Life just got a whole load easier

I like writing Rummaging, but the research brings me down.

For every Golden Palace story (and yes, they bought the Pope's Hat Dorito), there are a bunch of self-seeking no-hopers. I've always relied on the kindness of strangers for the majority of the links I cover.

But now, thanks to the launch of Bayraider, my life just got a whole load easier. Bayraider is a new eBay blog featuring "interesting things on eBay".

I just can't help but wonder where they got the idea from?

The blog is being run by a company called Shiny Media. They claim to be 'the UK's leading commercial weblog company', which is a bit like claiming to be the second toughest in the infants.

The head honchos (for they are commercial 'real journalist' types, with talk of 'publishers' and their 'stable of blogs') all seem to be good friends with the Guardian's Blog Guru Jane Perrone.

In July last year, Jane was kind enought to write about Rummaging.

"It's an idea that probably has plenty of bloggers wondering "why didn't I think of that"?"

And now they have. My claim on exclusivity is lost. I will have to resort to needy desperate sounding catchphrases like 'the original...and still the best', or something like that.

Best of luck to them. To be fair, they have linked up to Rummaging.

My suggestion is that we divide up responsibilities.

Their job will be to see if you can make writing fatuous stuff about eBay auctions a viable commercial activity.

My job will be to see if they can do this, lift their best stuff and to try to be a bit funnier.