What’s Next for Diplopundit? Need to be a Tree Some Place...

I started blogging on March 11, 2008 about a health care proposal that would have extended health coverage for the children of federal employees. That seems so long ago.

Back then Diplopundit had very few followers and about a dozen readers. We ended 2008 with some 8,000 visitors and 12,000 page views.

In September 2009, this blog hit its first 100,000 page views. Shortly after that I wrote my 1,000th blog post. We now have several more followers and many more readers. We ended 2009 with over 110,000 visitors which tallied at 13 times the number of our visitors in the previous year. Our page views increased 1,225 percent. Our subscribers went from something like eleven to over 300. These metrics are reassuring but they don't tell the whole story. I appreciated every note, every question and every learning opportunity you sent my way.

Blogging at Diplopundit has been one of the best experiences in the world -- not only because I enjoy doing it but also because it keeps my synaptic connections green. For a while I was hoping this blog could morph into an aggregator and provide a home for “endangered” bloggers. I just haven't figured out how to make that happen yet.

As we head further into 2010, I am forced to turn my attention to the future of this blog. In a short time we’ll go home. That decision has been in the works for some time. We have concluded that the time has come to exchange our long itinerant tour of the globe for a place of permanence that we can call our own. I need to be a tree and grow some roots some place. Soon we will pack out one last time, move to our new home, unpack, and get to know the neighbors. And, we’ll get acquainted with a city that we have visited many times before but never really lived in. The future will hold some challenges but hopefully, also a few more adventures.

In any case, as George Thorogood sings it -- I need to “get a haircut and get a real job.” That nine to five scene most certainly will include a dress code (oh darn!), but will also pay the bills. Still, in a world where the average life span of a blog is six months, I’d like to think that we are living our fourth life. I do not want Diplopundit to go dark, but I may not have a lot of options unless I win the lottery, or find a sugar blog daddy. Teh-heh! Neither is in great danger of happening, of course.

If you can think of a possible lifeline for this blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts. All comments and suggestions are welcomed. Private correspondence may be sent here or here. In the meantime, I’ll continue blogging until logistics or reality hit the fan. Grazie! Gracias por todo!