Some Final Thoughts About Chicagonow.

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So, here we are… Didn’t see that one coming.

Right off the bat, if you are here to read DAD attack “what’s her name” it’s not going to happen.

You see contrary to what some people think, I was not raised by man wolves in a misogynist’s retreat outside of Vegas. An amazing woman who taught me right from wrong helped raise me, my mother.

My mom was the kind of lady who would never have done well on social media; she was too “nice.”  Those who knew her knew she always had to find something good to say about someone “She may be a mean bitch, but she has nice hair,” an actual quote.  She would cheer for both teams when she watched sports live, “they have mothers too and someone needs to let them know they are doing a good job.”

She also taught me the best life lessons come from the hardest experience,  and as I said, “here-we-are.”

Am I angry at Chicagonow for the decision they made, yes?  DAD was one of the original Chicagonow bloggers, I was asked to write The Pace of Chicago (also killed) before Chicagonow launched five years ago.

Back then CN wasn’t the hornets next of 300 bloggers battling it out for attention, there were 10 of us and our orders were simple “build a community, a place where you can share your expertise with you readers.”  Nice.  We would get notes and tips on how to hone our blogs to look and be their best, we were part of something special.

I loved writing for Chicagonow.  I loved watching it grow, being a part of a team, we were giving people a voice, a place to share their thoughts and information from pet care to play dates you could find it in Chicagonow.

We had our own  Facebook group full of interesting characters all there to enjoy.  Yes, there were angry “trolls” on there as well, but all you had to do was ask any question and someone would have the information: fishing, baking, how to pick the right bike, it “was” a living breathing private “Google.”

Chicagnow changed my life in so many good ways. I met and made friends with people I never would have normally come across: the quilter, the gay cook, the potty mouth dominatrix, people who live South of I-80 plenty of mommies and Dan.

Dan was a total stranger in 2009.  He read my blog and sent me a note with the simple message “help save my life.”  Dan weighed over 300 pounds and didn’t think he was going to live to see his young daughters grow up, he asked me to train with him and run the Chicago Marathon together. Which we did, step by step for a year, when we crossed the finish line, Dan had lost over 120 pounds and changed his life forever.

To me that was what Chicagonow was about: community, change, making an impact and every once in a while helping change the outcome of a stranger’s life for the better.

That was then and this is now.  It’s a new day for DAD and I am happy to be here.  Thank you to the countless e-mails and well wishes.  Thank you to the men and women, who jumped in to launch this site in four days.  The new Dad All Day is for all of you:dad’s. mom’s, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

I am here to build a community. If you have a post you want to share, let me know. Videos, songs, haiku,  ideas, comments, DAD wants to hear and share all of them, don’t be shy.

Welcome to the New Dad All Day.  An old blog with a new home.  Check it out, spread the word and come on back. DAD has a lot planned for everyone. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, please.

Thank you all.

DAD