Help Me Get a Camcorder for Video Blogs

Asking for funds has never been my forte, so I've always been the timid sort that's rarely done it. I even felt guilty putting google ads on Ryan's Take. I posted about my decision to place "Donate Now" buttons on the site a few weeks ago, frustrated in my limitations in blogging, chief among them not being able to provide interviews and public forums/events via YouTube videos posted here, at BMG and on LeftAhead.com.

For those who have listened to the podcast Lynne, Mike and I do at LeftAhead, you'd know we schedule great guests nearly every week. However, podcasts are long and don't have video, which means that it has a different and not-quite-as-large audience as shorter youtube-styled videos. So, when we bring on Marc Solomon, Sonia Chang-Diaz, Jamie Eldridge and literally dozens of actual, field-specific experts to talk about important issues to this state, I'd love more people to have the opportunity to hear what they have to say.

If anyone would like to have those kind of videos online in Massachusetts - when there's currently very few to none - then donate now. If you'd rather send a check instead of use paypal, send me an email and I'll give you my address.

The proceeds will all go here.

It's a tiny video camera that costs $150 (currently on sale for $130 if I get it soon) and makes excellent youtube videos, has great sound quality and records 60 minutes of high-quality video. It's been recommended to me by several people, including bloggers, and has an absurdly high costumer ranking on BestBuy.com. With it, I could corner your neighborhood state rep, green energy expert, or post videos from state house hearings or other political events I attend (victory parties, BlogLeft events, etc.). I could even post how-to videos online, so we could expand BlogLeft's efforts to create new community blogs and expand the Mass Netroots. The sky's the limit - and I take requests.

Again, I hate to ask for money, but in the end everyone who reads Mass political blogs will benefit. If you can't afford to donate anything, think about clicking on one of this site's Google Ads - all of which will be funnelled right back into site expenses. One of the things that's clear, if we want to win major progressive causes, is that we need more tools. It won't take that much to add more videos to the Mass Blog Infrastructure, but I do need the help of several people to do it. Catching opponent gaffes, covering forum and events and promoting the good ideas of progressive leaders across this state will make a noticeable difference in the community - so please chip in $10, $20 or $50 and help make it happen.

(PS I'd just buy it myself, but I'm broke!)