Hello, I Must be Going: The End of This Blog

Both regular readers of this blog have been pestering me lately about what’s happened, why I haven’t written a new post since before they left for vacation.

It’s because it’s time to fork this blog.

For good.

Last week I started a job with the federal government. I’m now a webbist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, part of a communications team devoted to food safety. I’ll be helping  use the web, social media and digital technologies to do public service. [See site links below.]

Which is to say: 2.Oh. . .Really. As in for real. As in practicing what I’ve preached. In public. Of, by and for the public.

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Which brings us to this blog, the one that so recklessly–indeed without pity, temperance, empathy or foresight!--poked a stick in the eye of those who dared to blunder around with social media technologies to actually accomplish things.

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Oh, it gets worse. The blog topics I’ve hurled tinfoil thunderbolts at create so many potential conflicts of interest the neck snaps:

The future of media, and the persistent misdeeds of legacy news companies? They cover food safety issues all the time. Tzzzztz!

Health 2.0, and the persistent misdeeds of those who seek to use digital technology to do. . .well, all kinds of stuff? Deeply involved with public health, federal agencies, private companies and political interests. Tzzzztz!

Web 2.0 technology generally, and the persistent misdeeds of those who are selling and evangelizing such technologies? My team will be using such technologies. We already are. Tzzzztz!

Government 2.0, and the federal agencies that. . .TZZZZT!

Politics 2.0, and . . . .TZZZZZZZTTTZZZ!!!!!!!!

I think you see what I’m up against. I’d rather stick a fork in this blog rather than a lobotomy needle in its brain. Or, far worse, compromise my ability to do the people’s work without fear or favor. I work for you now. You should demand I be independent and unentangled or tainted by even a perception of conflict of interest.

Oh, sure, I could reinvent myself as a private-citizen blogger.

Hey, maybe I’ll blog a moving personal memoir about a bright-eyed lad from Cleveland who came to Washington many years ago to pursue his destin–ZZZZZZZZZA, A-OOOH-GA! A-OOHH-GA!!!!!@#@#?! DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!

No. Better to do the thinkable and retire from blogging.

[Brief pause to feign serious reflection.]

Yup, that’s my decision. Retire from blogging. And I’m stickin’ with it.

So: Thanks for subscribing. Thanks for commenting. And Retweeting. And saving to Delicious. Etc.

But mostly, thanks for reading.

I mean that.

Really.

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Sites and tools my colleagues and I will have a hand in:

• Food Safety & Inspection Service agency site.
• Multi-agency consumer-oriented food safety site, foodsafety.gov, led by my friends at the Department at Health and Human Services. [Redesign/relaunch due soon.]
• Food Safety Working Group, reflecting the administration’s commitment to transparency and civic engagement in food supply safety.
• Multiple Twitter feeds, widgets, YouTube channels, etc.