Readers,
Over the past three-plus years, I have been working to uncover the development news that you have wanted to read, and I'm proud to say that I believe I've built a pretty good product.
But my savings can't last forever, and, despite my best attempts to make Building Cincinnati a full-time endeavor, it's just not working. Modern life demands a modern income, which this website just can't provide.
It no longer seems economically viable for me to continue spending 50-60 hours a week researching, attending meetings, interviewing, photographing, writing, illustrating, and posting.
It's a very tough decision, whether to continue this website or to end up taking some job for which I have no passion. I am extremely passionate about development news. I love the work. I love the interesting people I've been able to meet and the interesting places I've had the opportunity to explore.
How often do people get to do what they love?
So, I'm mulling it over and spending these next few days making one last-ditch effort at saving this labor of love. I really hope that I can find a solution.
Thank you for your enduring trust and support, and I hope to be back soon.
Kevin
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Building Cincinnati likely to fold
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45 comments:
Extreamly sadened to read this Kevin. I think your diligence and hard work over the past 3 years have created one of the best media outlets in the city. I can always rely on your articles to be more in-depth, balanced, factual, trustworty and important than The Enquirer or any of the major TV news networks, coupled with their crappy website articles.
I hope you find a way to keep this alive, but hard times often call for difficult decisions.
Maybe a last swing at for PR around UC and XU campus', around creative class hang outs and bars to attract more views, then attempt to grab a few advertisers? Just throwing out ideas. Good Luck!
Very sad to hear this. Building Cincinnati is one of the best blogs in the city and always has great information. I would be very sorry to see it go. I hope you can keep it alive, even if it's only a part-time venture.
what about a marketing campaign for donations similar to wiki?
Kevin,
You've done a tremendous job with this site--the pictures alone are worth stopping by. Have you thought about creating a partnership with other blogs, such as Soapbox? Whatever you do, please don't let your passion die! Contribute a post or two to Urban Cincy or any of the other local blogs.
Your blog's absence will be a definite loss for this community. I hope you can find a way to continue in some fashion or another.
Thanks for the great reading and best of luck!
Kevin I too am saddened , You are part of my daily reading to know whats is going on. As someone writing a everyday blog myself (although focused pretty much on preservation) I know just how much time it takes.
The reality is that you can have a huge audience and generate little in advertising revenue. It's just the nature of blogs and I certainly am not doimg it as a source of income.
I hope you find a way to make this work, you perform a valuable service to the community of providing a "one stop shop" of resources on what is going on in the development community.
I really appreciate your hard work and efforts. Cincinnati needs more people like you!
Sad to hear it Kevin, but totally understandable. Blogs can be incredibly time-consuming, with little financial reward. I know of no local blog that can provide full-time income, no matter how popular. The only professional bloggers I know of have blogs with national reach (e.g. entertainment blogs, gadget blogs).
You could run a campaign for donations, but that would most likely only provide a one-time boost - not something sustainable.
The sheer volume of quality content you produce is amazing, but maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe you could just cut back a bit, to free up time to do your other things.
That coupled with maybe a site redesign, with more sponsored spots.
Just some ideas. Good luck.
I'm sorry to hear this Kevin. In an effort to keep the blog active, I hope everyone reading this clicks on one of the Google ads!
Kevin,
This would be a major loss for Cincinnati, but I totally understand your struggle. It would be great if you continue to work on your passion and write about development news for someone on a freelance writing basis (hello Cincinnati Enquirer).
If that doesn't pan out then I wish you well in finding a full-time job with a steady income. We should talk at some point to see how we might be able to keep this going by working together.
It saddens me to read this post. Your blog is one of the most informative outlets of what is happening in Cincinnati -- and true journalism as well. I hope you are able to continue to inform us in some capacity.
Kevin - Sorry to hear this news but I have no idea how you were able to do it as long as you were. I was just glad you were. It will be missed. Hope you can do some freelance development writing and actually get paid for it!
Another comment to just say that I've enjoyed your work and hope you're able to find out a way to make it happen
This blog has been my daily read since I moved to Cincy. Please keep it going in form or another.
I agree with all the other comments - you bring a real quality of work to the local web.
It's difficult to make a decent local website into an income source, but hopefully something will come through for you to enable you to continue. You deserve it.
This site helped me a lot with learning the Cincinnati Real Estate market when I moved here 2 1/2 years ago. I hate the fact that you are potentially shutting down, I hope you find a way to make this live on. At the very least I hope you are able to find something you enjoy doing, not a menial job you hate.
Kevin probably wouldn't promote this for himself - but there is a "DONATE" button in the right hand column about halfway down the page.
If you appreciate his work, click on it and give what you can. We can help in addition to offering positive feedback on all his good work.
To echo what's been said... This is a fantastic resource and I would be sad to see it go, but I certainly understand economic realities. Thanks Kevin for all the fantastic work you've done.
I disagree with the idea that this is "one of the best blogs in Cincinnati", It is the best blog in Cincinnati. I thought you had a job that just put you in contact with the stuff you wrote about. If you only had one post a week, that would be great. Maybe a job on city council is the solution.....
I concur that your blog is the best of the Cincinnati blogs. I never knew how you were able to produce such quality work and still hold a day job. Maybe a trust fund, I hoped. As you're short of those two things, I have to just say thank you for everything you've done so far and no hard feelings towards you having to shut down the site. I just hope you can use your experience and efforts here to help you find meaningful and (at least) adequately-compensated employment. Good luck, Kevin.
When I first started reading your development posts over on Urban Ohio and later here, I thought you must have a day job in the City Blg Dept or some similar gig. Could never figure out how you got all that good information! I'll click on the donate button and hope you can keep it going.
I am so sad to hear that...I love this site. You always have the best and most informative links. I hope that you are able to continue publishing the site. Good luck,best wish and thanks so much for all the work you have put into the site over the last four years.
there's no question this is the best development site for cincy on the web. I check it daily.
Lots of news breaks on your blog, which makes this extremely relevant and better than tradition enquirer media. I cant tell you how many breaking news stories i first discovered thru your site.
PLEASE KEEP IT ALIVE!!! PLEASE!
launch a fund-raising drive like wiki
Kevin-
You have done such good work for the city for a very long time. I often wondered (and even asked once) how the heck you managed to make it work.
Your research, photography, and writing were all top-notch.
Hope you can find some work that will tie in to this passion and still provide you with a livable income.
Best of luck!
Your thorough and thoughtful work has been greatly appreciated. Whatever you decide to do, just know that you have made a big contribution to the planning community here in Cincy.
Best,
Nate
Great blog - would be sorry to see it go. I want to thank you for linking to me too.
As a blogger myself, I can relate. The Urbanophile is a massively time consuming endeavor that generates no income. Thus its life span is inherently limited. Unless something major changes, I am not extending my blog beyond this year either.
Best wishes, no matter where you end up going.
I just need to add my voice to those who've already posted. If you do fold, you will be greatly missed. Your blog is by far the best in the city. Your articles are not only well informed, but well written. I've enjoyed reading daily over the past couple years. If you do move on, please let us know where we can continue to read your work.
What a huge hole in the Cincinnati blogosphere this will leave, along with Queen City Survey, you and Dan were always my go to blogs.
Break a leg Kevin and don't let your dreams go, there has to be a job out there somewhere you can be passionate about.
I would truly hate to lose your voice and perspective, Kevin. Could you team with Randy Simes (per his offer), cut back your time, and keep your valuable work going with less of a time investment? Perhaps a combining of two great urban blogs could help improve core advertising revenue? I'm sure you've thought of these things.
Made a small donation - wish I could do more. This blog is definitely one of my daily reads, and I'd miss it like mad.
I definitely like the idea of teaming up with Randy at Urban Cincy. If you guys had a comprehensive urban blog with urban issues/ development/ preservation/ etc., you may be able to market it better. Maybe take a look at the business model of the guys over at cnati.com?
I 30th that notion! This site has information you can't get anywhere else. I really hope you are able to endure.
Just another voice wanting to chime in and say how much I enjoy reading this blog and I really hope you figure out a way to make it work. No matter what, thank you for your years of work in providing such an excellent site!
Ditto! Kevin, you are THE source for development news in Cincy. Good luck turning your passion into a profession, Building Cincy will be greatly missed.
You're blog will be missed. You should give walker evans a call before you compleeetttellly give up.
--
Walker Evans
ColumbusUnderground.com
Mobile: 614.946.0826
email: WalkerEvans@ColumbusUnderground.com
--
He runs a profitable urban blog in Columbus. He's a cool dude. You could chat.
Do something like this: http://www.andrewcusack.com/2009/08/02/crisis-in-the-coffers/
Thank you, everyone. Through this post, FB, Twitter, LinkedIn and e-mail, your kind thoughts, suggestions, and offers of help have been overwhelming.
I will let you know that I'm using my free time constructively. I have several lunches and coffees scheduled over the next two weeks. Hopefully this will lead to a resurrection of BC soon!
Right now, every idea is on the table for consideration. Thanks again, and don't unsubscribe just yet. I have positive vibes.
Kevin
Kevin - I've been following your blog for a couple years . It's really got great information. I would really miss the level of info if it were to go away.
I can say, that perhaps updating something on a daily basis would help your daily page clicks and reader base stay consistent. I only click about once a week because the updates have been fairly inconsistent.
I echo the others - I hope you find a way to make this work!
Kevin,
Your blog is the one I read when I want to get the big picture about Cincinnati's changing urban landscape. I sincerely hope you can find a way to continue your blog or combine it with another to survive. Besides, you've only had a hundred or so worthy candidates in your "Wrecking Cincinnati" feature and there's still thousands more waiting to be added. Until the work of saving Cincinnati's historic urban architecture is finished, your blog is an important part of that effort. I wish you the best in your efforts to make Building Cincinnati economically viable.
Hey Kevin I'm sorry to hear that Building Cincinnati might go away! Reading this site is definitely a part of my daily schedule and I've appreciated all the content you've provided.
Any thoughts on a scaled back site where other could post relevant info? Can you keep the "In the news" feed active somehow?
I would also be willing to pay a subscription fee for the site-it's the best place to get info on development news in the city!
I really really miss this blog
Your sight is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to get information beyond the very limited drivel published by the Enquirer. When I want to know what the status of projects and developments in the city, where else can you turn to?
Losing you would be a terrible blow. I agree that maybe you should team up with Urban Cincy somehow, or perhaps just post less often? I don't know. I understand you need income, and in the end this is just a hobby that has grown too big. So, perhaps let it return to being just a hobby.
Good luck. And thank you thank you thank you.
I'm late to the game, but I'd really hate to see BC go away. However, I completely understand the need for income and the time and energy it takes to create such a thoroughly informative blog.
At this point, you're an expert with a lot of content. I bet anything people would be willing to pay for that. Perhaps you could:
-Do some development/real estate consulting
-Publish a book based on the insights and images in the blog (Blurb is a great tool for this)
-Create a (paid) newsletter for developers
You have the knowledge. You're already a publisher. You already have great content. Curate, compile, and charge.
And let me know if I can help.
~Tamia
TheStyleSample
I agree with what's been said here, this is where I have always come for trustworthy, thorough and overall excellent coverage of local development news. As a community development practitioner, I highly encourage you to connect with those who can help you fund-raise at this juncture! Are you a 501c3 / non-profit organization?
I love this blog, its a fine example of quality local journalism. Its the sort of Journalism that is next to impossible to find since all TV stations decided that if it bleeds it leads.
Remind people to donate. Plenty of people (including myself) love this blog, figure out how to do fundraisers, events that could get not just paypal donations online. You could try to partner with a local bar that has an owner who is pro-urban and co-ordinate some kind of fundraiser event through it (I'd talk to the owner of Neon's, or bars in Northside about it if I was in your spot, though its just a suggestion).
^^ Samantha, I'm exploring non-profit status. I should know more about where I'm heading within a couple of weeks.
^ Neil...suggestions appreciated. I've actually been exploring all of those. Something may happen once the weather warms up.
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