Bustin' Out: Blogging Full Time
We’ve been mumbling for some time now about quitting our day job to devote ourselves full-time to blogging. Well, by this time next week, that dream will be a reality. For a variety of reasons, we’re going to have to keep a low profile for a few more weeks, but we’ll be throwing a coming…
We’ve been mumbling for some time now about quitting our day job to devote ourselves full-time to blogging. Well, by this time next week, that dream will be a reality. For a variety of reasons, we’re going to have to keep a low profile for a few more weeks, but we’ll be throwing a coming out party by house tour season for sure.
So what does this mean? In addition to no longer dreading getting out of bed in the morning, we’ll have a lot more time to focus on building the content of the site. The first sign of this will come on March 1 when we launch a new Contractor Ratings feature (hey, at least the brokerate.com software was good for something!). We’re looking for a few beta testers in the meantime, so if you’ve had occasion to use a GC, plumber, carpenter, etc. in recent months and wouldn’t mind spending a few minutes uploading some info and kicking the tires on the new site, please drop us an email at brownstoner@brownstoner.com. We’re also about ready with some new slide show technology that will let us start doing more interiors and renovation features. In addition, we are already working on some off-line events for the Brownstoner community (more on those later).
Until now, there has not been a lot of pressure for the site to generate income, a luxury which goes out the window with this move. Obviously we think the trade-off of a few more ads will be more than worth the benefit to the site of our full-time attention. And although we don’t think Brownstoner’s going to feel any more commercial going forward, we are going to spend some time trying to increase the number of direct ads on both this site and Brooklyn Record, as Google ads won’t exactly pay the mortgage. The one thing we would ask of our readers would be to please participate in the reader survey we’re going to put up in the next few days. While it’s primarily to help us get a clearer picture of reader demographics for the purpose of selling ads, we bet there are more than a few of you who will be curious to hear the results.
In the meantime, we’d like to thank everyone who has sent us tips, participated in discussions and contributed content over the past two years. The next two should be even more fun!
Cheers,
Mr. B
Yeah, you deserve to make money doing Brownstoner related stuff. Your online “promotion” of Brooklyn has helped make a lot of people a lot of money in Brooklyn real estate. It’s time to claim a slice of the pie.
I have mixed feelings regarding the potential success of a contractor rating site. Most people in the real estate investment business, like myself, will not recommend my contractors because the last thing I need is for them to be more busy then they already are.
There’s a reason only a few names are ever recommended on this site and it’s not because a lot of us don’t know good, affordable contractors.
It’s like a chef giving away his secret recipe — won’t happen.
You’ll get the guys who are looking for work rating themselves.
Good work and good luck, Mr. B. I can’t see why anyone would have any problem with more ads at the site. As long as everything’s transparent and you keep church and state separate, who cares? That’s how for-profit publications keep themselves afloat… unless all your good readers volunteer to pay a handsome subscription fee.
I just went to etsy.com for the first time. I consider myself a fairly with-it person and I have no idea whether or not the site is a joke. I clicked on “toys” and found the scariest looking sock puppet I have ever seen for 9 dollars.
What about selling the site to yahoo or google for a cool 200 Million like those myspace people??
Congratulations, Mr. B. I have no doubt that you will be an unqualified success.
When you find yourself hating to get up and go to work, it’s a sure sign from the universe that it’s time for a change. I’m looking forward to seeing the new changes, and hopefully meeting you and the other folks at many events.
Welcome to the world of self employment. It can be very scary, yet so very rewarding. All the best.
We’ll be shacking up with folks at Etsy.com for the near future…
Congratulations! Will you now be the new guy with the laptop and the hoodie hanging out in Choice Market?
Well done my friend.
I was wondering when you were going to make the official announcement. It must feel great to get all this support and encouragement from your community of readers.
-whitbo
Congratulations Mr. B. I’m sure you’ll do well.