Saturday, August 7, 2021

Bubbles, Slogs, and Selling Out: Redux

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All installments in reverse chronological order

Way back in 2008, I began telling the tale of the rise and sale of Chowhound.com in a series titled "Bubbles, Slogs, and Selling Out." It started here, and, seven years later, I reached the epilogue, where I noted that a number of successful entrepreneurs had described the series as a harrowingly accurate account of what idealistic founders go through.

It's now been seven years since I posted the Epilogue, and while I wasn't planning on adding to the series, Pat Hammond just reread it and piped up with a text message.

Pat was Chowhound's longtime head moderator (here's an interview with her from 2007), and pretty much the heart and soul of the operation. She sopped up every posted word for years, while I flailed around like a manic robot trying to keep it all together. I rarely had time to read the site for enjoyment. Like chefs back in their noisy, hot, cramped kitchens, I never experienced it like a customer. But Pat knew both the front and the back of the house.

Here's our discussion:

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