Blogathon 4 | ***Dave Does the Blog

Blogathon advice

I decided to spend some time this afternoon checking out various Blogathon sites, to see if there was anyone I wanted to follow, or anyone I wanted to sponsor. Sharing the wealth, as it was.

Wow. Sturgeon was right. There are a lot of interesting sites out there, and tons of good causes, but … well, you might want to consider how you’re approaching the Blogathon (or why you have $0 in donations) if …

You start up a new blog for it*, with just one tiny article dated three weeks ago saying, “Hey, I’m blogging for XYZ, support me,” and that’s it. C’mon, throw me a bone here!
Your comments are borked. Or your page 404s. Bad news. (I suspect that’s why the overall blogger count went down today, as the monitors started hitting sites.)
The charity on the Blogathon site doesn’t match what you say you’re blogging for.
Your site doesn’t actually mention the Blogathon, or the cause you’re supporting. (Hello? Are you really doing this?)

Those are all “too late to do anything now” kinds of things. How about some more concrete advice?

Daisybones has some good ideas for blog, workspace, and thematic prep.
This 2007 advice (also routed via Daisybones) is similarly useful; some things are too late to do now, but others aren’t.

It’s quite possibly unfair, but it’s tough, sometimes, seeing through the blogger to the cause. That is, if a person’s blog is unattractive (in design, content, whatever), it’s hard to say, “But Saving the Blind Puppies from Ear Cancer Foundation is a fabulous cause so I’m going to sponsor that blog.” (I suppose one could just directly donate to the SBPFECF, but, then, there are so many causes out there that are worthwhile that you could bankrupt yourself over them.) It’s similar to the whole question of knowing an actor is a serious jerk in real life and letting that color how you perceive their performance. As I said, unfair, but very human.

Anyway, I made it through about a third of the list, and have about twenty blogs flagged to go back and check out during the ‘Thon. I left “good luck” wishes on them, and a few sponsorships, too. Lot of creative energy is going to be flowing on the Internet tomorrow, and for good causes. We’ll see you here.

*I’ve considered, in passing, doing a separate blog for the ‘Thon. But, then, this blog is eclectic enough that having 50ish posts of comic book reviews and the like (and the innumerable Blogathonning chit-chat beforehand) doesn’t particular stand out as weird. I hope. Besides, I don’t generally care for Blogathon-specific blogs, myself: it makes the effort feel too compartmentalized, and takes away the chance to read more by the person doing it.

Blogathon final prep

What’s done:

Munchies and caffeinated beverages bought.
Office cleared up.
Music imported to new laptop.
Graphic novels and trade paperbacks gathered, sorted alphabetically, at the ready.
Book I’m planning on reviewing finished.
Ideas for variety of posts recorded.

What’s left:

Finish this week’s comics.
Sort recently read comics; get them upstairs.
Move the laptop upstairs.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Finish post on final prep (should be done by the time you read this).

Just about ready to roll …

You can pledge for the Denver Dumb Friends League any time through the end of the Blogathon. I’m currently at $421.57; I’d love to break $500 before we’re through. Pledge $25 or more and you’ll win a prize! Please consider if you can give something to a very worthy cause.

Blogathon – now with prizes for pledges!

Okay, I should have done this sooner, but in reviewing what graphic novels / trade paperbacks I have for my reviews and getting them all sorted, I discovered that over the past few years I’ve gathered up a number of duplicate purchases (or some things that have been obsoleted by later, bigger volumes).

My loss is your gain, if you’re pledging to the Blogathon.

If you make a pledge to the Denver Dumb Friends League through my blog on the Blogathon of $25 or more, you’ll be entered into a raffle for one of the books listed below (raffle will be for order of pick).
You get an additional chance in the raffle for every $25 you have pledged in total (i.e., two chances at $50, three chances at $75, etc.). If you’ve made multiple pledges, the total will be used.
Family exempt from this offer (either you can already read it or you’re probably not interested).
Anything left over will be put up on eBay for auction, proceeds to go to the DFL (post-Blogathon).

Books up for grabs (and I can recommend all of them):

Courtney Crumrin and the Fire Thief’s Tale
Order of the Stick, vol. 3: “War and XPs”
Ms. Marvel, vol. 4: “Monster Smash”
Doktor Sleepless, vol. 1
Freakangels, vol. 1
Girl Genius, book 7: “Agatha Heterodyne and the Voice of the Castle” (h/c)
The Boys, vol. 2: “Get Some”
Invincible, vol. 9: “Out of This World”
Astro City: Local Heroes

Void where prohibited and all that jazz. Remember, I’m not getting any of this money — it’s all going to the Denver Dumb Friends League.

Blogathon – Making it personal

According to this article, people are more responsive to individual needs than group needs. Seeing a little girl starving to death has more impact — and solicits more contributions — than seeing a village starving to death. It seems we’re hardwired to the “needs of the one.”

So, to jumpstart my blogging on behalf of the Denver Dumb Friends League for Blogathon 2009, let me present you with Pockets:

My name is Pockets and I’m a sweet 3 year old, neutered male. I’m a buff tabby and white short hair domestic mix who loves pillows, laps and running water (I’ll help you get dressed in the morning.) I’m good with small children. I purr a lot, especially when you brush me. I’m also litter box trained. You won’t be sorry if you take me home.

Pockets is the featured Cat of the Week at the DFL. So far I have a bit over $400 in pledges (thank you!), which means that we’ve covered, for Pockets, the $300 that DFL spends per pet it places — so that kitties like Pockets (or Titan, their Lab/St Bernard mix Dog of the Week, or Caramel the Rabbit) have a place stay, to be cared for, and to be adopted from.

$300 is a lot of money. It covers the facility, the medical care, the staff, all sorts of stuff. And I can tell you from experience that you don’t pay $300 to adopt a pet at the DFL.

I don’t know Pockets’ story. Was he found, astray? Was he abandoned? Was he rescued from an abusive home? The point is, Pockets needs help, as do these others. And that help, provided by the Dumb Friends League, costs money (or matériel, but I can’t accept Paper Towels and Kitty Treats for the ‘Thon).

And that’s why I’m doing this. To help Pockets, and Titan, and Caramel, and all the other once-and-future pets at the Dumb Friends League.

Can you help, too?

I’ll sweeten the pot, so far as that goes. If you send me proof you’ve adopted a pet from the DFL in the last 30 days, I’ll donate $50 from my own pocket to them for the ‘Thon (offer expires at 7 a.m. Sunday). That means you could go to their Quebec St. shelter, or to their Castle Rock “Buddy Center,” on Saturday and make a difference in an animal’s life. And in your own.

Think about it.

Supporting other bloggers for the Blogathon

As we hurtle toward the Blogathon on Saturday, let me highlight again two of the other bloggers I know who are participating, in hopes that you’ll perhaps give them some support as well.

Steve at Chirographum has gone so far as to set up his own site for his Blogathon effort. He’s blogging in support of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Autism Clinic. He’ll be writing mostly about comics (yay!) and games over the course of the day, both of which he does not-infrequently (and always well) on his own blog. Steve’s an old pro at the Blogathon game, raffles off prizes to top donors, and has already raised $770 in pledges for his fine cause. I’ll definitely be swinging by over there during the ‘Thon to see how it’s going. (Sponsor Steve!)

Les at Stupid Evil Bastard has done the ‘Thon before. This year he’s blogging on behalf of the Human Society of the Huron Valley (which puts him in the “help the animals” camp with me). Not sure what his blogging theme will be, but his site is always entertaining and/or thought-provoking, and certainly warrants more than the $80 he’s received so far (though every little bit helps). Again, I’ll definitely be keeping track of him on Saturday (and into Sunday). (Sponsor Les!)

There are 184 bloggers enrolled in the Blogathon, with tomorrow as the final day to sign up. Together, almost $15,000 has been pledged. There are some great causes out there. If you haven’t pledged, give it a look-see. Even $5 is welcome for any of the bloggers and charities involved. While we stay up late, you can make a difference.

The Big Blogathon Count-Down

We’re in the final days until Blogathon 2009, starting this Saturday at 7 a.m. MDT. I currently have 9 pledges for the Denver Dumb Friends League, totaling $416.57 (odd number due to some Canadian dollar conversions). That’s very cool — but about $100 less than when I did this in 2007 (on behalf of Episcopal Relief & Development), and about $50 less than the year before that.

Anyone else out there want to support my 24 hours of pretty-non-stop comic book blogging and help save/rescue/place some animals that need our help?

At that, I’m doing relatively better than the Blogathon itself. We’re currently at 170 blogs with nearly $12,000 pledged — pretty spiffy, until you realize that in 2007 the ‘Thon ended up with 361 blogs and a total of over $117,000. Part of that is the economy, I’m sure, and part is that the current ‘Thon organizers have not managed to generate the publicity/excitement of previous years.

On the other hand, that’s $12K for some very worthy causes, and every little bit helps. See any group there you want to sponsor?

Meanwhile, it’s not too late to sign up to blog for the Blogathon. You know you should. As an encouragement, I’ll do what I did last time: If you are on my blogroll (in the sidebar — and, yeah, it needs updating), or if I have left a comment on your blog in the last 90 days, and you have not already signed up, but sign up because of this post — let me know, and I will pledge a minimum of $25 to your cause. Right then and there. Unless, you know, it’s a morally reprehensible group, in which case I’ll figure something out with you.

Do I need prizes? Steve’s doing prizes on his site. Would you pledge to my Blogathon cause if I offered some sort of prize for the top giver(s)?

We made our Blogathon snack run at Whole Paycheck on Saturday. Far more than I anticipate nibbling on, but it’s a nice way for Margie to dote on me during this. As she puts it, “This is the one time I can spoil

Margie was considering blogging this year as well — but given the impact of both parents being at the keyboard all day and night Saturday, then napping until late afternoon Sunday, we decided to leave it up to Kitten. She opined she’d rather have Mommy that day. That’s cool. Sooner or later it will happen.

Given that, I’ll be setting up in the office, rather than down in the breakfast room. That’s more convenient (since all my graphic novels are up there), as well as offering me more privacy and quiet (and thus avoiding grumpy requests for same).

I’m beginning to map out posts I want to be sure and do. Most of the time will be graphic novel reviews (for example), since I have a couple years’ worth on the shelves. I’ll also be doing some reviews of the weekly comics I’m following, talking about how the comics habit is doing for me, and probably a few other related items. (If there’s something in particular you’re interested in hearing me wax lyrical about, do let me know).

(If you want to read Blogathons past here, you can either choose the “Blogathon” category, or do a search on BT07, BT06, BT05 or BT03.)

I’ll also probably natter on (with increasing incoherence) about other bloggers who are Blogathonning, what I’m eating, how sleepy I am, etc.

It looks like I’ll be able to do all of this on my shiny new computer. One thing I need to do (if I’m going to include stamps at the bottom of posts of the music I’m listening to) is get iTunes shifted over to the new machine. That may or may not happen.

As in the past, I’ll be including links to Amazon.com for everything I review (everything that’s carried there, which usually comes up to ). I do get a fractional commission if you buy from there, which I will donate to the DFL myself.

Following previous precedent, I’ll be preceding all my posts with BT09 (for future searches). I’ll also be including a rather ugly #blogathon hashtag, since my post titles get echoed to Twitter.

Twitter is going to be an interesting new twist to the Blogathon this year. I’ll be curious to see what impact it has. Will it just be for nattering back and forth for company, or will it potentially drive some traffic (and sponsorships)?

(There’s also a #bthon hashtag, but I can only put one in, so I’m going with the slightly longer form. That tag also seems to have been used by a highly commercialized ‘Thon over in Singapore this past weekend.)

And … that’s about all I have to dump about Blogathon at the moment. More, I’m sure, over the course of the week.

The Last Shelter

A lot of animals are brought through the Denver Dumb Friends League‘s door. In their 2008 annual report, the DFL shows that 12,000 cats, 14,000 dogs, and 2,000 other animals were received.

Of that 28,000 animals, about 16,500 were adopted. Another 3,000 (mostly dogs) were reunited with their owners, who had lost them. Another 600 or so get transferred to “placement partners and other sheltering organizations.”

The rest are put down. Euthanized. Killed.

Those are hard, cold facts. And they are something that make some folks very uncomfortable, and others very angry at the DFL. Why would you support (or send an animal to) a shelter where it might be killed?

The DFL says:

The Dumb Friends League welcomes every animal in need. We turn no animals away. We are defined as an “open admission” shelter.
There are other organizations that call themselves “no kill” shelters, but we find the term misleading. These organizations are more accurately defined as “limited admission” shelters, because, generally speaking, they have to restrict the number of animals they take in. They may turn away those that aren’t healthy or behaviorally sound. To operate successfully, they have to limit their intake to animals that can be adopted quickly.
As an open-admission shelter, we take in ill and injured animals and those that are not immediate candidates for adoption. We receive pets that are no longer wanted, pets from people who can no longer care for them, as well as stray animals.
We work hard to give second chances to every healthy or rehabilitatable animal, and we do a very good job.
There is no set time limit for how long an animal can remain in our Adoptions program. As long as an animal maintains general good health, a sound temperament and we have space, we’ll keep a pet for weeks, sometimes months. We may put a healthy but overlooked animal in temporary foster care and return it to the Adoptions program at a later time. We move sick animals into foster care or into our TLC Center for treatment, where they remain available for adoption. And we work with our placement partners (breed groups and other organizations), who find homes for some harder-to-place animals. We do everything we can to avoid euthanasia of healthy or rehabilitatable animals.
But more keep coming—an average of about 83 every day—and the reality is that there is not enough space and money to accommodate all of them. We humanely euthanize those animals—primarily cats—that are not chosen by new families. We also euthanize aggressive animals—primarily dogs—that are determined to be a potential threat to the community and those sick or injured animals that are unrehabilitatable given our resource limitations.

The bottom line is that not all animals abandoned, lost, given away, or rescued can be placed. Nor can they be housed indefinitely and still have room for the endless line of animals — 83 every day — that need help.

In their annual report, the DFL notes:

Of the pets euthanized, 57 percent had behavior issues, such as aggression or extreme fear; 38 percent had serious medical issues. The remaining 5% included pets (primarily cats, rabbits, and other small mammals) for which no homes could be found and pets, such as wolf hybrids and wildlife, that were not taken by sanctuaries or rehabilitators.

It’s a hard set of facts. I’ve known people who had to give up their pets for one reason or another. It must be an awful, gut-wrenching thing to do, not knowing what will happen to them.

But my experiences with the DFL has always been very positive. The facilities are clean. The employees appear caring. The animals seem to be under appropriate care. 98% of healthy pets get paced; 80% of treatable / rehabilitatable pets do as well. Their overall live release rate (per the Asilomar Accords protocols) is 71%.

I don’t have any hesitation about blogging in support of them for the Blogathon. DFL brought in about $14MM.year in 2008 in various sources — 80% from contributions, like the $400+ that folks have pledged so far here for the Blogathon. Of their expenses, 76% are for animal care services, education, and outreach; 16% goes to further fund raising. Only 8% go for accounting, admin, planning, and program development.

If you’ve not pledged for my blog during the Blogathon, please do so. The benefit isn’t to me — it’s to the animals that will be saved by the Denver Dumb Friends League. Animals that we, as humans, have a responsibility for. It’s a cause I’m proud to stand behind.

Why should you blog in the Blogathon?

I’m doing it. Les is doing it. Steve is doing it. In fact, 144 people (signed up to date) are doing it Why should you participate (as a blogger) in the Blogathon?

(Yes, I’m looking at you.)

Here are a few reasons.

Helping for a good cause. I mean, look at this list of great causes people are blogging for. Isn’t there some organization there — or some other cause — that you’d like to help? Especially if it doesn’t mean any money out of your pocket? I mean, if the American Cancer Society, or Make-a-Wish Foundation, or Doctors Without Borders asked you to stay up for 24 hours to help their cause, wouldn’t you? Now you can do just that — wearing your pajamas, at home. It’s a huge win!
Come on, it’s just one sleepless night. I mean, you can do it. Remember college? Or other late-night party locales? And there’s (advisedly) no booze involved. If you can’t stay up 24 hours blogging for a good cause, how can you possibly survive the coming Zombie Invasion? “Sorry, Mr. Zombie, I’ve been on my feet for sixteen hours — I’m popping off for a nap now.” Bah.
Nevertheless, you’ll get tons of admiration. People (family, friends, co-workers, strangers) will be unable to believe you stayed up 24 hours, typing something or another every half hour. “I could never do that!” they’ll say, looking at you with unabashed envy and awe. “And for such a worthy cause! You are so saintly / spiffy / sexy …”
You can write to your heart’s content — and it doesn’t have to be brilliant. There’s always pressure as a blogger to be an amazing writer, conveying deep and profound thoughts with stirring and adroitly selected language. But when you’re rushed every half hour, and you’ve been doing it for hours already, nobody’s going to think less of you for linking to some stupid YouTube video 5 minutes before the next deadline and typing, “LOL I like the dancing hamsters so cute god i’m tired …”
You have something better to do on Saturday, July 25th? I mean, what? Weeding in the front yard? Roped into helping someone move? Going into the office because your boss wants to have something done? Attending some distant cousin-in-law’s wedding? Painting the rumpus room? This way, you get a “Get Out of Onerous Weekend Work Free” ticket. Just say, “Oh, man, honey, you know I’d love to come along and watch your tennis lesson, sweetheart … but it’s the Blogathon, dearest. I’m doing it for Disabled Dyslexics of Darfur. Think of the children …”
You can be part of that Band of Brothers (and Sisters). There’s something about 2:30 a.m., the Dark Hours of the Blogging Soul, and the chance to IM, email, or hop over and comment on some fellow b’thonner’s blog, that makes life good. Or at least somewhat less snoozy. Plus, you can laugh at their typos and they’ll laugh with you. No, seriously, the camaraderie of the ‘Thon is very cool, and that final last push toward the end is like everyone shouting encouragement to each other to finish … well, a marathon.

So think about it. Discuss it with a friend. Decide if you can help, not just by sponsoring someone (always welcome, whether it’s sponsoring me or someone else), but by getting out there and doing it yourself.

Sign-ups are here, and close on Wednesday, 22 July, at 5 p.m. PDT.

Stay up late … make a difference.

Stewardship of Creation

In an ideal world, “animal rescue” would be something done by Superman regarding a cat being stuck in a tree.

In our real world, “animal rescue” means saving animals from neglect, abandonment, and mistreatment.

As a confirmed carnivore, I’m not to going to address consumption of animals for food, except to say that those animals should be well-treated on their path to my dinner table.

I’m going to talk instead about animals that have been bred — as breeds and as individuals — to be cared for by humans. Animals that are abused. Animals that are abandoned (“Fluffy will do fine on her own — or maybe someone will find her and give her a good home”). Animals that are neglected. Greyhounds that are disposed of after their racing days are over. Rabbits that are gotten rid of when Little Billy decides that the “Easter present” isn’t any fun. Dogs bred in puppy mills, inbred or poorly cared for. Pet buyers who want the latest thing, but don’t think about how it will change their lives — and who then decide not to change said lives and get rid of the pet instead …

Unconscionable. We have a responsibility, dammit, to these critters. A basic ethical, moral, and even religious obligation to care for what we’ve wrought, to not treat these lives as mere ornaments to be discarded if broken or inconvenient. We need to (hu)man up and live up to what we’ve committed ourselves to, as individuals and as a species.

I’m not going PETA-crazy here. Given a choice between saving a kid falling off a cliff and saving the kid’s dog, it’s “So long, Rover.” But while there’s a lot we need to do to protect and nurture and feed and clothe humans, while we do so we have things we need to be doing for the animals entrusted to us.

That’s a big reason why I’m blogging in the Blogathon 2009 for the Denver Dumb Friends League, which takes in all sorts of abandoned pet animals, cares for them as it can, and tries mightily to get them adopted. They also have a very active spay/neuter program for dogs and cats, to reduce abandoned animals before they become abandoned. It’s a good cause, and I hope you’ll sponsor me.

Blogathon 2009 – Blogging for the Denver Dumb Friends League

The Denver Dumb Friends League was founded in 1910, and is the largest animal shelter and animal welfare organization in Denver and the Rocky Mountain region. Its mission is simple:

The DFL is committed to the welfare of animals:
We shall provide shelter and care for animals
We shall provide programs and services that enhance the bond between animals and people
We shall be advocates for animals … speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves

We were aware of the DFL for many years — they’re well known in the Denver metro area — but only first made use of their services a few years back. Their animal care facilities are remarkably humane, both caring for the animals (the dedication of the staff is clear) and providing comfortable environments for adopting pets.

We adopted a cat that day, Sugar, who unfortunately didn’t live with us long.

We returned there earlier this year, and adopted Mimi, who’s turned out to be a delight. The process was professional, compassionate, and I was once again struck by the good work being done there, for the animals and their human adopters alike.

The Denver Dumb Friends League was named after a London animal shelter, “Our Dumb Friends League,” in the obsolete sense of “dumb” meaning “mute.” The name has been kept because of its recognition, and because of the way it “speaks” to that third mission statement.

The DFL:

Provides shelter and care for more than 28,000 lost and abandoned animals every year
Adopts homeless pets to new families
Reunites lost pets with their owners
Investigates animal cruelty and supports animal-friendly legislation
Provides animal behavior assistance through classes, a free telephone helpline and the Internet
Offers free pet-friendly housing referrals throughout Colorado
Educates children and adults about the humane treatment of animals and the importance of spaying and neutering
Offers highly subsidized spay/neuter for owned cats and dogs in underserved communities

The plight of domestic pets — cats and dogs, mostly, but not exclusively — abandoned, lost, or homeless for various reasons — moves me. I don’t call them “companion animals,” the current PC term for pets, but these critters are bred and raised to be cared for (and to enrich the lives of) humans. We have a societal and special obligation to see that their lives are fulfilling and happy — and that there are no more of them than there are homes for (hence my support of DFL’s strong spay/neuter policies).

People who choose to purchase purebred animals from whatever source can make that decision. For me, so long as there is a cat (or dog) that is without a family to care for it, I can’t see for myself encouraging the breeding of more cats or dogs just because I want one that’s a particular variety or pedigree. (I suppose one could, and some have, argue the same point for kids; it’s more easily made, though, with pets.)

The only part of DFL that is at all controversial is that it is not a “no kill” shelter. Animals there are, if necessary, euthanized. That’s a hard truth, but it’s one that important to face (and that drives the main part of the League’s mission). The flip side is that the DFL accepts every animal brought to it. I’ll talk more about all of that in a later post.

I am blogging for the Denver Dumb Friends League for Blogothon 2009. I would welcome your supporting me and the DFL. So far I have over $270 in pledges — you can add to that number here. Thanks.

Blogathon news

For those that missed it all during the Big Holiday Weekend (here in the US), I am indeed participating in this year’s Blogathon on 25 July in support of the Denver Dumb Friends League. All the detailed info is here.

So, if you are so inclined, I’d certainly appreciate your sponsorship support (no amount too small, no amount too large!). There are also a lot of other worthy Blogathon causes out there (I’ll point out both Les and Steve), so feel free to sponsor them (too)!

Stay Up Late … Make a Difference!

I am now live at the Blogathon site, ready to take donations for my cause the Denver Dumb Friends League.

What’s a Blogathon, Dave?

Along the line of various other charity “-athon” types of events, the Blogathon lets me blog for 24 hours (with one post ever 30 minutes) in exchange for your sponsorship of me, promising to donate to my selected cause.

You can also read the online FAQ.

You’re going to blog for 24 hours? Inconceivable!

Nope. Done it before (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007). The Blogathon itself has been running since 2001.

When is the Blogathon?

Saturday, 25 July, starting at 6 a.m. PDT (so 7 a.m. here in Denver). A new post is due from each blogger every 30 minutes.

Does that mean I have to stay up 24 hours to read you?

Nope. You can send me emails and IMs and tweets of support for as long as you want, but the cool thing about the Blogathon is … all the results show up in my blog, suitable for reading the next morning.

So what are you blogging about?

Once you have a successful shtick, stick to it. So, along the lines of previous Blogathons, I’ll be posting about comic books — mostly review, and mostly of graphic novels (I do have a few years to catch up on). I’ll be telling you what I’ve been reading, what I think of it, and maybe help you figure out whether you should buy (or borrow) it to read for yourself.

But I don’t care about comics, Dave. Why should I sponsor you?

Because I’m blogging for a neat organization.

Who’s that?

I’m blogging for the Denver Dumb Friends League. They are a local animal shelter / animal adoption organization. We got our last two cats from them, and we think they do a really nifty job. I’ll be blogging more about them later, and during the ‘Thon.

How did you choose them?

I’ve blogged on behalf of several other organizations previously — the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Episcopal Relief & Development Fund (ERD) — but we’ve interacted with the Denver Dumb Friends League, and I decided that’s who I wanted to go with (though the others are all very worthy causes, and I continue to donate to them personally).

So who are these Blogathon people, and why I am sending them money?

You’re not. None of the money ever, ever goes to the Blogathon folks. They are merely facilitating the event. You go to their site, you find a blog (or three) you want to sponsor, you sign up with a pledge, and then after the Blogathon, they send you an email with a link (provided by those blogs) to go directly to the charity organization’s website. There you do all the normal web contribution stuff. (Most charities have online forms you can download, too, in case you want to do it the old-fashioned way.)

Again, the Blogathon folks never get your money, never see your credit card, etc. They just hook you up, via me, to the charity of my choice (ditto for other ‘Thonners).

So I send the money to you?

No! I mean, if you want to send me money, I won’t turn it down, but for the Blogathon, you’ll be sending it directly to the charity.

Sounds spiffy, Dave! What should I do?

Go here. Once there, find a blog you want to sponsor and click on “Sponsor this blogger!”
Assuming you want to sponsor me, you can actually skip the above step and just go here.
If you don’t already have an account (this year) with the Blogathon, you’ll be given a chance to create one. You do have to create an account, so that there’s a record of your email address to send reminders to. (That also makes it easier to sponsor more people.)
Choose your sponsorship amount — this can be a lump sum, or an hourly amount (just in case I crap out midway through).
Decide if you want to have your name visible to me or the site, or be anonymous to one or te other or both. Your email is never published. (Read the Blogathon privacy policy.)

That’s it. You’ll get an acknowledgment of your sponsorship, and then a reminder right after the ‘Thon, and another a bit after that. And, of course, you’re welcome to come read what I post during and after the ‘Thon, and chuckle over my Wee Hours Incoherence.

What happens if I change my mind or forget afterwards? Will thugs hired by the Blogathon come to my house and rough me up?

Nope. It’s all on your conscience. The ‘Thon will send you an automatic email, reminding you of your pledge, and I’ll send you a thanks-for-the-sponsorship note … but if you never give the money, they (and I) will never know.

But God will, and He’ll getcha!

But, Dave, I don’t have a computer! And, when I borrowed one, I couldn’t figure out that complicated website! What do I do?

Let me know, and I can enter in a proxy pledge for you.

What if I have other questions? What do I do?

You can go to the Blogathon forum, but it’s probably just as easy to leave a comment here and I’ll get back to you.

Thanks!

Thinking toward the Blogathon

So the Blogathon is back on 25 July. I’ll be doing my usual panoply of comic book reviews (backed up over two years — yikes!). Biggest decision I have to make is who I’m going to do it on behalf of. Past worthy causes — Episcopal Relief & Development, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund — are all worthy causes, but I haven’t decided amongst them, or the other many, many worthies out there. Pondering (and willing to take suggestions).

Blogathon!

I’m not doing it this year (thank heavens, given our schedule this weekend), but Steve is. Start here. Good stuff. Throw money….

I’m not doing it this year (thank heavens, given our schedule this weekend), but Steve is. Start here. Good stuff. Throw money.

In lieu of my Blogathonning this year …

… I once again commend you to Steve over at “Eventually Clever” for his efforts at same. Good guy, good cause, should be fun to follow along his comic book…

… I once again commend you to Steve over at “Eventually Clever” for his efforts at same. Good guy, good cause, should be fun to follow along his comic book reviews and discussions of collecting.

No Blogathon for me this year, alas

Between the “unofficialness” of the Blogathonesque activities this year, and a vacation / travel schedule that would have me out at the in-laws the day(s) of, I’m going to give…

Between the “unofficialness” of the Blogathonesque activities this year, and a vacation / travel schedule that would have me out at the in-laws the day(s) of, I’m going to give a pass to the ‘Thon this year.

Allow me to recommend Steve as a fine person to throw your Blogathonish weight (and sponsorship) to. I won’t be doing the ‘Thon, but I’ll be watching him as he does.

Meanwhile, I have to think of what to do with all those graphic novels / trade paperbacks I’ve been accumulating for the ‘Thon. I really feel like I should offer up some reviews of them before I shelf them in with all the others. Given all my free time …

… that might take until Blogathon 2009. 🙂

Blogathon?

I am, as is too often the case, confused. Stephen suggests that Blogathon 2008 is a Go. The Blogathon peeps suggest it is not. Ugh. If I mentioned I have…

I am, as is too often the case, confused.

Stephen suggests that Blogathon 2008 is a Go. The Blogathon peeps suggest it is not.

Ugh.

If I mentioned I have a shelf-and-a-half of comic book TPBs to review, would that help?

*sigh*

Adding one more thing to our summer calendar

Looks like this year’s Blogathon will be on Saturday, 26 July. I have those TPBs/GNs all ready to go, even more than last year….

Looks like this year’s Blogathon will be on Saturday, 26 July. I have those TPBs/GNs all ready to go, even more than last year.

Blogathon 2007 a-go-go

I’ve taken down the Blogathon links in the sidebar. All the pledgers ought to have gotten their dunning note gentle reminder in the mail. The simplest thing to do…

I’ve taken down the Blogathon links in the sidebar. All the pledgers ought to have gotten their ~~dunning note~~ gentle reminder in the mail. The simplest thing to do is to go to the ERD site, click on “Donate Now” in the sidebar, and, well, donate.

Thanks again to everyone’s help. I’m back to accumulating for next year. See you then!

Weekend in Review, Week in Preview

Friday: Worked in the morning. Later in the afternoon was able to relax a scosh, mostly prepping for the Blogathon. Went and picked up Kitten from Franklin Friends amidst utter and…

Friday: Worked in the morning. Later in the afternoon was able to relax a scosh, mostly prepping for the Blogathon.

Went and picked up Kitten from Franklin Friends amidst utter and profound downpours. I was sorry when I left I didn’t take the Subaru instead of the van, but was glad for the clearance later on. I mean … yow. Serious street flooding. Serious “maybe I shoud pull over” rain on the windshield. And more with the flooding. Yow.

In the evening, Jackie came over with Brian. Steaks on the Bar-b. Good wine. Yummy dessert. Nice conversation. Good times.

Saturday: Blogathon!

Sunday: Blogathon, until 7 a.m. Sleeeeeeeeep until 2:30p. Hang out in a sort of sleepy stupor the rest of the afternoon. Haircut from Margie and a nice shower. Dinner and Dr. Who and relaxation.

Monday, et al.: Off on a business trip for most of the week in … New Hampshire!