It wasn't that long ago everyone (or so it seemed) was asking everyone else, "do you have a blog?" Or worse, "do you blog?" In the past week, two of my favorite bloggers â€" or people I choose to call "people who write blogs," as I try not to use blog as a verb â€" announced they were going to stop blogging, or writing blogs, or whatever.
On September 4 came the announcement on my little brother David Postman's blog that he is "leaving The Seattle Times. I'm also leaving journalism, at least for the next phase of my career. I am going to work for Vulcan, Inc., the company founded and led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. I will be doing media relations for the company." Talk about a sellout! And how did I find out about it? On his blog. He never calls.
David is chief political blogger for the Seattle Times. Journalism and blogging were but two of the many things he set out to in life in which he seriously kicked my butt. He flew in the governor's helicopter covering the Exxon Valdez spill. He met President Bush. In high school, he had an awesome Austin Healey "Bugeye" Sprite. And a vintage Honda into which I accidentally poured a 5-gallon "jerry can" of rusty water. (Dave, I'm really sorry about that.) In the 60s, growing up, my brother was known on Templeton Ct. as "Little Davey." It was such a cool nickname, that when the family moved away from Sunnyvale, California, there were two other Davids on the block, and the younger of the two, asked, "Hey, do I get to be 'Little Davey' now?" Of course the answer was no. Sorry pal. There is only one Little Davey. Good luck on your new venture, Little Davey!
One day later, Michael Tangeman, who up until recently was not a "Knight Who Said 'Ni!" but up until recently did write the Media Mindshare blog, announced that he has decided to stop blogging. Michael is a solid writer, with a keen eye for news and a sharp analytical mind. I have always enjoyed his blog. He's a fellow Humboldt State University alumni. Michael decided to stop blogging because he wondered, as many of us do, whether he still had something worth saying, and whether there was a world beyond his blog. Michael concludes his two year foray into blogging believing there is a "case for the advancement of both traditional media and online media hand-in-hand â€" rather than the supplanting of the former by the latter." He wonders if his focus on his blog has interfered with his more active participation in this process.
As the number of people writing blogs continues to grow, there will naturally be in an increase in the number of people who quit blogging to go on to something else, something bigger and better, something perhaps more rewarding. I think it's very healthy to break out of something quotidian and comfortable and go on to take the next step, whatever it is.
Tags: David Postman, Seattle Times, Michael Tangeman, Political blogger, Postman on Politics, Media Mindshare
Link to original post