Leff chronicles site sale

[Aromatherapy]

First of 2 installments is here: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2008/12/c...

I do hope there's more. Oops, indeed.

[HillJ]

http://jimleff.info/closure-home-page...

including a big nod to some of the supportive "faces" still here today.

[LindaWhit]

That link doesn't seem to be working anymore. Just a big "This Account Has Been Suspended" and direction to "Please contact the billing/support department as soon as possible."

[HillJ]

http://jimleff.blogspot.com/
You can read J Leff's account on his slog. Maybe JL took down the old link.

[LindaWhit]

Oh no - I've been able to read the slog re: the almost-demise of CH (so, SO thankful for the mucky-muck executive who had dinner with Jim!) - just can't see the closure page that Jim & Bob had planned on putting up when they were going to shut the site down.

[HillJ]

The tale would make a great movie of the week!

Closure pg. must have been taken down then. I didn't see it now either.

[Pat Hammond]

Hi Linda, that link has been restored. Pat

[LindaWhit]

Thanks, Pat! I repeat. I'm so glad this page didn't have to go up. :-)

[Servorg]

Part 2 here: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2008/12/b...

[Servorg]

Part 3 here: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/01/b...

[was]

Should be fascinating to see how Jim's story jumps from a vow of no advertising/no sucking to .... today

[Servorg]

It was either advertising or no CH site. I'm glad to put up with the ad's.

[LindaWhit]

Same here.

[was]

Well that covers the ads...but not the second part

[LindaWhit]

YMMV. I'm not sure what you see as the suckage part.

Your usage of the site since 2006 doesn't seem to be as frequent as many others of us here. The more you use it, the more familiar you get with it. But some people like the site; some don't.

[HillJ]

was, the beauty of "it all" is JL's around to give his first-hand experience. Nothing like hearing the CH story from the top hound himself.

[hannaone]

Parts four through seven -
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/01/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-4.html
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/01/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-5.html
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/02/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-6.html
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/02/b...

[LindaWhit]

As someone else said in an earlier comment post at the blog - this story is like crack. :-) God, I love Jim Leff's writing style!

And Jim, I'm so, SO glad you didn't let Mr. Honcho tear it down and start all over with focus groups nor let Vrtra completely dismantle and change CH!

[Pat Hammond]

#8 went up today: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/02/b...

[cimui]

words of wisdom:

"Beyond a certain point, the execs bring along their own crack pipes."

[cimui]

aromaT and others, thanks for posting these links. i'm generally a little wary of the little cults and cliques that sometimes develop on this site, but i think i now understand the admiration some posters have expressed for jim.

i really hope he has found all the happiness, good eats, good friendships, monetary and non-monetary successes he has so clearly earned.

[the_MU]

So glad I stumbled across this instead of just reading my local board through my RSS feed. Reminds me how much I miss Jim's voice. Great to read him again.

[lancastermike]

It's nice to see that though Jim tells us how he suffered, his ego has escaped fully intact

[Servorg]

"Let s/he who is without ego cast the first I's..."

[Bobfrmia]

As well it should. He has good reason to be proud.

[Aromatherapy]

Installment 9 is up. http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/03/b...

[HillJ]

Installment 9 was an interesting read. Especially Jim's thought process on CH advertising & marketing. Jump ahead to the sale of CH, peruse the number of complaints and frustrations posted on Site Talk about advertising decisions, and this installment waxed ironic, but as expected, compelling.

[Bobfrmia]

And a little short.
Jeff, you should have a little extra time now. There are those of us who aren't getting any younger. I don't want to miss out on the end.

[Servorg]

Jeff Leff? Is that Jim's evil twin in another dimension? lol Jim has gotten Jeff on CH so many times over the years I'm sure he must have considered changing his name once or twice along the way and being done with it.

[Bobfrmia]

Yes, it was meant to get his attention. ;-)

[HillJ]

http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/04/l...

..adding this JL slog entry re: original CH logo.

[HillJ]

Installment 10 is posted on JL's slog.

[LindaWhit]

As always, a great read, and it gives you the inside info on an acquisition from the "being acquired" position - and those that play the games in that acquisition. (Having gone through that in a former company, he's got the characters down pat! LOL)

[HillJ]

It's too bad no one thought to include Jim's slog re site sale under his Blog page here at CH or even on CHOW under Obsessives.

[Pat Hammond]

Here's #11 http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/05/b...

[Servorg]

Thanks, Pat. It's always interesting to learn about what goes on inside the sausage factory from the perspective of the sausage maker. ;-D>

[mrnyc]

well pat i just hope the big dawg doesn't turn all puppy on us in the next installment. i mean how many benjamins did cnet's suitor clay get him? are leff and lorenzo rollin in the benzo? stay tuned, right? hey inquiring minds want to know the final cold hard numbers - at least then we can vicariously enjoy how much our rabblings and babblings paid off for somebody -- lol!

[Caitlin McGrath]

Part 12: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/06/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-12.html

Part 13: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/07/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-13.html

Part 14: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/07/b...

[mrnyc]

aaah i finally caught up with this & chapter 14 was the key chapter!

at long last the big dawg came out with it, well at least as much as he is allowed to per the deal.

chowhound was sold to cnet for around $10m.

yeah, i know, i know, when you break it down....still, wow, thats a lot of arepas!

[LindaWhit]

I hadn't realized that Part 15 had been posted - thanks mrnyc!: http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2009/11/b...

[Greg B]

Jim seems to have lost interest in updating his story. We're still left hanging.

[Jim Leff]

Didn't lose interest. I'm writing a virtual book - it's up to nearly 18,000 words at this point, and I'm doing it unpaid....so I don't feel obliged to work to deadline. I write it on whim (and "left hanging" is awfully dramatic, considering all the flash-backs and flash-aheads packed into the Slog, e.g. http://bit.ly/b8hiH2

)

I will, however, offer a refund to all paid subscribers who feel disappointed by the delay! :)

[LindaWhit]

LOL! I was hoping you'd see the comment and respond to it, JL. :-) You didn't leave us hanging here at CH by closing up shop; I doubted you'd do so with the story of the sale.

I hope Band Camp helped get your musical mojo back! (loved the 3kilroygangsterboogie audio link!)

[Jim Leff]

One reason I haven't been writing much is I've been playing a ton. I'm not all the way back yet (maybe 80%), but I can fool people into thinking I'm good, so I guess I'm over the hump. I'm still mostly avoiding musicians I used to play with, who'd all instantly notice the difference...but it's getting measurably better every week.

[Jim Leff]

"chowhound was sold to cnet for around $10m. "

In my dreams! Actually, I don't dream of money. I mostly dream of a hotel in suburban Maryland that I've never actually been to, but keep returning to night after night for some reason. But that's another story.

I cited that figure as a wild random speculation posted as fact by Citibank, which (as I said in the article) apparently threw the I Ching to come up with that number. Though I guess it wouldn't be bad to let people think it's true....I'd get lots more dates, for one thing.

But I'm not complaining. Really, just the fact that the site didn't have to close and I made some money, to boot, was great. As I describe in the saga, we were weeks from closing, dejectedly, when all this went down.

[edit: I should note that, duh, I'm kidding about the dates. I'm frequently misunderstood when I kid - which is what led to this very point of confusion....I guess the "I Ching" comment in my article was too tangential)]

[HillJ]

http://download.publicradio.org/podca...

Unrelated to site sale, but enjoyable nonetheless to hear Jim discuss food/deliciousness.

[Pat Hammond]

Yes, it really was terrific. The interviewer was also very good. Good questions, and she listened to the answers. I really enjoyed it.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I haven't listened to this (no sound on my computer at the moment), but: Bit of a different perspective on it here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/643807

[HillJ]

I'll be interested to hear Jim's take on the experience. I just listened, didn't feel the need to critique the piece.

[HillJ]

http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2010/11/b...
Part #17

[Pat Hammond]

#18
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2010/12/bubbles-slogs-and-selling-out-part-18.html
and
#19
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2010/12/b...
are both up now.

[LindaWhit]

Clay.
was.
his.
boss.

Holy shite. He didn't take just ONE for the CH team. Jim stood in front of the firing squad and took them all for the next year!

Looking forward to the "few brief subsequent highlights" - hopefully where he tells Clay to eff off. ;-)

[rworange]

The story picks up. ... part 20
http://jimleff.blogspot.com/2011/09/b...

After all these years, I never really understood what made Chowhound work. It just did.

Somehow I feel all the focus groups in the world won't know either. I know I personally would have changed the site in all sorts of directions depending on my whim of the moment. Somewhere along the line I got that whatever the magic was, to go with it.

[HillJ]

After all these years, I never really understood Mr. Leff. With all due respect, online reading or general comments for those who dare to engage..usually ends in some odd tongue lashing..the can't catch me jig and is that all an intentional awkwardness vibe...phew..better to enjoy the site. The site remains rockin.