The question has been persistent for the last 2 months: why was alttv.net shut down? There are so many reasons why AltTV was shut down; it started when the site took longer to develop than originally planned, which resulted in missing some of the biggest stories of 2011 – from the death of Steve Jobs to the failed AT&T/T-Mobile merger. And then things started going downhill.
When AltTV finally launched in January 2012, expectations were set very high for the site to achieve success. When it did not achieve results, people started to panic, mainly the author. Combine panic and anxiety, health problems and stress; things were bound to explode.
And they did on March 8.
While driving to the 2012 South By Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Tex., there was an accident involving an 18-wheeler that shut down I-10 near Jennings, La. Sitting in traffic for three hours didn’t bother me, I had my iPhone connect to my stereo and listened to every podcast I had on my playlist: Dan Patrick, Mike & Mike, Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me! and so on.
The only thing upsetting was the fact that I couldn’t do any shopping in Houston (Micro Center and Frys) before going on Austin.
Somewhere between Lafayette and Lake Charles while driving on Hwy. 190, I realized that I forgot the credit card to pay for the hotel.
A tidal wave of emotions rushed over me.
I’VE SPENT SO MUCH EFFORT MAKING THIS SITE AND GETTING NO RESULTS! WHY IS IT THAT I CAN’T GET VISITS! WHY AM I GOING TO SXSW TO COVER A CONFERENCE THAT WILL GET ZERO VIEWS! I’VE SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON THIS DAMN SITE! WHY ME!
It just kept coming.
The next day I shut down AltTV.net.
Now I’m trying again, only this time I’m writing venture into other areas besides tech. Will it help? I don’t know but I’m not the person that quits without trying.
While the experience was nerve racking, I did come away with a few learning experiences. The main item: don’t wait to build a completed site and then write. The second: that I have family members that really care about what I’m doing and are willing to do anything see me succeed.
And that’s the story behind the shutdown of AltTV.net.