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Sunday, October 22, 2006
Bonus "I need your advice" poll.
Well, as many of you have pointed out to me, my blog has has accessibility issues for several weeks now. It's worse on the weekends, but happens throughout the week. The so called "help" forum has had people explaining all along that the servers are being updated, and that if we're patient we will have a bigger, better, more reliable service to show for it. They also told us that they will be finished making these "improvements" very soon, in fact.
As you know, this has been going on for at least three weeks. Many of us feel that the S.S. Very Soon has, in fact, sailed.
I noticed that no one commented about anything on Saturday, and thought that either the problem was back or those last few posts didn't have much longevity. Could happen. Then I spent Sunday morning drinking tea and changing the poll (below and in the sidebar). When I noticed that it didn't post, I knew. So I went back to the forum to see what's up, and here is what I found. This is a post from one of the "helpers". He's not a paid tech or representative of the company, he's a "volunteer" who serves in place of an actual liason to the company. He's one of those who has been giving us the news on the updates all along. I'm not going to post his name, as he's been around here before and I used to read his blog, and don't want to start anything personal. However, this is the message posted from Blogdrive's "volunteer liason", so to speak.
As has been explained before to any who'd paid attention, the cause of these issues is the resynchronization of servers and related maintenance to Blogdrive's data center. This is not a case of any Blogdrive administrators, owners, volunteers or likewise not caring. Quite the opposite, in fact, as attempts are being made to actually improve service. It is a bit of a growing pain to experience posts and updates showing up, then disappearing, etc. but it does happen.
I assure you, and I don't see what is so difficult in accepting this unless you are a total idiot, that no one at Blogdrive, either it's owners, employees, or volunteers, are keeping your entries from showing on purpose. No one is avoiding the problem, and perhaps the people who demand to speak to the owners should stop their lengthy ramblings, emails, trouble tickets, and yes, even phone calls, all for something that EVERYONE KNOWS is being worked on. I'm personally happy NOT to see Helpee, CBG and the likes in here all the time explaining what's going on, or engaging squeaky wheels and being prevented from doing what everyone is bitching about in the first place- trying to fix the problem. All is being done to end any inconveniences, and while it may seem frustrating to be told, again and again, to have patience, I promise you it is not as frustrating as saying it. If it's so appalling to you to be told the same thing over and over, stop asking the same God-damned questions.
Well, isn't that charming? The way I see it, I may not pay much for the service, but I do pay for it. When things aren't working right, I deserve real information and real deadlines. I don't deserve to be strung along.
Furthermore, I certainly don't deserve to go into a "Help" forum and be told to hold my farooking water.
If Blogdrive cannot provide the service it is charging for, people will leave. Customer retention requires, at all times, communication. This is not communication.
The fact that the person posting this tirade is not a paid Blogdrive rep is meaningless to me. Blogdrive allows him to moderate the help forum so that they don't have to pay someone to do it. That makes him officiall enough in my eyes.
So the question is this - can anyone, in good conscience, recommend their blog service? I know we all have issues sometimes. Blogspot seemed to have one yesterday, as well. But are they this frequent, with such little regard for the customer? I want to know who does not think their provider sucks.
Because I'm just not there anymore.
Posted at 11:26 am by Joe_the_Troll
 |  |  | Pheonix October 22, 2006 01:39 PM PDT
I switched from blogger to WP and my own domain for the same reasons you are having difficulty with now.
It is about the same cost to host and post your own. |  |
  |  |  | mirk October 22, 2006 04:51 PM PDT
Blogger does go tits up sometime but they usually give you warning, me being Scots don't want to pay for anything.
I tried WP but with me being so stupid couldn't get my photos big enough so I gave up. I also tried Freewebs and it was a nightmare I did not understand it one wee bit!
I am not a tech minded but I do the best I can to alter my template to what I like. But blogger/blogspot is limited in what you can do eg no animated GIFs unless you remote host. There might be ways round all that stuff but I have still to see it. I'll just leave it to whiz kids such as your good self, to do.
Every place will have it's own problems it just depends how much it bugs your mince. |  |
  |  |  | Dawn (webmiztris) October 23, 2006 08:58 AM PDT
sheesh! that makes me glad to be signed up with Blogger! |  |
  |  |  | mellowyellow October 23, 2006 09:10 AM PDT
Thing is i have got used to BD now and will probably stick it out after all i have put up with it for 2 and a half years. But i am so fed up when for days on end it seems no one has posted or i just get the servers updating msg. The msg you found and posted is just plain rude and will make me just send more trouble tickets not less.... |  |
  |  |  | Paula October 23, 2006 10:27 AM PDT
I like Blogger/Blogspot. Blogsource is good, too, but you can't customize it. I'd switch to Blogger! |  |
  |  |  | Miss Cellania October 24, 2006 09:43 AM PDT
Blogdrive charges? I have a site on Blogdrive and I've never paid anyone! Or it that for a premium service?
Blogger blew up on me permanently back in May and I never received any support, ever. I am with Squarespace now, and have had no downtime at all. The support is tops. Either the company founder or a top-notch geek gets back to me on any ticket within 12 hours (they didn't promise that). I'm paying for it, alright, especially for extra bandwidth, but not as much as some sites I know with the same traffic. |  |
  |  |  | Miss Cellania October 24, 2006 09:44 AM PDT
BTW, if you go to Squarespace, sign up through my site and I'll get a referral fee! You can test it for a month free. |  |
  |  |  | Joe the Troll October 24, 2006 10:16 AM PDT
MC- I pay a few bucks a month for extra BW, photo storage, the polls, and the elimination of the ads that used to be in the comments. I might try that Squarespace.
I wish that BD wasn't making this necessary, since I am comfortable with how the blog looks and moving everything is bound to be a hassle. This situation is irritating, though, and the response we get is aggravating. |  |
  |  |  | jennifer October 24, 2006 01:06 PM PDT
Ooooo.... that was particularily nasty. |  |
  |  |  | Raging Lunatic October 24, 2006 03:11 PM PDT
I've been w/Live Journal for years and have had only one minor beef and that is sometimes (rarely, actually) the email notifications get mucked up, late, etc. There's assloads of styles to choose from, and if you're pc savvy w/CSS can lay out your own decor.
I pay for mine to get the extra gak too--better choices for the styles, userpics, storage, etc. $20/yr, something like that. YOu can also do voice posts, post from your cell, and some other whacky things.
I've hard ppl liking Wordpress alot and Blogger.
While I can understand having system issues and being annoyed that ppl aren't patience enough, have they made any sort of statement about retro credit for paid users? LJ went down partially for four days a year ago, and properly credited the paid accounts--did the right thing. |  |
  |  |  | Snidget October 25, 2006 04:44 PM PDT
I use wiredhub... and like them okay. *shrugs*
Do NOT use addaction tho... they suck |  |
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