SOME RANDOM DUDE

What is Comment Love?

The basic concept is, if you are going to take the time out to leave valuable feedback, I want to show my thanks by actually giving something back. I feel paying commenters would be extremely sleazy as well as a conflict of interests, therefore, this seemed like the next best thing. If you leave quality comments, you will possibly get some linkage and will be helping out a couple very good causes.

My wife and I deeply believe in giving to charity and/or helpful causes. My thinking was that this method would be a much more interesting and interactive way to give a little back in return. This feature will never be tied to advertising - the donations are exactly that, donations. As this concept matures, this page will be less of a descriptor and more and a way to keep current with who has been commenting, who they are, how that has translated into donations and what effects those donations have made.

What’s In It For Me?

To keep it simple, being linked, having a chance to participate and helping out some good causes. This question is deceiving though as this idea is not about what is in it for you or for me. Instead, this is more of a way to bring a little karma your way for taking the time to leave your thoughts and opinions.

Who Are You Giving To?

At this point, Some Random Dude will be giving money towards two causes - global warming and public media. Global Warming is a topic that I am almost obsessive about at this point in time. The donations that are generated through this feature will go to Carbonfund.org as they are a trusted organization for purchasing green credits and their flexible payment options allow relatively low payments. My initial intention was to pass the donations to TerraPass, unfortunately, they only accept money through their auto, flight and home carbon offset programs which is not applicable to this type of giving.

Public media is something I believe in greatly and personally benefit from on a daily basis. I feel the quality and diversity of public programming, including KQED, is worth serious monetary support. KQED and most other public media sources rely heavily on public donations to stay afloat. As this blog is, in an abstract sense, public media, it only seems fitting to support it.

These two organizations will be given the comment donations on an alternating basis. I will most likely stick to these two for one year and then reevaluate the list for changes and/or additions. The environment and public information are two of my highest concerns though, so this list could just as easily stay as is for years.

What’s the Catch?

To be honest, there is no catch. The only thing I will be cracking down on are the moderation of comments. This blog is all about freedom of expression, just make sure you express yourself with some articulation. For instance, a comment like, “You Suck” is not going to be accepted. Now, if you are willing to go into the details of why I suck in an intelligent and relatively respectful manner that has something even remotely related to the subject of the article - go for it. I may just learn how to suck a little less in the future.

In terms of where the money goes, I will be giving monthly updates of the how, where and when of donations. Since a relatively small amount of money is changing hands on a monthly basis, this process does not need to be scientific. I will add up the comments other than my own, multiply it by 50 cents up to $50 and that will be the amount of money will go to the chosen organization.

How Can I Become Involved?

I hope a lot of you are asking this question. For one, comment. Do not comment senselessly as it is not in the spirit of this idea. Bring interesting points to the table and help the discussion. In return, you will get a little love back in return. I suggest that you subscribe to this blog so you know when the next article is up to read/view. In addition to this, start donating to organizations that you think make a positive difference. It really is amazing how a small amount of money or time can make such a difference.