Joystiq and TUAW shutting down is the best thing that could have happened to them.

Okay, that headline sounds harsh.  Hear me out.   I have loved Joystiq just about since it began.  It was singlehandedly the site that kept my waning interest in Video Games alive.  I was also a huge fan of TUAW until it started to fall off and iMore and 9to5mac became my go-to Apple sites.   For a long time, both of those sites were way better than they had any reason to be with AOL's crappy management.

That's why I'm glad they are gone.

There was far too much great talent working at both sites, being totally shortchanged by AOL.  I'm hoping to see some more projects in the vein of Stratechery by Ben Thompson.   People with a singular voice and a talent for writing who can bring their own particular flavor to the topic they want to cover.

We live in a time now where making a publishing platform for yourself that can withstand massive traffic spikes is easily within anyone's reach.  With growing ways to finance yourself via ads, or donations, or crowdfunding,  I think it's time to get away from the corporate model of blog publishing.  

Almost without fail, every major blog that has been eaten up by a big publisher ended up worse off in the end.  I personally can't wait to see what all those talented people go off and do.