Can a blog "jump the shark"?

Jump the shark.



You've probably heard the phrase, but you might not be quite sure where it originated.



The term is from an extremely comprehensive website about current and past television shows. The object is to find out precisely the moment when a good television show went down hill.



Jumping the shark can happen in two general ways.



The first method, is when a show has peaked at it's greatest episode ever. It may have topped the ratings, or had some highly pivotal episode as part the plotline. In any case, that lofty level was never achieved again



The other way to jump the shark, is if your favourite show had one of a laundry list of imagined or profound program changes. The alterations could be in character and cast changes, or even a major switching of plot emphasis.



Once that magical or not so happy change occurs, the television show is said to have jumped the shark. The show will begin the slippery slope to eventual cancellation as a result.



The shark will have claimed another victim.



The question then, is whether a blog can also jump the shark.



Perhaps, more to the point, is can your own blog take the dreaded jump.



How a good and often highly popular blog can go into decline, is the question.



There are several ways the dreaded day can arrive to claim the blogger's efforts for oblivion.



One method, is to simply stop posting. A blog, that is never again updated and abandoned, is certain to lose its readers. That is inevitable. A new blog is only one single mouse click away.



A second shark jump can occur insidiously. The number of posts starts heavily. There may be two or more per day, during the initial heady days of establishing the blog. That flourish eventually turns to barely two posts per week. The rest is usually referred to as history.



Changing a blog's focus can cause a jump. A popular sports blog can decide to become political, or a political blog decides to join the ranks of a personal journal. Any such migration of blogging genres can result in a sleigh ride to the bottom of the blogging hill.



Lowering the quality of posts can cause a shark to begin circling your blog very quickly. A series of very weak posts, much below the expected calibre, and the readership will drift away. Keeping the quality of postings high, keeps the sharks out of the water.



Don't let your blog become a casualty of having jumped the shark.



Leave that problem to the television programs.



Don't let your blog become a shark's meal.