I hate the internet.
Or maybe it's just the constant "new and improved" junk that sites continually bombard us with.
Case in point:
Years ago when I became a 'bona fide' author (contracted by a traditional publisher), I was informed I needed my very own site, plus there was a lot of hoopla about maintaining a blog.
A 'blog'? The word itself didn't set well with me. It sounded like something I'd use for a substitute expletive.
Yet, I was willing to give it a go. Upon inquiring, I learned there were two free sources for blogs - WordPress and Google Blogger.
I tried WordPress first, but frankly, I found it very hands-on unfriendly. I ran over to check out Blogger and discovered that hey, I could understand this simple interface!
So there I was blogging along on Blogger. Then when I learned my new site (another freebie, this one from the folks at Free Webs) had its very own blog, I thought, 'Instead of sending readers to two different places, why not combine?'
I did just that and said bye-bye to the Blogger blog.
Fast forward three years to the summer of 2012. Free Webs, changing its name to merely Webs, "improved" their site with a "new sitebuilder".
Ha.
You should've read all the questions and comments flooding their support forum.
And it seemed that with the recent "new" change, they decided I wasn't paying enough for the "privilege" of using their "excellent" services. They downgraded my Premium status (I paid for the domain name through their provider) to plain old "free" - which meant I had lesser storage and lesser bandwidth. I discovered that, as a suddenly "free" member I exceeded my limits and could no longer upload photos. Several of my pages -allowed as a Premium elite- disappeared with this 'new and improved' change of theirs.
I gritted my teeth for a bit, but decided if they wanted to play that game, so be it. I wasn't about to be hijacked into paying for the higher cost of regaining my Premium status.
It was 'adios, Webs'. I knew Blogger was still free, plus they now had up to 20 pages. An author's dream, right?
So I returned to Blogger, worked diligently for about a day to set up my new site. And wonderful! It was still as easy to navigate as I remembered.
But now...(why, oh why, are they doing this?) Blogger is going the route of 'new and improved' interface.
Have you tried it? It's nothing like the old, nothing like the familiar I'm used to, nothing like the easy dashboard I love!
Yesterday, on the 'improved' setting, I tried to upload a photo. Guess what? It wouldn't open up my Pictures folder. Excuse me? How am I supposed to upload a photo if I can't even access the correct folder???
I am bummed, folks, bummed. I returned to Blogger for the simplicity, the ease of what they originally gave us. What idiot in the Google virtual boardroom determined that they needed a 'new and improved' method???
Call me one of those who doesn't 'get with the program', but I'm of the opinion that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
In only a matter of days the old interface/dashboard will be gone. Disappeared. No longer accessible.
Am I the only one seeing red here?
5 comments:
Aw bless, MM you have my sympathies. I completely agree with your statement 'if it ain't broke, don't mend it' - I too get fed up with sites constantly changing.
I spent best part of a weekend updating my 'Webs' premium site when I went in and discovered all my background and formatting had disappeared, so I had to learn the new system and painfully build it up again from scratch. At least the content was still intact but it was a time consuming exercise I could have done without.
I really can't understand why they would have downgraded your Premium status though Did you have it set to 'auto-renew'? It could be that it didn't actually do so. I had this happen with one of my domain names, and I lost the domain name because of it, so I always double check now, to make sure the auto renew has worked.
As for blogger, I've got used to the new interface, but blogger does have problems from time to time, hopefully you'll be able to upload your photos eventually, but it must be very frustrating. I do feel for you, my friend, life would be so much easier if these sites didn't keep on 'improving'.
Hope it will sort itself out for you!
Oh, Miss Mae, I am so sorry about your problems with this website crap. I sometimes have problems with Wordpress.org and I have to send e-mails to my website designer because I could no more fix anything than I could fly! It's so frustrating that these things are set up for computer geniuses and not the average person.
Patti
Hi Lyn,
Webs increased, or had a cost hike, to their basic "premium" package. Whereas I signed up at $19.99 a year, plus the $17.95 for the domain name, the cost now of basic premium is roughly $40 a year, or (at current 15% off) $3.19 a month.
I simply refused to pay that extra money, so they downgraded me to "free".
But after all the years at Webs I was ready for a change. It seemed so many times I couldn't access the site, they took away my original Guestbook without so much a by-your-leave to me, it was difficult to log in, etc.
I think I'm just getting internet weary, LOL.
Thank you so much for dropping by, and I know how hard you work at keeping your site gorgeous. It's always fun to visit there! :)
Hi Patricia,
I hear you! Why do they make websites so danged hard??? I guess it's so we'll pay them to repair it for us! LOL
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your experience. Always love to hear from you! :)
Sorry - what a hassle. They shouldn't have made any changes - I agree.
I had some weird stuff happen on my blog recently. I went to post and it wasn't my normal blog but had weird symbols on the whole site. Apparently Wordpress decided to update so was why my blog posts and everything had disappeared. What a pain.
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