CrankyPM, We Hardly Knew Ye

Less than a month ago, our Dean at the Business Women's Finishing School and Social Club turned me on to a blog called the CrankyPM, and for a brief time, the drawing-in room was linking to her.

I know PM. I have been close to PM. Some of my best friends are PMs. I'm still suspicious one or two of my friends is CrankyPM, but all of that is forgotten now, because CrankyPM has disappeared.

If you click now, you get your browser's preferred "page can not be displayed," and this is no minor outage. It has been over a week now, and I am afraid the funniest truest commentary on product management I had ever found was just a figment of my imagination. Where have you gone, Cranky One?

Theories?

In one of her last posts, the CrankyPM announced she was with-child. This is probably the obvious culprit, though no one blogs like Moms. So my guess is she has opened a personal blog instead and let the professional blog go. This is starting to sound like one of those working mom/stay-at-home mom debates: Can you "blog it all"?

More dramatic theory - she was found out. In the blog-world, this is known as being Dooced, or discovered by your employer to be blogging about them ...with shocking consequences. Here at Drawing-In, we skirt that every day (clever subtext our specialty). Just this week Boss of Bosses challenged those who blog to "tell me to my face."

This is a good time to list afresh the cast of characters, because of course they have changed again. From the top down, they are Boss of Bosses (until I can think of a good name. Charles Atlas is starting to feel pretty good right now). Next there is aNew Veep, not yet on the scene, so no name can be provided. (VPX, shall we say.) Then Big Sweaty. Then Rock Star (meet the new boss, same as the old boss), then The Boss, then me.

So, yeh, watch what you say, fella.

What the hell were we talking about? Oh, yes, CrankyPM.

Theory number 3: It's a damn lot of trouble. And, you know, it really is. Maybe her company started releasing every week instead of every quarter. No, wait, that's me again.

Just too much publicity. CrankyPM is the JD Salinger of the Internet! She spoke openly of the surprising increase in traffic and the pressure to perform. Even Dooce, on the web so long her URL is http://www.dooce.com, (2001) takes the occasional break. I don't know that I could be writing this blog 6 years from now. You can add blogger-block to the list of reasons people have children.

All to say.... CrankyPM has been removed from the blogroll and replaced with Notes on a Napkin: kids, books, observational musings and contemplative thought in a Northwest vein. I think you'll like this sample.

And if you are the CrankyPM, just send me your new URL. I won't tell anyone it was you.