Update 18:00
Busy building the new site - you know how long that takes - and so I can't get round much until tomorrow morning. I'll be over to you as soon as I can. There are scheduled posts coming this evening.
This morning's post
From the fact that this post is up, it appears that I can post, with verification, verification being something I detest at the best of times so let's not dwell on that.
More to the point is how this situation could have happened in the first place.
There seems to be a mechanism where anyone at all can come in to anyone's site - I could come to yours, if you're on Blogger - and simply click Flag in the navbar. Your blog then is immediately locked down by Blogger and you can't post. Worse than that, I can click Delete this Blog on YOUR blog at any time - Blogger let you do that.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Pardon me but isn't there a principle in U.S. and British law that a person is innocent until proven guilty? I know the West-Midlands springs to mind immediately to a Brit, in terms of justice but even in our democracy-lite days of this era the principle still technically applies.
And whatever happened to previous form on a blog? Whatever has been built up over the years?
If this is, in fact, the Blogger/Google policy, then it stinks.
Go to Wordpress you say and I'm very much inclined to but I've been looking at the Wordpress terms and conditions and even if I purchase the top upgrade, I still can't do something as simple as alter my site's appearance. I can write new CSS style sheets, at a cost to me, renewable yearly and my old changes are lost if I don't renew.
The only way to achieve a comparable level of site control to what I currently enjoy, vis-a-vis editing, is to be a VIP blogger and for that you must be invited and have 500 000 hits a month. I don't like this. For most people, editing of blog appearance is not an issue but for me it is.
For example, I want 994px width to my theme. OK, currently, I just go to my template and type it in, making the other necessary changes along the way. Simple. But on Wordpress, that's not possible - one can only choose between custom themes someone else is offering and can make only cosmetic changes to it, playing at being an editor.
Even if you were to recommend a good-self hosting and server set-up, that's money, whereas Blogger lets you do that for free. Apart from Blogger's recent insistence on trying to organize Compose with this stupid "p", which I then have to go through and change back or else compose entirely in html, the only criticism is this bloody lockdown nonsense they seem to pursue, on the whim of someone who doesn't like you.
In my situation, the nature of my subject matter means there are plenty of people who don't so I could be in for a more or less continuous lockdown, each time with a 20 day waiting period for someone to come along and unlock it.
Blogging - who needs it?
I've been looking at the Wordpress terms and conditions and even if I purchase the top upgrade, I still can't do something as simple as alter my site's appearance. I can write new CSS style sheets, at a cost to me, renewable yearly and my old changes are lost if I don't renew.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this. I downloaded Wordpress for free and use my own style sheets - I've not paid them anything. All I pay for is my hosting with Rowse services.
When you go to Edit CSS now, they want you to purchase the upgrade first.
ReplyDeleteAre you using the download or Wordpress.com? If the latter, self hosting is the way forward.
ReplyDeleteEven if you were to recommend a good-self hosting and server set-up, that's money, whereas Blogger lets you do that for free.
ReplyDeleteExcept that there is a cost - just not a monetary one. It is the loss of control. You get what you pay for in this world...
Ah, not totally sure I understand. I have a Wordpress [free] blog at the moment. It gives certain upgrades.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have a self-hosting facility ready to go and that carries with it Word Press pay version [at various levels].
James, Wordpress is free - if you use your own hosting service.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I am seting up a blog for some friends using Wordpress hosted on their ISP using the SQL db available there. To do that I downloaded the latest Wordpress and a couple of free themes they liked. The only cost is time. At the moment we are changing the theme they chose to fit what they want to do - again the only cost is time. The advantage they have is the ISP allows this - in fact the cost is included in the monthly charge if you use the service or not.
In your case you need to find a hosting provider if your ISP does not offer the service then download Wordpress and mySQL, if that is not available from the service, choose a free theme closest to what you want and modify it, set everything up to your liking then upload it th the hosting service. Cost - time and hosting service charges.
I have hosting with a free Wordpress installation. I can do as I please with it as all templates are available for me to adjust as I see fit. I wasn't aware of a paid version.
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteYou are talking about 3 diff options
1) Blogger *spit*
2) Wordpress on Wordpress.com
3) Wordpress on your own ISP and domain
What Longrider has is 3, like you are considering having with your own domain. 1 and 2 leave you at the mercy of their rules and whims as you say with the limitations on altering site appearance. Bear in mind there are also limitations on adverts, certain java and site meters etc.
The loss of control with going with control freaks like Google is not worth it imo. As you say at a whim you could lose nearly 6000 posts. It will be hell to get them all off and what will you do with the comments? It will be a full time job to extract them and attribute them if that is what you want to do.
Personally I would start a new self hosted blog using Wordpress. Point this blog to it on its front page as the last post *play tune here*. Start your posts there and link old posts to your existing site. Then if you really really want to, which I wouldn't, extract each of your old posts with its comments as one HTML page and save as a single page in an archive section on your new blog.
Very much thinking of doing this last, Lord T and thanks to Ivan and Longrider for making that clear.
ReplyDeleteThis action of Blogger is most unimpressive.
Thanks again, people.
Well, first let me say I'm glad that you can post again here. I think we should all contact blogger and get this ridiculous system changed. They will liaten if enough of us do it. The issue of blog appearance is important to me, too, so I understand how you feel about this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Welshcakes.
ReplyDeleteI've just checked out Wordpress.com and they don't export databases and nor do blogger. They don't deal with sql.
Instead, they give an xml to your desktop.
Self-hosting seems good but importing the old files is the issue.
James- I have had reason to flag a blog multiple times and I can verify that they do nto take action everytime someone flags you. Maybe they only sit up and notice if it gets so many flag hits in a certain period of time?
ReplyDeleteRegardless,this is an outrage that they would do this without even being sure you're spaam but then take so long to resolve the issue.
I have my own domain and if you like you can use that to set up a blog on with associated emails.
I don't have the know-how to do it but you could go to Mr. Pink who does. :)
Thank you, Uber, that's very kind. Deathstar Avenger Web Services had a nice chappy who has started the ball rolling on this - he shoots pigeons with water pistols in his spare time so I feel confident about his bona fides and consequently have sold my blogsoul to him.
ReplyDeleteDon't be too quick to assume who flagged you. It could just as easily be some non-Muslim PC type "offended" by your recent posts on "fundamentalist" Islam.
ReplyDeleteSackers, we've already come to that conclusion - it could have been any of them. Hell, I've offended enough people.
ReplyDeleteOr just could be a random piece of bad google bots!
ReplyDeleteThe key things are
a. The blog is not spam.
b. Google should see it isn't.
c. You sound as if they don't you'll be able to set up at another address.
Its c. I'm happiest about.
Though I have no money to dedicate to a server or hosting of a domain name for my blog, if I were you James, I'd just host your blog at a .com and poof, they can't touch you!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you need money for this!
Thanks for that Gracchi and for the offer, Matt.
ReplyDeleteThere is something in hand right now.
Matt is such a sweetie.
ReplyDeleteNow you know why I chose option 3 for my new blog ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf you choose the right host for your own domain, it is possible to import all of the blog there.
I couldn't because my host is not very helpful in that way. There are other hosts where this is possible though. You would just need to ask the question before purchasing their services.