Online News Squared ^TM

Squared’s attention to Squared has appallingly declined since he left Mama Tribune six months ago, as those of you who visit or get fed have noticed. Curiously, the going premise after the Package Fairy visited was there’d be plenty of time to focus on Squared during the “sabbatical.” 

Turns out there was the time; there just, as every day passed, was less and less interest in blogging about online news, in general, and the entire upheaved and upheaving media space, in particular.

Sporadic blather and half-hearted fits and starts aren’t good enough for you guys. So let’s officially call it a day and, nearly five years after we began chronicling the online news space, pop the freeze frame button. At least  for now.  And move on to other things and other ways of communicating those things.

(And no, Squared didn’t decide this because Wired has officially declared blogging  to be washed up , altho he thought many valid points were made. That Squared found that Wired link on what has become a rare Romenesko  visit was more telling. In the old days, Romenesko or his feed were a multiple-times-a-day must. Now? Twice a week, maybe.) 

There are plenty of other very smart and helpful folks writing and blogging and tweeting and whatevering about the online news space; many of them are in Squared’s blogroll (which hasn’t been updated in months; problem personified). You know who they are and where they are. And you’ve got all the tools to find ’em and use ’em. (And a neat brand new one you should check out, Twine. Squared may actually reappear in a setting  like that at some point). 

Squared hoped attending ONA 2008 last month in DC would get him recharged and back to blogging about the space. It was a great conference, but no dice on the inspiration front.

Frankly, some of what’s going on now in the space has become just turn of the screw stuff and variations on a theme. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. That’s in no way to be dismissive about the new and interesting things still being done out there; Squared just doesn’t have that much interest for now in tracking and chewing on them to the degree that he once did.

Facebook and LinkedIn are where Squared’s alter ego spends almost all of his networking time now. Twitter was indeed something that Squared and SBAnderson and even MistyBeagle got more juiced about at ONA, but prattle-on-ers that we are, we’ve had a hard time getting our paws and minds around that puny character limit. But we’re going to work at it.

So SBAnderson and sometimes Squared will catch you in the other places. Just not here — for now. 

So long. Keep in touch.

Sit Ubu. Sit.Good dog!

2 responses so far ↓

• 1 John Cutter // Oct 28, 2008 at 8:40 pm

  Scott, Thanks for the ride, and the last line. Love Ubu. JC