Blog fiasco still the same
July 20, 2012 in re-blogs
For those of you that have not been following Met Uysh’s ongoing battle with the sport24 blog editor and IT dept on our behalf, let me explain how I feel about this whole fiasco. I have put my last reply to MU in a post because it was becoming too long for a comment.
Hey Uysh,
I’ve got tired of doing these guys jobs for them and I’m sad to say that my days of struggling here are numbered. There are only a few people that still post here, even though there is supposed to be spin off from sport24, there are few ”outside” comments, the blog eds don’t care and the IT guys are apathetic. I will leave my blog here and visit it fairly often, but I honestly see no point in posting here until, or rather IF, this platform gets its act together. Sitting and thinking through and writing a post takes time and effort and this platform is not worth the effort in its current format.
On LD we had readership from other LD communities but now that it has fragmented into separate communities with no central page it’s a waste of my time. To simply post the same post here as on my wordpress blog is extra effort that has no benefit. If people want to read what I write I think they will make the effort to link or follow my WP site and I will link to them. It might be mostly the same guys but there will be less aggravation.
I have started expanding my blogroll and if “members” advertise their blogs through facebook, twitter and friends, the group will expand by itself. There are about 25 people (Blogs) on the blogroll and if I can encourage even half of those to post and comment regularly there will be more action than this forum.
Any guys that would like to connect with a group of like minded sports rugby fans please feel free to visit my blog http://powachairblog.wordpress.com/ and give me a link address to add to the blogroll. It does not have to be a wordpress blog, the blog can be on blogspot or Tumblr or even if there are chaps that prefer to stay on sport24 for whatever reason and would like to link into the group let me know and I will add you to the blogroll too. The only drawback that I can see is that “outsiders” would have to sign in once on your 24 blog to comment but that is a requirement on most blog platforms.
Anybody that struggles to do the set up on wordpress can contact me cluroly@gmail.com and I will help you or do it for you at no charge.
Long has it been known in Rugby circles […]
HiltonH said on July 21, 2012
Powa – with respect and in my honest opinion, have you considered that maybe people aren’t blogging / contributing here because the standards of posts are so low ? Present company excluded of course ( and others like Eye of the Fly etc )
The very same people who were whingeing constantly about the Ed and Letterdash being responsible for the exodus and drop in popularity of the 24 platform are now the same ones blaming the usability of WordPress. Can’t these people really see that their blogging contributions are perhaps well below their own perceived standard ?!!?
Most of the trends have continued across the migration from Letterdash and the topics are so very predictable :
Tuesday : If I were the coach – this is the team I would pick this week
Wednesday : I see so-and-so is injured so this is my revised squad
Thursday : Here is a copy and paste of this weekend’s teams and either a) ‘ I told you on Tuesday this would be the team ‘ or b) ‘ I can’t believe the coach picked this team ‘
Friday : This is how I see this weekend’s games playing out
Saturday : Those who called ‘ Friday ‘ right – ‘ I TOLD YOU – I TOLD YOU ‘ and those who didn’t ….. dead silence
Sunday : General Silence
Monday : Those who called ‘ Friday ‘ wrong – ‘ F*** the Ref ‘, ‘ F*** the opposing cheating opponents ‘ or ‘ F*** our team ‘
Tuesday : If I were the coach – this is the team I would pick this week
Personally – I think some people need to take a good, hard look at other blogging sites and come to the realisation that the reason they aren’t full time bloggers, earning a living from writing, is no co-incidence.
Like I said – it’s just my opinion, but I could count on 1 hand the bloggers I actually miss conversing with.
Powa said on July 21, 2012
LOL True to a large extent I think, but I know that I for one, have lost interest in blogging or spending a large portion of my time writing a decent post, when I know it will probably only be read by a few people. I enjoy writing and have switched my focus to my non sports blog for now. There are legitimate problems with this site that aren’t being addressed which have disillusioned bloggers even more.
I have now started using my google reader and can read blogs and receive comments and replies no matter where the blogs are. blogs24,wordpress,blogspot or tumblr even letterdash.
With this whole move, I’ve come to realize that it actually makes no difference where your blog is hosted you can still connect and comment on other blogs without having to even see or read a main page. I don’t have to post on sport24 but I can still comment there and those that are interested can follow my blog on wordpress. I have found wordpress way more user friendly than here with lots more bells and whistles.
Do you still blog and if so where?
pauljay said on July 20, 2012
Powa…wtf, I dont even know how to navigate here….LD was easy and user friendly, this is just shit. I have no time for my ‘own’ blog on wordpress or whatever, nor time to twitter, fb it for more readers. I am specifically not on FB in order to retain privacy, or I dont want to share my daily ablutions etc with a billion or few hundred people. What now? The big question is,WHY did ‘they’ move from LD. Can you answer that question?
Powa said on July 21, 2012
Hi PJ,
I have no idea why they moved except because they had lost control of the spam bots. LD is dead and buried and this new platform is critically ill. Only a couple of serious bloggers left here now.
Met uysh said on July 20, 2012
I would like if we could have a central blogging platform like this one where we are all authors with our own blogs, but all in one place. Also with our own backgrounds and so on. Unfortunately the admin of the site is also bound by keeping things in tune with the other 24.com blogs, which as you said, are mostly dead. They take ages with the feedback and nothing has been done other than the very usefull Ultimate Follow widget.
There are some features I do like about this platform though. For instance, the normal wordpress does not allow for things like the AdCodes etc where you can put in script code, which I like to use for my Twitter updates and my Twitter lists. On wordpress you can only put up your own tweets.
Personally, at the moment, I don’t find it so frustrating. But I’m one of the lucky ones who magaed to get akismet on when there was a gap. Yes it would be nice to put up my own background and hopefully it will be sorted out in time.
We just need to rebuild I guess.
Powa said on July 20, 2012
There is a way to do community blogging like here, I’m not sure what the cost implications are, but take a look at Buddy Press. This platform uses WordPress via Buddy Press (or other way round) not wordpress.com. Buddy press seems to be used by communities like Colleges and big business. Interesting to get your views on it.
You don’t have to move if you’re happy here but you could well find yourself all alone as people move or stop blogging altogether
Met uysh said on July 20, 2012
Lol! As long as you keep my on your blogroll I don’t think I’ll be alone. I do have my other WP site as well and there I’m alone just the same…..
Powa said on July 20, 2012
The wordpress.com blog is quiet because we’re all here and there. Use a blogroll and comment on those blogs and you will be surprised at the response.
I’ve tried on all the 24 sites but to give you eg Health took 6 days to get my blog up n running. No reply to 5 messages and emails to blog24 ed and zilch from sports blog ed other than what you have managed to squeeze out of them and even then it’s all talk and evade and no do. Sounds like the Government is running the show. That’s how they react when questioned
Phil said on July 20, 2012
In the real world, a decent Editor would take note of the growing stream of
criticism of this blog land, get off his behind and change things. Obviously they still live in cloud cuckoo land and could’nt care less. Sad really! I joined
the Burger blog which uses Letterdash and it is as things used to and should be.
Powa said on July 20, 2012
Hi Phil, Unfortunately those are moving over soon too. The whole of letterdash will end up there. Try wordpress.com it’s pretty easy and I’ll help if you get stuck.
Seems that the blog eds couldn’t give a damn about the blogs, it’s probably more of a nuisance than a help
Met uysh said on July 20, 2012
I think everyone should add Sport24 editor as a friend and send him all the complaints. Hopefully they’ll feel more pressed to respond. http://blogs.sport24.co.za/members/sport24-editor/
Vespa said on July 20, 2012
What can I say that hasnt been said before – I miss LD – my daily reads of the blogs like Kitch, MU, Dar etc look like a thing of the past. Not sure how to use wordpress and frankly couldnt be bothered to blog if none of the regular guys I came to enjoy are not using it either. I guess whats done cant really be undone or can it?
powa said on July 20, 2012
It can’t be undone and I know Dar and a few others wanted to start a wordpress blog but haven’t got around to it yet. It will take time but can be done. If you can set up a blog here you’ll find it even easier to do on wordpress. If you struggle or want me to set it up for you I will do so at no charge. Just let me know.
If there is a strong nucleus of bloggers others will be attracted but as it would anywhere else it will take a bit of time and effort to get going. I have more time than most others so I will assist where I can.
Met uysh said on July 20, 2012
Thanks Vespa. I’m still around though and will probably go on and see which of my sites moves along best. Hopefully he issues get sorted out in time, but with Garrin going to the London Olympics next week I guess we’ll just have to carry on and see.
REM said on July 20, 2012
I am still struggling to get my background and headers the way I want it. Everyone here knows my love for the opposite sex, but I can’t even put something like that up without it messing me around. Was told that my browser was outdated…..wtf, I have Internet Explorer 9, Windows 7 and a fairly decent pc.
I have a WP blog, sportsoapies.wordpress.com from which I will now post.
Also it is a mission to load my sport24 account on my WP app on my ipad.
Then there is the ever increasing problem of Spam. And where i normally got in excess of 20 replys on a post on LD, here I am lucky to get 2! My twitter feeds don’t update and the widgets in my profile is different to the ones on my blog.
So in short or long, yes I agree with you. Sport24 will lose valuable readers, because let’s face it, the blogs is the main reason we visited their site…i rather read sport updates from my Supersport or IOL apps on IPAD then use unnecessary bandwidth.
powa said on July 20, 2012
Browser outdated is a typical BS kind of answer I’ve come to expect.
I have added you to the blogroll and my reader so will connect to you there. Just copy and paste my whole blogroll to a page on your blog or select those you know and add them to your blogroll then tell all your twitter., facebook and blog friends where you are. They can link to my or any other blog and others will find them and link. It works well but takes a bit of time for the word to get around.
eye_of_the_fly said on July 20, 2012
I must share your diminishing enthusiasm for this half-assed platform in its current state and have grown tired of fending off a seemingly never ending stream of spam comments. The Sport24 blogs ‘home-page’ promotes an edited blog article as if it is a brand new piece, there appears to be no option to check whether your blog is even being read and it is little surprise to me that the number of regular contributors has diminished.
powa said on July 20, 2012
I’m tired of trying to get a “Donkey cart” to go when I have a top notch “car” on WP. Join us there or if you have a url to a blog you are going to use I’ll add it to my blogroll. Anybody can just copy and paste my blogroll to a page on their blog for easier reference. It should go across complete with links and avoids having to create a blogroll by capturing individual blogs. Give me a url if you’re interested then advise all your blog friends and fb and twitter friends where they can find you and get them to connect. It’ll grow
mickeynelster said on July 20, 2012
I say it again………There was nothing wrong with the LD platform. When last did you hear of Darwinia, Kitch, Lord Lucan but to name a few?
Why did they change again?
powa said on July 20, 2012
hey Mickey, I tried to contact Dar but her email keeps returning to me and Kitch won’t blog here because he could be identified by his location address being public. Lucan, Sherifff, Inhlanzi, Ballboy, Jake and many many others that I can mention didn’t bother to move or haven’t liked what the see and don’t post. If we all only blog posts on WP and comment on blogs on 24 from there instead of posting on 24 the links can be done quite easily to those that wish to stay here. Just use a blogroll or a reader or if they have activated subscribe2 you can subscribe to their blogs via email. Copy and paste my blogroll to a page on your blog for easier access. It should transfer link and all.
Met uysh said on July 20, 2012
Torn apart…..like a great big Berlin wall built around us!
mickeynelster said on July 20, 2012
Powa, I would need some help on my WP blog. What do you need?
Powa said on July 20, 2012
@Mickey you can make me an editor on your blog temporarily or just email me your sign in particulars (Name and password) Then you change the password after we’re done.
cluroly@gmail.com and let me know what you want re header background columns etc. If you are happy with your theme the rest is fairly easy. I just need to know what widgets you want etc. we can fine tune as we go
Powa said on July 20, 2012
True. For me it’s time to rebuild elsewhere, my blood pressure doesn’t deal with incompetence very well