Why I haven't blogged...

For the last three years, I've frequently been asked why I don't blog.  Here was my typical reply:

1. I'm afraid that people would realize that I'm not that smart.
   Put me in a one-hour meeting, and I have can typically impress people.  I can hold my own for an hour -- giving a good performance -- sounding informed, knowledgeable, funny and generally make a good first impression.  But with the pressure to post frequently -- and sound really smart on an ongoing basis -- I'm afraid that the world will learn what I already know...that I'm not really that smart.  Just lucky.
2. If I did have a unique thought/perspective, why share it?
   I really believe in the power of an elegant, simple idea.  Combine the best of eBay and Amazon and create a marketplace to let people sell their old books, CDs and movies (half.com).  Create an anti-spam router (Turntide).  Sometimes the most "obvious" (after the fact) ideas are the most powerful.  And since it's so rare for me to have a truly original idea (see item #1 above), I've often wondered why I'd share it.
3. You can't say what you really want to say.
   Most VC bloggers can't/won't say what they really want to say -- or what you really want to read.  I've seen some bad pitches, awful term sheets, and bad behavior by startups and VC's alike -- but I'd never blog about them.  Instead, I'd end up posting yet another "how to give a good VC pitch" or "how to run a good board meeting post"...when deep down I'd really want to post about the unbelievably naive entrepreneur who wants to build a "tropical fish vertical search engine."
4. I don't have the time.
   There are currently 364 unanswered emails in my inbox.  I have 14 phone calls to return.  Six meetings a day.  I'm currently sitting on the redeye flying back from SFO to PHL. I have a wife.  Two kids.  If I had an extra hour a day, I'd rather spend it sleeping.

So why start blogging now?  Candidly, I'm not sure.  Maybe, it's because I hope it will provide me with a way to maintain an ongoing dialog regardless of which coast I'm currently on.  Hopefully I'll conclude that the benefits of a public dialog/discussion outweigh the invested time.  Perhaps, I'll realize that I do have something interesting to say.  Perhaps not.  Maybe this will end up a "New Years Resolution Blog" -- starting out with the best of intentions, but getting abandoned after a few months. Or, perhaps this blog will end up being a hype-blog for our growing portfolio companies (although I hope not).  For now, call it an experiment.