I was lucky at Southside Media. I was surrounded by people who were young, enthusiastic and had a positive outlook on life.
That's not me. I'm tenacious and determined but sometime's my mind's crammed with negative thoughts. Things I've done wrong - or think I've done wrong - follow me around like a sneery, snappy, black dug - always looking up at me and occasionally biting my ankles.
That's the reason I had g41.org.uk and g42.org.uk taken down. While they were still up and running I felt like the little black dug was getting fed with chewy titbits.
But there's a lesson here. If I'd have kept these community networks up and running, and continued the work I'd planned to create other sites for the southside of Glasgow and beyond, there could have been new opportunities to build on them again.
Every time I look at the 4iP website I feel sick. Almost physically.
We fitted that bill so well. With their help we could have taken the concept of hyperlocal not-for-profit open media to a new level.
But all that work is gone. And the worst thing about it is that although I was the one who built the sites and worked to get people in the community to use them, by taking them down I've also destroyed the work of those many individuals.
So here's the lesson folks. If you're interested in getting involved in rebooting the news or becoming a news cadre, stay positive. Even when things look bleakest, take a deep breath and take comfort in the fact that what you're doing is reshaping the way that humans tell each other important stories and share important knowledge.
And whatever the ultimate fate of the structures that you create to help people in that task - don't ditch them! Have faith in the foundation of what you've built and keep it safe. Create copies. Back them up.
Because there's no doubt that they'll be useful building material for someone in the future. And that person might be you.