The End of Protocols

Steven I. Weiss has posted the last entry to Jewish uber-blog, Protocols.

For many months I used to check Protocols several times a day. It was entertaining and informative, keeping me on top of interesting news developments and tidbits within the Jewish world that I didn't have time to search for myself. It may have been the site through which I discovered the phenomenon of blogging, and for this I thank Steven and all the "Elders." And of course, Steven and Luke sometimes linked to this site, which increased my traffic, for better or for worse; for that, too, I thank them.

Interestingly, Steven did not post his reasons for ending the blog. Personally, I don't think it matters much. Protocols lost its relevancy a while ago. The last few months it has been something . . . else. The "something else" it became can be just as easily served (and is) on Luke Ford's personal blog. The long-windedness and one-topic-wonder status for which Protocols has lately become known does serve the needs of many readers, but not the same readers who were attracted to Protocols' initial format. It was still entertaining sometimes, and still provided information, sometimes, of which I was glad to be informed, but it was neither consistently entertaining nor consistently informative.

Neither, of course, is Chayyei Sarah. My point is that Protocols ceased to be an uber-blog a long time ago, and became, simply, a blog. I'm sure that those who enjoyed Luke's writing will continue to check his work at his other blogs, but the time for Protocols has passed.

I'll be interested to see what great minds out there create the next "big thing" in Jewish blogging. As long as there are people who are creative and have time on their hands, there's always hope for something new and cool.