It’s funny that Brian Leiter was wondering about Dadahead recently. I too thought of this blogger when I found myself lethargic and extremely reluctant to blog. (Except when I travel, I have never gone this long any time previously without posting fresh material.) Dadahead used to be on our blogroll and we exchanged links and lively comments with him from time to time. I loved the wicked humor Dada displayed in eviscerating hypocrites (conservative right wingers mostly) and given the popularity of his blog, fully expected him to stick around for some time. Then one day more than two years ago, after posting a somewhat enigmatic stream of consciousness piece he suddenly disappeared and hasn’t been heard from since. No goodbye and no explanation were forthcoming from Dada.
Among the millions of blogs jostling for attention in cyberspace surely the disappearance of blogs is routine. I don’t know if there is any data out there reflecting the average longevity of blogs. In the three and a half years since I first became acquainted with the blogging phenomenon, I have seen quite a few blogs go out of operation. Most bloggers give a clear signal or explanation before the demise of their sites. Others disappear without a warning, occasionally deleting pages and pages of outpourings spanning months or years. I am always curious to know why a blogger closes shop. Those who do stop to explain, almost always cite tedium or the time and attention taken away from other pursuits. Dissemination, the first blog I was associated with previously as an author, too ended within a few short months after its launch. To this day, I am not entirely certain why. But I suspect that Ethan Leib, the principal author who had at that time also started a new blog with his academic colleagues, lost interest in Dissemination which he had created earlier with his friends.
Anyway, why am I talking about blogs dying? Only because lately my mind has strayed away from blogging. I have not felt the urge to write or share ideas as enthusiastically as I normally do. When I noted that I couldn’t even get myself fired up enough to belt out a suitable diatribe against the recently departed Jesse Helms, the former N. Carolina senator, for whom vicious race baiting was not just a means but an end, I realized that I was truly distracted. All this does not mean that this blog is about to be discontinued or deleted. But as my co-authors too have not been posting much recently, I am afraid that A.B. is likely to remain idle for longer periods of time than has been customary until now. Long time readers may find the lack of regular updates a bit disappointing. I will of course continue to post whenever I feel the urge. I am sure the other authors will too if they feel so inclined. I hope to again pick up pace after I return from vacation in August. Until then, please keep checking us out from time to time. Even if there is not much going on here, be assured that we are not retiring yet.
Accidental Blogger 
9 responses to “Where is Dadahead? Or how do blogs die?”
I was wondering where AB was. For a moment I thought that the webpage had got stuck on my cache and was not coming up with the freshest page. Glad to know that you are still in business !
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i only did the political blog for as long as i did because of dadahead. he was much, much fun. i would run out of blog fuel frequently…but found his black humor to be quite inspiring. besides, i think that’s where i met you…in the comments section of his blog, regarding my misspelling of Gandhi. the good old days!
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That’s right, Matt. I did take you to task for misspelling “Gandhi.” But you were so gracious about it and in the process I discovered Cerulean Blue, another very funny political blog. Your style was laconic and laid back and Dada was on pure caffeine! He was terribly fast on his feet with breaking stories and presented the hypocrisy and murderousness of politicians with a hilarious twist. Do you know why he stopped? Did he ever get back in touch with you?
Manoj:
Not to worry. I am not folding A.B. yet. I just have a writer’s block.
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“Did he ever get back in touch with you?”
No, sadly. We linked one another on a regular basis, but beyond that I had very little dadahead info. I have theories about why he left, but no facts. We need to talk to blogs from around that time…liberal avenger, that sort of thing, see who knows what. A blog myster is a foot.
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Matt:
Did you notice that Liberal Avenger too is gone? I just found out. I never read LA on a regular basis – a bit loud and juvenile for my taste, particularly the comments section. But I know that Joe, my co-blogger here was a some time author there. A quick google search shows that before its disappearance, the blog was mired in some blogosphere controversy about alteration of readers’ comments. May be Joe knows what happened.
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Only after commenting here did I check for LA and notice it was gone. We are abandoned.
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Interesting — I had no idea LA was gone. (Well, the blog. I know that our friend LA blogged himself out a while back and lost interest.) I may send him an email to find out.
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Can a blog die, as long as its pages are accessible on the internet somewhere? Sometimes, even unupdated blogs can have a very long shelf life. Maybe that’s the version of blog heaven- a homeostatic state of sorts, just lingering till the server space gets overwritten.
That day is still far away for A.B., I’m sure!
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Sujatha,
I know that the free Word Press and Blogger sites can continue for a long time in blog heaven, as you put it – just as Dadahead is still accessible (although the comments have disappeared, I notice). But Typepad deals in “paid” blogs. Unless the blogger deletes it first, as soon as the payments stop, the blog is deleted by Six Apart Ltd, the parent company of Typepad. So yes, Typepad blogs indeed do die.
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