Saturday, January 17, 2004
A Friend Of All Of Us Is In Trouble
What's wrong with this picture?
Andrew Sullivan, among the least generous of writers (in his writing) I can think of, and not a very good one at that, has a pledge month in support of his blog, unpleansantly named The Daily Dish, and raises, so he says, $80,000.
James Capozolla, the generous creator of that elegant, insightful, amusing, and always beautifully written online magazine, The Rittenhouse Review, and its "lighter side" companion, TTR, after a rough patch of some notably rotten luck, finds himself tettering on the brink of having to leave Phildelphia, a city that is home to him now, and which he loves, a dreaded move which will undermine, among other things, his ability to blog to his fullest capacity.
So much is wrong with that picture, one hardly has the time to enumerate, so let's pursue a happier thought.
We can do something about this.
When I first started reading The Rittenhouse Review, Jim had no tip jar; the only solicitations he ever made were on behalf of other worthy bloggers who needed some help when ends refused to meet. Then he had an outside job. Now he doesn't. Then there was no problem for him to offer his magazine to his reader gratis, now there is. Nothing all that complicated here.
(If you are a newcomer to "Rittenhouse," Jim's archives are a garden of delights; just point your mouse, click and enjoy)
Whether you've yet to discover Jim's work, or you are a longtime reader, if your visits to "blogtopia," (thank-you, skippy) have become an important support to your own sanity, if they have enriched your life, you have something to thank Jim for, because he is certainly among those left of center bloggers who have had the most inspiring influence on other bloggers.
Look, when an Alterman, or a Conason, or a Franken write a book, we buy it. A Jim Capazolla gives us years of an on-line magazine, and we're not sure what to do to support it. Jim needs to know if his blogging is feasible. We need to know that Jim will continue to be there, blogging. That seems fairly straightforward to me.
Pay Pal makes it easy; most of us don't have the disposable income to become Peggy Guggenheim type patrons (although, if there are any Peggy wannabes out there, can't imagine a better bet than Jim for future output that'll make you proud, and yes I'm also talking to you secretive MacArthur Foundation people), but that's not what's required to change that picture we drew at the beginning.
If enough of us click on that conveniently positioned icon on Jim's fabulous sidebar (even his sidebar tells you so much about Jim as a man and a writer), even the smallest contribution becomes magnified. Don't not click because you've only got an extra 5 or 10 bucks to contribute. (Do the math: if 1500 readers paid two dollars a month...it all adds up, doesn't it) So don't be shy about reminding friends and family to do their share; for those whom you know who don't yet know about Jim's blog, you'll be giving them a gift.
Susan at the wonderful Suburban Guerrilla, another fine person currently having more than her share of life challenges, has more on the subject.
Andrew Sullivan, among the least generous of writers (in his writing) I can think of, and not a very good one at that, has a pledge month in support of his blog, unpleansantly named The Daily Dish, and raises, so he says, $80,000.
James Capozolla, the generous creator of that elegant, insightful, amusing, and always beautifully written online magazine, The Rittenhouse Review, and its "lighter side" companion, TTR, after a rough patch of some notably rotten luck, finds himself tettering on the brink of having to leave Phildelphia, a city that is home to him now, and which he loves, a dreaded move which will undermine, among other things, his ability to blog to his fullest capacity.
So much is wrong with that picture, one hardly has the time to enumerate, so let's pursue a happier thought.
We can do something about this.
When I first started reading The Rittenhouse Review, Jim had no tip jar; the only solicitations he ever made were on behalf of other worthy bloggers who needed some help when ends refused to meet. Then he had an outside job. Now he doesn't. Then there was no problem for him to offer his magazine to his reader gratis, now there is. Nothing all that complicated here.
(If you are a newcomer to "Rittenhouse," Jim's archives are a garden of delights; just point your mouse, click and enjoy)
Whether you've yet to discover Jim's work, or you are a longtime reader, if your visits to "blogtopia," (thank-you, skippy) have become an important support to your own sanity, if they have enriched your life, you have something to thank Jim for, because he is certainly among those left of center bloggers who have had the most inspiring influence on other bloggers.
Look, when an Alterman, or a Conason, or a Franken write a book, we buy it. A Jim Capazolla gives us years of an on-line magazine, and we're not sure what to do to support it. Jim needs to know if his blogging is feasible. We need to know that Jim will continue to be there, blogging. That seems fairly straightforward to me.
Pay Pal makes it easy; most of us don't have the disposable income to become Peggy Guggenheim type patrons (although, if there are any Peggy wannabes out there, can't imagine a better bet than Jim for future output that'll make you proud, and yes I'm also talking to you secretive MacArthur Foundation people), but that's not what's required to change that picture we drew at the beginning.
If enough of us click on that conveniently positioned icon on Jim's fabulous sidebar (even his sidebar tells you so much about Jim as a man and a writer), even the smallest contribution becomes magnified. Don't not click because you've only got an extra 5 or 10 bucks to contribute. (Do the math: if 1500 readers paid two dollars a month...it all adds up, doesn't it) So don't be shy about reminding friends and family to do their share; for those whom you know who don't yet know about Jim's blog, you'll be giving them a gift.
Susan at the wonderful Suburban Guerrilla, another fine person currently having more than her share of life challenges, has more on the subject.
