Seriously, I need your help and input here.
I know that I post some silly and stupid stuff. I know that I take pictures of hotel carpet and birds in my yard and beer cans if they're pretty. I know. I do some stupid posts.
Yesterday, I said that I was leaving AOL journals. I really REALLY want to. I am SO upset with them. I can't do what I want to do on MY journal! However, I got some interesting comments.
Mom said that folks will stop reading. Russ said that he'd have trouble remembering to check. I think it was Pam who asked that I leave a link here when I post elsewhere. Others just sympathized with me.
Can you tell me why? Why will you only read if it's AOL? Why will you forget? What is it? Is it the alerts? Is that all? I mean, there are other programs that let you know when a site is updated. I can tell you what they are.
My theory is that AOL has worked SO hard at making folks dependant, that many don't know that non-aol programs are out there. AOL is user friendly, but do those of you who use it exclusively know that it's making you dependant? I told my mother once that "AOL makes you stupid." My heart was in the right place. You need to be able to use a computer, browse the Internet, get email, and do regular maintenance without the help of AOL.
Do you need my help? Is there something that AOL does for you that you think isn't possible elsewhere? Please tell me why you'd stop reading if I left.
Heck, I even looked at godaddy.com to see if I could get my own web site. I could, for under $10 a year. I would love to be @LifeNStuff.net, but you guys don't seem to want that. Please help me out, here.
Why would you leave if I left AOL? Be honest. I need to know. I need to weigh the odds. Also, I know that many read without commenting. Would you please leave a comment like:
"I read but don't comment"
"You bore me to death"
" I hate you, but I like to see when you've had a bad day"
"I comment, but you don't leave comments for me enough"
"I wish you would die"
"I leave comments, and then bad things happen. I think you're evil"
I love you, but I don't want to leave AOL for anything!!!???!!!???
I will stay, because I love you guys. However, I don't know if YGP will ever be fixed, so I'm gun shy about doing all of that work again. I'll try tomorrow, but if it craps out again, I don't know if I can go on.
Oh, I can go on (in life) but I don't know if I can keep giving AOL chances. Comments?
18 comments:
I'll follow you wherever you go..... and I like your bizarre pictures. ;-P
~Amy
I would continue to read you...but I know it wouldn't be as often. I tend to be lazy. I get an alert..and read. Pretty simple. I do have some journals from other websites bookmarked, and I go read them once in awhile. But, I've found that unless the person keeps their link to AOL open, I have lost touch.
Your Mom has another blog, but I find that the only time I go over there is when she's announced on AOL that she's posted something interesting and leaves a link. I was very glad she decided to keep her AOL journal. Your Mom is one of my favorites. I just love her stories of her farmlife.
My friend Jimmy was doing the same thing. He'd leave a link on his AOL journal for his other one.
For me, I find that I just don't go over to the other blogs as often. Am I lazy? Sure...probably. I have limited time on here. I go through my alerts and read my journals (yours included) and do my other regular stuff that I do online.
I would miss you TERRIBLY if you moved. But, if you do, I would TRY to read you as often. I can't say it would happen without an alert of some sort, though.
But, I'd go over and check on you at your new blog.
I mean, come on....who ELSE takes pics of BRAILLE???
Love ya, Pam
Oh I will read. I have gotten to where I read more blogs that are non-AOL than I do the AOL ones. Because I love them, I check them daily. It's just my routine.
Write where you may. I will always read.
(Although, I know I slack on the comment department. I do read. Quiz me.)
:)
You should know by now that I am a lurk who comments rarely. I myself started w/ only AOL blogs. I have grown and now use google reader WHICH IS AWESOME for my non-AOL blogs. Soooo... if you were to leave I would just add you to my reader, BUT then I would probably NEVER comment. Most of the blogs on my reader dont show a comment link.
Rhianna
I have no problem reading non aol journals. I read about an equal amount of both. Leave, I'll show up at your next destination. I even know how to get the alerts from other blogs. ooooh, special, aren't I?!
BTW, you could stop in on my blog once in a while! Poke, poke!
Traci
Eh... I use Bloglines for all of my journals (including AOL) since alerts can be wonky at times. The only people I keep on alert are private journals because they don't always want to show up in Bloglines correctly. So, stay or go... I'll follow wherever! ;p
Old "habbits' die hard.
Rachel, I'll follow you wherever you go, Hugs Lisa
When people leave aol and then give me a link to their non-aol journal I bookmark it and then forget to ever look at it (I have tons of bookmarks and less & less free time anymore). That's my input. Good luck
I need alerts or I just don't remember.
Since you asked for comments... I probably lurk more than I comment on your blog. You should blog where you feel your needs are being met. If you lose any of your readership here, you would find others anyway. If wherever you go allows alerts, I'd sign up for the alert, if not.. I'd quit reading. Estela
It must be so frustrating to pour your heart out in a journal and get little response. I'm guilty, a constant lurker, with minimal comment. I love your journal, your photos, your trips, your kids and even understand your road rage. I would follow you, if you would have me. Vicki
I agree with Vicki. I have been reading your journal for a long time and i will follow you wherever you decide to go. :-)
Michelle
I am a lurker.....loyal to your blog and your moms 2 blogs daily..no problem 2 me....if you left a link.....I'd follow......
Pam
oooooo, I guess I am guilty too about reading and not leaving comments. I do sometimes but other times I am pressed for time or think that my comment is just not that important. I think you are funny and interesting. I will save many Journals for later but always tap into your mother and yours. I just luv her farmlife.
I am also an AOL freak. I still pay for it when I know I could get it for free. But what if I don't get the same Welcome Screen and my favs, would I get them. My DIL yells at me all the time "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP THROWING AWAY 24.95????!!!!! I guess I am just too old to change. I really felt bad when you said you were leaving AOL. Marlene
http://journals.aol.com/domsmom27/one-day-at-a-time
I'll follow you where ever you go. It's only because I have a strange fetich with hotel carpet patterns and braille plates on hotel doors!!! LMAO!
June
I have blogs on AOL's "MYAoL" --it is the current reader I'm using b/c it has worked well for me. I only have alerts to the private journals that I am afraid I will not visit otherwise since they won't "feed" if they are private. If you left AOL and left your link, I'd feed the new site into my AOL...if it didn't feed, then I might not ever make it back to the site if I had to find it in "my favorites"...You should do what you want but just leave a link. I very much enjoy reading your journal. I truly care what happens to you all and since I have been a journal bud of your Mom's I feel I am "getting to know the family"....LOL So I would really miss yours if you didn't blog somewhere. I know I don't get a lot of time to read posts b/c our life is crazy...but when I do yours is in my list of blogs to read first!!! I have 3 categories of blogs!! You are on the A list. LOL
Take care.
Sonya
I will go where you are. I use a reader and only get alerts for private journals. I do not use the aol software. That silly welcome page can be set as homepage on any other browser. I am slowing but surely weaning Pat from AOL then I can get rid of that crap on my puter.
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