With our Kickstarter campaign starting to gain momentum, we've gotten a few questions about what the pledge money goes to for our 2011 Black Weblog Awards Ceremony and Reception (and why our campaign goal is a lofty one).

Your pledge dollars will go towards the following things:

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• Venue (plus insurance)
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• Host
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• Photographer
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• Livestreaming
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• Food and beverages (for the reception)
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• Swag bags (and the goodies that go within, like USB drives, pens, etc.)
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• PR/Advertising
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• Signage
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• Printing
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• Event staffing
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• Anything else we haven't thought of yet (which is probably is a lot)
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On top of that, Kickstarter takes a cut from the final pledge amount. When you add all of this together, it ain't cheap.

This is the first time we've done anything like this, and it's a pretty big step. The Black Weblog Awards has operated since 2005 with a minimal staff (1-3 people), no sponsors or advertisers, and very little community financial support (< $150/annually). As the Awards have grown, so have our costs. Doing more with less (or nothing at all) pretty much means that every year, the Awards stay the same. We don't want that, and I'm sure you don't want that either. A live ceremony and reception would really help catapult our standing and also make sure we're able to keep the Awards going for years to come.

So please pledge today and help our campaign! Tell your friends and share it on your social networks -- the more the merrier! Thanks to all our current pledge donors and thank you for your support.

I've gotten several emails lately about why after six years we've just decided to put on a live show.

The real reason is that we simply weren't ready. No one had ever heard of the Black Weblog Awards, and in niche blog award circles, even making it past year three is an accomplishment.

We didn't have the infrastructure to do something like this, and over the years, we have built a network that will allow us to do something like this (i.e., strategic partnerships with vendors, arts associations, etc.). Like the adage goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. If we attempted something like this in 2005 when we started, or even last year, it would not have been possible. Each year our web traffic grows exponentially, and right now, it's time.

Besides, if we have it next year, it will be during our seventh year, and seven is my lucky number. :-)

So thanks to our current backers, and we hope that anyone thinking about pledging will do so to help out our cause. Together, we can make it happen!