How do you end a blog?

I think the social phenomenon of keeping a personal blog as a hobby is coming to a close. I see more and more people worried about the personal information they are putting out onto the Internet, even if anonymously. I myself changed the URL for my blog several months ago (in hopes of making it a little less conspicuous in a search), a couple friends have password protected their blogs, and a lot of people have just stopped updating their blogs altogether.

Today I was asked to take a research survey about blogs and blogging. This question was included:

Why do you blog?(Please check all that apply.)
To express yourself creatively
To document your personal experiences or share them with others
To stay in touch with friends and family
To share practical knowledge or skills with others
To motivate other people to action
To entertain people
To store resources or information that is important to you
To influence the way other people think
Other (please specify)

The writing I have posted to RBlog over the past three years has been motivated at one time or another by each of above reasons. But, I've posted less and less lately. I think this is primarily due to two factors:

1) When you figure in work, commuting, school, homework, volunteer projects, sleep, and commitments I've made to Dave, Sam, and friends, I have less than 1 free hour per day during the work week, and I rarely want to spend it in front of a computer.

2) Many of the things I'm motivated to write about are not appropriate for some part of the audience that I know reads this blog. They are either too personal, too R-rated, could get me into trouble at work, or probably just not that interesting to you.

And so, in my mind this blog has become bits and pieces that get posted when I am in the mood, and mostly a way to keep in touch with the friends and family who still check it. That seems like a fine use for now, and there's always the possibility that somewhere down the line I will become a more active blogger.

There are some takeaways from my blogging experience so far. For a blog to have any sustainable life and be able to grow a relevant community around it, it needs to have 1) a mission statement-like focus and a reason for existing that goes beyond the ego of the author(s), 2) author(s) who post each day, 3) the freedom (usually created through the anonymity of the author) to be honest, interesting, express a unique personality, and cover personal topics that inspire genuine interest and passion in readers.