For an audio version of this post, please click on the speaker icon (top left).

 

 

 

 

 

I was recently cleaning up my DISH DVR (Hopper 3) by going through some of the timer recordings I had set (it was approaching close to 100 different programs).

It was during this moment that I came to a stark realization that some of the shows that I had been a devout follower of had not had any activity in months or sometimes years.

A quick search on the internet revealed that these shows had indeed been canceled/not renewed and without any fanfare.

It was a shame as some of the shows that felt the axe on the cutting board were quite good and left me wanting more as the storyline was prematurely cut short.

Often production expenses were cited as the cause for cancellation.

Other shows were canned because they did not meet the threshold for viewership ratings.

Take for example one show that had an intriguing plot but left me hanging without any resolution, the Fox TV show, Next.

This show lasted one season and all of 10 episodes.

That meant I invested 10 hours following the developing storyline only to be abruptly cut off without closure.

What is worse is these series typically take a normal extended break in the fall or summer and you naturally assume it will just restart the following season and pick up where it left off.

Because I do not have the bandwidth to keep a mental tally for when each show should resume airing, these, unbeknownst to me, canceled shows typically fade to black and into my subconsciousness.

It is sad that TV executives decide not to reward loyal viewers by at least trying to film a few more episodes to officially wrap up the series in order to not leave a sour taste in the audience’s mouths.

Very rarely a show canceled on one network finds a home on another media outlet.

Such was the case for the show Lucifer, which originally aired on Fox for 3 seasons before being canceled and then picked up on Netflix for another 3 more seasons.

In this case the screenwriters were able to tie up loose ends for loyal viewers by concluding the series with a grand finale on Netflix.

Here are some more examples of shows that met the cutting room floor prematurely that my daughter and I enjoyed:

• MacGyver
• Lethal Weapon
• Prodigal Son
• Missing (a personal favorite of mine that starred Ashley Judd and had an incredible movie like plot but lasted only 1 season in 2012)

 

The phenomenon of slowly fading to black and getting out of the public eye without much fanfare got me thinking of other instances where this happens.

As I have been heavily involved in the physician personal finance blogging space, I thought a good place to start was to examine fellow bloggers whose websites slowly faded out of public consciousness when they stopped posting.

It is sad.

Unlike celebrity athletes there is no farewell tour.

There is no big sendoff given by longstanding readers of said blogs.

Crispy Doc, a blogger whom I consider a friend even though we have never met, has actually compiled a fairly impressive list of physician bloggers who are no longer on the blogging scene in, “The Physician Finance Blogger Graveyard.”

The above referenced post was written in July 2020 and I guarantee you that there are even more websites that have joined the ranks of the dead.

That post was a harsh reminder of multiple blogs that I had found myself invested in and wanting more which had slowly slipped into obscurity and likely not even becoming a footnote to any future discussions of physician personal finance bloggers.

Some of these “graveyard” websites are still available to visit to peruse old posts as the domain name and website hosting fees have been paid for, but who knows for how long.

Other websites have been eradicated from the blogosphere completely when the owner chose to no longer pays for these ongoing fees.

In these instances the vast library of information that was previously at our finger tips is now lost forever.

That was the case for a blog that used to entertain me to no end, Side Hustle Scrubs, whose visitors are now greeted by a sad reminder of what was.

Crispy Doc himself has hinted that his blogging days might be over in, “Let’s Take A Break,” which came out November 2021.

The fact that Crispy Doc would even post about not blogging anymore is quite unusual.

Most bloggers do not acknowledge that they have quit blogging and thus readers are left to deduce that fact on their own.

Having been on both sides of the coin (as a reader and a blogger), I know that strong relationships develop between both parties.

As a reader I develop a strong online friendship with said blogger.

It therefore truly creates a vacuum when a blogger I follow disappears from the blogosphere.

I am left to wonder how that blogger is doing now and if they have found success elsewhere.

I can rationalize why most do not typically make a formal announcement when they decide to quit blogging:

• Putting it out online about quitting creates a finality that is hard to come back from.
  • Some may go into it as thinking that this may be temporary and do not want to burn any bridges or shut any doors.
• Most of us do not want to be viewed as failures if we do decide that we were not meant for blogging.

 

Wait a minute!  Xrayvsn, are you writing this post because you are quitting?

I am not going to lie.

There have been periods in my 3 1/2 year journey as a blogger where I seriously wanted to hang it all up.

That was especially true during certain dark periods in my life where either my daughter was away for Christmas because of custody arrangements or when I was truly feeling burnt out at work prior to hiring a 3rd radiology partner.

Although my daughter, at the time of this posting, will once again be in England for Christmas, I do not see myself again going down the dark path that had me considering ending this blog.

Blogging is a lot of work, especially if you try to put out as many posts as I do.

It can sometimes feel like another job or an obligation that must be met to keep the streak of posting going.

When this post publishes it will be article #468 which still blows my mind.

When I first started blogging in April 2018 I was worried I would have nothing to say after a couple of months and that the creative ink well would dry out rapidly.

I currently have no plans to stop blogging but of course this is a very fluid process.

It would be nice to leave on a high note and at the peak of my ability, much like Barry Sanders when he retired from the NFL as one of the greatest running backs.

That scenario would be far more preferable to lingering beyond your expiry date like some athletes who are way past their prime but still do not want to retire.

I definitely do not want to have a “jump the shark” moment for this blog and when I am grasping at straws for potential blog topics, that may be the true signal that the time has come.

I will note that just this month I paid for my domain name renewal as well as website hosting costs for another 3 years  ($645) so at the very least my content should at least reside in the blogosphere until 2024.

When I finally arrive at the inevitable point of hanging up my keyboard, I hope I will make a formal announcement so that I do not leave my readers with a perpetual cliffhanger that TV shows are notoriously known for.

 

Note:

If you are in search of financial help, please consider enlisting the service of any of the sponsors of this blog who I feel are part of the “good guys and gals of finance.”

Even a steadfast DIY’er can sometimes gain benefit from the occasional professional input.

 

 

-Xrayvsn