Vaping helps thousands of die-hard smokers quit cigarettes and tobacco. But that's not the image reflected in policy decisions, aggressive campaigns and sloppily written articles in our mainstream media. For 25 SEK a month, or more, you can help me as a vejpar to monitor and highlight important issues that affect the future of vejping and smoking cessation in Sweden. From a different perspective.
PATREON ROADMAP - EASY AND SIMPLE - $25/month
THE GUIDE TO SWISH (Mathisson Media) - 1231093830
Do you want to help me run Vejpkollen? I have a Patreon where you can 'subscribe' to what I do. The money goes in full to produce Vejpkollen. The goal is for the site to be a fixed point for news about vejping and e-cigarettes - by and for users in Sweden. But to make it a reality, funding is needed.
And that's where you come in.
You can support Vejpkollen financially. SEK 25 (or more for those who wish) per month means a lot to me.
If you don't feel like supporting on a monthly basis, you can also contribute with one-off payments via Swish (my company name is Mathisson Media) Number: 1231093830
Many streams, as they say!
Why is Vejpkollen needed?
E-cigarettes are often discussed in closed rooms, at government level and among politicians. Today, only certain interest groups have access and influence in these discussions. They are often ideologically driven, moneyed organizations whose goal is not really to help smokers quit smoking. Their aim is to remove all non-medical nicotine products from the market. They often receive government funding, but also raise money from other stakeholders who have an interest in the issues they promote.
It is understandable that the e-cigarette industry and entrepreneurs are not allowed to participate in direct talks. But to completely shut it out large group of users that exist in society is not right, especially as other interest groups are allowed to participate in the conversation.
Vejpkollen is YOUR voice!
Vejpkollen is a platform where the voice of vejp people should matter. E-cigarettes are a product that can change lives. At the same time, the technology is treated as a threat in the Swedish political discussion. My goal is to raise the issues in different ways to the politicians who make the decisions. I want them to realize that their decisions have major consequences for consumers and entrepreneurs working with e-cigarettes. I want them to consider the role that the availability of e-cigarettes plays in reducing smoking in society. That e-cigarettes, by being appealing and accessible, actually have an impact on public health in general - and for today's (and tomorrow's) smokers in particular.
How do I work with Vejpkollen?
News is at the heart of Vejpkollen. I work in exactly the same way as I would on any trade magazine. What is important to readers? Why is it important? What do you want to read about? What is relevant? Are there multiple sides to an issue? Who gets to speak?
I make a news rating, i.e. assessing the priority of one article in relation to others. But I also try to balance the content so that it does not become monotonous.
My order of priorities at the moment:
1. articles that directly concern Swedish vejpare and entrepreneurs.
2. articles that primarily concern vejpare in the EU, but may eventually also consequences in Sweden.
3. articles on research on vejpning, which in one way or another increases the knowledge of the technology also for Swedish vejpers and entrepreneurs.
4. Overseas news that interest, but do not necessarily directly affect, Swedish vejpers and businesses.
5. articles based on different the work of interest groups and campaigns. May include reports, statements and debates from around the world.
And so on. The list of headlines is long and growing all the time. What's more, breaking news appears all the time.
Does it make economic sense?
Answer: no, not really - money was not the reason I started work on Vejpkollen. But that's not to say that it's not a dream to be able to get funding for the project. At times, through grants, I am able to take time off from my day job to monitor, travel, interview, write photos and distribute articles. But often I produce articles in the evening, when the family is asleep and the dog is walked. In the future, I hope that Vejpkollen can bring enough income to make journalism at least a part-time job. But it all depends on the support of readers and industry players. If I can get 100 Patreons it opens up many possibilities...
Why don't companies advertise in Vejpkollen?
Companies selling e-cigarettes (and other products regulated as tobacco or similar products) in Sweden must not pay for anything that could be perceived as "marketing". Vejpkollen is by all means not marketing, it is journalism, but it is The Consumer Agency that decides in each individual case. And while technically possible, it is not possible to build a media site on a long-term basis using paid advertising. This is not to say that companies cannot also support an activity that is relevant to their business. A supporting subscription to a trade magazine is perfectly permissible!
190 articles since inception
I see Vejpkollen as a long-term project. The site has been active since the fall of 2019 and today has an average of 500 readers a week. I promote Vejpkollen via social media, mainly Facebook, but I am constantly working to optimize the site so that it is visible on various search engines. Currently (September 2022) there are 225 articles on the site (an average of one new article per week). It includes news on everything from small and large studies to political decisions and reports on individual vejpers and entrepreneurs active in the vejp world in Sweden.
Hopefully, the content can be broader in the future, through features and longer interviews from the Swedish vejp mill. But it depends on time and money of course.
The future of Vejpkollen
Of course, I want to be able to develop Vejpkollen, or rather the idea behind the site, into something that also affects smokers and vejpers outside the internet. Information material, lectures and other useful events and seminars are some ideas on the list. It all depends on what the conditions are.
In the end, it is you, the users/readers, who decide!
If you've made it this far, I may have persuaded you to become part of the Vejpkollen project. Think about it! Go to Patreon and find out what options are available to contribute in a way that suits you! You'll need to connect a debit card to transfer money on a monthly basis, but it's no stranger than a direct debit. And of course you can stop whenever you want! Link to You can find Get me a coffee HERE!
If someone prefers to support in another way (for example via SWISH), you can do so here: 1231093830 (please mark the message with "Vejpkollen")
