Aidan Moher's A Dribble of Ink closes

[Brian G Turner]

Announcement:
http://aidanmoher.com/blog/2015/09/news/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-books/

I never understand it when people create an asset, only to let it then fail. He created a Hugo-award winning website - but would now rather write for Barnes and Noble, and put his content up exclusively up at Tor.com, instead??

I don't get it. I really don't. But then again, I've always hated seeing online communities die.

 

[millymollymo]

As a "online" community organiser, Brian you know how much time you pour into this site, even with help it's a labour of love. Balancing that with all the other things in life (family, work, stuff you enjoy) a fun thing can suddenly become a chore. Chores are easily resented. Like the local pub, an asset is only such if you use it, shop elsewhere and the outlet will close. Online there are a lot of places clamouring for attention, giving voice to the same subjects. Writing and managing content for a site such as ADI there can't be enough hours in the day. Tor.com etc, pay, it still gives an outlet for that side of things.
It's a shame to see something close, but sometimes people out grow the reason, they reach that goal and move on to new things and different goals. Sometimes things can't be passed to "fresh" hands, I think A Dribble of Ink is one of those things.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Still, it's about $50 a year or less to have a static archive of it.
This is why anything REALLY important to me is saved locally, you can't rely on continued existence of any Web Page or site, due to accident, incompetence or deliberate removal. Archive.org (The Wayback Machine) doesn't save everything.

 

[Brian G Turner]

It's a shame to see something close, but sometimes people out grow the reason

I completely agree. I just always feel immensely sad when I see online communities close down. For some reason I have it in my head that the internet is forever, therefore everything on it should also be the same. But, as in real life, things change.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I know what you mean, Brian.

A MUD I was a member of for about a decade, decade and a half disappeared, and it was a very odd, sad thing.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

For some reason I have it in my head that the internet is forever,

Set up a trust to run Chrons when you are erm ... discussing issues with guy in black.

 

[Toby Frost]

This is true. I always think that it's a terrible shame that sooner or later whoever it is that hosts the Limael's Rants page (about 300 very good short articles about writing fantasy) will stop doing so, and it will disappear as if it never existed. Frankly, the author could have had the articles bound and they would have made a very good how-to-write book.

 

[Boneman]

And surely he must know of people who'd love to take it over, keep it going? Shame, really, but it must be tremendously time-consuming.