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May 22, 2001
By Karen Kenworthy
IN THIS ISSUE
"Dear Folks: Sorry I haven't written lately".
For the last few weeks this title has kept returning to me. It belongs to an album by the late genius, singer, and song-writer Roger Miller. Perhaps most famous for songs such as "King of the Road," "Dang Me," and "You Can't Roller-skate in a Buffalo Herd," Roger briefly took time off from writing. The release of this album marked his return to the public eye, and the beginning of the second half of his career.
I haven't been away as long as Roger. But the sharp-eyed among you have noticed my absence. It started two months ago, just before noon, on Monday, March 19th. That was when an unexpected email message arrived in my mailbox, which started with these words:
"No new content will be posted on Winmag.com after 1 pm Monday."
Now, a lot of things go right over my head. But even I knew this message wasn't bringing good news. Reading between the lines, this message seemed to say Winmag.com was closing its doors. And within a few days, that's exactly what happened.
What Happened?
Since that time I've heard from a lot of you. Many have asked what happened to Winmag.com, why did it fail? Unfortunately, I really don't know.
I wrote for Winmag.com since its inception. And for its predecessor, Windows Magazine, since April of 1992. At the end, I had more tenure than anyone but former Windows Magazine Editor-in-Chief Fred Langa.
But I was never actually employed by either publication. During those nine years I was technically a "freelancer," someone who worked from one assignment to the next. As a result, I never attended company meetings, never visited company headquarters, and knew very little about company politics, economics, or long-range plans.
My theory -- and it's really just a guess -- is that Winmag.com suffered from being a small fish in a big pond. Over the years, as ownership of Windows Magazine and Winmag.com changed hands, its owners knew less and less about this particular part of their publishing empire. At some point, in their eyes, it became just another title among many they owned. One day, when that list seemed a bit too long, Winmag.com was among those chosen to be closed.
Whatever the reason, one thing is known for sure: Winmag.com is gone. I'm really going to miss it. And judging from my email, a lot of you will too.
Where Did You Go?
I'm a firm believer that every ending is also a new beginning. And that's certainly true in the case of Winmag.com. Most former Winmag.com columnists have recently started publishing their own newsletters, carrying on the traditions they started at Winmag.com.
And after a lot of thought and deliberation, I've decided to do the same. Sort of. You see, even though Winmag.com published "Karen's Power Tools Newsletter" for over two years, I actually owned the newsletter all that time. So I'm simply taking back my baby, and moving us a new electronic home.
It's taken a bit of time and work, a can of paint, and a bucket of bits. But our new home is finally ready. Located on the Web at http://www.karenware.com/, it houses all of my Power Tools programs, plus back issues of my Power Tools newsletter. There's also a page that lets new readers request their own free newsletter subscription, and even a page that describes the soon-to-be released Power Tools CD.
One important new page is called Karen's Quiz. This voluntary questionnaire, at http://www.karenware.com/survey.asp, allows me to get to know everyone better, while protecting your privacy. No identifying information is requested or collected, so I won't know who takes the quiz. But your answers to the quiz will help me craft future Power Tools programs, and choose future newsletter topics. And with a little luck, the resulting reader profile may persuade selected companies to become newsletter sponsors.
Where Are We Headed?
Onward and upward! :)
I've already released a new version of my Window Watcher program, with a small fix that allows it to display more information when run under Windows 2000. I'm putting the finishing touches on a new release of the URL Discombobulator, allowing it to reveal more information about cryptic web addresses. New versions of the popular Cookie Viewer and Directory Printer are in the works too. I've even cooked up a computer "hash" we'll soon be using to detect changes to the files stored on our hard disks.
And, as always, we'll still get together every week, here at the secluded Power Tools workshop, to talk about programs, friends, life, and a whole lot more. In a nutshell, things haven't changed all that much. :)
Until our next get-together, check out the new Window Watcher at http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptwinwatch.asp. And while there, don't forget to take Karen's Quiz! And as always, if you see me lounging around our new Power Tools home, or anywhere else on the 'net, don't forget to wave and say "Hi!" I'll be looking for you!
