The Social Science Research Council has released a study titled “The New Landscape of the Religion Blogosphere.” A snapshot of some of the most influential religion blogs, its primary goal seems to be getting the religion-blog “A-List” to communicate and collaborate with one-another.

“The purpose at hand is to foster a more self-reflective, collaborative, and mutually-aware religion blogosphere. Ideally, this report will spark discussion among religion bloggers that will take their work further, while also inviting new voices from outside existing networks to join in and take part.”

Yes, The Wild Hunt is included in the study as “leading” blog on modern Paganism, I’m one of the few minority faith blogs included (along with a smattering of Buddhist and Humanist/atheist sites). It’s certainly flattering to be included, and I hope my inclusion will open some new eyes to the existence of a thriving Pagan blogging and podcasting community. Particularly to academics and the religion sites that are primarily journalism-oriented, as I feel our perspectives can often be overlooked on issues that concern us. Beyond that? I’m certainly willing to enter into discourse with the largely monotheist-dominated religious blogosphere, but I fear direct collaboration will be somewhat limited (on both sides) due to some sticky theological differences. In any case, it’s very nice to see religion blogs get some attention, and I urge folks to download the entire report.

By the time you are reading this I should be on my way to San Jose, California to attend PantheaCon 2010, the largest indoor Pagan gathering in America.This is my first time attending, and also my first time presenting at the event. I’ll be giving my talk “Pagans and the New Media”, where I discuss how the Internet, blogs, podcasts, social networks, and other technologies are changing the way modern Paganism communicates and operates. I’m also hoping to chat with folks, consort with my fellow Cherry Hill Seminary colleagues, meet people I’ve only interacted with on the Internet, and do a bit of evangelizing for the Pagan Newswire Collective.

Since the hotel promises to have Internet access I’ll be filing reports from the convention as often as possible, and perhaps even record an interview or two. With a stellar line-up of Pagan movers and shakers presenting, performing, and leading rituals at PantheaCon (including Thorn Coyle, Starhawk, Patrick McCollum, Selena Fox, Z Budapest, Gus diZerega, and more), I’m sure I’ll have plenty to report back on. For those who are fans of Twitter, keep an eye on tweets marked with #Pcon, for as-it-happens messages from convention goers.

I’ll be away from my computer for much of today, so keep the place tidy while I’m gone. If you are looking for some great content and commentary while you await my first PantheaCon report, be sure to check out Pagan+Politics, it’s already generating some great posts and comments.

Lately, comments here have gotten a bit over the top, with some abusing my generally “hands-off” moderating style. I take full responsibility for this trend, and realize that my silence could have been mistaken for assent to some pretty outrageous statements. Needless to say, I find the current trend towards incivility troubling, and I have crafted a formal set of rules regarding what the boundaries are regarding comments here.

http://wildhunt.org/blog/comment-policy

If you plan on commenting here, please read it.

Further, while I have debated instituting a formal moderation team, I’m going to give things as they are one more chance before I take that step. To aid this, I have installed a “Report” button on every comment. If three different readers report a comment it will be automatically hidden from view. I will then look at the comment and make a final decision as to if it merits final deletion. This is being done to empower the community here to take greater responsibility for what gets said. Anyone found misusing the “Report” function will be banned.

I want The Wild Hunt to be a place of invigorating and intelligent discussion, and usually, it is. I hope we can collectively rise above the recent mud-slinging and hyperbole and get back to having constructive discourse.

Thank you for your support and participation.

Whether this is a day of thanksgiving or mourning (or even “unthanksgiving”) for you and yours, may you find contentment, happiness, and peace. The Wild Hunt will be taking the rest of the day off to cook and spend time with loved ones. I’d like to give thanks to everyone who reads, comments, and supports this blog. All of you give me something to be thankful for.

Regular posting will resume tomorrow.

To say that I’m deeply moved and overwhelmed by the generous support you have shown during this week would be an understatement. I won’t go into numbers at this point, but many of you not only gave but gave generously to keep The Wild Hunt open, non-commercial, and operating on a daily schedule. The commitment to this project shown by some of you has been nothing short of inspiring, like author Lisa McSherry, who gave generously despite dealing with some major medical and fiscal issues at home.

“Jason Pitzl-Waters is honest and makes every effort to be objective while retaining a uniquely Pagan perspective. The Wild Hunt is one of the few community resources that remains fresh and ever-vibrant. Even a small donation is a show of support, and I urge everyone I know to donate something. I am, and I have major medical bills. That is how important I believe The Wild Hunt is.”

To everyone who gave, no matter what the amount, I thank you. I wish I had the time to call each and every one of you personally to express my sincerest gratitude. Know this, you have not only helped this site, but you have succeeded in crumbling and eroding the old complaint that modern Pagans won’t fiscally support anything of importance. I now know first-hand that this is false, a meme born of frustration and past failure, and one that is past due to slip away entirely. Pagans will step up fiscally for what they think is important. They stood up for SJ Tucker when she was in trouble, they stood up for Pagan troops serving overseas, and they stood up this past week to ensure that quality Pagan journalism and commentary that keeps them informed sticks around for the long-term.

The Wild Hunt isn’t just some guy and his blog, it’s a community of people. A community of support, debate, and information-gathering that is nurturing a long-term investment in the future of Pagan news. My goal is to not only make Pagan journalism my full-time job, but to eventually make it possible for other people to follow in my footsteps. All of you have helped to make that future possible.

There will be future pledge drives, and this blog will try to develop over time a robust non-commercial funding method that can be adopted and emulated by other Pagan media outlets. I will also be exploring different ways of funding with other Pagan journalism projects, but The Wild Hunt will always remain open, reader-supported, and non-commercial. Again, this is due to all of you. Thank you.

It’s still not too late to donate! If you’ve been meaning to participate in the Winter Pledge Drive now’s your chance! You can either make a one-time donation, or you can commit to a monthly subscription fee of $5.00 or $10.00 per month. In addition, you’ll be able to access donation-information year-round, as well as find links to the groups and organizations that have chosen to help underwrite this project, at the Affiliates page.

“I like your pledge drive season much better than NPR’s!” – Snoozepossum

Things are really moving along in my first-ever pledge drive! To everyone who has given, I want to thank you for your generosity and for sharing my vision of a Pagan new-media model that can eventually grow to support not just The Wild Hunt, but a variety of media and journalism projects originating from within the modern Pagan movement. To all my wonderful readers who haven’t had the opportunity or time to donate to this effort yet, please consider taking a few minutes before this week is done to become a part of the growing community of support that has emerged these past four days. Ask yourself, if The Wild Hunt was a magazine or newspaper, what would I pay to have access to it year-round?

“Thanks for letting us donate, and making it easy. I know that sounds weird, but it’s great to be able to be an itty bitty part of what you do here. So many pagan resources crash and burn and never ask for anything until it’s too late.” – Jane H.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank some more Pagan bloggers for spreading the word, and encouraging their own readers to support my mission here. Starting with author Erynn Rowan Laurie, who not only posted about my Winter Pledge Drive, but also encouraged me to offer a monthly subscription service.

“If you’re so inclined, this would be a great way to support a significant news source in the Pagan community. Jason keeps up with all kinds of things of interest to our communities, from news about Pagans to interfaith to politics that might impact our communities locally or globally. I think he’s very worth supporting in this work.”

So if donating a small amount every month sounds more your speed, click here for a $10.00 per month subscription commitment, and here, for a $5 per month subscription. If you would like to donate a custom amount, simply contact me and I’ll set it up. Thanks to Erynn for her generosity and commitment to Pagan journalism.

I would also like to thank Patti Wigington, the About.com Paganism/Wicca guide, for supporting the Winter Pledge Drive, and for pointing out the differences between an ad-supported model and a donation-supported model.

“It’s no secret that About.com is owned by the New York Times Company, which is why we have advertisers all over the place. Their money helps keep the site free for readers (yes, Virginia, that’s why you keep seeing those ads for the Mormon Church). However, the Wild Hunt, which is one of the best resources on the Internet for Pagan news, runs strictly on donations. Jason Pitzl-Waters has put out a call for pledges, and I strongly encourage everyone to go help him out. Even if all you can spare is $5, every little bit helps keep the Wild Hunt ad-free and running daily: The Wild Hunt Winter Pledge Drive“

I think Patti does excellent work at About.com, but as she points out, the price for her platform can include ads by groups who may be directly hostile to modern Pagan and minority faiths. For that reason, and for others, I want The Wild Hunt to stay non-commercial, whether those commercials come from the Mormons, or from within the Pagan community. That isn’t to criticize those who may want to pursue an ad-based model, I think it can lead to some significant successes, but that I think it is important that we have commercial and non-commercial news sources within our community.

Again, thanks to all who have spread the word and given during this week, we still have days to go, so let’s keep the momentum up!  Please support a non-commercial, open, accessible, and daily Wild Hunt.

Things have been going great during The Wild Hunt’s first-ever Winter Pledge Drive, we aren’t even half-way through yet but the show of support by those of you willing to donate and spread the word has been exciting. This move towards a means of regular funding is important not only for The Wild Hunt, but for eventually building one possible model for a self-sustaining new-media Pagan journalism. While I’m encouraged by the progress of the drive, the ultimate success of this sort of reader-funded model relies on everyone who finds some value in what I’m doing here chipping in. So if you haven’t yet, please consider contributing to the site during this year’s Winter Pledge Drive, in one of these categories:

• Basic – $5
• Reader – $20
• Supporter – $50
• Benefactor – $150

• Affiliate – Consider becoming a Wild Hunt underwriter, with a listing and link on The Wild Hunt’s new “Affiliates” page. Contact me for further details.

I’d also like to take a minute and thank the Pagan bloggers who have taken the time to add their support to this drive by writing about it on their own blogs. First, Pagan chaplain Joseph Nichter wrote about how The Wild Hunt kept him “ahead of the crowd” when it came to the latest in Pagan news.

“I have been a long time fan, reader and supporter of Jason Pitzl-Waters, who is a real Jack of all trades within the pagan community, while at the same time being an incredibly professional Pagan. In my relatively limited experience this is incredibly rare and very very appreciated. The Pagan community has a great need for Pagans like Jason, who provide an invaluable service to us all,for free, because it needs to be done. I just love sitting down at my desk every morning with a hot cup of coffee and clicking in on The Hunt.”

Next, Rowan Pendragon reminds everyone to “donate what you can, whether that’s $5 or $100. It all helps to keep things going”, while Kim Sequoia says that The Wild Hunt is “a vital organ within the Pagan Community”. Finally, thanks to Sara Ferguson and my other loyal Twitter followers for spreading (tweeting) the word there.

Thanks again to everyone who has participated so far in keeping The Wild Hunt open, ad-free, and operating daily, I hope you’ll consider joining them as pledge week continues!

What:

Since it started in 2004, the Wild Hunt has become a vital news source for modern Pagans, and a crucial resource for those outside the Pagan movement who want to explore the issues that are important to us.

The Wild Hunt doesn’t simply alert you to the interesting (or infuriating) stories of the day, but adds analysis, context, and unique features. The Wild Hunt has interviewed movers-and-shakers within modern Paganism like Margot Adler, Starhawk, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, as well as relevant religion writers and journalists like Jeff Sharlet and J.C. Hallman, while providing special “Pagan’s-eye” coverage of events like the Democratic National Convention and the American Academy of Religion’s yearly meeting. Upcoming coverage will include the Parliament of the World’s Religions and an interview with Owen Davies, author of Grimoires.

The future is bright for The Wild Hunt, and for Pagan journalism as a whole! We’d like to invite you along, as we initiate the first annual Wild Hunt Winter Pledge Drive. Our goals are three:

• To keep The Wild Hunt full-access (no subscription fees or “pay-walls”).
• To keep The Wild Hunt non-commercial (no ads or spam).
• To keep The Wild Hunt daily.

In a single month, this past October alone, The Wild Hunt counted over 44,000 unique visitors, giving this daily news source a very respectable “circulation” in the world of niche journalism. Around 5,000 readers receive The Wild Hunt directly every day, via their Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, LiveJournal, or email.

How:

If you are one of these avid followers of Pagan and religious-minority news, please consider contributing to the site during this year’s Winter Pledge Drive, in one of these categories:

• Basic – $5
• Reader – $20
• Supporter – $50
• Benefactor – $150

• Affiliate – Consider becoming a Wild Hunt underwriter, with a listing and link on The Wild Hunt’s new “Affiliates” page. Contact me for further details.

Click this button to contribute now:

If you are unfamiliar with PayPal or have other questions, please contact me.

When:

This year’s Pledge Drive will continue from November 16th through the 22nd. Feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, and your other favorite social sites! Thanks for being a part of The Wild Hunt.

If there were a Pagan blogging ecosystem I would be near the top of that food-chain. I don’t say this to brag, but to explain that because of this I’ll often receive complimentary items from folks interested in reaching my audience. This is a standard practice. People with stuff to sell send out free copies to media outlets and taste-makers hoping that their (hopefully) positive reviews will generate increased revenue. Similar principles apply to movie reviewers, radio and club DJs, and other media professionals. It is so prevalent that it is, for the most part, simply assumed that Roger Ebert didn’t pay to see “Transformers 2″, and the New York Times doesn’t have to take a trip to Borders to buy Dan Brown’s new novel. But according to the Federal Trade Commission I can no longer assume you know that I got my copy of  “Grimoires: A History of Magic Books” for free (I did), and could risk hefty fines if I don’t reveal the “compensation” they gave me.

“Today the Federal Trade Commission revised their “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials” (click here to download), urging bloggers who review products, from a book to a video game system, to disclose if they received the product for free when giving an endorsement. According to the Washington Post, breaking these new guidelines could generate up to $11,000 in fines.”

What’s causing a controversy about these new rules is the double-standard in which bloggers have to obey these new rules, but newspapers and other traditional media outlets do not. In a revealing interview with FTC official Richard Cleland, Edward Champion lays bare the undistilled ignorance and bias of the people making these new guidelines.

“In the case of books, Cleland saw no problem with a blogger receiving a book, provided there wasn’t a linked advertisement to buy the book and that the blogger did not keep the book after he had finished reviewing it. Keeping the book would, from Cleland’s standpoint, count as “compensation” and require a disclosure. But couldn’t the same thing be said of a newspaper critic? Cleland insisted that when a publisher sends a book to a blogger, there is the expectation of a good review. I informed him that this was not always the case and observed that some bloggers often receive 20 to 50 books a week. In such cases, the publisher hopes for a review, good or bad. Cleland didn’t see it that way. “If a blogger received enough books,” said Cleland, ‘he could open up a used bookstore.’”

So if a newspaper receives a book, gives it a good review, and posts a link to purchase it, it isn’t compensation. But if I get a book, post a link to Amazon, and give it a good review, I’m being “compensated” because the publisher has the “expectation of a good review”. It’s simply ridiculous. As if the publisher doesn’t have the same expectation from the newspapers and magazines it sends comp copies to. Do they really think that newspapers were simply keeping these free books in a underground library or returning them to the publisher? It’s a well-known industry “perk” that reviewers get to keep the book/movie/cd they review (and just as often those “pro” unbiased newspaper reviewers sell their comp-copies to used bookstores).

Media critic Jeff Jarvis notes that the new regulations were supposed to target hated pay-per-post “sploggers”, but instead regulates speech and is a “monument to unintended consequence”.

“…the FTC assumes – as media people do – that the internet is a medium. It’s not. It’s a place where people talk. Most people who blog, as Pew found in a survey a few years ago, don’t think they are doing anything remotely connected to journalism. I imagine that virtually no one on Facebook thinks they’re making media. They’re connecting. They’re talking. So for the FTC to go after bloggers and social media – as they explicitly do – is the same as sending a government goon into Denny’s to listen to the conversations in the corner booth and demand that you disclose that your Uncle Vinnie owns the pizzeria whose product you just endorsed. Insanity and inanity. And danger. The regulations raise no end of questions. For example: How much do I have disclose? Before I say anything nice about anyone, do I need to list every advertiser I’ve ever had? Every possible business relationship? You think my disclosures are comical now, just wait.”

So from now on, under the FTC’s assumption that I would be so tickled by Llewellyn sending me a copy of “Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey” that I’d have no choice but give it a positive review (when in reality I left it to gather dust because I thought it just wasn’t that good) I will be posting a disclaimer with every review stating whether I received a promotional “compensation” copy. As for the many blogging Pagan book reviewers out there who receive promotional copies, you better start crafting your disclaimer statement now. This, along with plans in congress to exempt citizen journalists and bloggers from the shield law protections is quickly creating a journalism class-system that privileges money and institutions above content and context.

I’m going to make a stand in America’s long battle over work and leisure and take this Labor Day off from my normal blogging routine. Here’s to having a nice restful day at home, normal operations at The Wild Hunt will resume tomorrow.