The term, "jump the shark" is from discussion of television shows. When a show begins to go downhill, and loses its ratings and even its plot direction, it's said to have jumped the shark.
The entire concept has its own website.
Pamela Heywood, at Online Business Journal has expressed an interest in the topic as well.
One thing that is interesting to me, is blogs are now entrenched enough in the mainstream, to have had some shark jumps already.
In fact, having been in existence long enough for a blog to begin, develop a readership, peak, and decline is a sign that blogs are starting to mature as a medium.
Jumping the shark means to already experienced some major successes.
Of course, like television and the other mass and specialty media, blogs will continue to evolve over time.
In much the same way as television shows have identifiable categories, widely recognized as leading to decline, so too will blogs.
We will soon be able to spot the warning signs of an imminent decline for any blog. With early diagnosis, we can apply some timely shark repellant, warding off the jump.
By understanding that blogs potentially have a life cycle, and whose useful time might in fact be finite, we can act accordingly.
Like Kim, formerly of the former G Spot, and now of Bacon and Eh's, spotting a possible shark jump can prevent a blogger losing an audience.
Since we've already seen that blogs can decline and fall, we know that blogs are becoming part of the mainstream.
It's only a matter of time before a website records how blogs have jumped the shark.
Using an appropriate blog-centric term, of course.
