The Geek Alabama Fundraiser Starts Today

Nathan Young

11 years ago

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First off, please view the official fundraiser video.

I started Young’s Blog then Geek Alabama back in August 2011. At first, it took some time to catch on, but by the beginning of 2012, the blog was getting good traffic and it continues to grow today! I have tried to find ways to get the funding I need to grow Geek Alabama. I have tried grants, the Advantage Capital Enterprise System, and other options but so far nothing has worked! I am starting this fundraiser to find out if I can continue Geek Alabama. Simply, if the money is not raised, Geek Alabama shuts down forever and everything is deleted for good! I hope I can continue doing the Geek Alabama blog but I need your help! I have had to raise my money amount because my car is broken down. The car is stuck at a Winn-Dixie parking lot and the only way it leaves is by tow truck.

Geek Alabama talks about the geek / nerd culture not only in Alabama but in Georgia, the Southeast, and the country! Geek Alabama not only does geeky and nerdy stuff, but the blog also talks about and covers events in Alabama. Most events covered are in NE Alabama and NW Georgia in places like Anniston, Gadsden, Carrollton, Rome, Alexander City, Pell City, and more! If you are new to Geek Alabama, here’s an intro video!

Geek Alabama also has a recipe section called Guy’s Cuisine and is branching out to do recipe videos! Here’s the first two recipe videos!

The blog also does road coverage with road pictures and video and the blog also does severe weather coverage! Here’s some videos!

Geek Alabama also does plenty of good stories. The blog loves to talk about other people who are running charities or Kickstarter projects. Geek Alabama also does product, business, TV, movies, book, app, basically any types of reviews. Geek Alabama is also interviewing people from home base or at events. Yes, Geek Alabama has morphed into an awesome blog all run by one person named Nathan Young! Yes, I Nathan Young is the only person who takes all the videos, photos, and writes all of those posts. Here are two special videos showcasing some interviews!

Geek Alabama and Nathan Young has also started a vlog series called The Southern Geek. I hope this series can be picked up by Geek and Sundry!

Geek Alabama is averaging 400-600 views every day and that continues to grow! Not bad for a blog written by one person! But in this time of blog growth, there comes a time where I have to move to the next level. First off, the blog has got to move to WordPress.org if I want to grow Geek Alabama. I have had to turn down two different advertising deals and even an invitation to join an exclusive network where I can get paid for reviewing products. Yes, reviews of products and businesses draws good traffic to any blog. Also, giveaways always will draw traffic! Currently, WordPress.com bans paid posts or sponsorships and the only way to get around this is to move to WordPress.org.

The second step is to get better equipment! My current computer is nearly four years old and it needs replacing. If I want to do live interviews via internet or better videos, I must get a new computer. I need a new DSLR camera with new lens attachments so I can take better and close up pictures. This is something needed during sporting events like high school football. I need to get a video camera with a microphone so I can interview people during events. In this interview below with Savana Wehunt at the Alabama Phoenix Festival, this was done with a DSLR camera with no microphone. I can do better!

The third step is to make Geek Alabama a place where many people come too! I would like to make this blog profitable and bring on several new writers and yes, pay them! I would like Geek Alabama to talk more geeky / nerdy stuff, local scene stuff, event coverage, reviews, interviews, and more! I would like to do more cooking videos via Guy’s Cuisine and Roadscapes videos. I would also like to launch a podcast show with some other people. All of this can be done, but with some help!

Geek Alabama has had its photos, videos, and other stuff shared by all four main TV stations in Birmingham. Also, many radio stations have talked about Geek Alabama and have interviewed me Nathan Young. Sadly, the newspapers don’t like what Geek Alabama does. Don’t get me wrong, several reporters and photographers like what I do and I am friends with them on social media. But the heads of the newspapers like The Anniston Star, The Gadsden Times, and AL.COM don’t like me! I am considered competition and they say I am stealing views from their websites. But I say I provide better coverage of news and events!

So, I need $20,000 to move Geek Alabama to the next level! And if you decide to support me through Indiegogo, I have some great perks for you! For a simple $1 pledge, you will get you name listed on the Geek Alabama website. For a pledge of $15, you will get a Geek Alabama poster.

For a pledge of $40, you will get a choice of three T-shirts shown below.

For a pledge of $65, you will get a choice of either the Guy’s Cuisine / road drawings book or a book showcasing the best photos since the blog began. These book covers will look different when they are released!

Or for a pledge of $115, you will get both books! For a pledge of $150, you will get both books, the Geek Alabama poster, and a choice of one T-shirt. And for a pledge of $500, Geek Alabama will come out to do a story about you! To pledge go to: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-alabama/x/3587818#share

I hate to say this, it’s pretty simple. If I don’t raise the $20,000 I need to move the website to WordPress.org, buy a smartphone, buy a new computer and software, buy a new DSLR camera with lens attachments, buy a new video camera with a microphone and tripod, buy a radio microphone for future hangouts and podcasts, get stuff for a background for cooking, podcasts, interviews, and other videos, and yes, get the car fixed. Geek Alabama will officially shut down on July 11th. It’s just that simple. If Geek Alabama shuts down, some events that will not be covered will include:

Fourth of July Fireworks

Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty in Gadsden on July 13th

Model City Music Festival

Woodstock 5K

UCP Telethon in Anniston

Sidewalk Film Festival

Word Camp Birmingham

Pensacola Paracon

Dragon Con in Atlanta

High School Football

Keep in mind, this is just some of the events I have been asked to come to via e-mail and social media. I want to keep the Geek Alabama blog going! Many people have commented to me saying they love this blog and the posts that are put on here. But the only way Geek Alabama keeps going, is by you helping! If the $20,000 is not raised either through Indiegogo or through another source, Geek Alabama will go away forever. And all the photos, videos, and posts on Geek Alabama will be deleted for good. Someone out there knows something and I am about to find out what to do!

I write the Geek Alabama blog because I want to prove to other people that having Asperger’s Syndrome / Autism is not evil like some people sadly believe. I really want to grow the Geek Alabama blog but if this fundraiser is not successful, the blog will close for good! I need the people’s support to continue Geek Alabama so the blog can continue to be a great thing for anyone to read!

Since no one will hire me since I am looking for my 14th job and have been unemployed for two years now. I guess the Geek Alabama blog will be my ticket to earning a living. And yes, it can be done! I just need that Kickstart! I hope you can either help by donating or sharing this with your friends and family. My ultimate goal is to hold a Geek Alabama launch party in mid-July in some restaurant in the Anniston/Oxford area. I could invite many people from Georgia and Alabama and I am sure they would come! And I could have the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce hold a ribbon cutting ceremony! That would be wonderful! Please support Geek Alabama!

To pledge go to: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-alabama/x/3587818#share

If you can not help, please spread the word on social media by using the hashtag #SupportGeekAlabama