X
Business

Happy New Year and Adieu, dear readers

I've been writing for Ziff-Davis, ZD Net and their many facets for almost two decades. It is just a few months short of 19th anniversary of the first time my byline appeared in MacWEEK, in fact, as I write this last posting at Rational Rants.
Written by Mitch Ratcliffe, Contributor

I've been writing for Ziff-Davis, ZD Net and their many facets for almost two decades. It is just a few months short of 19th anniversary of the first time my byline appeared in MacWEEK, in fact, as I write this last posting at Rational Rants. As the trade press morphed, ZD Net graciously continued to give me the benefit of its pages to talk with you. It has been very good to be in dialogue with all of you, dear readers, as well as with my fellow ZD bloggers.

Throughout all that time, even in the midst of the Y2K "crisis" when I was disparaged by nut jobs and profiteers while running the ZDY2K site, that vast majority of you have been very kind in your assessments and comments on my writing. When I wrote badly or made mistakes you pointed out the errors with constructive good spirit and I've appreciated it, even when kicking myself and, unfortunately, sometimes letting my temper show rather than directing it at the sole author of the problematic writing. A writer can only wish to do better as they hone their craft and to have understanding readers, like you.

We have agreed despite our disagreements, which is what makes all this worthwhile. Moreover, if it weren't for this blog, I doubt very much I'd be walking and earning a living. I've been very fortunate to be published here on ZD Net.

Since I recovered from my neck surgery last year, I've been increasingly focused on solving business problems for companies rather than writing. After all these years, I have decided to join a company that I have not started or helped to launch, because that's where the next steps in "the constantly changing boundary between media and social networks" will be taken (the quote is from the mission statement of this blog). Using massive amounts of information within an enterprise to create intimate and valuable connections with customers is the greatest challenge in publishing, and I've taken a job with just about the biggest company imaginable to tackle that problem.

I'll be continuing to blog at BooksAhead.com on the future of reading, there's even something new today. I can no longer promise even the infrequent contributions I've made here on other topics, because there is wide swath of issues about which I will not be able to write without seeming to represent my new employer's views.

Again, everyone, thank you very much. Write whenever you can.

Editorial standards