December 11, 2016

  • Wow, that was interesting...

    This is a post that is all about Xanga!

    (ok, don't get too excited)

    This past week I got slammed by a few folks saying that I didn't respond fast enough or am not helping the community enough on Xanga.

    Hey, that's ok - I completely deserve it.  After all, I didn't give everyone a heads up - nor have someone cover for me on the facebook page to respond to people.

    Again, that's ok that people respond.  People are passionate about preserving their personal past on the site.

    First - I'm not going to call out people or add screen shots of individuals who criticize any efforts I do for Xanga.   That just wouldn't be constructive.  I'm actually grateful for the responses.

    Seriously, I am.

    But, let's answer a few commonly asked questions and address a couple of rumors:

    1 - I'm not going anywhere anytime soon just because Autisable is now transitioned to my own company.  Yes, I do talk about it a lot, it's a passion of mine, deal with it.... and let's move on...

    2 - Eugenia is a real person and not a figment of our imagination.  She has real feelings and we have been shoving a lot of people her way.  A tenth email regarding the same topic repeated from a hundred people will bog anyone down trying to 'quickly' get people's issues resolved.  I know it's frustrating, but feel free to contact myself here, or on Xanga's FB page to highlight your specific issue.  I can follow-up with Eugenia directly to address that specific need and follow-up if necessary.  Let's help her save some time, and ensure she can expedite issues without duplicating our efforts.

    3 - John and Marc are still alive and well.  No, they have not been kidnapped.  Marc is still doing what he's doing and John is still wrapping his head around making 2.0 a hell of a lot better than it is now.   But, here's where Xanga is at now - powered by wordpress.

    4 - if you don't know how to Xanga, learn how to use wordpress and you'll be fine.  It's rather easy.

    5 - Xanga is not dead.  Hey, you're reading this still - which is a Xanga account, right? (yes).   There are many others on the site still, and it's one of the issues John is having to address in his process.  That issue is to make a great way for all of us to stay connected on-site.

    6 - yes, John has a process - and no, I have no clue what it is.  However, I did have a conversation with John about Xanga awhile back, and it was in relation to Autisable - as I was picking his brain as best I could.  I do know that John is wanting to build what is needed for Xanga in-house.   Acquiring plugins for each add-on/feature can be problematic for site stability and site security.  This makes complete sense to me as I'm involved with Autisable.  A couple of months ago the site crashed the server due to plugins not working with the theme and with wordpress.  It was a major mess that took a month to resolve.  Come to find out, the theme got corrupted due to someone hacking into the theme.   Suffice it to say, John has his work cut out for him on this part.... as it will be core in how the site will function long-term.   The front end plugin for users on Autisable is Ultimate Member.  Other sites use BuddyPress.  Both of these membership type plugins have some serious pros... and cons, of which John needs to see the best of what those plugins have to offer - and see what he can do to build an in-house version that will work for Xanga's purposes that the Team can have complete control over.  If they use a plugin from another developer, they will be limited in their ability to tweak it for their purposes.   It's a very large undertaking.  Ultimate member was launched just a couple of years ago, and it's just now getting to a point where they can deal with expansions and make site functionality more fluid.  Keep the team in prayer on this folks... John especially.  I don't envy their endevour.

    7 - Contact Eugenia if:
    - you have an issue with your account (can't login, can't access your archives to download, or want to upgrade)
    - If you want to upgrade, yes, contact 'Eugenia'
    - want to notify her of an account that could be in violation of the terms, or if it's a Xangan who passed away.
    - email 'help@xanga.net' (always include your username and the email address associated with your account.   DON'T worry if you don't have access to the email account in question anymore.  What she needs to be able to do is verify that you are who you state you are, and the account belongs to you.

    8 - Don't contact Eugenia if it's not associated with your specific account or Xanga related.  Really people, she's gotta answer enough emails already.

    9 - Where can you connect with other Xangans?   Please feel free to spread this around... Xanga's Facebook page!   Yes, please do.    Many Xangans are blogging on their own sites now, or have chosen other platforms to be on.  Check in and share where you're at now. IF on Xanga, GREAT! share it.  People need to know there's still an active community.

    10 -  Yes, my new job does pull me away from serving as community liaison a bit.  I fully admit to that.  Hey, Xanga doesn't pay me - I'm here for you guys.  But, I do respond as often as I can on the FB page and here.

    If you're interested in helping out on Xanga's Facebook page, even just checking in from time to time to help out and keep the community connected - let me know.   More the merrier. :)

    Ok - It's the Holiday's, a seriously busy time of the year.   Don't expect anything to happen regarding site improvements on Xanga for the rest of the year.

    Until later, have fun... be safe... and please be sure to be kind. :)

     

Comments (8)

  • Poor Eugenia! I've been trying to get my husband's xanga subscription renewed. I just keep resending the info every few weeks figuring she'll eventually see it.

    • ACK! Thanks for the heads up on that. I'll give her a nudge to find your emails to help resolve it. She might be able to delete a few emails in the process. :)

  • Is there a place other than Facebook where people are communicating -- I'm not and will not be on Facebook. I do still post on Xanga, and duplicate my posts on Word Press for those who have moved in that direction.

    • Feel free to keep in touch here on my blog on Xanga. I know you're on twitter as well. For now you're good. :)

  • Thanks for the update. It is good to know that everyone is still alive and well. I know a lot of the stuff happening with xanga is "behind the scenes" and we don't always see any differences in our accounts. Still it is nice to have confirmation that everything is still perking along!

    • It's still perking along... it's a slow perk, but thought I'd pass along some information based on the conversations I've had with John and the Team. Wish I could share more, but sometimes sharing more may lend itself to misinformation being spread about and causing confusion. Best to keep things simple for now until things are more solidified. :)

  • Yes, being kind is the important thing. Glad you are working on Xanga, I really would hate to lose all my years of posting. God bless your efforts in that department.

    • No problem. I don't think Xanga will be going anywhere anytime soon. Also good to back up your content by downloading your archives periodically, to make sure you have your content available (just in case). That's just good protocol. :)

      Gotta still be here... still my blogging home (that doesn't pertain to Autism).

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