Seeing the news yesterday on the sale of CNET, it certainly made me reflective of the great collection of people, brands and experiences that we all shared. I used to always say "once a member of the CNET family, always a member of the CNET family." Maybe it was stupid corporate speak, but I always believed it. We would joke about bleeding yellow and I hope there remains a little yellow in all of us.
I wouldn't say our times at CNET were always easy. There were many times I wasn't sure we were going to make it. It was scary, exhilarating, exhausting, consuming and yet fun. It was an experience for the good and bad that affected who we all became. The best part was the collective family with whom we faced the challenges. We were inventors for the good and bad. We created the digital content space, re-imagined advertising and ad units, pioneered the pay per click model, were way early on things like video and audio (thank you, Brian and CNET Radio), and many, many other examples.
My plan is to go back into the depths of history and share some of the early stories. I will provide at least one story a week. I hope you will join me on the journey and add some of your own. I will have some guest authors and plan on some interviews. All ideas and thoughts are welcome. It is a chance for us to build a library of stories, photos and videos while we still can.
I would also like us to take our creative juices and think about the future. What will content look like going forward? If we were starting CNET today what would it look like? This is a smart group and a chance to be back at Matthew’s whiteboard at least virtually. Who knows what will come of it. Please sign up, pass it on to others and if you have a great CNET story, please email me!
Shelby
I remember the day that Halsey first called me. He said "I'm the CEO of a new television network called CNET." And I said "Sea-net? Is that some Jacques Cousteau channel about marine life?" and he said "no, no it's CNET the computer network. We'd love for you to consult for us." And I said "Well how many people do you have in your company?" and he said "Well actually right now it's just me and my friend Shelby, but he still has another job."
This is aweome. From ZDTV to TechTV to The Red Ball Reunion!!! The hours spent listening to Ned Rhilander teach about the powers of APIs ;) The glee I felt when I realized SEO could be used like a commission plan for editorial ;) That devilish Sam Parker!!! Or the time Martin Green found a quarter on the floor during a revenue meeting and I think it was Vince Brody saying look you found fifty cents ;) Count me in Captain!!!