Since June of 2015 I have published 3,018 posts here at “Zoom Chron” (formerly “Reptile Dysfunction”). If I were to apply the value of $50 dollars per article, which is what I was paid when I did some freelance work, then I could place a $150,900 dollar valuation on what I’ve spent that last 10 years developing.
While this number is a good place to start, it doesn’t capture what I think is the true value of what I’m trying to quantify here, which is a slice of local history, created and compiled by a local writer, that could GO AWAY just like that.
If you don’t believe me just try searching for the blog “Left in the West” online and what you’ll find is a news article behind a paywall describing how this local political blog went away when the writers were done writing about Montana.
Since I, as a local writer who has NOT stopped doing local work, make the extra effort to get AROUND those pesky paywalls, part of MY value is documenting the history of blogging by pointing out what we’ve already lost:
Two days after Election Day, writers for one of the state’s longest-running and most popular liberal political blogs announced that they’re logging off for good.
Left in the West contributors Jay Stevens, a Missoula writer who moved to Pennsylvania about a year ago, and Matt Singer, former executive director of Forward Montana, wrote farewell posts to readers on Wednesday, both, for the most part, citing a need to focus their attention elsewhere both personally and professionally.
“Blogging has been a thrill, and it’s been a grind,” Stevens wrote.
For Singer, however, it’s more than a farewell to blogging. The 27-year-old political activist is also saying farewell to Montana. Singer, the creator of Left in the West eight years ago, co-founded Forward Montana with a dozen friends from Missoula and served as the nonprofit’s first executive director. That grassroots effort has grown, linking up with similar political nonpartisan groups in other Northwestern states to form a national organization dedicated to helping outfits like Forward Montana flourish.
The Bus Federation is a coalition of four nonprofits – Forward Montana, the Oregon Bus Project, the Washington Bus and New Era Colorado – all of which share the same mission: trying to encourage greater involvement in the political process, mainly through volunteerism, and electing a new generation of leaders. In August, Singer became the federation’s executive director.
Arguably the three most veteran and well-read political blogs in the state are Left in the West, which focused largely on state politics; 4&20 Blackbirds, which emphasizes Missoula news; and Electric City Weblog, a conservative blog that touches on state, national and local issues, said Steve Dogiakos, a multimedia-savvy young local Republican. So the loss of Left in the West, at least to the blogging community, is significant.
Left in the West reached its readership height several days prior to the 2006 general election when the site received between 3,000 and 4,000 page views, Singer said.
This article came out in 2010, the year I began contributing content to 4&20 Blackbirds, which you can STILL read here.
How about Left in the West? Nope, all that content is gone, as is the content of other blogs, like Don Pogreba’s “Intelligent Discontent”. That’s because the reality is, if no one is willing to continue pay the hosting fees, or do other basic maintenance, then entire bodies of writing can just disappear in the blink of the eye.
For an idea of the numbers I’ve generated over the years, here are two screenshots from my stats page, starting with the statistical breakdown of the entire life of the blog, then a break down of the just the last few months:
In both screenshots you can see the impacts of lawfare on my numbers, with the year 2025 being particularly difficult, yet the October comparison in the second screenshot shows how strongly I’ve bounced back this year, which is both GOOD, if this metric can be monetized, but also BAD, since the people and institutions I’ve been exposing clearly don’t like my style of scrutiny.
For an idea on the two stories that have gotten the most attention over the years, the next screenshot shows which posts have been the most popular. Long time readers of the blog probably won’t be surprised which names appear in this short list:
While there’s more I could say about value, like listing the stories I broke before other PAID members of media did, or highlight other appearances I’ve made, I’m finishing up today’s post from Justice Court, where I have a jury conference hearing, so it’s not that easy to focus on what MY value might be when I’m still very broke and very targeted by very real lawfare.
Before I wrap up today’s post (number 3,019) I will provide a link to my GoFundMe page, since donations might help chip away at the minimum credit card payments I can’t afford, but don’t worry if your support can’t be monetary. I’ve benefited from LOTS of non-monetary support over the years, and, at the end of the day, there’s more to life than money.
Like freedom.
Thanks for reading.