Best of luck to you. BC is the best development news site in the tristate. I hear Cincy magazine is hiring. They could use you!

Good luck with everything Kevin...it's been great following your posts!!!

Best of luck Kevin, this site has been wonderful and regular 'must read'. Here's to hoping you pull another Brett Favre.

You've been a tremendous source of information for the community. The loss of this site would be a great loss, but given your situation I think most will understand. Good luck in all your future endeavors.

Good luck Kevin. I consider this to be the best local blog, and of tremendous value to the community. Someone should pick it up.

Can you scale back and post only once a day? Most bloggers-- here and elsewhere-- have day jobs and do their blogs on the side. Find a day job and then write in your spare time?

You know, of course, that I wish you the best and if you need anything, I'm there.

I'm so sorry to hear this news but it's completely understandable. I'll miss all of the positive incite this website provided but just the same best wishes for a successful writing career!

Come on dude, you really thought you could make a living posting blogs? Really? Like someone else commented, most bloggers actually have real jobs too...sounds like you might just be lazy.

Unfortunately, nobody wants constructive news.
Have you considered a "BC babe of the week"? Maybe pics of construction accidents?
Hope you can keep the site for awhile even if you have to give up contributing. As so many of the projects you have written about are in progress, what you have posted will still be relevant for some months.
Maybe you can get a slot at the Beacon?

Since you're into writing, maybe you could turn your attentions into writing a book?
This blog is a great read.

I saw your tweet regarding using this as an online portfolio. Certainly, use the contacts you've made through this blog as leverage. Good luck, we are all rooting for you!

How much money are you short?

Kevin, break a leg, it sucks to see BC go. Hopefully once you've stabilized your life you can throw a blog post up once in awhile to feed our BC fix?

Thanks for what you've done...the things we take for granted. Will miss this page.

Godspeed, Kevin.

Sad to see such a good thing die.

BTW - the CincinnatiBlog people have figured out how to put ads in Google Reader. Maybe if you could do that, your ad revenue would jump. I have to think the majority of your followers are not simply going to buildingcincinnati.com on occasion, but have you on a feed.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! This is the only REAL news source I have for Cincy. Thank you for all of your hard work and best of luck on your next ventures.

Kevin,
Perhaps you could teach. Actually, I know you could teach. Writing and web design seem to come natural but I also deduce that you must work hard at it. I'd bet you cover all the bases to where any genre out there has been utilized in your head. My brother contracts out as a technical writer and he's never been out of work for long. I'm in the phone book.
Regards,
Kent Evans

Hope someone is smart enough to pick up this very valuable site. Good luck!

NOOOOOOOO

I think almost all bloggers have a day gig. We love your blog and everyone these days are struggling Try to hang in there if you can.

We want the best for you and we know you will do well in the future

BC seems more like a daily newspaper than a blog. Maybe if it were treated as such - with payed subscriptions it would be able to go on.

You obviously have a passion for this Kevin. Putting in long hours and doing a top rate "job" shows. The comment section in itself makes one feel like they really have a voice especially with your mediating responses diplomatically keeping things in line (that has always impressed me).

It's funny how in these comments some people say too bad, good bye, good luck. But you left the door open by saying, "possibly the end" . I am hoping for the best - that you can find a way to make it work.

You are as much a downtown ambassador as those "downtown ambassadors" who get paid (do they still exist?) for not doing much - and you include more than just downtown. If the city could not pay you, could a grant work? I don't know about all these things - just trying to help.

Keep your passion alive. Where there is a will there is a way.

"From a small spark, great flame hath risen."

Thank you to everyone for all of the kind words and support!

Right now, I'm looking into possible sponsorships, gifts, and/or grants. Anyone with expertise in any of these areas is encouraged to contact me at .

Failing that, I'm entertaining any and all job ideas, especially those related to development and writing.

More updates (hopefully) to come.

Anonymous #2… LOL at the "Brett Favre" comment. I promise you won't see me crying like a baby at a national press conference!

Julie and 5chw4r7z… I've struggled with this issue and come to the conclusion that it's pretty much going to be all or nothing. I'd feel like I was leaving too much out if I only posted once or twice a day. And doing so would definitely lower my passion and enthusiasm for the topics.

Quimbob… Those are some solid ideas. Maybe I'll just go full-on porno…seems to be where the money is.

Jon… I've definitely thought about writing a book, or maybe just some e-books. I'm currently thinking about some topics that I can pitch to a publisher. Still, I prefer the immediacy of the daily format and all of the people and places I get to meet and see by doing so.

Matt… A salary.

Anonymous #6… It's a good idea, but the math on the ad revenue model just doesn't work out. And I hesitate to include too many ads, as I'm afraid it would be a turn-off to readers.

Kent Evans… Thanks…not sure what I would teach, though. Plus I really dislike public speaking!

Anonymous #7… I've always hated having to pay for web content and that's about the last thing I would want to make others do. I fear turning a lot of current subscribers away by doing so, and would have to resort to fairly high subscription rates to make the numbers work.

Kevin, I just learned of the Cincinnati Enquirer's Developing Now blog. They are paying (maybe they're not) two people to try to do the same thing you were doing. Wonder where they got the idea??? Would you work for the Enquirer?

The Developing Now blog seems to be getting a TON of front page stories on Cincinnati.com. It is a bloody shame they never gave you the same treatment, when you partnered with them.

I'm sorry if you are having negative feelings about this situation, Kevin. You definitely have a right to. They totally ripped off your idea, and they will automatically have much more exposure.

On the bright side, maybe this will be good for the city. It certainly won't meet the quality of Building Cincinnati, but it will perhaps be a steady flow of positive (or at least progressive, in the sense that "development" is "progressive") news which will reach a massive audience. I just wish it were Kevin LeMaster delivering that news, on his own terms.

To the "Developing Now" comments: I highly doubt the two women maintaining the blog are getting paid "extra" for it. Those two are Enquirer staffers who regularly produce content for the paper (read that in-your-face "About" section, please).

A bit under-handed on the E's part? Maybe.. But the content is good so far and they are filling a void. How is that a bad thing? They are doing now what they should have been doing all along!

I bet if you let others write for the site, plenty of volunteers would step up. You could still be the editor, and you could do all of this while working at Starbucks... Definitely crazy to think you could make it off one website, and not even really a website, a blog. Yes, it's good content but not hard to believe nothing is happening with the site because there is no focus. It's all you and whatever you decide to highlight. Read "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber.

The website is no longer 'viable' in what respect? Economically?

The only way to continue is for someone to 'step up' and pay you a salary? Who is supposed to do this? And what is a reasonable salary for a blogger?

Blogging isn't a job title, it's a hobby. Sure, some folks do get paid for blogging. These people generally work for news organizations, so I guess they would be called, um, journalists.

This all reeks of sour grapes because you couldn't make 'Web 2.0' into a business model. I just hope your readers can find their info elsewhere, from a sensible content provider not motivated by google ad revenue.

there's always room at UrbanCincy...

Oh yes. Another blogger that can't pay his own writers ...

Kevin,

Ignore the haters, especially those who post anonymously.

Heard this yesterday morning on my way to work-thought of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE

C

Kevin, what about the Business Courier? Seems like it might be a better fit than the Enquirer.

I seldom go to your blog although I have an interest in buildings in Cincinnati. On occasion I came to your site via Google and I found good information but,unfortunately, I thought your agenda was too pro Cincinnati government or status-quo and you were unwilling to question the powers that be.

I can't really say that being controversial would help but it would be more exciting and it would not have helped you sell ads. Things like 3cdc should be challenged but you are just too nice.

I think the answer lies in getting more interaction with the viewers. I always thought Dean had a good format when he first began where viewers could introduce issues but it lacked moderation and it allowed for totally irresponsible anonymous comments. While most say that moderation is censorship, it makes the comments and issues easier to follow. And commentors needed to be notified of responses to promote discussion.

I am sorry to see you go in any case. This blog business seems to be an affair of the heart and you have to compete too much for viewer's time. Judging from the comments, it seems that many are sorry to see you stop but they are just not sorry enough.

Dieter S.

Kevin,

You find a job yet?

Or you still hoping someone pays you a salary to play on the internet?

You know, at one time I would have loved to be paid to play with legos all day. But then I grew up. Maybe its time you do the same.

If you really loved what you are doing you would do it on the side, and find time. Obviously you are only motivate by money you lazy sack of donkey poo.

Regards,

The working class

^ I'm coming back in January. Thanks for your support.

^ Had to remove the last comment calling Anonymous an "idiot retard" for violating my commenting policy (personal attack). The rest of your comment appears here:

"Hopefully you may soon be in a coma from the obviously advanced case of The Cincinnati Enquirer Commentator Syndrome.

Glory to those who have passion and are able to keep it alive!"

Kevin - obviously don't listen to these guys. We're looking forward to hearing from you in January!

^ Thank you, Tom. I'll have an update for you all around the start of the year, but I'm looking at mid-January...either the 10th or the 17th.

See you then!