Twenty-one years in the past, the web appeared vastly completely different. Social media websites like Fb and Twitter didn’t but exist. Solely one in four People had entry to high-speed web, so for most individuals, downloading photos or their favourite music took a substantial period of time. Since inventors had not but created smartphones, customers surfed the online as a stationary exercise.
Folks principally used the web at the moment for analysis or easy communication with family and friends. Blogs offered a big supply of knowledge on the web, protecting nearly any matter, and most provided informative content material. Social and political commentary blogs existed, however they remained uncommon.
Though many blogs appeared on the web, most lasted solely a short while earlier than the variety of posts pale and bloggers finally shut them down or deserted them. Only some achieved constant notability. One among them was the TaxProf blog, which Paul Caron — the present dean of Pepperdine Caruso College of Regulation — ran. Whereas the weblog catered to the tax and legislation college group, it stood out for its constant launch of related information alongside the occasional private or spiritual submit. If information appeared on the TaxProf Weblog, it deserved a learn.
On Monday, Caron introduced that after 21 years and 55,780 posts, he would finish the weblog. He made the choice after studying that the platform internet hosting his weblog would discontinue all blogs on September 30.
I feel I first got here throughout the TaxProf weblog once I was a tax LLM pupil at Chapman College of Regulation. I used to be visiting the late Michael Lang throughout his workplace hours and I occurred to note the weblog on his pc monitor. From that second, I visited the TaxProf weblog commonly within the hopes it could assist me perceive my tax courses. I don’t assume it did, however I realized loads about authorized schooling and its questionable practices previous to 2010.
A while later, I transferred to Loyola Regulation College. I had the chance to graduate with honors, however I used to be required to spend a semester writing a analysis paper. It was then I remembered a TaxProf submit in January 2006 in regards to the IRS presumably taxing the sale of online game foreign money. I assumed it could make an attention-grabbing paper matter that individuals would need to learn. At the very least extra attention-grabbing than writing about partnership distributive share regulations. However I used to be involved that others within the authorized group would discover it absurd and that it could make me unemployable after commencement.
To make an extended story brief, I spent the semester going to the library after courses studying extra books than I care to confess. I talked to legislation professors, on-line sport builders, and even an economist on the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
I additionally examine a brand new kind of digital coin referred to as Bitcoin which was promoting for 50 cents every. I thought of placing $100 on it and let it sit for some time. Nevertheless it appeared scammy, so I ignored it.
I ultimately completed the analysis paper, and it did greater than add a gold star to my LLM diploma. It was printed within the Virginia Tax Evaluate and was cited by the IRS Taxpayer Advocate’s Annual Report back to Congress. This later performed an element within the Inner Income Service’s preliminary digital foreign money and later cryptocurrency rules.
All this got here from a weblog submit that I learn one morning in 2006.
I’ll miss the TaxProf Weblog not only for the affect it had on me, but in addition as a result of it represents considered one of a dying breed of blogs created as a “labor of affection,” as Caron places it. Blogs have given method to social media. Bloggers have morphed into influencers who care extra about pleasing monetization algorithms, boosting view counts, or gaining followers. And commentators write in methods designed to troll or provoke reactions, slightly than to make individuals assume.
I’m hopeful that algorithms of the longer term will put an finish to clout chasing and reward those that present helpful data just like the TaxProf Weblog did for 21 years.
Steven Chung is a tax lawyer in Los Angeles, California. He helps individuals with fundamental tax planning and resolve tax disputes. He’s additionally sympathetic to individuals with giant pupil loans. He may be reached through electronic mail at [email protected]. Or you’ll be able to join with him on Twitter (@stevenchung) and join with him on LinkedIn.
