Today is the 25th anniversary of this website. In normal circumstances, we’d be joyously celebrating with you a quarter-century of non-stop U2 news and features. But these aren’t normal circumstances, so I’m here to share some sad but necessary news: @U2 is saying goodbye.
This has been an extremely difficult year for @U2 and the fans who run this website. The staff has battled grueling health, family and career challenges – things that go well beyond social distancing, masks and quarantining at home. For some on the staff, these battles continue today and are the reason they’ve been absent from the site.
Although I left @U2 more than a year ago, I had to return this summer to help address a complicated legal matter that not only threatened the future of the site, but could have also created a significant financial burden for my family. Fortunately, that matter is behind us now, but it forced us to rethink what @U2 offers and how we offer it. And, it made me realize that I can’t continue to be the site’s absentee owner.
In short, 2020 has posed a series of adverse trials that led to this decision. We discussed and explored other options but none were viable. In the end, as the legal owner of the site and domain, I made the decision that it’s time to say goodbye.
What Happens Next
@U2 will remain online for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time and then the site will be taken offline. We hope this gives you time to revisit your favorite content before it disappears and gives fans in our forum time to say goodbye and/or make plans to connect elsewhere.
It’ll also give the staff time to finalize their next steps. Kelly Eddington will be making her Achtoon Baby cartoons available on a new domain, achtoonbaby.com. Tim Neufeld will be moving the Bible References in U2 Lyrics to the U2Conference.com site. Other staff members are discussing plans to share final articles and/or a podcast(s) to say goodbye – what you’re reading now will not be the last thing published on @U2.
When all the goodbyes have been said, all @U2 content will be taken offline, and our social media accounts will go dark.
I know some of you are relatively new to us, and others have been visiting/reading/following along since the 1990s. Whether it’s been for weeks/months or years/decades, you’re the reason we started this journey. On behalf of the entire staff, thank you for understanding how difficult this year and this decision is for all of us.
Most of all, thank you for sticking with @U2 and supporting us through the years. It’s been a joy to share our fandom with you. We hope we served you well.
(c) McGee / @U2, 2020