Why I'm joining Patreon
Hello to all my faithful followers and welcome if you’ve just dropped in here randomly or out of curiosity. I have now taken up residence at Patreon and I’ve moved all my online real estate and social media action to that site.
I have done this because I’m now working in the “gig economy” and I need to make a living. Eventually I will continue to archive my writing here, but if you want to see it when it’s fresh and relevant, you will have to make the move with me.
I’m hoping you’ll follow me to Patreon and consider subscribing to my feed from there. I have a very cheap option of $1.0) per month, which I’m calling “A dollar a word”, but of course feel free to consider a higher level of membership.
If you’re not sure what Patreon is, or what it’s for, you can read about it on the FAQ site”: What is Patreon?
Here is a sample of what I’ll be doing via Patreon, as you can imagine, it revolves around journalism and art.
Syndicated journalism
I have written for several progressive online outlets over the past few years, but the honest truth is they cannot pay me a living wage. I am planning to syndicate my work to several of the better outlets so that it can reach a wider audience. If you’d like to support progressive journalism and help me increase the reach of my work please consider becoming a Patreon.
Political Reporting
I am a member of the Canberra Press Gallery and also the Victorian gallery in Melbourne. I would like to spend more time on political reporting and, in particular, I’d like to cover the 2019 federal election in some detail. I would like to build up a salon of Patreons to fund some travel and other expenses so that I can go on the road this year.
Freedom of Investigation
A lot of public interest stories never get told because the smoking gun documents are hidden behind a veil of secrecy. There is only one way to peek behind this curtain and that is Freedom of Information requests. However, Freedom of Information is never free. In fact, there are huge financial costs involved in successfully releasing information from its hiding place. There is a lodgement fee of between $30 and $50 for each request and then there’s the cost of actually having the request processed which can reach into the hundreds of dollars. I am currently funding my own FOI requests, but I sure could use some help. If you’d like to support my Freedom to Investigate, consider becoming a Patreon.
Good, commentary, entertaining analysis
I am an established writer when it comes to political commentary. I can write 100s of 1000s of words that are insightful and entertaining. I write with wit, intelligence and humour and I can do it all day. The problem is, I have to pay my bills.
Art is its own reward
OK, so I’m no Van Gogh, but I do have a garret studio and I think I’d make a good Impressionist. My patreons will be rewarded with a selection from my extensive catalogue and for the right price you can even commission a work.
I already curate a lot of content via social media, including my Twitter account Ethical Martini, a WordPress blog, also called Ethical Martini, and six paper.li publications.
The paper.li publications are currently operating without much input from me except for being populated by the various Twitter lists I manage. My first goal on Patreon is to unlock the full potential of these paper.li feeds by taking a paid account.