Following is a request I have been contemplating making for some time - thereby taking a leaf out of the book of owners of similar websites - but up to now I have restrained myself. At this point, though, I feel I have no choice but to take the plunge!
Without looking into my records, I no longer even remember when I launched Hodu.com. I know I was quite a bit younger then. Originally intended as little more than an archive for a modest e-mail letter, it quickly grew way beyond all my initial expectations.
Within a fairly short time, the site developed into a valuable resource for so many people from vastly different backgrounds, of diverse nationalities and a wide variety of occupations. What these folk have in common is a thirst for knowledge and stubborn determination not to remain stagnant in their personal and professional lives. Rather, their constant focus is on acquiring good communication skills, steadily improving their interpersonal relationships, and growing into happier and more efficient human beings generally. Hodu.com's ranking on Alexa and similar services over a lengthy period testify to the important and pressing need that our site, with its over 1500 pages of very carefully selected content, has been filling.
So what am I asking of YOU, as one of our loyal followers and users and a person who appreciates the importance of the role our website has been playing?
Over the years, I have spent countless hours - and missed goodness knows how many hours of sleep - in single-handedly creating, publishing, writing and editing Hodu.com - not to mention in attending to the myriad small details necessary to maintain it technically. What about the costs involved? Yes, our site carries lots of advertising and promotion of various products, and theoretically the revenue from these should be more than enough to keep the site running. To be sure, there have been years when this was in fact the case.
But this is no longer true. The Internet environment is changing rapidly, our site traffic has been reduced, and we have been affected adversely by a number of factors beyond our control. I will not mention all of them, but we are now at the point where, under present circumstances, I doubt whether I will be able to continue to develop the site for much longer. Will I close it down, or alternatively just leave it to stagnate? I'm not sure, but all options are on the table.
Therefore, with much trepidation, I'm taking a step that for me, goes very much against the grain. If you enjoy our content and find it useful and helpful, please help me in turn by clicking on one of the buttons above or below this message to make a donation to help keep Hodu.com afloat!
Yes, it was very difficult for me to write that, and I didn't believe I would actually do it, but I've done it! Whether the sume is large or very small, every bit helps me to continue with our mission. In addition to the acknowledgement of receipt that PayPal will send you, I will do my best to write and thank every donor pesonally. (Incidentally, if you don't have, or don't want, a PayPal account, you can still pay with no hassle with your credit card or through a US bank account -see instructions on the screen.)
Thank you for your understanding. G-d willing, I hope to be able to continue to help with all your personal development goals.
Respectfully and warmly,
Azriel Winnett
azriel AT hodu.com
