Moving On
That’s the theme of this latest Railbird makeover. Over the past two days, I’ve migrated the site to a new web host, installed WordPress to maintain the blog in place of Movable Type, and adopted a stripped down look. But the biggest change is that Railbird, as it was, has been permanently archived. That blog, which began in June 2004 and ran through December 2008, is no longer online. This fresh site, this first post, is the new Railbird.
Racing will still be my focus, but it is no longer my obsession, which is what Railbird version 1 was all about — over the years I maintained the blog I went from newly engaged passionate fan to backstretch worker, dedicated handicapper to industry employee, blogger to revitalized writer. Those were the arcs that iteration of the site traced, and the blog came to a natural conclusion last fall after I returned from Saratoga. And although I attempted to keep the site going, it was clear to me (and I’d bet most longtime visitors) that the blog was done and other projects and interests were claiming most of my attention. So, Railbird version 2 — still about the horses, but also about media and technology, and especially about the nexus between those and the horse racing industry. I may not be racing-crazed anymore, but there’s still plenty I want to say about the game. I’ll also be posting more about what I’m doing elsewhere.
From launch to archiving, Railbird v1 amassed more than 1900 posts and 1100 comments, which add up to a 3.2MB plain text file and more than 420,000 words. I didn’t count the links contained, but the number is surely in the thousands. To all those who have visited and supported the site, and especially to all the friends, colleagues, and conspirators I met through blogging, thank you. It’s been a pleasure. I hope you’ll stick around for whatever happens next here.
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