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TorrentFreak Turns 18 Today (Hospital Edition)
TorrentFreak celebrates its eighteenth birthday today. When the site took the first steps of its online journey, self-publishing was still a relatively new phenomenon on the Internet. Looking back, I’m happy that I installed WordPress and gave it a try. It turned out to be a life-changer.
On November 12, 2005, I started a ‘blog’ to share news snippets and information about emerging file-sharing technology. At the time it would’ve been unthinkable that it would still draw visitors in 2023. But here we are.
Running a site like this on your own is impossible, so luckily Andy joined TF in 2006. Without his tireless input, the site wouldn’t be where it is today. I couldn’t have wished for a better partner to work alongside, period.
With two main writers and no other editorial staff we’re just a tiny operation compared to most other news sites. This means that we can’t cover every news story. Instead, we often try to focus on unique angles and perspectives.
A lot has changed in the (anti)piracy landscape over the years. Massive sites and services shut down and new giants appeared, in a cycle that continues to this day. When TF started, streaming wasn’t even really a thing yet, but today it’s everywhere.
Ideally, I’d like to write a lengthy overview of the highs, lows, and most pivotal stories, but today that’s not an option.
Life-Changing
Believe it or not, this article is coming to you from a hospital in the Netherlands, where a nasty health issue ‘brought’ me a few days ago. Luckily things are improving, but this explains why there are no recent articles published under my name.
As things stand right now, it will be hard to write anything substantial anytime soon. It’s ironic for this to happen on the verge of the site’s eighteenth anniversary. But, in hindsight, it’s an absolute miracle that TF managed to publish articles every single day for almost 18 years, through vacations, weddings, births, losses and all.
What the more distant future holds I don’t know. TorrentFreak has been my life and passion over the past eighteen years. It has taken priority over so many other things then last week, life itself passionately reminded me that health is more important than anything else. I need some balance.
Where this balance lies isn’t clear to me at this moment, and it’s best not to pressure myself into doing anything until the end of the year. Whether that means writing two articles, eighteen, or thirty-three, I just don’t know, but TF will still be here.
In closing, I want to thank everyone who helped TF to become what it is today. That includes the readers, ranters, tipsters, sources, and everyone kind enough to steer the site to where it is right now.
Thanks for reading and take care all!
