CRUISING for SEX - Atlas Obscura Article: "The Rise and Fall of Cruisingforsex.com..."

I want to let everyone know that the article we've previously discussed about Keith Griffith and CRUISING for SEX was just published yesterday. It appears in Atlas Obscura with the full title The Rise and Fall of Cruisingforsex.com, a Digital Atlas of Casual Encounters.

I had spoken by phone in September with Katherine Wisniewski, the author, and also had several e-mail follow-up exchanges. As she worked on the article, her line of inquiry evolved more to focus on Keith as a person and what the site (and it's precursor, STEAM Magazine) meant to many of us in the 1990s.

You'll also see her take, which I'd say is accurate, on the evolution of the site after 2000, the changes here and elsewhere since, and our failure to evolve as quickly as the Internet evolved.

As one who worked with Keith since 2000 on the technical side of things under his direction, I do have some insights on how CFS got to this particular moment in 2015. Much has to do with the changing status of free advertising-supported sites, especially those with shoestring budgets. Much also has to do with personal concerns, Keith's bouts with cancer as well as my own continued struggle balancing work against my duties as a caregiver for my increasingly disabled partner.

Sometimes it seems there's a constant round of medical appointments, crises small and large, working past midnight, and diminishing returns. This year these web sites have been operating at a loss and I don't have the funds to hire someone to help with the needed improvements and upgrades.

I will post separately, soon, about my plans for the future of the sites and solicit your input. For now, I must step away, work a bit on daily content updates, then drive my partner to yet another appointment.

Please do read the article and feel free to post your thoughts about it here.

I told Katherine I thought she did a good job, and I would add my own additional commentary later here. I will do that, but can't right now. I expect to be back to read the Message Board again probably tomorrow morning, possibly tonight.

I look forward to seeing your responses to the article.

Bob S. ~ Manager/Editor