Where did you turn first last Friday, when you heard the horrible news? To your own family, for the hugs and the "I love yous" that become so, so critical to say? Where next? For me, the next stop was here, to my second family. It was an official day off, so I was fortunate enough to not have to respond professionally. I didn't have to read every soul-crushing news update and struggle to find a way to present it to you.
My colleagues Meteor Blades, Jed, Hunter, and Laura, however, had to do it. They had to be here to bring you, to bring us, the news that just kept getting worse and worse. Then the second team, on Saturday, of Georgia, billmon, Susan, and heartbreakingly from Newtown itself, Greg.
I came to Daily Kos for the news first because this is my home. Because I know that my friends and colleagues would be careful, would be compassionate. They would not sensationalize. They would not speculate. Because that's how we do it on the stuff that matters the most. We have a responsibility as a news team, created by Markos and backed up by the editorial geniuses Susan and Barb and Kaili, providing guidance and advice and a critical eye. We have a responsibility because we're reality-based. But we have a responsibility because we're part of this larger community.
I came here, too, though, for that larger community, to mourn and rage with all of you. Because that's what we do. When the big stuff comes down, we come together. Thankfully, it's not just the horrible stuff that we gather for, but for the good stuff, too. Like elections. Like raising $3.2 million to elect a kick-ass group of representatives and senators who are going to help us change the way Washington works (eventually!).
It's also not just the national big stuff that we're here for, of course. It's the engagement announcements (congrats commonmass and GreenMountainBoy02!), the Rocky Mountain weather reports, the foodies, the crazy pet diaries and, of course, the splashing around with Bill.
By now you've probably figured out what this is all about. Yeah, this, as Markos explained it.
What that means is that web publications like Daily Kos can no longer depend on advertising to finance operations. A few years ago, 95 percent of revenues came from advertising. This year, it’ll be 58 percent. And if current trends continue (and they will), advertising will cover less than half of our expenses next year.
Since we’re not about to start linkwhoring or resorting to bullshit slideshows to artificially drive up pageviews, and since we don’t want to lard up the site with even more obnoxious ads, that means we have to make up the shortfall in other ways. Bottom line, if you value the news, activism, and/or community we provide, I need you to help fund those efforts.
There are a number of ways you can do this. You can get yourself a gift, and
buy a site subscription, or
buy a site subscription for another member of the community, or just
donate money for the sake of our efforts, whatever your preference.
The benefits to you? If you have your own subscription, you can see the site without ads, have access to several e-books from staff, access to the entire community photo library, and other cools benefits and site goodies to be named later. Or you can give all those gifts to a friend. Or you can just know that you helped keep all of us who bring you news and analysis every day right here, doing our job. On great days like November 6. On heartbreaking days like last Friday.
Thanks for everything you've already done to keep this place vibrant through one of our best, most exciting years. If you can help out through a site subscription, or a gift site subscription for another member of the community, or just donation, well thanks for that, too.