Monday, October 20

Frustration (Alert! Boring geek post)

You know what makes me crazy? Well I'm going to tell you......computers, software, the internet, blog providers, hosting, domain names, ISPs, IIS's, PHPs and HTML.

I'm not finished....Wordpress, Blogger (sorry Blogger), Typepad, Godaddy, Squarespace and Netregistry....ah to hell with it, I'm still not finished but I can't go on because if I do I might have to smash my fist right into this computer and that would end my blogging/website building efforts. Which may be a good thing, but I'm not ready to quit just yet.

I honestly don't think my needs are outrageous. All I want is a blog provider that will allow me to host one more than one blog (well done all of you), have extra pages (thanks for nothing Blogger - hello Typepad and Wordpress), allow javascript and html stuff like sign up boxes in the sidebar (goodbye Wordpress) allow easy importation of Bridget's Flame (Typepad, you've disappointed me) and allow me to keep the blogs separate and authored under different names (get stuffed the lot of you!!!!). Not ONE of them has all of those things.

So I turn to Squarespace, they provide everything except the multiple blogs....I can live with that....it will cost a bit more, but not much.....then they change their editing to the MOST clumsy, hard to operate system I have EVER come across. Every little changes takes ages while pages load in a clunky and uncoordinated fashion. Goodbye Squarespace. Netregistry? Forget it. Not worth a mention except to say how crap they are.

Godaddy, be my knight in shining armour. I own the domain names, I can get some free basic hosting but they have very affordable hosting packages with extras so I'm prepared to pay.....and they have access to the same Wordpress blogging software and I can download it for free. By doing it this way I can have the javascript and HTML stuff I want. Huzzah!!! All my prayers are answered. Except no matter what I do I get a message telling me that my various hosting plans (I tried the free and the paid) are not compatible to downloading Wordpress.

To say I am frustrated is an understatement. I just didn't think the great big swearword I'm using is suitable for a blog title.

Is it really too much to ask to have all my blogs (Bridget's Flame and the business blog/website) in the same place, doing what I want them to do in a reasonably priced (better still FREE) fashion and providing all the appropriate tools for blogging?

Apparently it is.

Sure if I had an enormous website budget I could just pay someone to sort it all and tell me when they're finished. But I don't have that enormous website budget so it's down to me. Plus I am stubbornly independent and want to do it myself.

I have spent days....DAYS I tell you, on this stuff. It's not a lot of fun, and at the end of them I feel a lot like this cow....

But I have learned a LOT of stuff and can have a fairly competent conversation with tech support when I have to, not that it ever really solves anything. Sigh.

Ok, off I go, into the abyss once more.....wish me luck.

15 comments:

Dave said...

I am glad that I know little about these things of which you write, so have nothing about which to get upset.

Anonymous said...

And there I was hoping for some words of wisdom from you Dave. Ironically it's the fact that I know so little that creates the problems that get me so upset.

Maybe I'll just go back to a simpler life...and buy a typewriter and forget all this newfangled nonsense.

Dave said...

All my words are words of wisdom.

They are seldom of any practical use.

Anonymous said...

Yes, but I just thought with the force being with you and all that.....??

Ah well, never mind.

Dave said...

As far as I'm concerned, 'using the force' means hitting a recalcitrant object with a large hammer.

Anonymous said...

Which brings us full circle really because that's what I'd like to do to my computer.

I knew you'd help.

Kimota said...

Howdy,

have you looked at Movable Type as a platform? I use MT, run numerous blogs from the same instalation with different logins and usernames for each one.

I found Wordpress too inflexible for my needs and I wanted to avoid going through a hosted service like Typepad or Blogger - wanted my own domain. MT does it for me. Love it.

Btw, I work for Netregistry as well, so if you have issues with getting your blog hosting set up right, drop me a line.

Dave said...

I do my best.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, just my luck, bad mouth netregistry and an employee of theirs pops into my blog, did some kind of alarm go off over there?
:-)

No, I haven't tried MT, in fact I hadn't even thought of it, but I'm open to all ideas so I'll take a look at that as an option too. Thank you!

Z said...

Well, if it's any further annoyance, I thought you hadn't been blogging recently until 20 posts were suddenly announced by Bloglines.

I make sure I know nothing so that, like Dave, I can't be upset. I'm sometimes tempted, but I've avoided it so far.

Anonymous said...

20 posts!! You've confirmed my suspicions Z, it's a cyber conspiracy against me....all these problems and that alarm at Netregistry...what else could it be?

Kimota said...

snigger...

Don't feel paranoid. I stalk all Netregistry customers equally... Seriously, I know how frustrating hosting can be. My own blog is hosted at GoDaddy and I've also hosted through NR but every company configures things differently so I find I have to unlearn everything and decipher their specifics to get things to work. And I'm not technical at all.

Anonymous said...

Well as long as I'm not the only stalkee...is that why their fees are so high? The extra stalking service they provide?

You know I really wanted Netregistry to be 'the one' ....them being local and all, but it just didn't work out....it's not them...it's me :-)

And yes, my head is exploding with all the different options and configurations and services. It stopped being fun about 3 providers ago.

Unknown said...

I'd be happy to help with the Go Daddy side of things. Just send me an email with your domain name so I can find your account and take a look.

Alon
godaddyguy@godaddy.com
Go Daddy

Anonymous said...

Ok, Godaddy have an alarm too? :-)

Thank you so much for the offer, I do appreciate it and should say here and now that Godaddy have been extremely helpful as well as having a great support function, FAQs and forums.

I have sorted out the download problem and now I am staring at the Wordpress stuff and realising to make it look the way I want it to look I am going to have to learn a LOT more.

Ok Wordpress....your turn.

Oh and I have your email address now Godaddy guy.....you may regret that.