Dear Reader - Letter # 2

Dear Reader - Letter # 2

Posted on 13. Apr, 2009 by Michael Scott in Notes & Reflections

Dear Reader,

Please note that Love to Spare is adopting a new look and a slightly new direction. Both changes are the result of my brief hiatus away from blogging (practically a whole week) and a reconsideration of the question: why did I start Love to Spare in the first place?

The original intent of this blog was to express something inside myself and to share with others about love. This hasn’t changed, but I’ve made some hard decisions and come up with some new standards:

  1. Love to Spare is offered as a labor of love - not as part of a money making scheme. For this reason I’ve finally decided that there will be no paid advertisements on this site, and no pressure to support my blogging habit. Love is free, and as far as the readers are concerned, so is this website.
  2. Love to Spare is intended to inspire love, hope, and selfless service. It should not merely be a discussion of love, but should feature examples of love in action, and provide opportunities for readers to get involved. This will require more work and connections, but if that’s what it takes then it’s worth the effort. I expect to feature better examples of love in the near future. I hope you’ll stay tuned.
  3. Love to Spare is bigger than Michael and Acooba. If you know of an inspiring example of love, or a great opportunity for getting involved and helping others, please consider sharing it on this blog. Email me through the contact form, and we’ll discuss posting your article. Not all articles will be appropriate for Love to Spare, but we won’t know for sure until we discuss it.
  4. Since I’ve decided that Love to Spare is purely a labor of love, I will not allow it to interfere with my work or family responsibilities, or become like an obligatory chore. I will do my best (within reason) to maintain a regular schedule and make my rounds to other blogs, but there are no guarantees. While I realize that maintaining a regular schedule and commenting on other blogs is good for traffic, too much time away from family and other responsibilities begins to defeat the purpose of Love to Spare. I certainly don’t want to be a bad example.
  5. Love to Spare will no longer feature a blogroll. At least for the time being, I prefer to link directly to the posts that I feel powerfully address love or otherwise move me. Case in point, I may even adopt the Link Love style of my friend the Urban Monk.

So that’s it for now. I’d love to get your feedback regarding these changes.

Sincerely,
Michael Scott

Wait, wait, one more thing…
Please be sure to read Jay Schryer’s post on Adventure: Aim To Help, Learn To Love. It’s an inspiring story of love.


Email This Post Email This Post                                                          Print This Post Print This Post

24 Responses to “Dear Reader - Letter # 2”

  1. Regina

    13. Apr, 2009

    Sounds healthy, Michael! For some people, blogging may be a job, or a business, but if it’s all about sharing what’s overflowing from your heart, I think you’re approaching it right. And definitely, your #4 — this is about love to spare — not dipping into the principal. What would you have to share with us, if you ran the well dry? Acooba & the kids come first.

    Regina’s last blog post..Sweet Relief

    Reply to this comment

    • Michael Scott

      13. Apr, 2009

      Thanks for the support, Regina. It feels healthy too. The whole family has been very tolerant, but I don’t want to take advantage of that. Indeed - what WOULD I have to share if I run the well dry?

      By the way, I just rescued your comment from my spam filter. I’ve been getting tons of spam lately (apparently L2S is now on someone’s radar), and so I typically just delete all comments identified as spam without double checking. I’m sure glad I caught this, because your comment means a lot to me.

      Reply to this comment

  2. Lisis

    13. Apr, 2009

    I like it… I really like it! Your site looks so elegant now, I feel like I should change into my little black dress to read it. I don’t mean that it looks “snooty;” it looks divine… like Godiva chocolate!

    I LOVE your new direction. You need to do what is right for you and your family. That focus, and the strength of your genuine love for eachother, makes this site different from the rest. Well, that, and your beautiful new template.

    ;-)
    Lisis’s last blog post..Adventure: Aim To Help, Learn To Love

    Reply to this comment

  3. Lisis

    13. Apr, 2009

    Two things:

    1. Your comment form didn’t remember my info… commenters will have to type it all in every time. (fyi)

    2. Did you notice the title of my post? It’s actually Jay’s guest post, but it is quite in line with the theme of your letter today.

    =-)

    Reply to this comment

    • Michael Scott

      13. Apr, 2009

      Re: 1
      Thanks for alerting me to the problem. I’ll see if I can fix that.

      Re: 2
      I’ve now added a link to Jay’s guest post on your site. :-)

      Reply to this comment

  4. Nadia - Happy Lotus

    13. Apr, 2009

    Hi Michael,

    Good for you for being true to what you believe! :) I had a feeling such a letter was coming and I am happy that you are doing what works best for you. When something is done out of obligation, it shows. I am happy your are sticking to your principles!

    Your sincerity shines through and you can count on me to always be one of your regular readers ! :)
    Nadia - Happy Lotus’s last blog post..Be Undeniably Good

    Reply to this comment

    • Michael Scott

      13. Apr, 2009

      Thanks, Nadia. If you ever feel I’m wandering away from these “standards”, please feel free to tell me. That would also be very helpful.

      Reply to this comment

  5. Albert | UrbanMonk.Net

    13. Apr, 2009

    @ Mike: Love the new look! And thanks for the link. Link love is a great way of saying Hi to other bloggers, I’ve found :) (oh could I be a jerk and mention the link has an extra http in front?)

    @ Lisis: May I suggest the easyComment addon, if you are using Firefox? It’s a life saver!

    Albert | UrbanMonk.Net’s last blog post..Allowing Your Loved Ones Their Full Experience, Part 4

    Reply to this comment

  6. David

    13. Apr, 2009

    Gorgeous layout Michael. And good for you for making the changes you felt you needed to make. You can never go wrong by following your heart.

    David’s last blog post..How to Alleviate Self-Consciousness and Other People-Allergies

    Reply to this comment

  7. Name Adam

    13. Apr, 2009

    all nice reasoning, michael. i’ve recently started following your blog, and had read your post pondering advertising models.

    i suspect many of us go through our own versions of “why am i blogging?” and “what does advertising and money have to do with it?”

    i love your approach, and the sincerity and love you present here. i look forward to continuing to read what you and acooba put out here for us.

    thanks.
    adam

    Name Adam’s last blog post..Where Are You Going? Happiness Is Here and Now

    Reply to this comment

    • Michael Scott

      13. Apr, 2009

      Hi Adam. I recognize your Gravatar because I’ve seen it on some of my favorite blogs. So it’s very nice to see it here on L2S as well. Welcome!

      I didn’t really know what to expect from blogging, but figured if I could make money through it, then why not? Now the idea of making money via L2S seems like a conflict of interest to me. It’s just how I feel.

      This new approach has already had a liberating effect on me. The pressure’s gone. Now I can slow down and focus more on love - both on and off the blog.

      Thanks for your comment.

      Reply to this comment

  8. Name Uzma

    13. Apr, 2009

    Hey
    Love the new design. Very sleek and direct. Also deeply appreciate your slight change in direction. You make one want to stand up and give you and ovation out of respect. Very few people can be this honest. and command so much respect.
    God bless

    Reply to this comment

  9. Candi

    13. Apr, 2009

    The changes look wonderful!

    Reply to this comment

  10. Positively Present

    13. Apr, 2009

    It looks great! I love the new look. :)
    Positively Present’s last blog post..change your attitude, change the world

    Reply to this comment

  11. Harriet

    13. Apr, 2009

    To me, this enhances the level of compassion and genuine desire to share (and learn) with your readers.

    Reply to this comment

    • Michael Scott

      13. Apr, 2009

      Hey Harriet! It’s always nice to hear from you. I can confirm that there is a genuine desire to share and learn with the L2S readers.

      Reply to this comment

  12. Sasha

    20. Apr, 2009

    I love the new look and the new direction…especially the fact that you are creating a context for everyone to partake in random acts of love, which will become a feeding frenzy in no time flat. It is amazing what happens when you plant a seed.

    Your new look seems to resonate a new inner strength and spirit that you have now that you are centered. The truth is that after reading this post I, too became centered and had clarity.

    SEE!! There you go AGAIN inviting me back to the path.

    Thank you for everything!!

    Reply to this comment

  13. Gennaro

    23. Apr, 2009

    Love the new theme. Works very well with the content and it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Best of luck with it.

    Gennaro’s last blog post..National Parks Get $750 Million

    Reply to this comment

Leave a Reply