Wow! Did you see that? The last couple of days have been nothing short of incredible. From working on this pledge drive for several months now, we think we have a pretty good sense of the level of support that exists out there for community-owned local media. But to see all of that support, expressed so tangibly in such a short time, is another feeling entirely. Difficult to capture in a hasty update, but here goes:

WE DID IT!!!

You and over 400 other supporters have helped us meet and exceed our pledge goal, raising a total of $26,324. Thank you for making a difference. This means the LocalWiki project will be fully funded, and the additional amount we raised over our $25,000 goal will help us to reach more communities and have an even greater impact.

By the way, the successful funding of this project also guarantees you will receive the pledge rewards you selected (if any). We will be in touch with you shortly regarding all the details.

For now, thank you again and stay tuned for more very very soon.

Speechless,

Philip and Mike

Friends,

This is the most exciting part of the fundraiser, the part where we will see if we can meet our pledge goal or fall short and forfeit the entire amount. It's all or nothing. With only 3 days left, we have over 100 new backers and the project is 86% funded at $21,464.

We have $3,536 left to raise. That means that if each one of you convinced just one friend to pledge $10 today, we would achieve success.

Here are some great ways to tell your friends:

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• Follow us and retweet our updates on Twitter http://twitter.com/localwiki
• 
  
• Use this letter to tell your friends http://localwiki.org/send_to_friends
• 
  
• Share a link to us on Facebook: Share
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• Best of all, talk to your friends about us and why you decided pledge
• 
  

For those of you in or around Davis, please come to our silent auction event tonight, Thursday September 9 from 4 to 7pm at Rominger West Winery. Bid on donations from a variety of local businesses and individuals while enjoying Rominger's wines and music from the Mike Justis band!

Thank you for pledging and supporting our project in this crucial time.

- Mike and Philip

Friends,

Things have really started to pick up in the last couple of weeks, here's a quick update about where we're at and what we're up to. For those of you in Northern California, be sure to read to the end.

Many of you have recently become backers. Thank you and welcome aboard! As I write this, 230 awesome people like yourself have pledged a total of $14,866, and we have 13 days left to raise $10,134. As promised, we have been updating a list of our supporters on our webstite, and once we meet our pledge goal, we will ask if you would like us to list a link or a message from you. For now, you can find yourself listed on http://localwiki.org

Next, we want to thank you all for helping us spread the word about this important and ambitious project. Your efforts are really making a difference and multiply your own contribution. Please continue to let everyone know about LocalWiki and about this fundraiser. With your help, we are very optimistic we will meet the pledge goal.

Here are a couple of easy ways to help spread the word:

• 
  
• Follow us and retweet our updates on Twitter http://twitter.com/localwiki
• 
  
• Use this handy sample letter to tell your friends http://localwiki.org/send_to_friends
• 
  
• If you have a blog or website, embed this Kickstarter widget: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/455852114/localwiki-bring-collaborative-local-media-to-every/widget
• 
  
• Share this link to us on Facebook: http://kck.st/a5vx43
• 
  

We have been working hard to get the word out as well. With the help of some devoted users of Davis Wiki (the project that started it all), we have been tabling at the local farmers market in Davis on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Come say hi to us if you are in the area!

If you are in or around Davis, California, come drink and eat with us at Sophia's Thai Kitchen tomorrow, Wednesday September 1st, from 5pm until close. Sophia's will donate 10% of all proceeds to our fundraiser. We've got a Facebook event here if you'd like to RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php...

Finally, a reminder about why we are doing all this in the first place. In 2009 the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, a panel of 17 media, policy and community leaders came out with a set of recommendations for meeting the information needs of our communities in the digital age. The final recommendation of the commission is to, "Ensure that every local community has at least one high-quality online hub." This is one of the core goals of the LocalWiki project, and you are helping to make it happen.

Thanks for reading, and look for more updates soon!

- Philip and Mike

Friends-

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for making a pledge!

Our pledge drive is all or nothing, which means that unless we make our goal of at least $25k in pledges by September 13th, no one will be charged and we won't get any of the pledged funds. We have less than a month to raise $14k!

We can do this – but we need you to help us spread the word. I've written up a little “send this to your friends” sample letter to help make this as easy as possible:

http://localwiki.org/send_to_friends

Send emails! Help us spread the word on facebook, twitter! Have a blog? Make a little shout-out post! If each of one of you gets even just one friend or loved one to make a pledge the same as yours we would make our pledge goal in no time!

Because our pledge drive is all-or-nothing, you cannot lose by making a pledge! Think of it like this: A $100 pledge is matched by 254 other people making $100 pledges! Your pledge, and your friends' and loved ones' pledges, are guaranteed to have an incredible impact!

With your help we can bring collaborative, community-owned local media everywhere!

-Philip

P.S. Here's a copy of the sample email / facebook / whatnot message you can send out!:

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Dear friend,

With the decline of local newspapers and the rise of the Internet, we are faced with a disturbing situation where it's easier to find out what's happening on the other side of the world than it is to get important information about our own communities.

We can change this.

I'm writing to you to tell you about an incredibly promising effort to improve the way our local communities get and exchange information. The project is called LocalWiki, and I just pledged to support their efforts as they get started.

http://kck.st/a5vx43

The LocalWiki project is an outgrowth of an amazing effort in Davis, California, USA called the Davis Wiki (http://daviswiki.org). Unlike a blog -- which is written by at most a handful of people -- the Davis Wiki is maintained by the entire community.

Residents in Davis use the Davis Wiki for everything from learning about local news and local history to helping return lost pets to their owners. It's become the largest, most active media source in the city. In week, nearly half of residents use the Davis Wiki; in a month, nearly everyone uses it. And 1 in 7 residents contribute material to the Davis Wiki.

What if an entire city could come together and collaborate on information about their community? I'm asking you to pledge to make this a reality:

http://kck.st/a5vx43

Sincerely,
[Your name]