I started blogging in 2003. It was a niche form then, into which I jumped to supplement a nascent career. I did so largely because it was clear, even 10 years ago, that the gatekeepers were losing grip. I wanted in on whatever was coming next.

I struggled at first, dabbling in politics and culture but finding little traction. That changed in 2006 when I launched The Loss Column, a site devoted to covering Baltimore sports (primarily the Orioles). It started slow but eventually found an audience. At the peak I had hundreds of daily hits and earned links from places like Yahoo Sports, the Baltimore Sun, and the Washington Post.

For several years I owned the #1 spot for a google search on “Baltimore sports blog.” In 2011 I won a “Best of Baltimore” from Baltimore Magazine. The site was successful.

The fact that I lost money didn’t matter. Indeed, it was a conscious decision.

I experimented early with advertising but nothing made sense. Nobody clicked banner or sidebar ads (surprise!) and I didn’t have the desire to play an AdWords game. I decided instead that every post I put up (thousands total) would be driven by one goal: trying to make something my audience would want to read.

As a result, The Loss Column paid me back several times over.