Taking a Blog Break

I have been writing articles on my blog since 2007. I have been fortunate to have the advertising support of many domain industry companies over the years, and I appreciate that. By accepting advertising revenue, I have felt obligated to publish articles on a daily basis. I usually take the weekends off from my blog, but that’s about it.

For the past 15 years, I have spent many hours each week searching for interesting topics to write about, writing articles, responding to comments, and performing general website upkeep and maintenance. I have made great friends and gotten to know many colleagues because of my blog. By publishing this blog, I have forced myself to stay up to speed on the latest industry news and trends. All of this has helped me become a better domain investor.

The new year is a good time to make a change, and I am going to take a break from this blog.

As advertising renewal dates have come and gone since last Spring, I haven’t offered the opportunity to renew banner placements. The remaining advertising commitments expire on Saturday. With no advertising commitments in place, I am comfortable to take time off. It may be a month or two – or it may be longer. It is an open-ended break.

Besides the income, the thing I like the most about domain investing is the flexibility it gives me. I can take my kids to practices or classes in the afternoon. I can play tennis or go for a bike ride or a run during the day. I can have lunch with my wife or do errands. I am able to travel anywhere in the world and still operate my business. Domain investing is an ideal business for me.

Despite having this flexibility, I have never felt completely free with the blogging obligations I put on myself. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I feel the constant need to publish content that will interest readers. I enjoy writing about domain names, but the commitment has become a burden.

This is not a “goodbye” post. My full focus will be on my domain investments. I thoroughly enjoy buying and selling domain names. Spending more time on my domain names should help me fine tune my business. Maybe I will pick up some more hobbies or do some community service or volunteer work. I will probably write an article from time to time. Perhaps I will return to my blog in the future.

I wish you continued success with your business. I will be working hard to continue growing my business, and I hope you continue to grow yours as well. I appreciate many of the interactions I have had with readers and commenters, some of whom I call friends. I am grateful for the friendships and connections I have made with other investors around the world.

Until next time…

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

51 COMMENTS

  1. Will miss your daily posts for sure Elliot. My guess is that you will miss it after a few months, and return with renewed enthusiasm. The domain industry is ever changing, and it is in your blood. Happy New Year Pal. Fred.

  2. You’ve done very well with domaining and this blog Elliot. Thanks for all your interesting reads, and enjoy yourself with your extra time to be with your family etc. Best of luck!

  3. You have contributed much my friend. We have discussed this for awhile and I am happy you made the decision to follow through with the break. It will be a good thing. I pretty much only do my 1x a week Random Sunday thoughts on LinkedIn and even that, with no advertising pressure, requires consistency and thought, never mind a daily blog. You have known this for a while and good for you! You can always pick back up whenever you want and will always have an audience.

  4. You’ve had a heck of a run Elliot and I’ve enjoyed reading you articles over the years. Change is good and nothing is forever. You can always return in earnest when you feel like it. Your website has a place in cyberspace for anyone to visit, anywhere and any time.

  5. Thank you very much Elliot for many, many years of great articles, enthusiasm, funny thoughts and extremely valuable insight. Please know that your work is much appreciated by many. Enjoy your time with whatever direction you choose!

  6. Your insights and committment to the industry have been and are much appreciated Elliot. Will be on the lookout for updates as need and circumstances present themselves. All the best to you and your family

  7. Thank you for all your efforts!! Level headedness can be hard to find in the industry. I appreciate you being a shining example, or a north star to normality when the domain waters got choppy. I wish you well in your hiatus, and look forward your return!

  8. I understand what you mean by that burden, in a way you do feel like stuff always has to get up. Take all the time you need and when you feel the urge to come back it will be like you never stopped in the first place. Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family Elliot.

  9. Congrats Elliot, thank you for your writing over the years, always a great read knocked out in a professional, assertive manner that you might see in a broadsheet. I hope you enjoy your sabatical!

  10. Enjoy your family time , I’ve enjoyed your writing from the time you started with Elliot’s blog . You have helped many new domain investors and seasoned veterans as well.

    Although you built a nice buisness with your blog the $ never seemed to be your motivation . It was the connections you made and Information your shared and comments you garnered,

    Thank you for all the time you spent !

    If you decide to come back and write again the industry will be better off.

    Cheers
    Phil

  11. I understand completely, I am a writer for dn.ca and the daily commitment can be all consuming. Fortunately I have other members contributing material but I can relate completely. Often my wife will remind me that I spend too much time writing.

    The new year is always a good time to make a change and when the time is right you can make your big comeback. Nostalgia is real and we will not forget your contributions regardless of how much time passes in between.

    My best to you and family, may the new year bring you the joy you’re looking for.

  12. Elliot, you deserve it…your hardwork shows in the content you produce… thanks for sharing the countless hours of research on a fascinating industry and have a great New Years!!

  13. Thanks for your consistency and hard work over the years, Elliot. I think ElliotsBlog was the first domain related blog I ever came across.

  14. Elliot, thank you for all the trove of information, tips, and insights that you shared with the domain community over the last 15 years. You definitely deserve a break. Your followers and subscribers will be waiting here patiently for you to return.

  15. I’m sure you are enjoying your time off the blog. Thank you for being a source of reliable domaining news, insights, and advice. I’ve been reading your blog since it was called Elliot’s Blog.

    Things are definitely changing fast, and domaining is not exception. Nowadays, you don’t really need a domain name to start a business, or make money. All what you need is a channel to stream your stuff, and you are all covered. If you make it, you might still need a matching domain but priorities have changed for sure.

    Thank you again, and good luck.

  16. Well deserved, I would definitely take a break. But you might consider taking a “publisher” role in the site, and having a writer/reporter/journalist type take on the role of content posting.

    • I have had several people ask me this and/or ask me to publish articles on my blog. I briefly thought about hiring a writer or two but decided against it.

      The site wouldn’t make enough money for me to pay writers while leaving enough left over to make it worth my while to deal with publisher-related headaches.

      In addition, if writers work for a couple of months and pursue other opportunities as would be their right, I would then have to write articles again to ensure advertisers get the value they expect from their banners. It’s nice to have that guaranteed income, but it comes at the cost of having to produce content on a regular basis.

      In short, hiring writers doesn’t solve the issue of not wanting to deal with the day to day management of a blog.

  17. You definitely have make some valid points, Elliot. What I would consider is scaling back to a more ‘limited’ schedule of posts, perhaps once a month and only when there is a “big story” that you really want to share your thoughts on.

    As someone who has had a blog for over 10 years, I have, too, taken a hiatus here and there–and have always come across a story or issue that I wanted to post about. So, I went ahead and posted it.

    There are a few ways to monetize the site, such as AdSense.

  18. It wouldn’t really work. Elliot has influence with domainers because he’s rich and can hold himself up as an example to aspire to. If he hired some guy at $1 a word to write the blog for him it would look desperate and would tarnish his reputation.

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