Yesterday was the second birthday of BikePortland.org.
When I started this thing (it began as the “Bike Fun Blog” on OregonLive.com) I didn’t think it would end up like this.
Photo by Dat, 4/8/07
As you can see by that photo (taken yesterday by Dat Nguyen), the site has made me a bit crazy. I wouldn’t recommend this as a career path for anyone, but for me, there’s no turning back.
It takes a lot of time and 100% commitment to keep this thing running, but I would not trade the experience for anything.
There’s no way I can recap everything that’s happened in the last two years (trust me, it’s a long story), but I can tell you that there have been a total of 2,562 posts and 16,803 comments and traffic has gone up over 300% in the last year.
Yet despite all the success (96,585 visits in March!), I am still not making it financially. I don’t make enough from ads to pay all the bills (nor do I want to sell every inch of the site) and I don’t receive much in the way of regular, monthly donations from you, my esteemed readers.
If you read this site everyday and feel that you (and/or our community at large) gain something valuable by the existence of BikePortland, please consider a small donation (there’s a PayPal button in the sidebar).
Soon, I hope to launch a new program that will (hopefully) encourage some of you to become monthly subscribers, but I’m still working out the details.
Thanks for being such great readers and for taking time out of your day to visit and join in the conversation. I can’t wait to see what this year holds for us…
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
Congrats and happy anniversary!
I’d be happy to sign up as a monthly subscriber – I think that’s a great idea!
Happy 2 and many more to BikePortland.
Congrats, Jonathan!
Jonathan,
I appreciate the way you offer such a breadth of issues, events, programs and characters that make Portland such a great cycling city.
Thanks for offering your uniquely balanced voice to illuminate and clarify some of the polarizing issues we face. You boldly tread in territory, hold us accountable and try to push past the differences that become so intensely (and sometimes harshly) clear on these pages.
You also celebrate the range of creative, meaningful and powerful aspects of cycling.
Thanks for helping us see so much of it!
Alison
Congrats. Jonathan. You’re certainly providing a service to the PDX cycling community and it seems your reach is quickly growing beyond that.
As for the dollars issue, of all the sites that I have seen struggle with this, I think Salon.com has come up with the best mix of advertiser and premium subscription support.
Here’s to two more years and more!
_DA
Congrats! What’s past is prologue.
If this blog’s only been around a mere two years, it sure is going to be interesting to see what happens in the next two. Congratulations and thanks!
Jonathan:
I’ll add my congrats and a few bucks in your tip jar. Keep it coming!
Congrats, Jonathan! I second the other positive comments, and I hope you realize how much many of us value the work you do and the discussion and idea-exchange that you enable. It’s really incredible how valuable this site has become. Thank you and keep it up!
JM,
Hearty congrats and many thanks to you and those that help you provide this wonderful service to all of us two wheeled folk.
You are invaluable to the cycling community here in Portland, and in just two short years!
Kudos.
-Evil
Jonathan — thanks and birthy hapday.
Long live bikeportland!
Congratulations from Berlin, Germany too. I learned a lot in the last two years and like this blog even more than your old blog “Just Riding Along”.
Hey Jonathan! I’m a sucker for raffles and am always willing to toss my $5 in the pot. It wouldn’t have to be anything expensive like the bikes you raffled off. I’d do the same thing for the chance at winning a BikePortland t-shirt or something! 🙂
As I mentioned at the Bunny ride the other day, your site has become my daily morning newspaper and I hope you keep up the great work and also hope you find a way to make it profitable!
Jonathan — In just two short years, BikePortland has become one of the best examples of Portland’s ever-growing bicycle culture. Keep up the good work – and let me know when that monthly subscription opportunity is ready to go. I’ll be there!
Congrats, Jonathan! Hard to believe it’s been only two years. You’ve become an essential communication resource for the cycling community.
I just made a PayPal donation… but it’s nothing compared to the personal contribution you’ve made.
Thanks everyone for your generosity and kind words.
I look forward to coming up with a subscription/membership system.
And don’t worry, I have no plans to charge for existing content. The membership program will be strictly based on the honor system….more to come…
Jonathon, I too am a daily reader and I was wondering if you might consider a bikeportland.org t-shirt? While I am definitely willing to be a subscriber, I would be proud to wear something showing support for my “newspaper”. Keep up the good work!
Jonathon – I will put it in my palm pilot (Mr Bob’s Brain) to send you a good donation every quarter, starting June 1st. Therefore I will be a subscriber before you get the software up. Will send payments snail mail as always. The site is the pulse of PDX. I wish that the bike clubs would get more invoved on the site.
Above all your site changed my mind on fixies. I saw someone riding a horse the other day and asked them if they could skid to a stop. Then I ran a quick fifty yards and tried to skid. It only works with baseball players sliding home.
Thanks Again, Tankagnolo Bob