Just two more full days at Citysearch. Time flies.

Yours in countdowns-ville, Eric Small

So the news is true. Another stage in my life has come to an end and the next begins.

As of Monday, I have two weeks left in my tenure with Citysearch. It has been 3-1/2 years – a lifetime in Internet time – and 4 title changes, all very exciting in their moment. I’ve seen 4 re-designs and innumerable product improvements, both from the technical side and the business side. And made more friends and developed more professional relationships than is probably fair for one person. But everything comes to an end eventually, and my time at Citysearch is due.

For the record, I am very proud of my accomplishments at Citysearch. I’m proud too of my more firey moments. My professional demeanor has changed and grown. And I can truly say my passion for my work is firmly intact. I leave not because I see a dearth of opportunity. Citysearch, with good execution, a step up in collaboration, and some focus on its other problems, can achieve. Local, as an industry, will be explosive in its growth in the months and years to come.

I simply grew weary. I picked my battles. I won some. And I lost some.

I produced. Got much done. And wished for much more.

And I innovated. And celebrated those achievements. And planned out many more.

But in the end, Local, as a problem, became a repetitive one – at least for me. That which was “new”, was no longer for me. I had seen all the major variations of the Profile Page. I had completed a social network integration. I had described the ideal user experience and simplest registration system. And so it was time to move on.

In comes GOOD. It’s a start-up. And it’s new! New people, a new place, and new challenges. Certainly I will apply all that I know and have learned, probably in some novel and unexpected ways. And that frankly thrills me.

For those wondering, I will be taking on the role of VP of Product Engineering.

With that, GOOD is a return to my roots. As leader of their technical efforts, I will again truly be able to apply my technical skills in tandem with my business skills. I, of course, won’t be able to help but to guide and advise on Product and Social Media issues. And with my background, I think I’ll do pretty darn good at it all. Call me “Ready!”

Lastly, I get to BUILD! I’ll be joining a really great group of people, doing a great thing, while building a great company, and within that, a great technical team. The challenges will be many, and the coolest is that I not only get to nurture a team, but in effect, create one from scratch. I know all of you reading will support me when I need to reach out for advice too. That’s what you do, and I’m honored by that.

So…that’s the story. As I close one chapter and start the next, I expect many of you will continue to be characters in my continuing story, and I in yours. Stay tuned!

Yours in transition, Eric Small