PLEASE NOTE: At the bottom of this long post I ask a question concerning etiquette that I need your answers on. If you skip the text because it does not apply to you I would be grateful if you would still read and respond to the question.
I have been struggling financially since I was ejected out of the Church of England at the end of August last year. The generous donations that I have been receiving from my readers (about £500 per month) have covered my bills and I am still living in free accommodation. But the parish wants its house back and the diocese wants to stop paying my rent. So Mrs MP has brought a house. However, because paying for the house will take up most of my wife's salary I will have to start finding money for food and stuff. I cannot, at this moment in time, afford to do this.
I really need to double the level of donations that I now receive if I am to continue my online ministry, which is all I have, all I am likely to have in the future and, let's be honest, all I want to do. So please, if you do not do so already and you are in a financial position to be able to help me achieve a living wage from my blogging, please consider doing so.
I have been doing some checking on my stats. OCICBW... gets about 1500 hits a day. In the last month I received 23120 unique visitors to OCICBW... alone. Every week, thousands of people download or stream the St. Laika's podcasts (which take about 4 hours each to produce) and my Sunday service is always listened to by over 700 people. On top of these figures the OCICBW... Experience is accessed by an unknown number of people on their news readers (I know that at least 900 people use this facility and they are only the ones using the three top news-readers). For various reasons my blogs do not show well on the rating sites. But, from the information now in my possession I know OCICBW... is far more visited than blogs rated far higher in the ratings. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion OCICBW... is the most popular Christian proper blog in the world (although, of course, I could be wrong on this).
In other words, what many of you have been telling me all along that my priestly ministry is OCICBW..., is not only true but successfully true.
Supporting OCICBW... is supporting the mission of Jesus Christ. It is helping to podcast good, enjoyable liturgy, good sermons and good Christian music into the homes of people who are unable or unwilling to go to church. St. Laika's podcasts throughout the week, not just on Sundays, and is bringing the Calendar of the Church to life for many people.
It is my opinion that together over the last five years we have done something new and have been pioneers of a different way of being church that is exciting and relevant and responsive to the needs of the people who belong to our community or just visit from time to time. But that will all be of no worth if we do not make our successes known to those who really want us to fail. The best proof of our success would be the continuation of OCICBW... and St. Laika's.
People can donate to the mission of OCICBW... using the widgets below. You can send one off payments at times it suits you and such donations will be gratefully received and acknowledged. Or you can sign up to subscribe monthly at a level that suits your pocket. The latter method is most reassuring from my point of view and leads to less insomnia.
If you can link to this appeal on your blogs or on other social network sites that would be brilliant. The time for politeness and avoiding being cheeky is long past. I am a man on a mission :-)
I would also like your advice on something. Would it be the right thing to do to post a list of subscribers, with the individual's permission, on the sidebar at OCICBW...?
Finally, get this into your heads! I am fully conscious of the fact that many of you are in a worse situation than even I am or simply do not have the spare cash to give away. I am also aware that some of you will not want to support this project financially. That is okay. Please do not apologise as no apology is necessary. However, if you are a praying sort and/or a writing comments of encouragement sort, please consider this to be of equal importance to me (actually I probably don't really believe that - BUT GOD DOES).
If you had a physical congregation of 900, that would be something! Why aren't we celebrating an online congregation?
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your question, I am OK about being listed as a subscriber but some people may not be. Also, some people may not wish it to be known that they don't subscribe, especially if they can't afford it.
ReplyDeleteCould be tricky.
Hey, I know. Some people could sponsor a subscriber! i.e. Pay for them to have their name listed.
(And don't anyone tell me off for trying to be funny about something that's not funny!)
Dear MP,
ReplyDeleteThe simplest solution would be for you to get a job. Yes, you have trained as a priest,and you will always be one, but it's no good sitting back and expecting others to keep you going.
Steven, I recently subscribed to MP's "podcasts" something many such entities do on the Internet. I am thoroughly enjoying the service downloads and at five pounds a month (roughly $8 American) I think it is a highly reasonable price.
ReplyDeleteFor me this is similar to "Public Radio" in the USA - 90% listen for free, 10% make regular contributions to keep things on the air.
Why you can't get it through your head that paying for a service is not the same as begging is beyond me.
Indeed, Renzmqt, the "NPR Model" works well here. And I daresay that this isn't the last time we Internet-dwellers will see such fund raising requests.
ReplyDeleteIt drives me a bit batty that so many folks have the idea that, "It's on the Web, so it should be FREE!" How do you expect content creators (authors, musicians, artists) to make a living ?! (and no, turning every content creator into a hobbyist with a "day job" isn't the answer)
Thank you. Like Public Radio, I do keep OCICBW... advert free although my stats would make them lucrative. Also I put in about 12 to 14 hours a day working on my blog (except Saturday), a lot of what I put out there is longwinded to create. And the more readers I get the more expensive it becomes to run the blog, especially the sound files that are the bedrock of St. Laika's. And I pay royalties for the music I use and for the podcasting licence.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't feel right calling OCICBW... a business but I hope I am doing so in an above board, legal and businesslike manner.
This is a very well expressed appeal, MadPriest.
ReplyDeleteHere's where I ask once more for my fellow readers of these blogs to step up to the plate. (That's a baseball metaphor for you Brits.) And once again (as the director of a non-profit organization) I want to say that it's the number of participants rather than the amount of each subscription that makes the difference. If £5 is too much, donate 2. (You can do that manually - even if there's not a subscription level for for £2.)
Needless to say, Steven, I completely disagree with you. It's the folks who benefit from these sites but who don't contribute who are getting the free ride.
I really don't know what to say, MP, about publishing names of subscribers. I kind of lean toward not really preferring that but I am aware that some websites do it. I'll need to think about that some more.
MP, being in your situation (ie out of work) I sympathise - and moreover, I can't contribute financially, much though I would like to. I would however point out to the person who said 'get a job' "if only it were that simple..."
ReplyDeleteRe crediting contributors - the one thought that occurs to me is, might they then become the target of attack for the some of the disturbed individuals who spend their time harassing you? A point to consider, perhaps.
Good luck with your fundraising and the move. I don't always agree with all you say, but I'd really miss OCICBW if you had to close it.
Prayers - always.
Huw
Thanks, Ellie. In England we are not much into having our names attached to gifts but when we did the City of God appeal some Americans suggested it would be a good idea. I'll be completely honest, I want to do whatever will raise the most money without losing a single reader in the process.
ReplyDeleteI could enter people as "anonymous from..." or under their choice of pseudonym as well as entering the real names of those who want that. If there were quite a few anonymous benefactors mentioned then maybe those who cannot afford to donate, of which there are many, would not be offended.
That's a good point, Huw. The trolls already wash up on the blogs of people who just comment here and I know from the way they have targeted my wife at her place of work that they are quite willing to take their nastiness out into the real world.
ReplyDeleteI don't object to being listed but that would not change the level of my pledge. I see my giving as Stewardship, same reason I give to St. Luke's, and I'm pleased that I am able to do so. Have you thought of talking to one of those Stewardship experts?
ReplyDeleteIf you DO start the Boaz deal though, I'd be very pleased to donate on behalf of Rowan Atkinson or Williamson or whatever that unkempt, ill tempered and uncouth old codger in Kent is called...
Do not list me. BTW -- it is worth a donation just to get MP's latest photoshop cartoon!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Ann is right. Each month there is a special photoshop thank you sent out to donators only. These will never appear on this blog. They are sure to be worth absolutely nothing in a few years time but they may make you smile.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind being listed as a donor, as I am happy to do it. Fortunately for me, I picked up my nickname some 50 years ago at my first job, so no one would be able to connect the me that is me (no pun intended) from my "stage name". I am sorry to see you in this fix, especially since the bride and I went to see the interim bishop of Ft Worth yesterday, persuant to her desire to be ordained a priest in TEC. It went quite well, and now we are trying to see if we can survive the horrendous commute from Dallas on a regular basis. They have started tearing up the main route to Ft Worth and this will continue for five years. There also is bad construction out at the airport, which one passes on the way. So perhaps we all ave our crosses to bear. You are definitely performing a valuable service in making your expertise and creativity available to those who cannot go to a church, and the walking wounded who will not. As David said, we all should realize that the internet is simply a delivery medium, and there is no intrinsic reason why web content should be free. That mistaken belief is what lies behind the rampant piracy we see. I hope your coming move to Durham works out better than you expect. You deserve a break.....
ReplyDeleteI consider myself a compassionate capitalist (as opposed to a true laissez faire robber baron, or baroness). As such, I would see nothing wrong with your charging for this service, even on a sliding scale from zero to rockets-to-the-moon, depending on our ability to subscribe. There are honor systems in the world, and most seem to work. I recently went to lunch at a thriving casual restaurant that runs on just this system. Imagine that! However, since you provide a unique and valuable service, I will subscribe in any event. As for publishing names of subscribers, my parish does not publish names of persons who pledge, but our fine arts organization publishes the names of donors in categories according to the amounts pledged. That's up to you, and there are privacy issues associated with OCICBW that are not a consideration at the parish level.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, MP, and thanks for many memorable postings.
Cut out the s..., MP.Your trying to blame everything on "trolls" is getting old.You are a scam artist and nothing more. I would hope the CoE would get an order blocking you from claiming to be a priest in that church.Both you an Ellie thought you had it made for life sucking off the church until they saw both of you were not worth the meagre pay you got.Why don't you publish this. Too much of a coward? Lars
ReplyDeletePlease do not fight over who is going to sponsor the above troll.
ReplyDeleteLars (as in with the "real girl")
ReplyDeleteSoliciting donations for a worthwhile product is not a scam...
It's called "capitalism" - many of the more popular podcasts similarly seek "donatations" to keep things up and running.
Get a life.
MP
ReplyDeleteI follow the gospel instruction, when you give alms, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. I tend to dislike those donor reports that various charities to which I contribute mail out, with long lists of donors (but yet, I scan them to see what kind of company I'm in league with, so I have to plead guilty to hypocrisy).
If you do it, make sure people have the option to give anonymously, and avoid any hierarchy or distinction that would identify what level of support someone gives (in other words, treat the one pound donor the same as the ten pounds a month subscriber)
Why do you not accept that other people have ideas different from your own. You do not have the right to be correct on everything.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous anon.
If people choose not to work, or try to find employment that is up to them. You can surely claim job-seekers-allowance, that is if you are actually seeking employment.
I once worked for someone with an excellent medical website, one that won some awards. The webmaster, an M.D. with a full time practice, spent many unpaid hours working on the site. I suspect the you, MP, are spending many more than 40 hours a week on OCICBW. Didn't someone say that "the laborer deserves his wages?" Name starts with a "J", I think.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like the idea of listing donors but not amounts.
Of course I accept that other people have ideas different from my own. If I didn't I wouldn't bother arguing with them, would I?
ReplyDeleteYe gods! Why do I end up with the really thick trolls? I deserve better.
MP, such a fake. You don't know how to be truthful. You try to block anyone who doesn't buy you as a "man of God." Thick trolls? Better get out your 'blocking' kit.You are a disgrace to our Church. And Ms. Ellie? Totally unreal. A scammer in training from the best--YOU. Tony
ReplyDeleteMP, I posted a wonderful comment (yes, I say so) some months ago about your online innovative model of being priest. You didn't reply. I knew what I was talking about! Smugness aside, I am very pleased for you. I keep tweeting you but I do think you ought to set up a twitter account and post your wit there too.
ReplyDeleteWow. My ministry must be more effective than I ever dreamed. To be attacked along with MadPriest in the same comments here (two of them so far) is quite an hono(u)r.
ReplyDeleteThe troll is going to run out of pseudonyms on this thread soon - they're not very imaginative as a species :-)
ReplyDeleteI promise I'll stop playing with him soon and send him to Spam Hell.
I think you have every reason to think the level of readership should translate into somewhat greater contributions. I use the Amazon shopping thing when I buy stuff online, which is painless and I hope effective.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs to me that one thing I might do is add a link to Amazon through your site (I would have to work out the xml I suppose) as a part of my blog roll. Let me think about that a bit.
FWIW
jimB
Thanks, Jim. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have forgotten about my Amazon link lately. I've not being do so well on commission recently.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple books I want to order from Amazon, and when I do, I'll order through your widget.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janis. It's a really good scheme and the commission mounts up over the year.
ReplyDeleteSome of the above, shall we say negative, comments don't make sense to me. They seem to suggest that you get a job but I would have thought that you already had a job and that you were simply in negotiation with your employers (i e your readership) about how much you should be paid.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that the above commenters would say to get a REAL job but this must show a great amount of naivety. I am always amazed at how little REAL work many people do in their daily work. I hear about it every day.
Some of your commenters think it would be nobler fir you to be on the dole. I say no leave that position on the dole for somebody else. Moreover, while you are not employed by the church and instead employed by us, presumably some other priest has a job?
So everybody wins except the above commenters who are presumably bitter about something which is beyond logic.
Gosh, Boaz. That's incredibly sensible.
ReplyDelete... for an Australian :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG, they're attacking *Ellie* now? :-0
ReplyDeleteGood googly-moogly.
I know that "God don't make no junk", but these trolls test that rule SEVERELY.
[Yes, yes: we must pray for them. They obviously need our prayers.]
***
If you publish the names of your $ contributors, I know I will view that list as "Oh, I want to be in that number, when..."
Until then, I'm glad you believe that GOD believes in your "praying sort and/or a writing comments of encouragement sort". That's more than enough for me.
I don't really like published lists of subscribers, they have an "oh, look at ME" feel about them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also think they might be counterproductive, because people read them and think "oh, he must be doing alright out of all that lot"!
I'd be tempted to say the more grand a subscribers list, the less some people are likely to be tempted to give anything, it's psychologically counter intuitive.
get ads.....make the site pay for itself, given great stats.
ReplyDeleteI think self revelation on the part of donors is the best plan myself. OCICBW...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Renz. It seems to me that the overall response to the question of listing donors is "Don't do it!" So I won't.
ReplyDeleteYou could solicit testimonials from us though, I'd be happy to try to come up with a clever one...
ReplyDelete"Best cyber services out there...calms the nerves, soothes the soul, puts a smile on my face every time..."
RENZ IN THE WOODS, member since ...
Thanks, Renz.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would point out is that I will never host advertising on the St. Laika's page.
I think if you point your numbers out, you might get some ads and cash flow while maintaining control over their content. If you did that, I for one would consider it a smart and reasonable move.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
jimB