We here at VideoSift are not business people. We know very little about money. There I've said it. Sometimes I feel like we have a tiger by the tail. I watch the surreal rise of our traffic past 1 million visitors a month, and I fret and worry about what we've gotten ourselves into.

We've tried the usual advertising on VideoSift- but to be honest with you- it doesn't do very well. At the risk of scaring off all future advertisers I have to admit that Sifters are not ad clickers. Our research tells us that they are smart, market-savvy people who would very rarely be pulled in by cheap, tawdry ads.

OK, here's another data point on the people that come to VideoSift: Sifters are passionate about this community. We get that. We understand it from all the communication that we get from you- suggestions, ideas and complaints. Some confluence of timing and luck has brought people together to make something special.

We are very thankful for the contributions made for our last server drive, and the continual input from Charter members- it's keeping the good ship VideoSift afloat, but we're a bit worried about the future.

It's a problem that many online communities would love to have- we're bursting at the seams with members, interaction, and just all kinds of web traffic.

We've had offers for funding, investment- even acquisition; but it's never felt right to us. Maybe it's our aversion to people in suits- but the only ones who seem to understand the community are the people who are here, taking part.

So we need to sink or float on our own. We've put our heads together to try and figure out what the best solution is for funding the Sift. What we've always come back to is this: "What's the biggest asset of the Sift?" Answer: the people. We need your help, people.

Please give what you can - not till it hurts, just what you can spare. Many hands make light work - and this goes for money as well. As a thank you- we've also provided a little treat for any members giving $10 or more. (Read below for details.) It's the least we can do.

Thank You,

Brian "Dag" Houston
Gold Coast, Australia
19, January 2008

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Instead of accepting your much appreciated donations with a simple "Thanks," we felt we needed to provide something in return. If you are a registered member and logged into your account when you donate at least $10, you will earn special privileges (or "super powers") that will persist one day for every dollar donated. For example, if you donate $50, your privileges will persist for 50 days from the time you donated. This time is known as your "Power Period."

The first way we'd like to express our gratitude for your donation is public acknolwedgement, unless you opt to donate anonymously. A special Golden Sifter icon () will be displayed next to your name so wherever it appears you will be recognized as a big supporter of the community. Also, your name will be displayed in sidebar panels and other donor listings.

Before describing the other privileges, let me introduce you to Power Points. Instead of the simple time delay we have always used for some invocations, they now work on a system where the standard invocations require a single Power Point to be invoked. These Power Points are, in turn, recharged every two days after last used. Every member by default is allowed a maximum of 1 Power Point. That may all seem clear as mud at first, but keep reading.

The following invocations are still only available to the usual star levels, but now require 1 Power Point for use:

• *quality
• *promote

You must have your 1 Power Point available to use either invocation. Once you invoke, your 1 Power Point will be subtracted and your recharge timer starts counting down. 2 days later, your Power Point is refilled and you can invoke again.

During your Power Period, you are permitted a maximum of 2 instead of just one Power Point. You can use these two Power Points for any of the super powers listed below. And as usual, after using a Point, they will be fully recharged after two days.

• Execute two of the 1 Power Point invocations described above before your next recharge (privileged members only)
• *doublepromote - Like the usual *promote, but doubles the length of time the post is "floated" (not for your own posts; privileged members only)
• Self *promote - Like the usual *promote except available on a post of your own (available to all members, including probationary members)
• One extra queue slot - If you run out of queue slots, you can submit one more video (maximum of one extra slot at a time; not for probies)

These may not be life-changing privileges, but we really wanted to give something back to those of you who appreciate and care enough about VideoSift and this community to help keep us from going under. We thank you all sincerely for your support. No matter how minor it may seem, every single contribution regardless of size does help.