I try not to get in other bloggers’ business, but…
Big-time blogger and writer Andrew Sullivan held a legendary pledge drive back in 2002 and received about $80,000 in donations from readers. For bandwidth, I presume. That’s hot. But that’s not all. His subsequent pledge drives (two in one year?) generated about $120,000. Good grief.
Well, a few days ago I read on his blog (I check it once in a while) that he was taking a break to travel and write a book. Sullivan writes:
After much hemming and hawing, I’ve decided to put the blog as you’ve known it on hiatus for a few months. The Dish will still exist, the site will be updated weekly with new feature articles, and I’ll still post when I feel like it. But it won’t have the regularity or content of the past four and a half years. Why? The simple answer is that I want to take a breather, to write a long-overdue book, to read some more, travel to Europe and the Middle East, and work on some longer projects.
Except for the part about the Middle East, it sounds lovely.
Other bloggers have criticized Sullivan for holding so many pledge drives purportedly for blogging money, and then taking a nine-month break from blogging. That, and the fact that he doesn’t respond to their e-mail, has stirred up blog-ire.
Michelle Malkin (who’s opened up comments for this one): “Interestingly, Sullivan has already taken a break from his break to publish fawning e-mails from readers. But he apparently doesn’t have enough bandwidth to respond to Blair, Balko, or the many other bloggers/contributors who rightly feel gipped by his bloghucksterism.”
Bill of INDC Journal: “When Sullivan bemoaned and shook down his readers for soaring bandwidth expense, he was either experiencing the mother of all rip-offs or misrepresenting his expenses.”
Tim Blair: “Planning his vacation, Sullivan thanks readers for ‘the financial support that has kept this blog alive and well.’ (Two hundred grand and he still couldn’t afford a blogroll? Way to share the bloggy wealth, Andrew.) Other sites — many other sites — have done more with less…Sullivan’s massive blog earnings have ended up funding a Euro-Middle Eastern stroll with time off to write a book. His next pledge drive might deliver a substantially lower return.”
The Agitator: “Call me envious (and I am — I’d certainly be grateful to make a hundred grand a year blogging), but this strikes me as a pretty schmucky move….If I had given Sullivan money as recently as last July on his promises of continued insight and daily dishing, I think I’d be in line for a refund right about now.”
Polipundit: “[I]f any of Andrew’s readers want to buy an ad at Polipundit, or hit my PayPal or Amazon button, then I promise not to run off on vacation to Europe or the Middle East either.”
While some of these responses are tongue-in-cheek, others are quite serious. They believe Sullivan has misrepresented his circumstances and persuaded (tricked? lured?) loyal readers to give him money for the upkeep of his site, and now he’s hitting the road with the cash. To be fair, Sullivan said he’d update the site weekly.
I’m on the fence about this. There may have been some duplicity on Sullivan’s part; that is, he probably planned to go on hiatus all along, but didn’t tell his readers. An impending break may have affected the amount of contributions. Look, I don’t know. I’m just speculating. That’s allowed.
Then again, I don’t begrudge the man his money. If I had the nerve, I’d hit you people up for cash. I’d go a-begging and pleading for thousands of dollars so I could quit the day job and try my hand at full-time writing. I’m not comparing myself to Sullivan, however, who writes for some high-profile publications and has the talent, drive and motivation I don’t seem to have right now. But…
I finally got the nerve a few months ago to post a PayPal donation button (and Amazon wish list) in the left sidebar. 
That’s about all the “pledge-driving” I’m going to do.
I have no blogger-hate for Andrew Sullivan. I hope he has a safe, fun and productive trip. Bon Voyage!
(I wonder if he needs a research assistant to tag along…)
Unrelated Update (8:31 p.m.): Remember to check for Eason Jordan updates.
Update II (2/4): I can’t remember where I read this, but I think Sullivan also said he wanted to raise enough money so he could quit his day job and write articles and blog.
Michelle Malkin
I Love Michelle Malkin. Mother, intellectual, sharp as a tack, and after my own heart. Really, she is. I mean….really. Not on purpose, of course, but she does it just fine on accident. Read on….
Trackback by Drumwaster's Rants! — 02.03.05 @ 7:12 pm
I would have no problem if he wouldn’t have represented his fundraiser as a tool to help him maintain his blog…he is a freelance writer, and works for Time and the Guardian. He’s got the money…he’s just all about Andrew Sullivan, and this little vacation of his is no surprise.
Comment by John Cross — 02.03.05 @ 7:13 pm
I’m on the fence about this. There may have been some duplicity on Sullivan’s part; that is, he probably planned to go on hiatus all along, but didn’t tell his readers. An impending break may have affected contributions.
While Blair is cracking on Sullivan for taking the money and running, there are two larger points:
1. He made $200,000. You could beg and beg, and you wouldn’t make $200k. Having asked, I made about $1500 at the height of Rathergate.
2. He lied about the cost demands of bandwith.
#2 is the real point of contention. Sure there are people jeolous of the $200k figure, but positioning yourself as NEEDING the dough to run the site is just shady.
Comment by Bill from INDC — 02.03.05 @ 7:35 pm
The first paragraph in the comment above was quoting LaShawn, the italics didn’t take.
Comment by Bill from INDC — 02.03.05 @ 7:36 pm
I got you covered, Bill.
Comment by La Shawn — 02.03.05 @ 7:43 pm
La Shawn,
When I read about this I said to myself: This sounds really crummy.
I realize bandwidth costs can drown out many webmasters who receive tons of traffic, so I think Sullivan may indeed not have a problem with this.
Though I doubt he signed a “contract,” so to speak to provide his readers with a certain timelength of blogging, I can only think of the anger and frustration many of those readers now feel that they donated money only to have the guy post less frequently.
I don’t mind bloggers (like yourself and my other fave, Nykola) placing PayPal icons on their sites. And I really don’t mind if a blogger nicely requests donations. Heck, I’m just getting started with this blogging stuff and even hosting costs are expensive for someone that works at a cafe!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I like how you played it. You didn’t outright condemn the guy (as I’m sure some of my liberal buddy-bloggers are doing) or praise him. I think this issue contains too many gray areas to do that.
Well, back to dinner. I’ll save all my friends at “The Corner” a bite!
Comment by Mike M. — 02.03.05 @ 7:54 pm
La Shawn,
Just for my own reference as a new blogger:
How much does bandwidth cost for a site? I know it depends on traffic, but if one received a ton of traffic…like, say Sullivan, how much would bandwidth cost?
I’m “so” new to this owning-my-own-domain business.
I can’t ever imagine forking over $80,000 I don’t have to keep my site open. Of course, I’m assuming I’d actually ACHIEVE the same amount of traffic Sullivan gets.
Comment by Mike M. — 02.03.05 @ 8:02 pm
Blogosphere 2/3
Andrew Sullivan goes into hiatus Hard to believe, but Laura Bush was sitting close to a killer last night. Wizbang gives an update on ‘that naked reporter’. A Little Bit About Everything has some great Hillary pics. Say Anything has…
Trackback by The Political Teen — 02.03.05 @ 8:05 pm
My bandwidth costs about $30 a month and threatening to go higher. And I don’t even get that much traffic! Until it reaches a certain figure, I’m not telling.
If I go over my allotment for the month, additional charges begin accruing. That’s why I hope Matt Drudge never links to http://www.lashawnbarber.com.
Comment by La Shawn — 02.03.05 @ 8:10 pm
Mike M, I agree! :O
My take on it is that is the blogging is a “personal” relationship with the readers. Some will sympathize and may send more to help him along on his hiatus, others will say good-bye and good riddance.
Just as long as Sully doesn’t come back and moaning and groaning about how everyone left him.
I suspect, as good as he is, by taking this hiatus, he will lose several notches in the blogosphere permanently, for the simple reason, people tend to find new favorites and move on. I think the adage “Out of sight –Out of mind” is very applicable to the blogosphere.
Nevertheless, blegging for operating funds then taking a sabbatical, is about as cool as begging Mom & Dad for rent money, then taking a vactaion to Aruba, especially when they had no idea that you were planning on a trip with the dough.
Sully taking a trip to the ME?….. Better be careful out there.
Comment by Andy — 02.03.05 @ 8:17 pm
I tried the paypal button once. I made 11 dollars. 10 from one guy on the net…and 1 from a buddy of mine.
I took it down a few weeks later. Is 10 bucks enough to quit blogging and travel Europe with?
And my yearly bandwidth for 40GB a month is 70 bucks or so. Of course, I’ve never used more than 5GB in one month.
I need the space more than the bandwidth. I like having picture gallerys.
Comment by Jeremy — 02.03.05 @ 8:29 pm
I’m sure if I asked people to donate towards the costs of running my blog they’d laugh. I think I would laugh.
Maybe someone should have helped the poor man by directing him to a service provider who didn’t charge so much for bandwidth.
Comment by Rodney Olsen — 02.03.05 @ 8:45 pm
Er…that should be yearly cost of 70 for monthly bandwidth of 40GB. You get the point.
Comment by Jeremy — 02.03.05 @ 9:21 pm
Andrew Sullivan could probably get his yearly bandwith for as little as $1000.
Comment by Bill from INDC — 02.03.05 @ 11:11 pm
The one-trick pony goes on holiday
Randy Andy is taking a break. How did we get so lucky?
Trackback by The Black Republican — 02.03.05 @ 11:25 pm
I never read Sullivan’s blog, so I don’t know how substantial it is. But if people wanted to donate money, then it was their “loss.” There’s no way that his bandwidth would cost so much. He probably made a lot of dough and figured he should reward himself for working so hard.
Comment by mj — 02.04.05 @ 12:33 am
He’s obviously lying about his hosting/bandwidth costs. A dedicated server hosting package with 500 GB / month transfer volume ranges in cost from $50 - $500. That would be enough power/bandwidth to serve up 2,500,000 page hits a month or 83,000 per day. According to his site-meter he averages around 55,000 page hits a day. He could be paying, at most, $6,000 a year for his hosting. Ask for your money back, people.
Comment by Shane Wealti — 02.04.05 @ 4:05 am
Yeah. I’ve never been a Sully fan. Too excitable. And the way he about faced on Bush and the repubs after the DoMa. He never seemed too stable before, and def. not after. And I never gave him money, since his #s while great, were still not a hardship for someone making a decent living in the media. The listervs I ran, biz site I managed, and the blog I run, easily cost as much as his blog likely does, and I handled it out of pocket. And I am pretty sure Andrew makes more than I do.
Anyway, the only blogs/site I support are real charities, or the ones where I’ve spent alot of time commenting on or contributing to a ruckus. I figure if I’ve helped drive up bandwith or eaten up an admins time, it’s only right.
But that’s just me.
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 02.04.05 @ 8:56 am
As a non-reader of AS, I can only say that I believe he broke a “trust” with his readers. I don’t know how extensive his postings are, or for that matter if his posts are worth any money his readers may want to pay. I do think that his hiatus is in poor taste, and that he should do more for his readers than weekly updates.
And next time, he shouldn’t expect nearly as much from his pledge drives.
Comment by Lornkanaga — 02.04.05 @ 9:22 am
La Shawn
Re: Update II. Yes, I remember reading this as well a few weeks back.
I don’t know what his daytime gig was, but I’m guessing he wanted to devote his work to writing freelance and the blog. As a freelance-writer myself, a supplemental income would certainly be nice.
Comment by Mike M. — 02.04.05 @ 9:27 am
Only reason Sullivan would need that much money for bandwidth is if he hosted the website on his own personal T3 line from a server in his house.
Seems that Sullivan just beguiled all of his fanbase.
Comment by Alex — 02.04.05 @ 9:37 am
The sin of making money.
Good for him. If he can get people to toss him money….without stating how that money is to be used…..more power to him.
That’s what the free-market is all about. Buyers are free to make stupid decisions about throwing their money away.
That’s not Sullivan’s fault.
Besides, there are certainly a lot of people who make their money in far worse ways.
Buyer beware !!!!
Comment by Glamchild — 02.04.05 @ 11:17 am
I think he has taught the blogosphere a valuable lesson: caveat emptor. If you want to give a blogger money, do it — but don’t let someone “guilt” you into it.
Comment by Phelps — 02.04.05 @ 1:42 pm
I’m sure andrew will be thinking of his generous supporters as he sips his margarita outside a Monte Carlo bath house. Move over Elmer Gantry time to preach that gospel.
Comment by ratso ferrari — 02.04.05 @ 2:01 pm
“Except for the part about the Middle East it sounds lovely”
LOL. I needed something like that. well, if I got 200K I’d travel. Who wants to stay stuck blogging in the office with 200K in the bank. I’d get a computer that works on radio frequency (no plug in!) and blog my away around the world (except the Middle East). Or write a book. Is this guy single?? (Just kidding in a major way).
Comment by Catez — 02.04.05 @ 4:11 pm
uh-oh… I think I remember why he wouldn’t be suitable even if single. Not getting specific and all. Dang.
Comment by Catez — 02.04.05 @ 4:18 pm
Wrong Profession
I am definitely in the wrong profession. No way do I make that kind of money (something around $200,000). Quoting Tim Blair:
Planning his vacation, Sullivan thanks readers for “the financial support that has kept this blog alive and well.†(Two hu…
Trackback by Mind of Mog — 02.04.05 @ 4:30 pm
Well, what do you know? There are advantages to having no traffic. My bandwidth costs me $36 a year (and I don’t use a fraction of it). Imagine what $200k could get me. Yup, a vacation…
Interesting that Sully still has his begging (and shouting) prominently displayed on his blog:
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG!
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION.
Comment by blogan — 02.04.05 @ 4:53 pm
Glamchild, what’s that line about a sucker born every minute?
We’ve always known that moonbats were a few bricks shy and the proof is in how Sully used his skills to part the fools from their money, yet make them enjoy it. Bwahaha
Comment by Andy — 02.04.05 @ 5:38 pm
Welllll, I don’t know if anyone who supported AS is complaining about his hiatus. He is only publishing the fawning admirers. If they know the same stuff we all know and don’t feel ripped off, well, okay by me. Maybe some are miffed and he’s not saying, beats me.
It doesn’t seem unlikely to me that he had no intention of quitting back during his last fund drive, which was when? Last year? Then maybe the election drove him to blog despite some fatigue. And maybe after the election he just started feeling it. You know, the adrenaline wore off and the weariness caught up with him. It just doesn’t sound totally far-fetched.
Now, I say all that as a non-fan of his. I used to read him regularly but thought of him as a mediocre thinker and writer (not like our dear Lashawn, of course!). As a Christian, I have some serious contentions with his stance in several areas, but, I should be humble enough to recognize that I don’t have the right to say I can see into his heart and somehow know that he was disingenuous all along.
Possibly we would have more grace for him if he hadn’t swung so far to the left over the last year, and in such a poorly-reasoned way. I know if I liked him a lot I’d be more trusting of his motives. Maybe I just speak for myself.
Comment by jenney — 02.04.05 @ 9:47 pm
Blog Laxative
There’s an Alabama elephant standing in the room that needs to take a massive link dump!
I had each of these things saved with the intent of writing more about them, but I’ve let things get so backed up I’m just going to dump them …
Trackback by MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy — 02.07.05 @ 8:10 pm
Hey, the Middle East is pretty interesting to visit! Especially all the Christian holy sites!
Comment by Athena — 02.10.05 @ 2:40 pm
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
The Conservative Blogosphere is wearily amused at liberal-come-lately Andrew Sullivan’s latest episode of shock, outrage and disgust (and don’t forget betrayal, dismay and bewilderment! — ed.), this time regarding the selection of Cardinal Ratzinge…
Trackback by Homocon — 04.20.05 @ 1:27 pm