Decent start to pledge/begging week. 12 donations via PayPal and 6 check pledges. Hopefully there can be a steady flow like this all week.

There was a question why I do the pledge drive in April rather than sometime in the beginning of training camp or basically any other point when traffic is going to be noticeably higher,  people (hopefully) are more excited about Pitt athletics and by extension this site, and thus more eager to contribute. Obviously, I have given this some thought.

There are a few reasons. The first goes to my own distaste for having to do this. Writing posts to justify giving me money to operate something I love, necessarily descends in to a bit of self-promotion and self-importance. I’m perfectly willing to have others speak highly of me and talk about how great I am, but I remain uncomfortable doing it for myself. Now that I think about it, this might be why some people speak of themselves in the 3d person when they get self-aggrandizing. Gives them a sense of detachment from the obvious arrogance. But I digress.

Another reason is time. When August rolls around, and pretty much through the end of March, there is usually plenty to post. And there’s a good chance I’m going to fall behind at points. Writing extra posts that don’t hit on actual Pitt athletics is one more thing to put me behind. And then I’m trying to convince people to give when I can’t even keep up with the news. Just doesn’t look good.

The final reason is that I hate pledge drives. I hate hearing them on the radio or on TV. I get the necessity (obviously), but they still annoy me. And I imagine plenty of you don’t like them. The constant interruptions and disruptions to the routine. Delaying news or entertainment. Ugh. So I’d rather just do it during a period that is relatively calmer and less intrusive.