Personally I think the slide started when Meg Whitman decided to pursue some questionable ventures that pretty much went bust such as cable phone service to Europe and expanding into China. She then tried to make up for this loss by increasing Ebay fees and commissions for the successful side of the operation, which gave both her and Ebay some very bad press and the exodus of sellers began. After Meg claimed that she was being pursued by several Fortune 500 companies including Disney, she suddenly announced she was leaving, only to resurface later as Mitt Romney's financial advisor. The rest is history. FRANC
-----Original Message----- From: MoPo List [mailto:mop...@sol03.american.edu] On Behalf Of Bruce Hershenson Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:54 PM To: mop...@sol03.american.edu Subject: [MOPO] When do YOU think was the moment when eBay "jumped the shark"? I think almost all of us can agree that eBay has clearly "jumped the shark"*. But exactly WHEN do you think this happened? When did eBay make the move that changed it from a company with a bright future, and started it on its current downhill path? Of course, there is no one "right" answer, but I have my own opinion, which I will gladly share once some of you voice your opinions. When do YOU think was the moment when eBay "jumped the shark"? Bruce *N.B. According to Wikipedia, the phrase "jump the shark" refers to a scene in a three-part episode of the American TV series, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Days> Happy Days, first broadcast on <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_20> September 20, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977> 1977. In the third of the three parts of the "Hollywood" episode, Fonzie ( <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Winkler> Henry Winkler), wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a penned-in <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark> shark while <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_skiing> water skiing. Even before "jumping the shark" was employed as a pop culture term, the episode in question was cited many times as an example of what can happen to otherwise high-quality shows when they stay on the air too long in the face of waning interest-or when they simply cease to maintain quality standards for writing or acting, resorting to cheap sensationalism etc. The infamous scene was seen by many as betraying Happy Days' 1950s setting (as well as reversing its earlier character-developments, as noted above) by cashing in on the 1970s fads of <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel> Evel Knievel <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark#cite_note-0> [1] and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)> Jaws. Producer <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Marshall> Garry Marshall later admitted that he knew the show had lost something as the crew prepared to shoot the scene. As Marshall pointed out in the reunion special that aired on <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_3> February 3, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005> 2005, however, Happy Days went on to produce approximately 100 more episodes after the "jumping the shark" episode. During the same special, in response to an audience member's question, Marshall introduced the notorious clip and noted how the show had inspired the term. The first public use <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark#cite_note-1> [2] of the phrase as a direct metaphor is reported to have been on <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_24> December 24, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997> 1997, when the <http://www.jumptheshark.com/> jumptheshark.com website was launched by <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Hein> Jonathan M. Hein. According to the site, the phrase was first coined by Hein's college roommate, Sean J. Connolly, in 1985. The term first appeared in print in the <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_9> April 9, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998> 1998, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times> Los Angeles Times Calendar Weekend section. The phrase has been used more recently outside the realm of popular culture, representing anything that has reached its peak and has declined in quality. If one thinks a stock or a sports team or a subcultural phenomenon has reached its peak, for example, one can say that it has "jumped the shark." The phrase can also be specifically, the phrase also refers to a particular event that demonstrates this decline beyond all doubt, such as whenever an entertainment company or business makes a grave mistake, and therefore rapidly loses ratings or fans, becomes bankrupt or is sold. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
