David Brauer and MinnPost.com are doing something a little crazy: They are trying to get people to pay for journalism. Well, at least donate some money for it.

MinnPost ran a micro-sponsor campaign around one of its most popular blogs, the BrauBlog. The campaign will raise about $12,000 for MinnPost in $10 and $25 increments. Half of that money is a matching grant from Harnisch Foundation.

While this micro-sponsor campaign did raise money to help support journalism at the non-profit MinnPost, it’s larger goal was to get people into the mindset of supporting journalism with money.

“Really, the bigger mission here is that direct support is something that you’ll have to consider,” Brauer said. “I think that this is in large part about retraining the audience.”

MinnPost is supported by large donors and advertising. Recently, Brauer and publisher Joel Kramer had an idea to start a micro-sponsor campaign, to try to expand the donor pool and revenue base.

“I think it as one arrow in the quiver,” Brauer said about small donor fundraising. “There are a number of different ways that people are going to have to raise money. I like the fact that MinnPost now, in the addition to advertising, has not just a big donor program, but also a small donor program.”

Brauer believes, however, that limiting donations to $10 and $25 may have limited the amount of donations. In the future, MinnPost may have a different donating model. But the fundraiser was a success overall, because it accomplished its main goal of increasing MinnPost’s donor base.

“Just like colleges, on some level, are happy to get that initial donation from new graduates, even if it isn’t big money, because hopefully you form a bond that lasts as they make more and reap it down the road,” he said. “It has some short term advantages, but I think the power is really in the longer term.”

And consider this: about 300 people were willing to put down money to help support local journalism without asking for anything additional in return. There are no premium features, or even gifts to say thank you to donors. People donated because they wanted to support local journalism.

Also consider that about two-thirds of donors donated the higher, $25 amount. With a more flexible donation model in the future, MinnPost might be able to get many of these small donors to donate more than $25.

On the blogging front, Brauer is yet another blogger that has noticed that frequency is important to success on the Web. Frequency, however, can have drawbacks. Perhaps the biggest, and not always openly discussed drawback, is burnout.

“What it ended up doing, at its worst for me, is that it contributed to some real burnout that I’m wrestling with,” he said.

Bloggers like Brauer produce copious amounts of copy, much more than they did as print reporters. People prefer more shorter posts to fewer longer posts on the Web.

In the end, Brauer is writing more copy than ever before. He says writing individual blog posts is easier than writing a print story, but he just writes considerably more copy now.

Now, Brauer is not writing more because his editors are requiring him to write so much; Rather, Brauer has access to Web analytics, which can be intoxicating for many bloggers. He knows that the more content he produces, the more page views and unique visitors he gets. Just about every blogger wants more.

“My boss has not been on my butt about this at all,” he said. “I know for myself that the flip side of creativity is mania. I’ve discovered new levels of obsessive compulsion that I never thought I had. There is a certain, ‘I get on the treadmill and I feel like I can’t get off’”

Brauer said he is trying to seek a better balance and has cut down on how much copy he has been producing lately.

Brauer has found himself reporting stories in a serial manner. Instead of waiting for a story to be finished or for a big moment to occur, Brauer reports as the story unfolds. Often several blog posts will come together to tell the complete story.

“Instead, I can sort of tell people, ‘here is what I know now; it’s not complete,’” he said. “I find people really like that. It’s easier to digest.”

Not only do readers enjoy this different take on reporting, but it’s easier on Brauer too. He doesn’t have to write big stories all the time. He can just write what he knows at the time.

This is also a good way to get users involved. Reporting stories as they unfold gives users a chance to contact Brauer with tips and additional information.

Brauer also actively asks his readers to help out, and enjoys the crowdsourcing that beatblogging allows. “Inviting people to help, not just getting it when they offer” leads to better stories and journalism, Brauer said.

We also discuss in this podcast:

• Why and how did he get into blogging?
• How has blogging improved his journalism?
• What kind of community has sprung up around BrauBlog and how has that changed his reporting?
• How does mixing reporting with opinion make journalists more transparent?
• How does being open and honest about mistakes boost credibility?

Click here to stream the interview. Or download the MP3.