Jason Calacanis, the supreme linkbaiter he is, goes theatrical in his last post, in which he announced he's supposedly quitting blogging, replacing it with a smaller, private, mailing list affair. Essentially, he asks a question: has blogging lost its soul? Has it become too large; has the pressure to be quicker than the other guy taken a toll on the quality; is the real conversation (blogs are, after all, conversations) gone from blogging forever?
Furthermore, I believe every blogger ultimately has the chance to choose for himself. Want a quiet, private conversation on the net? There's plenty of ways to do that. Wanna go big, turn your blog into a media powerhouse, start earning money, hire more bloggers? You're welcome to try. You can even do both at the same time, provided you have the time.
At one point, Calacanis takes it up a notch, sounding almost bitter:
Today the blogosphere is so charged, so polarized, and so filled with haters hating that it's simply not worth it. I'd rather watch from the sidelines and be involved in a smaller, more personal, conversation.
Yes, there's some envy and hate out there. But again, I still believe that you can have a blog and not get involved in these petty quarrels. It's harder when it becomes a business, but it's important that you have a set of principles you adhere to; your audience will recognize that.
Ultimately, blogging is writing about stuff you care and know something about. The rule of thumb is: if you're good, people will read your blog. It's up to you where you want to take it, but with the cost of starting a blog being zero, I really don't think what the big deal is.