Cognitive Daily Closes Shop after a Fantastic Five-Year Run

Five years ago today, we made the first post that would eventually make its way onto a blog called Cognitive Daily. We thought we were keeping notes for a book, but in reality we were helping build a network that represented a new way of sharing psychology with the world. Cognitive Daily wasn't the first psychology blog, but clearly it filled an important niche, because within a year, we were receiving over 30,000 page views a month. Now we often get over 100,000 page views a month, and we've totaled over four million. We reach many more people than would ever have bought our book, and we've made many people aware that psychology is much more than Sigmund Freud.

Now, it's time to say goodbye to that. We are permanently closing Cognitive Daily, and this will be our last post.

While we won't be here, we've seen a number of exceptional psychology blogs join us in sharing the science of psychology with the world, and we encourage you to visit them. Rather than single any of these blogs out, we ask that you visit Dave's ongoing project, ResearchBlogging.org. There, by clicking on the "Psychology" and "Neuroscience" channels, you can find nearly 100 blogs that regularly discuss peer-reviewed research in the same fields we've been covering here. You can also follow dedicated psychology and neuroscience RSS feeds, or the @researchblogs twitter feed, to get an even broader view of what's going on in the world of science.

We're grateful to many, many people who have helped make Cognitive Daily great. There are too many to mention by name, but without the many scientists who provided the raw materials, the bloggers who've helped share ideas, and the administrators and techies who've made it all work, this blog simply couldn't exist. And, of course, without our readers and commenters, Cognitive Daily probably wouldn't have been around for more than a few months. You've inspired us, motivated us, corrected us, disputed us, informed us, and responded to more polls and surveys than we ever imagined possible. We hope you'll continue to find Cognitive Daily useful; the archives will remain here for all to see.

What will we do with all that time we've freed up? Greta plans to continue her work as Professor of Psychology at Davidson College, teaching and mentoring students, conducting research, and sharing her love of music, literature, and art. Dave will continue as editor of ResearchBlogging.org and weekly columnist for SEEDMAGAZINE.COM, and he'll maintain his personal blog, Word Munger and his obsessively-updated Twitter account. In addition, Dave's planning a new project, to be unveiled within the next few weeks. Look for more information about it on Twitter and Word Munger. In addition, Dave's now launched a new blog, The Daily Monthly. Check there for a new post every day, a new topic each month.

Thanks again for being a part of Cognitive Daily. It's been an amazing ride.

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Update 1/23/2010: Comments have been disabled sitewide. Thanks to everyone for your kind regards.

Update 2/4/2010: Dave's new project The Daily Monthly is now live. Check there for more writing from Dave.

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Holy cow! That was unexpected! You will be sorely missed.

As others have noted, you'll be missed, but you're surely going out on a high note.

It has been a pleasure getting to know you, online and off. I hope our virtual and physical paths continue to cross with some regularity.

But, but, but... what polls will I fill out?

Wow, a shocker but I know you guys won't fade away. Looking forward to seeing whats next. Enjoyed seeing you guys at Science Online again.

Your blog will be missed. You did pave the way for lots of others, including a lot of what is going on now at Psychology Today.

Nice work.

Aw, phooey!

By Pierce R. Butler (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

OMG.

Well, thanks for making the rest of us look like we deserved to be here on the internet because if we tried hard enough we might eventually be half as good as you guys.

Which we didn't. And now you're gone.

This is a joke, right? You'll still be there tomorrow, right?

Well, keep in touch. And the best of luck, but with your talent you don't need that!

What a pity...
Thank you so much for so many good work!

By Miguel Ãngel (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

You will be missed -- I've enjoyed being a regular reader on the site. Good luck in all your endeavors.

I really looked forward to your posts, especially you're casual Friday quizzes. You will be missed

By Rebecca Sparks (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

First Massachusetts, and now this. What a bummer day.

Best of luck in your future (and ongoing) projects! Cognitive Daily was a gem.

By rachelmary (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

Best wishes - this has been one of my favorite websites.

Thank you for your years of effort, good luck to you in the future. You will be missed.

By Eric Juve (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

Oh my. I'm really, really sad to see you go from this space. You've given so much great stuff to the blogosphere. Thanks for all you've shared so generously with all of us.

First Scott Brown gets elected, and now this. This is calamitous!

By frank habets (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

Thanks everyone,

It means a lot to both Greta and me to see all these messages of support. We've enjoyed every minute of these last five years. (Or so it seems now, looking back ;)

I first came across this site about four years ago when I was 13 it was one of the first blogs I started reading and sparked a real interest in psychology for me. It well be sad to see it go.

Thanks for all your work ! Keep on walkin n livin da cognitive life :)

Oh dear- I LURVED this blog! It was a way to stay in touch with psychology after I couldn't get a job doing it any more! I guess I'll have to rev u my enthusiasm for some of the other psych blogs! Thanks guys- you've kept my brain alive!

It's been around a week before my last visit to Cognitive Daily. So sorry to find that this would be the last post! I have been a faithful reader of this blog since 2005 and I really hate to see it gone. One the other hand, though, it's also great that you both can start having more time to do what you would love to do. Hope to meet you sometime somewhere, no matter in blog, in publication, or in person--Cog Daily will have a place in our heart :)

:-/

That's bad.

I don't understand why such radicalism, either posting regularly, or not posting at all. But that's not of my business anyway. Possibly some aspect of the contract with the blog host, I guess.

Thanks for all these posts during all these years, though. I hope they don't get deleted anytime soon.

Thanks for all the interesting posts:)

you will be missed! this blog changed forever the way psychology influences pop culture. not only that, but your work has changed blogging itself, which as you have shown, can be reliable, pertinent, and trustworthy. thanks for everything!

really, one of my favorite blogs. always so interesting. really quite sad to see it go. thank you so much for everything over the past bit. wish I'd found you sooner. wish you'd be here longer.

Best of luck with everything.

By Marion Delgado (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

Is this just another study? :-P

Thanks for the fascinating blog and best of luck in your future endeavors!

This is the very first ScienceBlog I ever read, sometime in high school. I guess that was about 4 years ago, and now I'm in college, studying neuroscience. So thanks for both the information and the inspiration.

I will miss your intelligent blog

Ouch, that is really, really sad. Your blog was fantastic and inspired me to try to find a PhD position in the neurosciences.

Thank you for your years of enthusiasm keeping this up! I can well understand that you want to move on, but I'll miss it. CD was one of the very few blogs I visited regularly.

Good luck for your future endeavors,
best, Michael.

Woah, that was sad & unexpected! Dave, please let us all know about your new project when it materialises.

i go to sleep in germany and wake up to find the world has changed. i hope the change is for the better, but all i can think right now is the overall quality of the blogosphere has diminished. how depressing!

Gosh. Well, I've enjoyed this blog immensely, and I can vividly imagine you put a lot of time in it, and would like to do something else with it after five years. All your work is truly appreciated, though. Thanks for all the good posts!

I'm very sorry to see you go. Now I shall have to go back over the archives to see what I've missed by coming late to the party!

It's been a great blog and I'm sorry it's come to an end.

Noooooooo. This is my favorite science blog. :'(

By anonymous (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

nooooooooooo! that's a real pity - this has been such great food-for-thought in the short time I've followed it... but I'm sure you're stopping for the best of reasons... and good luck with future endeavours (I hope this announcement isn't just another of your tricksy studies!).

By nothingishiddennow (not verified) on 20 Jan 2010 #permalink

Aw, hell.

Awwwwwwwwwwww

Nooo. We'll miss you!

By Luna_the_cat (not verified) on 21 Jan 2010 #permalink

Oh, wow. My blogroll will never be the same. Thanks for all of your amazing work these last 5 years, and best of luck on new endeavors!

Thanks very much guys - I don't know if you remember, but you helped my girlfriend out with an experimental design problem last year. The kind of dedication required to help a student you've never met with a problem is the something the world needs more of.

I've enjoyed your blog immensely, and will be following research blogging. Good luck with the future.

So sad! Thanks for 5 great years and a lot of hard work!

Best wishes!

PS: Video games are still totally awesome.

Once a blogger, always a blogger. This has got to be another tricky study of some kind.

By basilides (not verified) on 21 Jan 2010 #permalink

noooooooo, please don't leave! you made me start loving neuroscience - i will really miss you a lot.

Disappointing to hear that one of my favorite blogs is ending so suddenly, but I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors!

B-bye! Good luck with your next adventures, and thanks for your hard work all these years.

I came aboard late in your run and must say, "Coggy (forgive me), I hardly knew ye," but I enjoyed your company. I wish you luck in future endeavors and will look for other blogs on your recommendation.
Eleanor D

Sorry to hear this. Thank you both for all the work you put into Cognitive Daily. It will be missed. I wish you all the best with your future projects.

By Blair Warren (not verified) on 21 Jan 2010 #permalink

You were the best of the best. You've always had something that fascinates me every week, explained in terms any smart layman could understand. I will miss you so much.

I'm sorry to hear the blog will be ending, but I wish you both the best in future endeavors! (and I'll see you on ResearchBlogging!)

Sad to hear this blog is closing, it has been excellent.

Thank you for all the great posts over the last few years! You will be missed!

By Chris Runyon (not verified) on 21 Jan 2010 #permalink

Noooo.. sad to read this news. This is one of my favorite sites! I hope somebody else will contineuing this format soon with the same high quality. Thanks and goodbye!

hmmm ... I'll miss this blog.
Hope to see a new wonderful thing from you soon!

I'm so confused... We just met (at ScienceOnline) and now poof? I'm sad... but wondering what Dave's new project is...

Very sorry to see you folks go. You've been an invaluable contribution to discourse related to cognition. Good luck to you as you turn to new directions. And thank you for everything.

Oh no!! I only just discovered you last Fall!

I'm terribly sad to see you go but wish you luck on your on-going and future projects.

By AJ Scarrow (not verified) on 22 Jan 2010 #permalink

That's really sad. Live happily & be as energetic and helpful as you always were. I do believe that both of you will continue to serve the human race. Best wishes.

Thanks for stimulating my curiosity over the years and giving me new insights into ways of seeing the way we think.

Have fun with your lives.

- Lori

Now I am sad. I only started reading less than a year ago, but it quickly became one of my favorite sites to read. I wish you both the best of luck, and thanks for all the great articles.

Well, piffle. Now the Cognition folder in my Google Reader is empty. Thank you for all the good reading you've offered!

By Scott Hanley (not verified) on 22 Jan 2010 #permalink

I have been reading this blog for 8 months now, mostly as a silent reader. I have enjoyed the diverse topics discussed here. You guys have done an astounding job in posting amazing stuff. Thank you very much.

I am thinking that though there will be no new updates, this blog will still be here for looking up to older posts.

Wishing You Luck in you Future Endeavours,
Parimala Shankaraiah