Last Post

For everything, there is a season.

The season has changed for Shuck and Jive.

I am ending this blog.

It is funny how changes come about.  I have been blogging at "Shuck and Jive" for over six years and on the domain shuckandjive [dot] org since September 22, 2008.   I have been wanting to change the tone and focus for some time, especially since Zach's death.   I really don't feel "shuck and jivey" anymore.

I was talking about this with my office assistant, Sandra Garrett, and she noted that as it is with many decisions, sometimes they are made for you.   While on vacation visiting my parents this past week, I happened to check my blog on my mother's computer and saw that my blog was gone.   The domain had been parked at Godaddy with a price of $8,800 and I was not the owner.

At first I thought I had been hacked, especially since my blog has had increased attention thanks to Sarah Palin's comment about President Obama doing the "shuck and jive."   My blog received a lot of traffic for that! 

Finally, today, after going over my records and calling Godaddy, I have put together what happened.   For the past several years, Googleapps has contacted me via email and reminded me to update.  I have dutifully done so.  Ten bucks each year.   I was careless with it.  I only renewed when reminded.   This year I received no reminders and no notifications about renewing or its possible expiration.   None.   My contact information did not change.  Same email for the past five years.   Being preoccupied with other matters this summer, I didn't even think about it. 

I told the Godaddy flunkie over the phone that I received no notification about my blog renewal, expiration, or eventual loss and he said it isn't their fault.   They send email reminders as a courtesy but perhaps they were lost in my spam folder?  They weren't.   In either case, he told me that I let it expire and someone else owns it now, but wouldn't I like to purchase another domain?    

No thanks.

There is no way to contact Googleapps.   There is not a human being among all of that electronic hullaballoo.

There is no foul play.  But it certainly is convenient for the purchaser of shuckandjive [dot] org that for $10 or so s/he purchased a domain worth $8,800 and Godaddy and Google will receive commissions and fees on managing it.

Learn from me, dear bloggers.  If you have a domain, pay attention to it.

The money isn't the issue.  I have lost nothing.  I refused advertising and made no revenue off my blog.  I certainly had no idea what this domain was worth due to the traffic my blog has steadily received over the years.  It is however terribly inconvenient as all the links all over the web to my blog are to shuckandjive [dot] org.   The current owner will make money whenever anyone goes there.   None of those links will go to anything I have written.

I have temporarily put "Shuck and Jive" on blogspot and will keep it here until I decide what to do with it.   

In the meantime, I am retiring the phrase, "shuck and jive" as it applies to me.

And that is OK.  I don't feel quite as edgy anymore.   I would like to publish longer pieces for someone somewhere, maybe a column once per week.    I may tie it in with my radio show, Religion For Life, which you can find at www.religionforlife.me.  

I will resurrect and I will let you know where to find me!


Thanks, my friends, for your readership over the years.

It has been fun!