A Farewell to Blogs

First, let me apologize to any Hemingway fans out there. Anyone who has ever read this blog knows I am no Hemingway.

I have been thinking about shutting down the blog for some months now, and given the dearth of posts lately, you can see I have been acting on that without more. So this is a formal farewell, at least to the DLB.

What prompted it? I suppose the deathblow was this piece in Crain's - the source of so many posts these last few years -- about many bloggers packing it in. 

Which type of retiring blogger am I? In descending order of importance (and most of which are in the story), to wit:

1. Out of Material: I have always said that I am not going to write here unless I think I have something worthwhile to say. And by and large I am running out of those things, at least enough to post regularly. For a blog to be good it has to be refreshed regularly.  And if I can't do something well, I'd rather not do it.  Except golf.
   
2. Different Outlets: A writing outlet for me still exists on Twitter, a more short form of microblogging that forces brevity.  Those of you who read here know I am not good at brevity otherwise.  Additionally, this is A Farewell to Blogs, not A Farewell to Blogging or writing for that matter.  This means I am still open to guest posting, to perhaps joining someone else's venture down the road and other forms of writing such as magazine articles, journal pieces and the like.  So if you see my name popping up somewhere, don't write me to say I am a hypocrite.  Heck, I even reserve the right to post something here if I find something really, really compelling to say.
   
3. Writing, Reward and Priorities: Yes, it is nice to be recognized and have a little notoriety in the business.  But I am stuck between a rock and a hard place as a lawyer. Writing about real estate litigation isn't my thing as a rule. Writing about my deals? Not generally something I do, and even when I do it is only after it is disclosed in the media and with my client's consent. And I am not a reporter.  Legal and personal ethics prevent me from disclosing some of the best stuff anyway. Furthermore, the time I spend blogging is better spent talking to clients or prospective clients.  And if I am not doing that, then I should be exercising, golfing, spending time with my family and doing things other than sitting in front of my big honking PC monitor. I never had a major expectation that the blog would ever attract any clients, and by and large, I was right.

All that said, blogging has been a great experience.  I have met some terrific people that I would otherwise not have.  I have had to think about the business side of deals more rather than focusing merely on mechanics, which has made me a better counselor. But now it is time to ficus on that lawyering, before I up and stop doing that too!  It has been a fabulous ride.  I thank all of you for reading, and I'll be seeing you around this vast realm of cyberspace we call the Internet.

--David