June 29, 2001

10:26 AM

End of an (albeit brief) era
Caroline Casey, of the The Age, one of Australia's finest newspapers, proclaims:
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Friday, 29 June

5.16pm: THE BLOG IS DEAD!

I was trying to think of the best way to depart – an appearance on ghost sites? a web-generated apology note? But I decided a listing of my favorite websites was best. ... Thanks for the hundreds of entertaining submissions I have received over the year.
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That's it, no explanation. I guess the weblog is a dead concept, for sure now. (More)
posted by rschram (22 comments total)

Why all these depressing post-mortems of blogs that have gone down!

Just like in the real world, stores close and new ones open. So it is with blogs. People move on to other projects, and move on to attend to their virtual lives....We've simply had enough years of the Web to be nostalgic.
posted by brucec at 10:41 AM on June 29, 2001

I guess I should have put sarcasm tags around "finest newspaper" and "That's it, no explanation." I remember the laughs I had reading the minicontroversy over citing sources that "cc" caused on MF awhile ago. What fun!

I think the neat thing about the Age weblog was that Casey always seemed so "into" posting things. The Guardian's weblog was really an impersonal extension of their news stories sections. Casey's was mostly pure fluff, which she herself said was in no way fit for publication.
posted by rschram at 10:51 AM on June 29, 2001

Oh, wow. I guess I'd better go do something else with my website. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?
posted by daveadams at 11:35 AM on June 29, 2001

I disagree with your assessment of the guardian weblog; it's damn dry right now, and has been for a little while, but when it began it was, IMO, a fine weblog. really good diverse links and a little bit snarky; further, chris was a real member of the community, always crediting other weblogs and participating in a day without weblogs. a real good citizen. I was sad to see it lose its personality. - rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 11:48 AM on June 29, 2001

Well, I guess I missed those early days of The Guardian Weblog. I think the best thing to come out of newspaper weblogs, columnist weblogs, weblog/publication fusions was that one could benefit from the "community-work" as you mention. I am not personally wedded to the weblog format, anymore.
posted by rschram at 11:52 AM on June 29, 2001

Dayum! It's dead? And I just started mine!
posted by kindall at 12:07 PM on June 29, 2001

dude, you are *so* 1999.
posted by rebeccablood at 12:18 PM on June 29, 2001

"THE BLOG IS DEAD!"

well, guess that frees me from having to update the pigeon farm today.

my afternoon will be spent drinking cherry kool-aid and playing revenge of yar.

anyone else?
posted by jcterminal at 12:43 PM on June 29, 2001

Le weblog est mort? WTF? Vive le weblog!
posted by bradlands at 1:23 PM on June 29, 2001

Hm, I may have misspoken but I believe that CC's point was that her weblog is dead, as in, she's not posting anymore. It's just that I take her as a barometer of sorts.
posted by rschram at 2:23 PM on June 29, 2001

I'm with kindall - this sucks since I just started mine up. Oh well, I'm always late to the party. Sigh.

Maybe I'll scratch up an E-Commerce idea now and try to get some VC funding headed for an IPO.
posted by kokogiak at 2:39 PM on June 29, 2001

I predict the weblog is about to go through a long period of being uncool. Long as in, oh, about a year. After that, it will be stylishly retro, and those of us who hang on despite the interim reputation damage will then be considered tres hip.

Like Star Trek, I'm hanging on no matter how uncool it gets.
posted by frykitty at 2:42 PM on June 29, 2001

(I think "the weblog" has been declared "dead" at least "4" distinct times on metafilter in the last two years. just so y'all know.)
posted by rebeccablood at 2:45 PM on June 29, 2001

i'm with frykitty on this one... ::rocks the spock ears shouting "chaka, when the walls fell!" like nobody's business::
posted by lotsofno at 3:13 PM on June 29, 2001

"[T]he weblog" has been declared "dead" at least "4" distinct times on metafilter in the last two years.

How might we test this hypothesis, rcb?
posted by rschram at 3:15 PM on June 29, 2001

I love Blogs with much gusto, but part of what I like about `em, is their temporary nature. You find a good one, you love it, you get bored, you move on. Blogs die.
You'll find another, just like.... puppies.
posted by dong_resin at 5:47 PM on June 29, 2001

Maybe that was a bit dark.
posted by dong_resin at 5:48 PM on June 29, 2001

Nah...
posted by fooljay at 6:26 PM on June 29, 2001

yadda yadda yadda yadd yad ya y .
posted by Opus Dark at 6:37 PM on June 29, 2001

that puppies comment made baby jesus cry.
posted by lotsofno at 6:47 PM on June 29, 2001

Ah damn, and I just totally overhauled and redesigned mine. Still, y'know what? So long as I have somewhere to vent, comment, narrate, link, and give a multitude of opinions, the blog can be as uncool as real fur coats and I'll keep on writing. Isn't that what it's all about, anyway?
posted by emc at 1:16 PM on July 1, 2001

Here's hoping that weblogs die as many deaths as Rock 'n' Roll has.
posted by harmful at 7:46 AM on July 2, 2001