Dear Consumerist.com readers,

This was my last week writing for you. Keeping up with the word on Main Street has been incredibly rewarding and kept me in touch with the rest of America while perched inside my Brooklyn blog castle. Because even though it’s my byline on my posts, it’s you, the readers, who drive what I write. It’s your stories and comments that make Consumerist great. Thank you for letting me spend 6 years with you. I just hope these monitor-induced double-bags and dark circles under my eyes aren’t permanent.

It’s been my honor to lift up the tales of the little guy and to tilt at the titans by your side. The Goliaths still don’t get how much power you have now that anyone can become a publisher in the time it takes to sign up for a Tumblr account. I hope you’ll keep reminding them. All you need is a good story, perseverance, and cat pictures!

Thanks to everyone at Consumer Reports, especially those involved with buying this site from Gawker and shepherding it into CR’s warm and wooly bosom. Just thought I’d give you a fair warning: you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, because I still want a labcoat with my name stitched on it.

Here’s the part in these things where I’m supposed to tell you about the ground-exploding Web5.0 transdimensional hyperrealistic consumer empowerment matrix I’m starting. Except there isn’t one. I’m working on a few different ways to exploit my brain for profit. In the meantime, please stay in touch. I’m writing at benpopkenwrites.com, making funny stuff at benpopkenisjustkidding.com, and my personal landing page and catchall for my endeavors and adventures is iambenpopken.com.

So what’s your favorite whitening and brightening cream? Sound off in the comments.

From the staff of Consumerist:

The staff of Consumerist would like to thank Ben for his years of work in the service of consumers everywhere. He’s an innovative and fearless advocate for the little guy, and we are lucky to have him on our side.

He accomplished many things during his years with us, but what stands out most to us is the creation of the Executive Email Carpet Bomb, a deceptively simple and bold idea that has saved consumers countless thousands of dollars and truly changed the marketplace– effortlessly and elegantly tipping the scale back toward the people who matter. We are always astonished by its effectiveness and power.

We will continue to follow his successes and know that he will always make invaluable contributions that spark change in the marketplace. Please join us in wishing him the best, and pledging to always send him cat pictures.

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