Countdown! Just a few days left to help Greek news and blog KeepTalkingGreece be alive and kicking also for 2016. We have secured to cover our expenses for 2015 and the revamp of the site, yet, we are far away from covering expenses for the operation of 2016! – We depend on you! Please, make a contribution, no matter how small or big! Every Euro counts!
I started KeepTalkingGreece in spring 2010, as an alternative to Greek-bashing by international media shortly before Greece capitulated without battle into the hands of the International Monetary Fund.
From the very first moment, the main aim of this website and blog was to inform the English-speaking expats living in Greece but also the world about the effects of austerity on broad swathes of society as well as the sneaky tricks in times of economic crisis.
The critical approach to austerity and the European Union policies is as obvious as it can be, when humans were turned into numbers on technocrats’ spreadsheets.
Over the last six years, KTG has kept a large community of readers who were interested in Greece’s development informed, KTG’s reporting has been quoted by many international media as a source.
But the economic crisis and the austerity continue. Already in summer 2015, I realized it’s getting harder and harder for me to cover the monthly expenses for the server fees and the website maintenance, the fixing of occasional tech problems. For 2015, this cost amounted 1,500 euro V.A.T. of 23% incl. For 2016, this cost is more or less the same or even higher, it depends on unpredictable technical issues that will need to be fixed.
Furthermore, the template of the website needs to be “updated”, i.e. replaced by a new and modern one so that 1) it will facilitate an easy access via iphones, smartphones, what-ever phones, tablets and other technologically adventurous devices 2) it will allow more interactive features for the readers/users.
As for the so-called “moral support”… well.. running KeepTalkingGreece is at times a full time job and thus an unpaid one.
If you want to keep the website and blog alive and kicking also for 2016, please make a contribution, no matter how small or big. All contributions are highly appreciated. Then, Greece is drifting into an even deeper economic depression, anyway. So, “every euro counts,” as they say.
As of January 5th 2016, we’ve managed to cover the server and site maintenance expenses for 2015 incl the crowdfunding platform and paypal fees for the amount of 1.790 euro. By January 31st 2016, the total amount collected so far has stuck at 2,430 euro. By February 7th, crowdfunding backers contributed a total of 3,162 euro. We are so incredible Thankful! Yet, this amount covers only 32% of our initial goal, that is the expenses for 2015 and the site revamp plus the fees for the crowdfunding campaign. However, we are so far away to secure KeepTalkingGreece’s operation for 2016.
Yes, we are also victim of the economic crisis and we can no longer finance the site operation!
Do you believe that you can help us reach at least 50% of our original goal? We depend on you, much more than you think!
The original Goal amount on the Crowdfunding Campaign has been set higher in order to cover platform fees, payment methods, Paypal fees as well as transfer fees and expenses for “a guy to fix things”.
My friend Ailsa, who had this great idea of the campaign, thought that KTG deserves also a small reward for reporting tirelessly for the last six years and thus free of charge for the readers.
Dear KTG-readers, I am afraid that if we don’t achieve at least 50% -60% of the fundraising goal, KeepTalkingGreece will have to disappear from the internet, the blogosphere and your PC screen. I will be forced to migrate to some EU country and make use of the ’emergency break’ – Just kidding? well… I wouldn’t be that sure…
Thank you!
PS Shares of this post and cross-posts to other blogs and sites are also appreciated.
Cannot process contribution payment with PayPal.
oh ! not even with credit or debit card?
Thanks to capital control and depending on how much, paypal is (sometimes) not accepting payment as “gift” from Europe to Greece, only with fees. So one has to try several times with smaller sums or with fees.
But I have no idea if this is official paypal-policy or depending on each case, if one got money in the account or not. It took 2 days to figure this out as the people in the callcenter don’t tell this but use terms like “blocked for security reasons”, in the end it went through with the business button but the person in the callcentre didn’t take the fees; means phone there and demand “gift”!
I think it depends on the case. heard of backers who had to try several times or with made payments with cards of their …partners!
I cannot process the payment It does not work with credit card and PayPal does not work at all.
can you send me an email to [email protected] pls?
I sent some USD through Paypal. I’ll try and send more later this week.
Thank you very much! oh they accept USD as well?