ON LOSING MARC ORCHANT

REST IN PEACE

I'm saddened like so many of my fellow tech bloggers by the passing away of Marc Orchant (see this Techmeme thread--picture source).

I've known and followed Marc only through the tech blogging world.

Although I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him personally, I've enjoyed getting to know him through his writings online both on ZDNet, and his most recent venture, Blognation.

He was only fifty years old, and passed away  suddenly after a massive coronary.

As Robert Scoble puts it so aptly upon hearing the news, "Damn..."

My deepest condolences to his wife Sue and their family.

His last post online was one of his most passionate, titled "Hey Facebook:  Buh Bye".  Ironically, he ends his departure from Facebook with this:

"According to Facebook:

Wrong!

I still have all my friends. The only friend I don’t have anymore Facebook is you!

Here’s my parting shot…

I feel so much better now…"

I remember reading this post vividly, since I shared his frustration with the company's Beacon adventures.   His act of leaving Facebook elicited some admiration for having followed through on his convictions.

Goodbye, Marc Orchant, you were right. 

You still have all your friends, both online and off. 

And you will be missed in both places by us all.

P.S.  Check out this post by Marc from last year, to get a better sense of what he was about.