So, I think I might have to move this blog.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first was rather petty - I don't like how Google has capitulated to this fascist regime and its insistence on renaming the Gulf of Mexico. I am of the opinion that anyone and everyone who can do so has a duty to resist everything that the current POTUS and his cronies do, including the little things that there seems no real harm in. Relabeling and redefining things is a very real tactic that despots use to destabilize established institutions and gain consent to big atrocities through a series of innocuous demands. I won't be having it, and I don't want to risk complicity by continuing to use Google's blogging platform.
The other reason is more practical, though. Lately I've been noticing that there's a tendency for Blogger's text editor to freeze at odd times when I'm typing out a post. No cursor, new text will not appear, and it is impossible to reload the page no matter what I try. My only recourse is to exit the window and open a new one, and sometimes I have to do it multiple times during a blogging session. It really takes the wind out of my sails when this happens, because when I hit a groove in writing, it is immensely disruptive to have everything just come to a screaming halt, interrupting in the most brutal way the train of thought I was on.
I initially chose Blogger because it was free, accessible, had its own image hosting, and I could access it from pretty much anywhere. But, and pardon my Cory Doctorow, this platform has become so enshittified as to finally tip those switching costs into the "affordable" column. The only question now is where I want to go.
There are a lot of options out there, and I feel a little paralyzed by choice, as well as the work of migrating. As I said, Blogger's image hosting has always made the process easy, but I think most of the alternatives will require a separate image site. I'll also have to decide if I want to try to move all the posts I've already done (close to 700 as of this posting), or just keep this blog open and accessible, with a link to its new home for posts going forward once I've acquired a new host. Reposting all the content from here would be a monumental task, but I kind of want all my posts in one convenient place, if possible. I suppose this is going to largely depend on whether I choose a host that's compatible with Blogger, so I can download all the old posts and import them onto the new blog.
These are my main difficulties presented, and now I'd like input from the readers. Where would it be most convenient for YOU to follow me? Is there a platform that you particularly like or think would be easy to make a transition to? Would you like to make an argument for why I should stay here, despite my issues above? There may be some factors that I haven't considered that you foresee, so let me know! Either way, it'll be a process; in the event that a move happens, it certainly won't happen overnight, and there will be plenty of time to discuss the options.
In the meantime, I'll continue to post. I have a bit of a stubborn streak, as longtime readers may be aware, and no amount of dissatisfaction with my platform will induce me to give up my almost decade-long effort to record every inane opinion I have on select manga. Refusing to indulge this little amusement would just be punishing myself and frequenters of this blog, and make absolutely no difference to Google.
As usual, we're all just looking out for ourselves in the cold shadows of immense money-printing machines.
Perhaps WordPress might work? Though I think they might have some links to Google as well.
ReplyDeleteThat was the first one that occurred to me too, mostly because it's long-established, and the ties to Google would probably make it easier to move posts over. I'll have to decide if I'm super bothered by that connection or not, because, petty as my beef with Google is above, I don't think I could find a single platform online that doesn't have SOME ties to one of the bigger companies on it. Escaping them entirely would be a bit of a pipe dream, lol.
DeleteI first stumbled onto your blog by total chance one day when I looked up something Yu-Gi-Oh!-related on Google (I think at the time you happened to be covering Kaiba's duel with Ishizu?) and I ended up going back and reading your posts and just really enjoying your writing. The point of this anecdote is that I found this blog through Google and while I can't speak for anyone else, I do wonder how other people have discovered your blog and were you to shift platforms, would potential new readers be able to find it?
DeleteI want to be clear though that this isn't me making an argument to stay; I agree with you that Google capitulating to Trump and his administration's insane relabeling of the Gulf of Mexico was not only an act of cowardice, it opens the door to possible future atrocities. Given that Google gave in to Trump on the Gulf issue, who's to say they won't help him in other ways in the future, considering that Google has collected personal information of many people. We already have students with visas who protested the genocide against the Palestinians being snatched off the street and people being shipped off to an El.Salvador prison, all with no due process, with Trump even ignoring court orders in some of these cases.
When Trump had his inauguration, it was Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and the other Silicon Valley tech billionaires (who relocated to Texas from California) who stood with Trump and we're given a more prominent position during the event, even more than Trump's cabinet. We have been shown where their loyalties lie.
My overall point is that I think your grievances with Google are completely justified. Hopefully I didn't go overboard and deviate too much from the topic of discussion.
Anyway, I did want to raise the question of new readers finding your new blog but honestly, thinking about it, whether you keep this site up or whether you move everything, is currently unknown so worrying about new readers finding your blog maybe premature.
Also, if this platform is giving you technical issues, then I do think that would be another valid reason to switch. It's hard to do your best writing if the site is freezing up on you and you have to start over or be severely interrupted and be taken out of the flow. Unfortunately, I am ignorant as to the different sites for blogs out there, especially ones that don't support/are involved with Google in some way. Like Blue Magic, I thought of WordPress too, but honestly I don't have anything substantial to add here. When I have some free time, maybe I can look around a little and if I find something, suggest it to you? I can't promise anything truthfully, but it couldn't hurt to have a little extra digging.
Ultimately, of course, it's your choice, but you should make whatever decision you're most comfortable with, and we readers will follow. 🙂
I would love to be of help! ...Unfortunately I'm in a similar sitaution. I can't for the life of me find a decent platform. Wordpress seemed okay, but their paid plans are, quite frankly, just more than I'm willing to put down.
ReplyDeleteI thought about using Notion https://www.notion.so/login
DeleteBut the learning curve seems...steep.