growing pains come new expenses. While I don’t expect to make a living blogging any time soon (though, of course, that would be the Holy Grail), I’d at least like to break even.

You can help with that by making a contribution to Eclectablog. How? Two ways. Details after the jump.

Eclectablog is brought to you by …

Happy Saturday. We’re glad you stopped by this weekend because we have a request. Would you be willing to support what we do here with a small contribution?

It only takes a minute. You can use our easy-peasy Paypal link or mail us a check. Details are after the jump.

Why does the 2012 election matter so much that I even find myself dreaming about the upcoming debates? I have a firm belief that we’re all in this together. By “we,” I mean all who choose to participate in this great American experiment. Every day I wonder: Will we lose incredible progress we’ve made in the last three years? Will […]

Imagine…

Hello, folks. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. As I mentioned on Tuesday, we’re having to upgrade to a more robust web host/server and that takes money so your contributions are very much appreciated.

My guess is that, if you’re looking news and commentary on what’s going on in Michigan, Eclectablog is one of your first stops.

Imagine if Eclectablog were to go away. Think of the events that you wouldn’t find out about because, frankly, our mainstream media in this state is a bit of shambles. Think about missing the voice of LOLGOP and his perfect framing of the political messages of our day. Think about missing Anne’s fabulous photographs of people, places and things.

Then ask yourself what value that has for you and make a contribution after the jump to keep the lights on and the politics flowing at Eclectablog.

Charlotte, here we come!

First, a big thanks to those of you who have already contributed to Eclectablog during this round of fundraising. I realize times are tough for most of us so it’s gratifying to see people contributing to something they believe in.

If you haven’t made a contribution yet, you can do so after the jump.