November 20, 2005
Blogger burnout
Matt, last week everybody was talking about blog sellouts. This week, the big news will no doubt be… blog burnouts. Tech pundit and Microsoft insider Robert Scoble is pulling the plug on his Scobleizer blog. He wants his personal life back.
Here’s why:
It’s becoming more and more clear that something in my life has gotta give. I’ve got about 1,100 emails waiting. Maryam would like to have me say more than hello and goodbye to her. My son is now showing me how to play bass guitar via IM and that sounds fun. I haven’t seen a movie in months. My friends are getting ignored. The Channel 9′ers need their videos (and their foam nine guys, I have a bunch to send out). I have a book that needs writing. And then there’s the link blog.
That’s quite a commitment for no pay. It will be tough on his loyal readers, but, as he points out, there are plenty of fine tech blogs out there to fill the void.
You know what is coming next, don’t ya? Media pundits of all stripes will take Scoble’s departure as an occasion to question yet again the sustainability of blogs. Can bloggers hack the commitment? Can they be trusted to draw in readers six months from now? Six years from now? Will AOL, Yahoo and Time Inc.’s recent investments pay off or blow up in their faces?
Burnout is bound to happen. Every writer/reporter/editor/media pundit has flirted with handing in the badge and retreating for a desert island. But we like the attention, the readers, the forum to communicate with the world too. Bloggers aren’t going anywhere. But I think a few of them should take the occasional holiday to recharge the old creative juices. Speaking of which, I could use a few days off … erm, we’ll resume this offline.
