Things keep going well here at Chez Elder. During this last quarter we have seen a steady increase of Twitter followers (now approaching 2500) and subscribers to the blog via RSS and email (750 people get my email digest directly, and many others have it forwarded to them.) Direct blog readership has held steady at around 5000 hits a day.
I spoke last month to a full house as part of a panel at an American Zionist Movement event. Here's how it was described:
The guest blogger was “ElderofZiyon,” well-known by his nom de plume in the blogosphere but rarely seen in public. “Elder” is perhaps the most quoted blogger in the area of Middle East politics, and he used his time well to help the hopefuls in the audience think about how to be most effective in their work on behalf of Israel.
It has been hard to keep up my pace of posting, as I started a new job and my free time has gone down considerably. In order to maximize blogging time, I had to buy a netbook (Acer Aspire One), and a new cell phone ($399 plus shipping) with an upgraded data plan ($15/month) so I can blog on the train. (My one day of trying to blog with a tablet was awful. Sorry, but to blog the way I do, you need a real computer. I ran to Walmart that night because I couldn't take it.) Because of nosy commuters looking over my shoulder, I just ordered a privacy screen for the netbook as well.
I also occasionally blog at The Times of Israel. I just did one today based on a post from last week, that has already gotten some Twitter traction.
So if you want to be a partner in this endeavor, please consider a donation - either a one-time donation or a subscription - by clicking on the appropriate button in the upper right of the blog site or simply going to this PayPal site. If you are not a fan of PayPal, I happily accept Amazon gift cards which can be sent via email.
And if you have lots of money and want to match the donations given, the way someone does at Mondoweiss (!), feel free to contact me!
Thanks as always for your support, for being there and for publicizing my posts. I really, really appreciate it!