First, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has posted on this thread and in response to my posts on the GNET thread. No matter what happens, the outpouring of support has really helped a lot during what could otherwise be an extremely tough time for me. As good an indicator of my part in the community as any. And it's also helped me to make some decisions I would've otherwise had trouble making. More on that later...
However, as some of you have speculated, I can't really imagine a scenario in which I would want to come back as an employee under the current regime. And the regime isn't going to change, so you know the conclusion that leads to...
This community is very important to me and always has been. The first time I was quoted in an article (I think it was WSJ), I said the following: "This is the kind of job you love so much, you'd gladly do it for free." That's because it's not about a "job" or a "paycheck" or even "options". It's self-actualizing to be so integral a part of a community you love. That I was able to be so while getting (more than) enough to eat is one of those things very few lucky people ever experience.
Silicon Investor isn't InfoSpace and it's not Go2Net. It's not me, it's not Jeff, and it's not mikecod.
It's a community that was given its name by the Dryer brothers (who continue to be real heros to me, as is my dear friend Jill). They didn't give it life, though. All of us did. Brad and Jeff understood "community" and didn't bandy it about as a sound-bite. They built the town the way they felt it should be built, and the community showed up.
Some of you, who have stuck around that long, might remember what it was that caused SI to become a viable venue for the community. A hint: "Prodigy". Those who know also know what my "more later..." means.
Venues come and go and communities perpetually evolve. But the community's existence is a constant. And should be the first part of any thought about the venue by those who make venue-changing and community-impacting decisions.
That, in a nutshell is the "it" I've referred to in my oft-repeated sermons about "getting it" about online communities.
Did I just digress in a major way? Well, at least you know for sure it's really me. :)
Back to the point: I very much appreciate the support. But the stated purpose of the thread is in vain. I'm not into "never", but I can't picture any scenario happening in which I would come back. And I know I wouldn't be wanted back.
Yes, the community wants me back (again, you have no idea how much I appreciate it), but this is not a matter that the community can influence here. Ask yourself when the last time was...
I'll always be around. I'm into the market. You're into the market. I'm into the kind of camaraderie that is possible in a place where only the minds meet and biases based on gender, age, appearance, religion, etc are left at the city limits. Communities based on this will always exist, no matter where they end up existing. And I'll be there too.
Bob |
