World Class Poetry Blog

Become A Poetry Patron
14 March 2008, the poet @ 10:09 am

Do you own a business? Do you have a love for the arts? You can become a World Class Poetry patron.

On the bottom of the right sidebar, below the list of directories to which I belong, you’ll see a list of patrons. These are websites and businesses that support the arts; in particular, they support literary arts.

Poets and other artisans have long been recipients of community grants, fellowships, and other patronage. Long ago, in the early and middle days of the life of Christianity, the Church was the largest patron of the arts. After the Reformation, that changed. Gradually, the Church and the arts split. Humanism became the primary philosophy of the arts and states and nations became the biggest supporters of the arts as artists and poets took on more of a nationalist flair. Today, many nations and local communities still show their support for the arts but businesses, too, have become patrons of the arts in many ways.

This is great for everyone. Poets and artists win because they are able to focus their efforts on what they do best - creating art and literature that reflect the attitudes and mores of the culture in which they reside. Communities, nations, and states win because they give to the artisans that inspire and encourage them. Businesses win because they show their community spirit by rewarding the poets and artists that are also consumers.

When you become a patron of World Class Poetry, you’ll receive the following benefits:

• A “nofollow” link along with other patrons in the Patron section at the bottom of the right sidebar - this allows my readers an easy way to find all the sponsors who support their endeavors.
• Preferred status in the World Class Poetry Search Engine - Users of the search engine are able to search www.world-class-poetry.com, www.worldclasspoetryblog.com, and the entire Web, with emphasis in the results pages going to the sites listed under my editorial control. You’ll be allowed to list up to five (5) of your competitors’ websites that will be blocked from searches when users of the search engine use your important keywords (not applicable to poetry- and literature-related websites). You can also place the WCP search engine on your own website to encourage your website visitors to search the Web from your website.
• You’ll be given special treatment through the World Class Poetry Toolbar, which allows users the ability to search the Internet, visit important websites designated by me, subscribe to specified RSS feeds, send and receive messages from the community, browse Flickr photos and YouTube videos, manage search and browser privacy, keep up to date with the daily additions of content for the World Class Poetry website and blog, and listen to hundreds of radio stations right from their toolbar itself.
• Be listed as a patron and supporter in the World Class Poetry e-zine Hyperbole, which goes out weekly to my growing list of subscribers.
• And other benefits as I take a notion to add from time to time.

The “nofollow” tag is necessary because, as knowledgeable webmasters know, Google (and most of the other search engines are now following their lead) frowns upon paid links that transfer PageRank benefits. I am not interested in selling links for PageRank. Webmasters seeking such links will have to go elsewhere. The benefits you’ll get through patronage of the World Class Poetry blog far outweigh any PageRank benefit you would ever receive. The monthly traffic of the WCP blog, as it stands right now, is over 3,000 visitors and that will likely reach 4,000 + by the end of April 2008. The WCP main website will hit 10,000 visitors per month by the end of March 2008. These are visitors that you’ll have access to through your patronage of the World Class Poetry Blog.

Limited Time Only
So what is the cost for all of these benefits? You can become a patron for a limited time only for a mere $5/month with a three-month minimum. If you sign up any time in March, you will pay only $5 through April 2008. Your patronage from today through June will be $15.

I reserve the right to raise these rates at any time, though I will not raise them in the middle of your patronage, whether you opt for a three-month support plan, six-month plan, or longer. The list of patrons is being limited to 10 - no more. I am not looking to get rich. I am simply trying to support a habit - the habit of poetry. Your patronage will allow me to continue adding fresh content to the World Class Poetry website, pay contributors, and take care of additional expenses that are required to maintain a website. Mostly, I do this out of love for the craft, but love doesn’t feed the family - so my wife says

If you are interested in becoming a patron of World Class Poetry and the World Class Poetry Blog, please contact me through the WCP contact form and tell me in the comments box that you’d like to be a patron. Alternatively, you can call 717-528-4005 and ask for Allen. Thank you for your support of poetry and for your patronage of World Class Poetry.

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