This site launched just about six years ago: I've been writing Wi-Fi Networking News since 2001, launching the site shortly after having spent some weeks researching a story for The New York Times on publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots. Hotspots numbered in the hundreds in 2001. HomeRF was a viable technology, but on its inevitable road out, although there was some doubt. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi were in contention. A way faster future standard named 802.11g was around the corner with blazing 22 Mbps speeds. And this site was named 802.11b Networking News.

I assumed six years ago that Wi-Fi would be slowly grow into an essential part of the networking kit. I had no idea that the inflection point would take just two years--in 2003, as 802.11g finally launched and prices plummeted. Since then, cost for the cheapest gear has held steady as newer, faster flavors rotated into view, and then became commoditized. I still laugh over predictions that by 2007 (or even 2005) only a percentage of laptops, like 75 percent, would have Wi-Fi adapters built in. It was clear by 2003 that Wi-Fi would either be in nearly every laptop or a total failure.

Blogging went from a technical niche to mainstream within the first three years of this site's operation, and monetization of a blog through advertising to real viability for high-traffic sites has taken the last three years. While this site is technically profitable (my real hard costs are all my own labor), revenue is nowhere near the level needed to make this either my entire living or to hire a staff. (You need a broader focus like my good colleague Om Malik who launched GigaOm across a spectrum with private investment to jump start it.)

I can't believe I've been running this site for six years, and I expect that means I'll find myself here in another six.