CC Housekeeping: He’s Back! – When “Retirement” Turns Into a Well-Needed Sabbatical

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– Posted on November 21, 2019

in the Canadian Rockies

I suppose it was predictable. But it’s been an eminently satisfying and rejuvenating sabbatical. I wasn’t really planning to be back, but Jim is more than ready for his (genuine) retirement at the wheel, and so…here I am, again.

But I’m not alone this time.

In thinking about ways to make this job easier, the solution is obvious: share it with another, someone young and energetic. That would be Ed Snitkoff, who is going to be CC’s Managing Editor. By splitting the load, and covering for each other when one of us hits the road in the van or something like that, hopefully it’s going to feel less like a burden and more like what it should be.

First I need to express my very deep gratitude to Jim Klein for picking up the ball and running with it, after I essentially dumped it in his lap. He’s done a superb job of keeping the CC show going, and inspiring a remarkable outpouring of support, especially in terms of contributions. It’s been wonderful to see that, and hopefully it will continue. It’s very gratifying to know the show really wants to go on… thanks a million, Jim!

It was a huge relief to have the yoke off for five months. And thanks to all that pitched in also.This sabbatical has allowed me to reflect on why I got burned out, and inspired me to continue to find ways for CC to prosper, with or without me. Meaning, I would like to take sabbaticals more often, especially in the summer and early fall months. So my goal is to make my return essentially a temporary one.  I’ve been trying for years to find a way to make my relationship with CC more sustainable, and I’m hoping this is a step in that direction. It feels like it.

In addition being a long-time CC contributor, Ed is a professional writer in the automotive web publishing business. His time demands are going to allow him to spend an adequate amount of time at CC. He’s going to focus primarily on industry news and trends, along with analysis. That’s largely what he’s been doing here for years, and his posts have met with a lot of success recently. So there’s clearly an interest here for that, and presumably for more of it. I will be doing some of that too, as it also is an area of main interest for me too. Expect to see some five posts per week on current issues.

I’m going to be doing more deep data dives form a historical database I have been building on and off for years, as the information is not readily available online. I used this as a key part of my post “Who Killed the Big American Car?” I am particularly interested in using stats to either support or bust many long-held historical assumptions and myths.

We will both be sharing other responsibilities, such as getting new contributors off to a good start. It’s great to see new contributors here these past months, as well as a pickup in posts from existing ones. We’re always eager for more.

I’d also like to point out that in the face of tremendous media fragmentation, CC continues to do very well. Our stats on new posts has been growing steadily, a reflection that CC has carved out a solid and unique niche. This is very gratifying, and Ed and I will continue to explore ways that might be able to grow our audience further without compromising our values and traditions.

Unfortunately our already-meager ad revenue has actually shrunk substantially this past year. We’re going to be looking into the reasons for that too, and some changes and experiments will likely be in the offing. In the meantime, thank you for not using an Adblocker at CC, and once again a big thanks to those that have chosen to donate to CC, to help defray the out of pocket expenses of our operations.