Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Pittsblog to Wind Down

Anyone still following Pittsblog out there (Bueller? Bueller?) has noticed that the pace of posting over the last year has . . . slowed . . . down. The reason is simple: The rest of my life (teaching, writing, traveling, speaking; family; even the occasional other blog or two) has gotten increasingly busy. I haven't had time to put real energy into Pittsblog -- to keep up with what's happening in the region, to follow good and great blogs here, to say anything that folks might want to read. It's been a fun ride, but it's time to move on. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll post some wrap-ups of a sort. Then you -- or I -- will cut the cord. The blog as a whole will stay up as long as Google will have it.

In Pittsburgh, I'll be investing some of my region-rebuilding enthusiasm in the local entrepreneurship community. Pitt's Law School, where I teach, will be developing a law-and-entrepreneurship program over the next year, and I'll be helping with that project. Don't ask for details. We don't yet know what this will look like.

Beyond Pittsburgh, I will be blogging more frequently at my law-and-tech blog, madisonian.net, which is produced in collaboration with a group of like-minded law professors around the U.S. If you're curious about my mild-mannered law professor identity (Britt Reid, if you will), that's where you'll find it. And I still pitch an occasional inning or two for Blog-Lebo, which chronicles goings-on in the seething cauldron that Pittsburghers know as Mt. Lebanon.

14 comments:

Jim Russell said...

I'm not sure what you can do for an encore after answering the Ultimate Question.

Corey Grone said...

That's too bad, I just found this blog about a month ago, and have enjoyed the last few posts. I will have to go back to the archives, I suppose.

Mike Madison said...

Jim et al.,
As future wind-down posts will make clear, my commitment to the IntoPittsburgh project will not diminish!
Mike

TextMessage said...

I just found this blog as well. I currently live in Philly but as a Pittsburgh ex-pat I loved reading your blog. It provided much needed insight into the future of Pittsburgh and actually made me look forward to moving back to Pittsburgh at some point. Good luck with IntoPittsburgh. I think it's a brilliant idea. Thank you.

Jefferson Provost said...

Bummer.

Woy said...

I'm sad to hear that you'll be winding down Pittsblog! This truly is a great Pittsburgh blog and I really did enjoy it over the year(s).

Excellent tag w/ 42. Awesome.

Anonymous said...

Will miss this blog -- it was the pointer to many useful things about Pittsburgh and also it made me feel like I wasn't the only frustrated "outsider".

Burgher Jon said...

Mike,

It will be a shame to see you leave the Pittsburgh blogging scene. This blog was one of the ones that brought reason to the primitive jungle of pittsburgh politics and policy.

Any chance one could persuade you to begin blogging about the local entrepreneurship community? I am trying to bring some more exposure to it (particularly from the IT Startup perspective, since that is my industry) through my blog and there are some others touching the subject as well... but I think you could provide a different perspective since you will be involved in the study of the local community rather then an overly embeded part. I would be happy to help in any way I could if you undertook such an effort.

Burgher Jon

Mike Madison said...

All,
In time, I'll be open to guestblogging and guestposting and maybe even groupblogging, but for now I need the time and -- as I'll explain shortly in additional posts -- Pittsburgh's entrepreneurial community is starting to get itself together to the point that it's fair to expect them (it?) to do their own cheerleading. Snoop around and you'll see (that's the colloquial you, not any particular you) that IW and the PTC have started to do just that.

Bram Reichbaum said...

Why cut the cord entirely? At the very least, you travel in circles where you learn of interesting events that the rest of us don't hear about. Consider leaving it up only as a calendar of sorts to post notable events, or notable links.

I just don't like to see the brainy bit of the blogosphere shrink, I guess. Vaya con dios.

Schultz said...

Mike Madison, aka the godfather of Pittsblogging, thank you for helping to shape today's burghosphere. I've been reading Pittsblog since '04 and it was the a big reason why I started blogging.

I agree with Bram that you should keep the blog up and occasionally post interesting tidbits here and there.

See you around town!

O said...

That's a shame, Mike. I've always enjoyed your stuff. Where are we all supposed to go for in depth cupcake analysis now?

Alan Veeck said...

Mike - sorry to see this source of discussion go.

I think you are right-on about the growth of our local entrepreneurial community - I, too, see many reasons to think we are on the right path.

Any chance we can ask you to do the occasional guest blog over at Pittsburgh Ventures?

Thanks for your service.

Mike Madison said...

Alan -- Absolutely. Mike