I had a gift subscription that I didn't go looking for. I just got an email informing me that I was being allocated one from funds donated to the site. Recently I got another email advising me that the gift subscription was about to expire. At about the same time I got another email from Will Rokafellow asking me to contribute to the year end fund raising campaign. After giving the matter some thought I renewed my subscription and donated a small amount to the fund raising campaign. I thought that I would share the process by which I reached these not particularly momentous decisions.
I didn't get any direct personal benefit out of the subscription. I have long used ad block so I didn't see the ads when I didn't have a subscription. Like, most everybody else I have had my share of criticisms and complaints about things that go one at Daily Kos. Some of them have been focused on the actions and policy of management. I have a general interest in following general trends in internet media and it is clear that the ad model for generating revenue is breaking down. I find it convincing that any site is going to need to find other revenue sources if it is to remain viable and grow. There are reasons why I think I have a personal interest in the continued health of Daily Kos.
I am retired and have time on my hands. I need something to do that provides me with a certain amount of challenge and stimulation but doesn't overload me with stress. Writing on the internet as a volunteer has generally filled that bill. At the height of the great rox sux war I took convalescent leave from Daily Kos and explored other sites on the net that have a center/left political/policy orientation. I have no interest in spending my time on right wing sites. I went to the trouble of getting setup to be a blogger on HuffPo. I tried commenting regularly on some sites where all of the articles are written by people who have a staff relationship with the site. I also tried Facebook where a lot of people have gravitated from Daily Kos. For various reasons, I found all of those experiences to be very unsatisfactory. I got bored and came back to Daily Kos. It is my considered opinion that this is the best site on the internet for people who want to write from a liberal/progressive point of view.
One reason for this is software design. I know of no other site that comes close to having a format for creating life like interactive discussion among people who are commenting. It can lead to fierce debates or some fairly productive discussions, but one way or another the interaction is frequently interesting. The continuing development of this software requires financial investment.
As someone who likes to write articles and not just comment on other people's articles, this place also offers me the best prospects that I have found. There are very few restrictions on what I can write and when I can write it. I have my good days and bad days, but I have been fortunate in attracting a good level of support for my writing. I would greatly miss that if it ceased to exist.
These were the main considerations that influenced me to cough up a little money. Other people are also receiving the same emails that I am. In deciding how to respond to them I would suggest that you take a moment to think about what your life would be like without Daily Kos in something like its present form. For me the absence of that is not a pleasant prospect.