Our First Pledge Drive

DonateDuring my summer break from posting (which ends this week), I’ve been doing some administrative work for the site. I’ve decided that it’s time to start asking you, the readers, to support the costs associated with running this site. Since I want to maintain complete intellectual and creative freedom, I have decided not to request funds from any institution or government agency. For the two years of AstroBetter’s existence, I’ve been paying for the hosting fees out of my own pocket. In addition, the contributors and I have been volunteering our time. However, as a firm believer in the “You Get What You Pay For” philosophy, I think it is time to ask you to contribute. If you’re not careful, I’ll turn you in to Ira Glass for pledge drive justice.

First, I’ve set up a way to accept contributions via Amazon Payments. Amazon takes a small cut off the top, but it’s a convenient and trusted service and I suspect most folks have an Amazon account. Please consider giving, even small amounts; there is no minimum. Might I suggest $5 for grad students, $10 for postdocs, and $20 for folks with permanent positions. I expect I’ll come around with the hat about once a year.













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Second, we’ve added some Google Ads on the blog portion of the site. We’re working on getting them on the Wiki as well, especially the Rumor Mill (which, warranted or not, receives by far the most traffic). While the ads are not a huge source of revenue, I figure every little bit helps. Please consider clicking on ads that you think are relevant to you and other AstroBetter readers. If we get enough donations to cover the annual cost of the site, we’ll take the ads off.

Something we’ve been doing for awhile is participating in the Amazon Associates program. When we send you to Amazon, we get a small percentage of anything you buy. We’ve even compiled our highly recommended books and accessories into our very own Amazon Store. You could start all your shopping trips by clicking on the below button and we’d really rake it in:

We also participate in several other referral programs:

Thanks so much for making the AstroBetter blog and wiki a success and please continue to tell your students and colleagues about the site! And of course, thanks in advance for your generous financial support!

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