Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Rabble.ca is an independent media organization, and they are looking to spruce up their operation which includes the ever left-leaning Babble forums. If you want to support indie media, Rabble is probably a good way (aside from running your own politics blog).

Here’s their email to members:
rouse V. (rauz):
To stir somebody into action or a more active state, or to become more
active

Dear babble members:

Change is in the air at rabble.ca and we are rousing people to be a part of
it. rabble.ca is undergoing a redesign to provide a better product,
highlight more voices, strengthen independent media, and promote more
interaction on Canada’s site for alternative news and views. With this
redesign comes a re-launch and we are asking you to be part of the new
rabble.

You can contribute right now by making a secure donation.

And for contributions of $25, $50, $100 or more, not only will you be
contributing to the next phase of rabble’s independent journalism, you will
be entered into a drawing for great prizes including:

- a guided canoe trip for two in Algonquin Park (courtesy of
Beautiful North)

- a gift certificate to Grassroots Environmental products (valued
$500)

- a one of a kind Canadian cd music box set, featuring the Good Be
Tanyas, Bruce Cockburn, and more!

- a gift box of Cocoa Camino fair trade organic products

The new rabble will incorporate a number of web 2.0 tools and will
feature:

- New voices on the site, including in-house rabble blogs, comment
features on articles and podcasts, and more opportunities for visitors -
YOU - to interact with the site

- Greatly improved navigation and search functions

- Multi-media such as video, slideshows, interactive graphics and
rss feeds (which allow visitors to subscribe to some content)

- A much greater ability for rabble to adapt the site to the needs
and wishes of visitors

We need you to make this vision come true. We have set and met many goals
for rabble. And with your investment we can re-launch the site and continue
to strengthen independent Canadian journalism.

rabble.ca was launched in 2001 by a group of committed activists and media
professionals to address the democracy gap in the media and to bring fresh
and under-represented voices to the media mix. We have done this.

We are proud of our ongoing successes. To date our babble discussion board
has over 14,000 registered users. We were one of the first to develop and
promote podcasts by Canadians from diverse backgrounds through the rabble
podcast network. Civil society groups, including organized labour, have
received greater exposure and website traffic due to our feature in cahoots.
Canadian authors have found a new home to have books promoted, reviewed,
discussed and sold at the rabble book lounge. And of course we also publish
original articles by established and emerging writers as well as reprinting
intelligent and progressive pieces by some of Canada’s best thinkers and
writers.

Can we rouse you to support the rabble re-launch? rabble.ca is an
independent non-profit organization. We do not receive tax funding and are
not owned or supported by any corporation. rabble.ca depends on support
from organizations and from people like you. You can contribute right now
at: www.rabble.ca/donate.

At rabble we are proud that we have provided free alternative independent
news and views for six years. We plan to be around for much longer, with
more voices, more interaction and greater services and ease of use.
rabble.ca will remain free to listen to, free to comment on, free to read.
However, it is never free to operate.

We believe our redesign will bring new people to rabble and provide a better
experience for our regular visitors. This is a crucial funding drive for our
redesign and re-launch and we are depending on your support.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kim Elliott, Publisher, and the rest of the rabble.ca team!

P.S. Please help spread the word by rousing at least five of your friends
into action, sending them an email asking them to support rabble’s
re-launch.

P.P.S - Here are the details for the prizes for our draw ($25 donation or
more to be entered):

- Algonquin in the fall - Two all expense- paid trips - $1400
value - on a fall guided canoe trip in Algonquin Park, ON with guides
Debbie Field and David Kraft and watercolourist Martha Bull. See: Beautiful
North. September 26th - 30th, 4 nights, 5 days.

- A $500 dollar gift certificate from Grassroots Environmental Products

- A chocolastic gift pack of fair trade organic chocolate from Coco
Camino $150 value.

- A unique rabble Canadian 5 CD music collection. Value, priceless
(but if you were going to buy them it would cost you about $75). CD set is:
(and the list is growing): Jill Barber (album: For All Time), Be Good
Tanyas (album: Hello Love), Mark Berube (Album What the River Gave the
Goat), Christa Couture (Album: Fell Out Of Oz), Bruce Cockburn (album: Life
Short Call Now)

———————————————————
We are sending you this email as someone who has signed up to our dyanamic
discussion board “babble”. As you know every day we host dozens of
conversations on babble from politics to people to news. This is one of the
infrequent communications sent to people who have signed up for babble. This
is a crucial fund drive to make rabble, and babble, a better place to visit
and contribute to. Please support rabble by making a donation at
www.rabble.ca/relaunch.

We do have a weekly email that gives updates and highlights from rabble that
is free and you can sign up here .