What's the value of a labor of love?

[Tim]

What is the value of a labor of love?

Everyone likes free stuff but is free stuff really free? A lot of us listen to NPR programming and it?s free?right? Wrong! There is nothing in this world that?s free?there?s always a cost to someone.

Awesome Dude is a free site. Unlike other mega sites, like GA or Nifty, you don?t have to wade through ads to get to the stories you want to read. AD is a place for authors to post their stories online. There are many authors who have gotten their start on AD and this is good for readers. If the stories posted on AD, and it?s family of sites, were in an anthology, it would cost you a fortune every month.

This access for readers and authors is free to them but it does cost someone. Due to a collapsed economy, the Dude is in forced retirement. Money is tight for him for the foreseeable future. He?s cut everything he can in order to keep AD and the AD Family of Sites going ad free. Ads are a way which he won?t go but income has to come from somewhere. Now its our turn to step up to the plate and show our appreciation for the last 5 ? years of AD and do our part to keep it alive and moving forward.

If you look on the main page of AD, you?ll see a little gray cat. This is a pay-pal button. Every amount, no matter how small, is needed. Just a few dollars every month or so from as many people as possible will help AD and show Dude how much we appreciate his labor of love for us.

Tim

[blue]

There is a huge amount of work that goes into editing stories, prepping web pages, and an even bigger amount that goes into recording audio and getting songs and getting them ready.

Dude is too nice to ask, but the economy has done a number on him, outside of AwesomeDude, and that affects his ability to run AwesomeDude. He *likes*, no, *loves* doing this stuff for our benefit, and he does it for free, with no ads.

Askin' for him, because we care about him and about AwesomeDude.

[Trab]

Seriously everyone, Mike needs help. A little bit by everyone would be great. Readers, writers, editors, and just plain those who are generous and want to do the right thing.

I'm on a very limited income myself, and have to watch every penny, and I'm terrified of online donations, because you just never know where it is going, HOWEVER, in this case I know exactly where it is going, and I've jumped in there an helped out.

Please, can you do that too?

[Cole Parker]

Hard to think of a better place to spend a buck or two. We get a whole lot more out than we're putting in.

C

[Bruin Fisher]

AD is important. We can't risk it, so we need to support it and the magnificent Dude who made it and keeps it alive.

I couldn't agree more with everyone on this.

Three cheers for his Awesomeness.

[Drewbie]

I agree it's hard keep a site running atm.

but Im also a member on ga, and I don't have to wade thru, ads to read a story I want, just like here, ad revenue, is needed to keep it running. instead of taking ads now, certain things you can become a donator and read certain things.