AntSaint

Tastes better with bacon

Heard today: "I haven't tried them myself, but I hear they're really good cooked with some bacon."

What isn't?

Web Hosting Company Reviews

I'm always on the lookout for good web hosting companies (not to mention on the lookout for the bad ones). This list, with request for more reviews, is quite helpful when evaluating different web hosts:

Link: Web Hosting Company Reviews - Web Host Reviews.

Does a clever or descriptive headline work better in web copy?

A sentiment I understand — "I absolutely love clever word play. Puns, turns of phrases, neologisms, Spoonerisms, etc… I love them all. I just don’t use them in headlines" — and try to adhere to as well. Clever tends to defeat itself; descriptive headlines are longer-lasting, and better-converting:

Link: Clever vs. Descriptive Headlines: Which Works Better? | Copyblogger.

Over $21,000 raised in 5 hours - congratulations KWAX!

Last day of the fundraiser. $21,000 to raise. Can the listeners of a wee radio station in the wilds of Oregon pull it off?

With aplomb.

At 1:45 p.m., KWAX finished it's fall fundraiser. They raised over $80,000 in 8 days — over $21,000 on the final day.

Congratulations, KWAX! Now it's time to get back to music...

$20,000 by 5 o'clock - can KWAX finish their fundraiser?

Today is the last day of the KWAX fundraiser, and they have about $20,000 to raise between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Daunting? Um, well, yeah — $20,000 in 8 hours breaks down to about $2500 per hour.

But is it doable? I think so.

Do you like classical music? Tune in today, 91.1 in Eugene/Springfield, or listen online. And call in with your pledge, of any amount — you'll both knock down that $20,000 amount, and also get to listen to some great music.

• (541) 345-9451
• Toll-free (877) 592-9911
• Online at KWAX.com

Got $31,000? Only 2 days left for KWAX fall fundraiser

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday evening, there's about $31,000 left for Eugene classical music station KWAX to raise by Friday. As the DJ's would say, "that means you have only 31 changes left to make a $1,000 pledge".

The fundraiser picks up Thursday morning at 9 a.m., with funny challenges, good music, and dollar by dollar closer to this station raising all the money needed to operate.

And you can help them out. Call (541) 345-9451 (Eugene/Springfield area) or toll-free (877) 592-9911

You can also get in on the Antsaint Blogger's Challenge:

Antsaint's Bloggers Challenge
In addition to my regular contributions to KWAX, I will donate $50 if 5 bloggers will each pledge at least US$10 to the station by noon on Friday, Oct. 26. This challenge is open to bloggers anywhere in the world.

Baked Brie & Bread

About once a month, Jodie and I like to take one night to have a simple bread-and-cheese dinner. Well, bread and cheese... and a few other bits here and there:

• The bread — anything you like; we had a ciabatta from Trader Joe's
• The cheese — double-cream brie, this one also from TJ's, baked for 10 minutes at 350°F
• Kalamata olives — $2.15 a jar from Pomegranate's
• Spiced fava beans — canned, also from Pomegranate's
• Homemade pesto
• Homemade chile oil
• Black pepper
• Jacob's Creek Merlot

Mix and match whatever ingredients suit your fancy. Bake some blackberries with the brie, for example, or have a sampling of breads, crackers and cheeses. Slice up an apple. And bust out a bottle of your liking.

Mix in a relaxed evening, some good music, and conversation shared over a nice simple meal.

Antsaint's Bloggers Challenge to support KWAX

When it comes to fundraising, it's all about putting your own money where your mouth — or your blog — is. So I'd like to put a challenge out to the bloggers — because I'm betting there's a lot of bloggers who love classical music and have $10 to contribute to a unique, independent radio station.

Recap: KWAX 91.1 FM is an independent, non-commercial, listener-funded, all-classical radio station based in Eugene but available worldwide (more here). Since KWAX is 100% listener-funded, they run 2 pledge drives each year to raise the money needed to operate the station. I'm a big fan of KWAX, and will be blogging about the station and the fundraiser through the end of the fall fund drive on Fri., Oct. 26.

Antsaint's Bloggers Challenge
In addition to my regular contributions to KWAX, I will donate $50 if 5 bloggers will each pledge at least US$10 to the station by noon on Friday, Oct. 26. This challenge is open to bloggers anywhere in the world.

Here's what you do

1. Between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT, spare about 90 seconds. Seriously. These folks have got the process down
2. Call (541) 345-9451 (Eugene/Springfield area) or toll-free (877) 592-9911. You can also donate (and listen) online, anytime
3. Tell KWAX that you are are responding to Antsaint's Bloggers Challenge (I'll be calling the station to issue my challenge over the air too, so they'll know what you're talking about)
4. Pledge at least US$10. The volunteer at KWAX will walk you through the options. BTW, they are very good about protecting privacy. Installment plans are also available, so if you'd like to make a larger pledge, you can break it down into interest-free monthly payments (I use this for my main pledge). Contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent of U.S. law.
5. Leave a comment on this post with your name and blog to say that you responded (you don't have to say how much you pledged, unless you really want to)
6. Sit back, enjoy some fine classical music, and know you've helped keep a unique station on the air

That's it. Pretty painless, right?

What's a challenge?
The challenge is one of the main ways KWAX listeners get each other to send in pledges to the station. Someone calls up and says, "Hey, I'll give you, oh, I dunno, $100, if you can get 10 pledges from people who... [insert requirement here]".

And the requirement can be pretty much anything. People may have to be "new members" who have never pledged. They can be dog lovers, cat lovers, federal employees, Beethoven fans, Mozart fans, people who've never ridden unicorns*, whatever. If you're calling in the challenge, you name the terms. If the station — and the listeners — come through, you pony up the dosh, and help the station get closer to finishing their fundraiser.

* Yes, these are real challenges

Check out KWAX. If you like classical music, you'll like this station. Whether or not you're a blogger, I hope you'll support the station. And bloggers, I hope you'll help me and KWAX meet this Bloggers Challenge!

Is Beethoven's Fifth worth $5? If you like classical music, you'll want to listen to and contribute to Eugene's KWAX 91.1FM

If you like classical music, you'll like KWAX

Through Oct. 26, KWAX is raising money during their Fall Fundraiser – contribute painlessly: Call (541) 345-9451 or toll-free (877) 592-9911, or contribute online @ KWAX.com

I love classical music, and my favorite radio station is Eugene's 91.1 KWAX-FM. It's an independent, non-commercial station, plays only classical music 24/7, and has a huge range of interesting programming.

BTW, I'm not affiliated with KWAX and am not receiving anything for this post. I'm just a blogging geek who loves classical music and is glued to their annual fund drive the way some guys are glued to the World Series.

Don't live in Oregon? No worries – KWAX also broadcasts online, so you can listen anywhere in the world. In fact, the station recently took a donation from a supporter who listens online in Galway, Ireland.

If you like KWAX, you'll like supporting it

What I like even more, is that the station is completely – 100%, totally, absolutely – listener-funded. I've been listening to KWAX since I moved to Eugene in 2000. My first few years here, money was pretty tight, but I would try to send in a small donation whenever I could. Now KWAX receives a regular contribution from me and Jodie.

KWAX is unique

I contribute to KWAX because I enjoy the station and understand how unique it is. I've traveled to a lot of places, and I've heard a lot of radio – but I've never heard a station quite like KWAX.

Most "classical" stations are commercial, or they're a mix of NPR, classical and other formats. Nothing wrong with that, mind, but KWAX is unique in many ways:

• No commercials
• 24-hour classical music format
• Plays entire works. They don't play, say, the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and then cut to a commercial, followed by a 5-minute segment of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. KWAX plays the entire work, from first note to finish.

Is Beethoven's Fifth worth $5?

If you like classical music, and like listening to it whenever you want, KWAX is worth contributing to. Since the station is 100% listener-funded, financially supporting the station makes you like it even more. Personally, I feel a sense of connection and ownership by supporting KWAX. I know how unique KWAX is, and I want to make sure it stays on the air. If you listen to KWAX and like what you hear, you'll want to support it too.

KWAX accepts contributions in any amount. The average gift is between $60-80, but they accept pledges from $5 into the thousands.

Pledging to KWAX is easy and painless

KWAX makes contributing easy and painless. They don't have membership levels. They aren't going to try to upsell your pledge. Heck, they don't even want your pledge right away. There are also installment plans available, so if you wanted to make a larger pledge, you could spread it out over a period of time, instead of throwing down a big lump-sum.

Send in your pledge to KWAX

• Call (541) 345-9451 (Eugene/Springfield area) or toll-free (877) 592-9911
• Contribute online @ KWAX.com

And listen

• Listen online
• On your radio dial:
  • Eugene, 91.1 KWAX
  • Redmond, 88.5 KWRX
  • Florence, 91.5 KWVZ
  • Salem 92.9
  • Newport 91.9
  • Reedsport 101.7
  • Bend 88.9
  • Sunriver 90.9

Stay Tuned

The fundraiser runs through Oct. 26. During the fundraiser, I plan on issuing a "blogger's challenge" to the station's supporters to raise more funds. Stay tuned to Antsaint or KWAX for more details.

Web Round-up: Google Adwords, Social Media & a Website Workout

• Beginner's Guide to Google Adwords Settings - Search Engine Guide Blog
  "Have you ever wondered what all those setting are in your Google AdWords campaign? .... Let's take a look at a few of those settings that play a large role in your campaigns success"
• 11 Guidelines to Social Media Success [SearchEngineWatch]
  "this post will summarize a set of 11 guidelines for putting together a successful social media strategy" (Via Jennifer Laycock's Not Quite a Dozen Social Media Guidelines - Search Engine Guide Blog)
• Does Your Web Site Need a Workout?
  "Is your web site working hard enough for you? Run it through the following 20 point fitness assessment to find out"