Special Fish (special.fish) is a community for writing: poetry, journaling, logging, and list making. It also serves as a directory of over 1,300 artists, writers, designers, and web practitioners. It has been around for 6 years.

A small, quiet, poetic space where people...

  • Write without distractions
  • Keep personal logs, poems, lists, and thoughts
  • Explore the directory of artists, writers, designers...
  • Share links to personal websites
  • Connect in a light, human way

There is no infinite scroll, no ads, no tracking—just a space to write and reflect.

Over the years I've tried various ways to financially sustain Special Fish...

Supporter tier - I experimented with a paid tier, but there wasn’t enough to offer subscribers to make it worthwhile. "Hooking" people to come back or keep their data here isn’t really what Special Fish is about. I find it beautiful that people might only visit once a month.

Patreon - This has been surprisingly successful. It covers server costs, but not my time. I’m incredibly grateful to those who contribute.

Sponsorships - Last year, Hyperlink sponsored Special Fish for three months. It made me realize that this could be a sustainable model for Special Fish and other community sites, but it requires rethinking how websites are supported. What if the web were a place where commercial entities helped sustain the independent sites around them? What would a mutual support system look like for niche community websites?

Sponsorships aren’t ads, yet in some ways, they might be more successful than advertising. Showing that your company supports an artistic initiative demonstrates it values things beyond it's walls and is invested in a more thoughtful, independent web. Individuals or companies who support Special Fish are simply acknowledged at the bottom of the homepage and in newsletters.


What does it cost to run Special Fish?

Special Fish costs $50–80 per month just to stay online and these costs will increase as more people use the site. This doesn't include my time in maintaining and improving the site.


What would be sustainable?

$1,000 per month ~ (4 companies supporting $250/month) would allow me to work on Special Fish part-time.

$3,000 per month ~ (4 companies supporting $750/month) would make it fully sustainable, covering costs, development time, and paying artists to run events on the site such as the Writing Room.

Right now, I’m looking for 10 special companies or individuals to pledge $250–750 per month for 12 months.

This is a donation, not an investment. It’s about creating better ways of being together online.


What do sponsors get?

Sponsors can say they support...

  • A quieter, poetic, and thoughtful web
  • Positive alternatives to social media / online communities. People creating along side one another and supporting one another online.
  • The arts and independent creators

Your name (or company name) will be included in the "Brought to you by" section on the homepage and in community emails. You can also choose to remain anonymous.

At the end of the year, I’ll share a report on what’s happened with Special Fish, and you can decide if you’d like to continue supporting.