In case you hadn’t heard, they broke Blogger this week.
More specifically, the Google team that runs the popular free blogging software platform scheduled some routine maintenance from 10 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday May 11.
But what transpired was anything but routine. The site experienced some technical difficulties during the maintenance check and has been in read-only mode since May 12. (I checked again at 7:50 a.m. PST on 5/13 and they’re still sorting things out.)
This caused a lot of Blogger users to freak out. That included all the people in the 2011 WordCount Blogathon who have challenged themselves to post every day this month and now can’t, at least not on their blog platform of choice.
Instead of stewing, a few enterprising bloggers took the initiative to switch to a different blog platform – WordPress or Tumblr for example – at least on a temporary basis so they can keep posting.
This post is dedicated to those enterprising blogathoners. Because if there’s one thing that will get you far in the writing business, it’s resilience. The ability to bounce back. Think on your feet. Come up with Plan B when Plan A falls through.
Blogger bloggers, I feel your pain. I’ve worked in the news business long enough to have experienced deadline computer crashes that killed the story I’d almost finished. I’ve done it to myself too, by forgetting to save a file and having the power go out and wipe out all my work. Or neglecting to back up my computer and then having the hard drive crash.
So here’s to resilience. Here’s to getting on with it. Here’s to creativity and the determination to keep on keeping on.
If you’re in a blogging holding pattern because of Blogger, or just want to be inspired, read more posts about what to do when the chips are down:
- Goodbye Google – 8 Internet search alternatives - Frustrated with the spam-y content showing up in Google results these days? Here are 8 search alternatives worth considering.
- 10 sure cures for blogging burnout – After a time, the early passion you felt for blogging will fade. You could quit. Then again, you could follow these 10 steps to keep your blogging love alive.
- Drano for writers: 10 tricks to get the words flowing again – Writer’s block has to be one of the worst occupational hazards of freelancing, right up there with magazines that take forever to pay.
- Why you procrastinate at work, and how to get over it – Confession: I put off writing this blog post for the better part of today.
What a timely post Michelle, I tried downloading WordPress yesterday night but was unsuccessful and will give it another go today.
This whole blogger mess, opened my eyes to how much I do love to blog daily so I guess it’s not all that bad.
Now if only I could be more tech savvy
There are two flavors of WordPress and if you’re new to blogging it’s easy to get them confused. WordPress.com is a free blogging platform like Blogger.com – sign up for an account, choose a template and you’re good to go. That’s what I was referring to when I suggested that Blogger.com bloggers switch to WordPress.
However, some people choose to start a blog by paying for (internet) space provided through an Internet service provider like Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc., buying a domain name, and using WordPress software to run it. Those people download a version of the software from WordPress.org.
So if you were looking for a substitute free platform, use WordPress.com.
Michelle
This Blogger fiasco is a royal pain. I’m afraid I cannot improvise with another blogging program, as I had already programmed my posts on Blogger the way you taught me during last year’s Blogathon. If someone hears Blogger is working again, please let us all know and tweet it. Thanks!
So sorry it’s been a problem for you Alexandra. Just keep writing, and save posts as files in Word or some other word processing software if you need to, until Blogger.com’s back in business.
Michelle
Well, I was one amongst those, who royally freaked out yesterday!
If it was not too late in the night, I would have calmed down quickly enough to think reasonably, that although I have not posted in Blogger (my official platform for WordCount Blogathon), I did post two blogs in FB, and Tumblr!
This might sound insane but I have three ongoing 365 projects. So, if I will not be technically anal with myself, I would not count Blogger being down as a failure on the third 365 project (my motivation for joining WordCount Blogathon), which is blogging daily for 2011.
Thank you for the email last night in response to my comment on your previous post, Michelle! It was the voice of reason that made me realise, I was driving myself to insanity, and made me go to sleep peacefully.
I will definitely be bookmarking this post, like I have been doing with most of your posts because they are very helpful and empowering to read, specially when one start stressing about blogging; it is indeed more productive to focus on what action to take and plan ahead for all eventualities.
Last night, I even said to a friend before I logged off that I was glad this happened. How else would I realise how I was restricting my thinking, becoming complacent and too confident and dependant on the notion that technology always works.
Joanna:
You’re welcome. Glad to know what I said helped someone. And this:
“I was glad this happened. How else would I realise how I was restricting my thinking, becoming complacent and too confident and dependant on the notion that technology always works.”
..is a good mantra for anyone.
Michelle
Can’t say I freaked out, but I’m sorry to see that the post I wrote yesterday, May 12, is gone. I’ll have to re-write another post for that day, because I hadn’t saved it in any other format anywhere else. And I didn’t know about the mess-up till this morning. So the post I wrote today went up on Facebook, and I just transferred that over to Blogger after it went up again later this morning. It’s a bummer but not a blog killer.
Thanks Jackie. And I just checked Blogger Buzz, the official blog of Blogger.com, and it appears that they’re almost 100 percent functional again. Here’s a link to the post: http://bit.ly/iZpaZD.
Michelle
Thanks for the post Michelle. What an interesting 24 hours it has been, and I’m glad blogger is back.
I’m among those who freaked out and eventually posted on another blogging platform. I chose to use Posterous because Tumblr seems more appropriate for short posts and my Day 12 post is long. WordPress has too much going on for my immediate blogging needs, so I skipped it on Thursday but tinkered with it today.
After experiencing a computer meltdown a few years ago that caused me to lose a few screenplays, this recent blogger setback was a reminder that technology gets buggy when we least expect it to. It also strengthens my awareness about the importance of having a self-hosted blog, which is something that I will be taking into consideration more now than ever.