Thursday, January 16, 2014

Blog Update!

I know, I know... I haven't posted anything since July and based upon some of the feedback I've received
some of you are wondering why. Unlike the late Andy Moulden, no I haven't died.  No I haven't learned something that has convinced me that antivaxxers might actually be right. No it isn't because "big pharma" is no longer paying me to write blog posts. (For the record they never were... but I haven't convinced my detractors of that fact) No it isn't because the threats of the antivaxxers finally worked or that I fear for my safety if I happen to post again. The truth is, I have been researching, writing, producing, and publishing a lot of new content. The only difference is I'm actually publishing on a much more popular website that gets thousands of unique visitors each day, and as a result I have scaled back my posting here.

The reality is that the amount of time I spent working on blog posts is finite, and therefore after working on material for the other site I simply don't have much time to write here. If I'm honest, I also have to admit this blog doesn't garner nearly the attention of the other site, so it makes more sense to post new material there rather than here. It is also nice to have a larger group of readers who respond to posts and add their own commentary, and I must admit it is nice to have a team of writers producing blog posts - so if I don't feel like posting for a week or two I know there is someone else producing great content. I also have the benefit of feeding off of the other contributors and it is almost like having a group of editors working with me. I have had contributors to this blog over the past several years but it was still up to me to do the actual publishing and final editing of the posts, so having an actual 'team' of writers is a refreshing change.

I'd love to provide a link to my new home, but I have an agreement in place that I won't associate or cross-post between this blog, and the other site. I also post under a different name at my new home, so I'm afraid it won't be easy to find me (although that is by somewhat by design as well since I don't need by "biggest fans" trolling me everywhere I go). The keen-eyed among you might find it on your own of course, but I just can't link to it directly. Of course writing for another site does have limitations. I no longer have 100% editorial control and my posts may not always be published. I also have to maintain a certain relationship with the readers, so I can't really run around calling people "idiots" even though the label is often well-deserved. For the most part however, the experience thus far has been fantastic. We have a growing readership, the quality and quantity of material being produced continues to improve, and even the site itself is more polished and professional (say what you will about Blogger - it just isn't designed for high volume traffic and has a LOT of limitations).

Fret not however, I'm not saying I will never post here. There may be times it makes more sense to post something here rather than the other site, and in those cases I might add a quick update. There are also times when I want to share something I've found elsewhere but simply don't have time to do a complete analysis or write a lengthy blog post about it - and in those cases I may just post a paragraph or two pointing to an article or site of interest. In fact, I have half a dozen ideas that I've been collecting and simply haven't had the opportunity to write about, so you might see some of them pop up here in the next few weeks or months. I do thank you for your comments, feedback, and encouragement over the past few years. It is because of you (and the existence of vaccine conspiracy theorists) that I have kept creating new content and why I have stayed involved. Without you - the readers and those who offer their comments - this blog wouldn't exist, so I thank you for your contributions and I hope our paths cross in the future. In fact, several of the individuals who have contributed or commented here in the past few years have commented at the other site already - so this is far from a goodbye.