Wed 21 Mar 2007
It’s getting warmer and you know what that means: it’s the annual Spring Fund Drive over at my local public radio station and that involves lots talking and begging with the promise of really cheap “thank you” gifts.
If you call now and donate just $250 with a credit card, we’ll send you this amazing multi-use potholder– guaranteed to beautify any kitchen or RV.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to enable Ryan Byrd dot Net to be self-funding. It costs a bit of money to bring you the very best, but we’re happy to do it. Here at RBDN, we aim to be an entertainment and education portal for the discriminating visitor. We understand that there are a lot of sites out there vying for your attention, and we appreciate you spending a few minutes each day with us. That’s why the site isn’t overrun with irritating advertisements. Sure, there is the donate link, but that seems to be so inconspicuous that nary a one of you has seen it. 
And so it was in brainstorming funding ideas when I thought of greeting cards. Greeting cards have forever mystified me. Are the masses of people simply unable to conjure up their our own thoughts? Do they lack the motivation to write them down? (Clearly, I, for one, am never at a loss for words…)
But, the greeting card business is a bustling one, and if dollars are going to be spent, there’s no reason why I can redirect a few my way. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll create a few dozen classy greeting cards sets as “thank you” gifts for those who can contribute a buck or two to the future success of RBDN. Stay tuned for details!
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:45 am
Ryan, this seems like you’re begging… Have you fallen on hard times? Is Remedy not paying you your six figure income? Have you really been jobless and running out of funding? Is your girlfriend taking all of your money? You can talk to us, your loyal visitors, and tell us the truth in your life. I believe with that truth, we will be more helpful….
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:15 am
It is a truth that large news outlets like NPR, PRI and Ryan Byrd dot Net, as public servants, are dependent on the goodwill of the populace for continuance.
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 am
Don’t forget PBS… made possible by viewers like YOU!
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 am
in the spirit of full disclosure, some people think my *real* reason for creating greeting cards is to compete with an artsy lady from Idaho I’ll call “Janice” who recently embarked on a greeting card making spree. That is completely untrue. I have nothing against Janice personally, of course, and after all competition breeds better products, right?
As a point of fact it’s even possible that RBDN envisioned making greeting cards before this Janice lady, though I can’t prove that and I’m sure Janice would argue the opposite.
What remains is that Janice and RBDN, though offering similar products, are operating in different spheres, that is, my cards are free with a required donation and hers cost a buck or two.
anyway, I’ve not even designed a single card yet, so I best get busy
http://www.hundreddollarbusiness.com/2007/03/15/howdy/
March 23rd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I come just help out with the Alexa ranking: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=www.ryanbyrd.net
Uh oh! Looks like you’ve fallen on hard times indeed….
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:21 pm
which is strange given my increase in traffic. In fact, this month is the highest traffic month EVER for RBDN according to google analytics. Highest number of visits and pageviews EVER. Here’s another program which shows the increase in traffic: http://www.ryanbyrd.net/bbclone/show_time.php?lng=en
friggin’ alexa…