Late last year, I took on some extra expenses to accommodate The Spearhead’s traffic, which has since grown to 82,000 unique visitors per month — the highest monthly number of visitors ever. About half the visitors in any given month are “returning” visitors, which suggests that tens of thousands of people are reading the site at least occasionally. On top of that there are over 2,200 RSS subscribers, and each article is read about 2,000 times on the site within a couple days of its release. Given the number of RSS subscribers and article views, daily readers number in the thousands, and weekly substantially more than that.
I like the numbers and am happy to see that we have so many readers, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into money, because this isn’t the kind of site that thrives off advertising or affiliate sales. Instead, it’s a site that must rely on readers, much like traditional magazines and publishing outfits.
So, if you enjoy our content and would like to see it continue to be available, supporting it will help a great deal. I’ve installed some membership software that allows people to become paying subscribers and will give them access to exclusive articles, which I will soon begin to publish. I’ve been holding off so as not to surprise readers too much, but soon there will be content that is available only to supporting subscribers who pay $5 per month. I’ll keep most content open to the public, but not all, so if you want access to everything sign up for membership as a subscriber.
During this current fund drive, I’ll offer anyone who donates $50 or more online a year’s subscription as a supporting subscriber. Just let me know if you’re interested and we’ll set you up with a new account or upgrade an old subscriber account if you have one.
The Spearhead has published thousands of articles, and I’d like to keep the content coming. If you are a reader who enjoys what we have to offer, please help out with some support. Support from readers has kept the site online for three years, but it’s a fine line, as I am not a wealthy individual with money or time to spare. As much as I believe in the mission of the site, if there is no support I’ll be forced to abandon or severely curtail it.
With The Spearhead, what you see is what you get: there is nobody between those of us submitting content and the reader. This is how I keep the site functioning on a low budget, and it is also how I keep it honest and true to its purpose. If you find that it has value to you, send something to keep it going.
On a further note, I’d like to stress that anything helps. If every regular reader gave just a few dollars a month, the site would easily pay for itself.
I’d like to thank the supporters who have kept the site online for the past few years, and also contributors who have donated their time and content to The Spearhead. It’s been a group effort, and I’m glad to say we have brought ideas and content to the fore that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. I’m committed to keeping it going, and with your help I’ll do so.
Donations can be made through the PayPal link above right, or you can subscribe here. If you prefer to send support via mail, send to the following address:
Price Content
PO Box 28282
Seattle WA 98118
