I started this blog almost five years ago, on November 6, 2007.
This is my 365th post and — as of today — this strangely personal collection of ideas, impressions and hypotheses has been viewed more than 200,000 times. I know that’s a drop in the ocean given the 2+ billion connected humans in the world, but it’s a staggering number to a 40-something guy in Seattle trying to do something productive with his remaining time on earth.
I am floored by the power of the Web to give any human being with a keyboard and a connected browser a voice — to offer them a platform for self-expression and connect them with others who share, or wish to challenge, their views.
More than anything, this one thread — putting magic in the hands of the many, making the gift of creation and connection available to all — is my animating passion as an investor. This blog helps keep me connected to that mission in a deeply personal way.
It has taken me a while to find a voice and rhythm as a blogger — I continue to be awed by Fred Wilson’s daily pace and Brad Feld’s clarity of vision — but I have come to love the regular discipline of shaping my messy and unformed ideas into semi-intelligible packages and casting them on the waters of the public Web for anyone to read, react to and call bullshit on.
I’ll get back to my usual rantings shortly, but today I just want to say thank you to each of you who have taken the time to visit, read, share, praise or criticize my writings and ideas over the past five years.
You make me better, smarter, happier and more motivated and I am grateful to you for it.
Thanks Chris. We deserve it.
Seriously, though… I’ve been reading your thoughts for several years now and I would like to turn that right back around to you:
You make me better, smarter, happier and more motivated and I am grateful to you for it.
Wow — thanks for the super-generous note, Jon — made my day!
Chris, I can’t say enough good things about you. You have blown me away with your smarts, work ethic, and generosity. It was a pleasure to have had you as a boss and an investor in the past, and I’m lucky to have you as an advisor and a friend today. Here’s to the next 200,000!
We’ve been on this journey together for longer than I’ve been writing about it, Rahul — thanks for your friendship and hoping we get a chance to work together again one of these days.
Congrats!!! I always enjoy seeing ‘CrashDev’ in my inbox. Great posts and it’s great to have a consistent blog resource in Seattle.
Chris, congrats on the milestone! Thanks for sharing with us, I’ve been reading for a while and have found tons of gems in your words and thoughts.
Chris, congratulations on the milestone! I’m a recent reader but your blog has been a great read on balancing the smarter and happier! Thanks and here’s to the next 365!
Thanks for the feedback, Tushar — I appreciate it!
thanks, keep up the good work!