Monday, August 31, 2009

Happy 3-Year Anniversary, DanShanoff.com

Three years ago today, I filed the final edition of the Daily Quickie on ESPN.com and welcomed readers at a new blog: DanShanoff.com. And 2,137 posts later, things are still going strong.

I say this on every anniversary of this date: What a truly amazing experience this has been (and continues to be), for three big reasons:

(1) What remains a terrific connection with (and my daily gratefulness for) your continued attention, feedback and support.

(2) Getting to know so many folks in the sports-blog universe -- both the "indie" writers and the increasing number within traditional media, a welcome development.

(3) The chance to be even a small part of this game-changing platform in how sports media is produced -- and consumed.

A few of the highlights of the past year, at least for me:

*The birth of my second child last October.

(Let's be honest: Everything else is a distant runner-up to that.)

*Launching TimTeblog.com this summer (and, as a fan, the wild ride to Florida's national championship a season ago -- ha: remember the posts after the Ole Miss loss?)

*The rapid proliferation of Twitter as a medium where everyone -- bloggers and fans alike -- can instantly weigh in on breaking news, share recommended links and more.

*The continued opportunity to write a daily column for SportingNews.com, which I hope you all have enjoyed as much as I have enjoyed putting it together every morning.

*My increasingly frequent posts about the state of sports media, which remains a true passion of mine and will continue to be something I enjoy analyzing here.

*All our Daily Quickie Readers prediction competitions. (Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Quickie Readers groups of ESPN.com's Pigskin Pick 'Em and College Pick 'Em!)

*What you wouldn't know, but I don't mind revealing: I spent the early part of this summer working on a book proposal. It remains a work-in-progress, but I hope to solve that soon.

Looking ahead to the next year, you know what I'm struck by most? That next June, I will have been publishing this blog longer than I wrote the Daily Quickie. We'll talk about it more then.

In the meantime, the biggest thing is that I cannot thank you enough for your support. You pay me the highest compliment simply by stopping by to connect with me each day.

That alone continues to make this worth it.

Many thanks.

-- D.S.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations on this milestone. Having been a fan of the Daily Quickie and your subsequent blog, I always look forward to reading your insights. I can't believe it's been 3 years.

Our 2nd son was just born on Saturday & I can agree that everything else is a distant second.

Congratulations again and best wishes for many more years of The Sporting Blog, Varsity Dad and yes, even Tim Teblog.

Jeff Morrow
Clarksville, TN

Robyn said...

Gosh, it seems like just yesterday I sent you congrats for the 2-year anniversary!

DanShanoff.com is my first stop for sports news every day. I figure if there is something important I need to know, you will have touched on it in some way.

I also follow with interest your thoughts on the ever-changing media landscape. I spent 16 years of my work life in the newspaper business, and can't help but feel a lot of sadness for what is happening to the industry. Back in '99, the paper I worked for spent 90 million dollars on a new printing plant. I saw the handwriting on the wall even then -- I joked to a colleague that the money might be better spent buying every subscriber a computer and sending them each their news electronically. Ten years later here we are, and I find your perspectives on the mainstream media fascinating and at the same time, sad.

Keep up the great work...

Robyn Zimmann
Dayton, OH