3 Reasons I Shut Down “How Do It Know”

If you’ve found your way to this page you were likely looking for a post I published to How Do It Know?! (HDIK), my technology web column. On March 7, 2019, I officially shut down that website. I had been writing there since 2012, but it has become very clear that it’s time to move on. Here are three reasons why I decided to pull the plug.

3 Reasons I Shut Down How Do It Know

1. I was no longer publishing new content

Between January 1, 2014, and June 13, 2016, I only published 19 blog posts. That end date probably seems a little arbitrary, but I chose it because that was the last time I published anything on that website. Within the capacity of my work with clients and my day job, I advise people that having a blog that you never update is far worse than having no blog at all. It reflects poorly on you and your brand. It was getting harder and harder for me to have a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude in this area.

2. Old content was not reaping any benefits for me

I had never aggressively monetized HDIK, though I did share a few affiliate links from iTunes (before they shut down their App Store affiliate program) and from other programs. But I hadn’t made a commission from a link on that site in well over a year.

I was also not using that site to showcase my work as I once had. When I started my business, Ledwith Web Solutions, I moved my web development portfolio to its website. Having that work present on two websites never made sense to me.

3. The concept of the website no longer appealed to me

When I come right down to it, writing about technology and web development as a hobbyist no longer interests me. There’s an audience for the kinds of things I’ve written on HDIK over the years, sure, but I believe I now have more valuable things to say in the realm of effective communication. Those topics will sometimes get into tactics that include breaking down how to use technology solutions to reach communication goals, but those posts would be in support of more high-level discussions about strong branding and messaging.

This isn’t the end

It’s hard to say goodbye to How Do It Know?! despite the good reasons I have for shutting it down, just as it was difficult shutting down my personal blog in 2016. HDIK was a fun experiment in blogging about a specialized topic. But I want to underscore that I am not giving up blogging altogether. I’ll continue to publish on my company blog and [EDIT: In December 2021, I dissolved Ledwith Web Solutions] write guest posts on other websites as opportunities arise. And who knows? Maybe someday I’ll pick up something like HDIK again. For now, though, it’s time to close this chapter of my digital life.