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Timely Demise met its own timely demise on November 30, 2009, following the roughest recession in a generation and unprecedented changes in the retail marketplace.

Over the sixteen months of its run, the Timely Demise weblog, tracking changes in retail from a consumer-interest angle, delivered the news of 19 acquisitions, 108 Chapter 11 filings, 16 chapter 7s, 13 liquidations and dozens of noteworthy trends.

Despite its brusque title, Timely Demise delivered more than half a million page views to the curious, and received coverage from media outlets such as All Things D and CNN. As it closes the site maintains steady traffic.

We hope the site was seen as interesting, objective and honest, and we wish everyone in retail a prosperous economic recovery. (Read more closing thoughts.)

Kind of nice, isn't it: Timely Demise has had almost nothing to say for a week.

Could it be "the beginning of the end of the recession?" The slow summer news cycle? Executives on vacation?

This writer believes it has more to do with the economy taking a well-deserved summertime nap than any macro-level trends--just because the stock market bounced doesn't mean America still isn't facing a workforce that's 20% underemployed.

In any case, Timely Demise owns a sister website that will launch once good news starts to eclipse bad. And if that takes awhile, TD will be sure to note it. Keep your tips and thoughts coming.

Whatever may happen, this blog is content to not have much to say. The break, while not a compelling read, is refreshing. We'll see what happens next week.

TD posts now have a Retweet link that allows for one-click publishing to Twitter. Sooner or later I'll activate better sharing functionality for more sites, like Delicious.

Timely Demise already twitters and cross-posts to Facebook to service the busiest of the social networks. Please email or comment if you have a specific site to request.

Timely Demise fine-tuned its navigation last week to show categories for each entry on the site's home page. This should make it easier for you to drill into the archives, now that we're up to nearly 250 entries. (Aside: wow, 250 entries? We launched barely eight months ago. That's pretty busy for such a niche topic.)

I'm debating doing this for the RSS feeds, too--email me if you think this would be worthwhile.

It's not the happiest tidbit, and Timely Demise isn't typically about unemployment, but our friend Norm Elrod and his Jobless and Less blog got profiled in the New York Times today. We'd rather see Norm gainfully employed, of course, but hey, small victories count too.

Please join me in welcoming Josey Miller as a Timely Demise contributor. She'll be posting occasional items alongside me and guestblogger Choire (who's around here somewhere, I'm sure). Welcome, Josey!

Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Choire Sicha to Timely Demise. He'll be handling the majority of posting while your usual host is out of town for a few days. Thanks, Choire!

I've established some Timely Demise social media outlets to give easier access to TD.

Timely Demise on Twitter gives direct links to stories as they publish. It also covers retail on a bit more macro level; those interested in economic and real-estate news, and not just brands, will enjoy the TD Twitter feed. This blog remains focused on more tangible changes to the retail landscape.

Timely Demise on Facebook is, so far, just a fan page and republishing outpost. Users on Facebook can read TD posts there instead of here. Maybe the site will get a few outspoken fans as well. (Facebook account required for link.)

Timely Demise welcomes the community aspect in both areas--direct messages and replies are always welcome. See you there.

Late to post, but pleased to note: Timely Demise was cited by the Wall Street Journal as a leading-edge indicator of the current blog scene. Although, as Glenn Fleishman noted on It Died: "Sad, really."

Timely Demise (and It Died) also appeared on AllThingsD last weekend. Thanks to both for the mention.

With remarkable coincidence, the blog It Died launched alongside Timely Demise yesterday. Glenn Fleischman is writing "a compendium of what services and companies are no longer available for our Internet pleasure and use." It's a great companion read to this blog and I wish Glenn much success. (See also the It Died post about Timely Demise.)