July 6, 2013
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The odds that Xanga is going to survive past July 15, 2013 don’t look so hot right now. I mean, they aren’t terrible to the point where all hope is lost, but the Crowdhoster campaign is still down $23K and there are only nine days left to go before the deadline. I’m all about miracles, but I’m not sure there’s enough Hunan chicken or Vitamin Water in the world that’s going to make that pit go away in time. Just ask the Xangans who’ve recently moved their sites—a number of whom have called this place their blogging home for years, and would never have left had it not been for these extreme circumstances.
Given the somewhat unsexy outlook, I’ve set up a backup blog on Wor….Wo—f*ck! I can’t even say it without throwing up in my mouth! Argh! Just…just go here to find my backup site:
You’ll notice that I’m in the process of reposting all of my stuff over there, but the Dashboard is a f*cking pile of sh*t that isn’t nearly as user-friendly as Xanga’s, so things have been moving slower than I’d like. Then again, I haven’t exactly been motivated about tackling the learning curve to begin with because I’m still holding onto hope that our beloved Xanga will make it to July 16th and beyond.
To say that I was devastated when I learned about Xanga’s possible end would be an understatement. It felt more like a part of my heart had imploded, and I spent the next few days in and out of an emotional sh*t zone. “Dramatic much?” F*ck no, and f*ck you for thinking so. This wonderful community has been a part of my life ever since I joined back in 2003, and it has been there for me for the past 10 years. It was only on Xanga that I felt the most freedom to just be me without remorse, and say all the sh*t I wanted to say, exactly the way I wanted to say it. I guess writing was my escape and Xanga was my safe haven…
Having the chance to make my own creative space was more than enough of a reward, but to be able to meet so many of you awesome fellow Xangans along the way is a gift I have always treasured and will forever be grateful for. There are simply no words or Paint illustrations that will ever be able to accurately express how much your years of support has meant to me, or how insanely indebted I am to you guys for not only helping me become a better writer, but also a better person. And at the risk of sounding cheesy, even though we may only exist in each other’s lives as text on a webpage, the connections I’ve made with you all are very real and very important to me. I mean, some of my longest friendships were made right here! Pretty crazy, right? But that’s always been the beautiful part about Xanga.
Writing may have been an escape and Xanga my safe haven, but it was ultimately you guys who made it into my home. And I’ve come to realize that what made the news of Xanga’s Doomsday so devastating for me wasn’t so much the loss of the forum itself (although it definitely factors into it), but the loss of a community—no, a family—that I genuinely love and cherish.
I’m all about keeping families together, so if Xanga does come to a end, I really, really hope we’ll still keep in touch! You know where to find me, right?
Oh, and I’m going to be a guest along with @Nimbusthedragon on @Roadlesstaken’s radio show on Wednesday, July 10th, at 8:00 p.m. EST! I was supposed to be on last week, but had to reschedule because I was busy getting my ass handed to me on a plate made of ass. ARGH! The memories!
Anyway, do check out Roadlesstaken’s website! He’s posted a list of upcoming guests, as well as podcasts of past shows for you to enjoy. And don’t forget to tune in on July 10th at 5:00 p.m. EST, okay? You’ll actually be able to call into the show during the live broadcast, so I hope you make use of that because I’m dying to know what you guys sound like! It’s going to be awesome!
No matter what happens, our hearts will always be as Xangans.
More soon,
Sylvia
Comments (15)
I tend to think they will raise the money. I think you will see a bunch of money come in the last few days.
Even if Xanga survives, it will cost $48 a year to blog. Also, the vast majority of whoever was left on Xanga have already evacuated, so it will take a lot of effort to bring them back into the fold.
We should start to see some big donations coming in by Wednesday - or else it really looks baaaaad.
@coolmonkey - I can almost guarantee they will be backtracking on that $48/yr policy once they see how empty the place has become. Of course that won’t undo all the damage done from people shutting down accounts and vacating.
we just need one big time doner. – Rollie
Added! Also, Xanga’s interface is user-friendly?
I’m gonna miss the kitties..
I agree, I also dislike WordPress. The colors and fonts of their Themes are uncustomizable unless you pay extra, so it took me a long time to find a Theme with a text that didn’t want me to commit homicide (I’m fine with paying money to xanga, but not WordPress). Also the damn Twitter widget doesn’t even work. It keeps deleting the widget information every time I hit “save.” Also their weblog text editor thing is pretty unfriendly, too. *grumble grumble*
It’s been a swell few years Sylvia! I’m glad I “met you!” Good luck with everything! Keep up the paint doodles
Just made an appointment in my planner! I will be tuning in on the 10th! You and Liz are both awesome! Meanwhile I had thought about fiddling with my own WordPress account, but after reading that comment from randaness, now I’m not so sure. Maybe I’ll do it anyway, just to have it. We shall see.
@Celestial_Rose2002 - It’s really hard to customize themes on WordPress because it requires some knowledge of CSS. I actually had to get a beginner’s guide on Amazon, which has definitely helped, but the process takes a lot of time and a ton of patience!
@whotakethmycoke - I actually think it’s a lot easier to use than WordPress, but I may just feel that way because I’ve never used anything other than Xanga. :-/
@Scrooge0 - I will! And thanks for being such a great Xanga friend! I’m glad I met you too!
@randaness - OMG! Those freakin’ widgets piss me off. And so does the whole menu customization thing!
@cbr600 - The kitties and I will miss you too! But you’ll come see us on WordPress, won’t you? I hope so!