In my last post, I discussed what is going on with John, and why any development with Xanga is on hold - indefinitely.

This post is specifically for people who were able to log in and download their Xanga archives. If you're not able to log into your Xanga account or don't see archives available, I can't help you with that, sorry.

Now...

Today I'm going to share one of the most common challenges people have had when they've been able to download their archives and to migrate to another WordPress based site: Images not displaying correctly or at all.

I've had this issue when migrating Autisable's content to its new location, so passing along this information to help those still seeking a solution. (apologies for taking soo long on this fix, been pretty slammed with life myself)

So, let's start at the beginning:

1. You log into your Xanga account and were able to download your archives.

This is essentially a WP Export file (.xml) that contains all the basics of your content.

2. You use the import tool in WP to upload the file (Tools -> import).

Assuming you did the first two steps with no issues... we go onto step 3

3. You notice that your images were not imported and have to address each image individually.

 

So, what do you do?

Here's the fix...

After you import your archive into your new WP based site, you'll use the AutoUpload Images Plugin.  This plugin will look for the image URLs and get those images and upload them to your local WP uploads to the directory and add them to the media library.  It then replaces the old image URLs with the new URLs.

This process is semi-automatic and is pretty quick.  You can remove the plugin once you're done.

The step-by-step guide is shown here: https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/257180/how-to-import-wordpress-posts-with-images-from-one-wordpress-site-to-another

The plugin is an old one, and it still did work at the time of this writing.  You can see it here and is available when you search via the plugins in WP - https://wordpress.org/plugins/auto-upload-images/ 

Once the plugin is activated and your content uploaded, you'd focus on step 4, where essentially, "you select multiple posts and then under 'bulk actions' choose 'edit' and press the 'apply' button. Then, without making any adjustments, click the 'Update' button. Depending on your server you may get a timeout as the process runs, so it's a good idea to do this maybe 20 to 50 posts at a time."

My notes on this fix...

My experience with this is that you may have to run it several times until all of your posts are updated.  Although 20 to 50 posts at a time is possible, I've had to reduce that to 4-10 posts at a time so the error didn't occur due to server time0ut.  I'm sure this is because some posts may be image-heavy and take more time for the plugin to work.  But, it does work!

I discovered that most images will have 'xanga.com' as part of the image URL.  You can search your posts for 'xanga.com' to find those posts where the images are.  Then, as the instructions state:

1. select multiple posts under bulk actions

2. choose edit

3 press apply

4 click update. (the default settings of this plugin should work fine, they did for me)

The number of posts with 'xanga.com' should be less and less as you repeat these steps.  This means that the images that you were dealing with should be downloaded as part of your WordPress site, and the URLs updated accordingly.  Check your blog posts to see how they now display, and those images should be there.

Once this is done and you're satisfied with the results, remove the plugin - as you won't need it anymore (unless you're importing from other accounts/sites)

The result should be that your new site should have all of the posts and images from your Xanga account.  Now, I know it worked for me without any issues (except error timeouts), but it's always good to back-up your site before doing this type of work.

Feel free to leave a comment with any questions/concerns.

 

 

 

 

There's something I've known for a while, but out of respect, I've kept it silent.

Things like this take time, like addressing bouts of depression or dealing with an extreme amount of grief.

I've been a liaison for Xanga, which really isn't saying much.  My task many years ago was to serve as a means to pass along more official information from John regarding Xanga.  This means that most of what I've done is try to keep folks updated on anything Xanga-related.  But when there's no real update regarding Xanga itself, what can one do but state the same things over and over again.  I've never been an employee of Xanga.  The only money I received from Xanga was for my work on Autisable, which was rather meager in terms of earnings (anyone up for a cup of coffee and/or a happy meal?), and that was at most a 1099 status so I could get paid for ad revenue that Autisable generated. But a Xanga employee I was not, and still am not. I'm not even a 1099 worker anymore, haven't been since Autisable was shut down during the Xanga 2.0 switch.  Just been a liason, because quite honestly, someone has to stay close to the fray of information and pass that along.

Now, as those who follow this blog on Xanga know, there really isn't much to update on the site itself.  So allow me to pass along what I do know, to help bring some things into perspective.

I won't drone on about why the change to 2.0 was necessary.  The fact is, it was.  Financially, as well as functionally.  The intention to bring Xanga back, but on a WordPress site, was and is the goal.
However, life has impacted many xanga employees, who no longer work for Xanga anymore.

Marc, a former executive at Xanga is now doing something else entirely.
Eugenia is no longer an employee of Xanga but does try to help with people's accounts as her time permits.
Many of the other Xanga employees are now employed elsewhere.

To say that Xanga is a shell of its former self is not just an understatement - it is the statement.

But, what about John?  What is going on with John himself?
After all, his intention to get Xanga revamped has been stuck in limbo for such a long time, why would this be?

This blog post is to answer this question... and it's time to share a sobering update...

It needs to be stated first that it's through a series of unfortunate and tragic events that have led to where Xanga is now, and it starts and stops with John.
To say that John won't start again is up to him, but for now, we remain in limbo.

Read on further and you'll understand why...
Let me also express something very clear here - at no time was Xanga to be where it is now for so long. The intent was to keep things moving forward.

I've read many other people's blog posts that went on about various conspiracy theories.  But I have no evidence to any of those theories, and after you read further and see what I'm sharing, you'll realize just how ridiculous and frivolous those theories are.

What I will share is what I do know, and after several years of silence, I'm sharing this with you now:

You see, up until a couple of years ago, I was getting rather frustrated with not hearing anything from John.  Eugenia and I had set up a form of communication to address people's accounts.  Addressing simple things like people obtaining their archives, or renewing their account.  Even after Eugenia left Xanga, she'd pop in to help from time to time to assist in making sure y'all were able to blog, and generally to keep things going.  In short, Eugenia and I were to keep the status quo while we waited for more word from John and the rest of the team.  This, for the most part, worked.

But still, no word from John and what we were to expect in regards to Xanga itself.

Marc shared with me that during the last year or so prior to 2.0 being launched, he really wasn't involved in Xanga.  He was helping me with Autisable, acting as a liaison of sorts between John and Myself, until we got Autisable initially launched.  So his involvement with Xanga wained more and more each passing month/year.

I respect both Marc and John immensely, and they both have been consistent in following up with me regarding Autisable time and time again.  They both answered a variety of questions and made things happen.  Much of their work and their efforts in helping me have impacted Autisable and my online work in many ways.

All this said, a couple of years passed, with little to no word from John.  Then, all went completely silent for months.

I became very concerned, as this was not normal.  I'd at least have a response to an email every now and then.  But now... nothing.

So I started reaching out to John through all of the contact methods that we set-up. Text messages, phone calls, emails...

Still...Nothing.

Then, after several weeks, and with a comment to Eugenia - we both were in shock as to what we discovered.

After 2.0 launched, John was ready to get things rolling on the site.  We chatted about who to reach out to in the community to make things happen, and what to focus on first.  It was still his baby, but he wanted Xanga to be more community developed.  He was excited about working with everyone.  He also wasn't big on open-source plugins, for security reasons.  He always believed a better set-up could happen by working with Xangans and keeping the programming in-house.  Privacy and people's safety were often a topic of discussion with John and I.  He wanted it to be membership based so there wouldn't be pressure to monetize through advertising - which often meant selling of members data. As Autisable grew I learned more about being in the crosshairs of people's criticisms. I could understand the amount of pressure John could be receiving from everyone expressing their anger and frustration.  Suffice it to say, in spite of all of this pressure - he was up for the challenge.

That is, until these unfortunate and absolutely tragic events occurred.

You see, John and his family went to visit his parents in the Philipines.  This was a planned trip, and not entirely uncommon.

While there, his Dad passed away.  There were underlying issues and the visit was a planned one.  But death, in any form, changes things.  It changes perspective and priorities.

John's parents owned a small hotel in a very rural area of the Philipines.  Internet is spotty at best. And so his 70+-year-old mother needed help.  Suffice it to say, whenever a parent dies, it can take up to a year to address any financial affairs, while at the same time helping other family members go through the grieving process.  John had to take the helm on family matters, as well as with helping to run the family hotel with his mother.  This meant the family went from visiting the Philippines, to moving there.

This was back in 2016-2017.

If you think 2020 has been crazy, this was just the beginning for John... as it gets worse...

Now, while John has been helping his mother manage this family hotel and making sure his mom and family are taken care of... a brutal and horrific tragedy struck John again in May of 2017.

John found his mom stabbed to death in the early morning hours in May 2017.

Here's the link to the news article about this tragedy: https://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/05/10/1698728/american-stabbed-dead-el-nido-home 

Several months later - on September 11th, John shared his story here, on his wife's website: https://www.hellobee.com/2017/09/11/my-final-parent/

This is the article that Eugenia saw and shared with me.  We were both mortified.

With this tragedy, nothing really mattered, except to make sure John and his family were going to be safe.  Life in the rural Philippines is much different than it is here in the United States.

This was why I remained silent.  Silent to ensure his safety, and silent to allow him to grieve and to get things in order. I've also kept this information quiet until now to allow the investigation and courts to go through due process.  The last thing officials want is to have thousands of people investigate or cause issues during a new or ongoing case.

Now that it's been a few years, I believe enough time has passed to share this update.  Also, John has been a bit more open online about what has been going on.

John has been updating a Facebook page he created to get Justice for his mom's death.  Of the 3 suspects involved, only 1 has been captured and the case is still in trial.  Like his blog posts on Hellobee, he doesn't update much due to lack of internet service, amongst other things.

Will John get back to Xanga after Justice has been served?  We all hope so.

For now, we should know that Xanga will remain in limbo until the official word from John happens.

Please keep good thoughts and prayers for John and his family, and let's hope and pray Justice will happen for his mom, Naoko.

I'm working on a project on Autisable to enhance its functionality.  I wish I could share more, but this post is part of that test.

Since my last update, I've been mainly working from home full-time.  Although I do catch a few delivery routes here and there to keep my accounts with Amazon and Doordash active.

Much of my time has been devoted to my digital marketing clients and making sure they are served well.
Otherwise, I'm making sure Autisable is running smoothly.

One of the biggest questions I received about Autisable is how it compares to Xanga.
My short answer is that it's very close to what Xanga was in terms of functionality.  However, due to the nature of the topic as well as there being individuals susceptible to bad influence, much of the 'blogging' is turned off and there isn't any private messaging.  Members of Autisable can submit articles to the editors, and there's a newsfeed where members can connect with each other and communicate.

IF I had the bandwidth and some dedicated moderators/managers (with a budget to boot)... I could easily add those levels of functionality.

A follow-up question to that effect was what if we duplicated Autisable and added that functionality for a 'Xanga reboot'?   My answer would be 'I'd LOVE TO!'
My only current personal challenge is making sure my own bills are being paid and that we can get the current Xanga out of limbo.

Now... onto the world of Xanga...

I haven't been in touch with John for quite some time.  I do know his wife blogs regularly (I'll have to remember and find that blog again).
So, no major news about Xanga right now.

Eugenia is helping where she can, and Mark is out doing his own thing now.  Other current and former Xanga employees have essentially moved on to other efforts.
So, Xanga is really John's baby - and we're all just waiting on John right now.

So we're on #johnhilerwatch2020 ... so yeah... it's a thing.

 

There is this intrinsic part of us as a society that tells us not to fail.

It's like that voice in our heads that says that if we fail, we lose out, we won't become of anything.

This part of us, in fact, is a lie.

The most we gain through failure is everything.

This doesn't mean go out and do stupid stuff and get yourself hurt.

What it does mean is that you need to count the cost and weigh your options before moving forward... knowing that failure may happen.

And when it does happen... when that moment of failure does occur... what will your response be?

Are we to stand aside and let the world ridicule us?  Are we to cower before those who haven't tried at all and chastise us for doing so?

I submit that we learn best when we try and fail than if we don't try at all. The result being through the failure we are better for it.

When someone says 'failure is not an option' - I think we misinterpret that phrase that failure is something to avoid altogether.

Let us then look at that phrase with different eyes...

'failure isn't an option, because there really is no such thing'

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

This is something to take heart when inventing something, building a business, or raising a family.

Some people take fewer steps than others.

So, what shall we be afraid of?  Nothing.

The multi-faceted issues and observations over the past decade...

We all know by now that the top websites online are there because they are not only able to produce a viable product for the public market, but that they were able to effectively monetize their efforts so it generated enough revenue to support their ongoing efforts.

This is why, technologically speaking, companies like Facebook and Google have been around for so long - they've been able to acquire, adapt and monetize their efforts effectively.

So, whenever I'm asked why Xanga was having problems  - it boils down to the basics... so let me dive into this again... with a fresh perspective..

• Xanga's core programming code -

Xanga's original code was based on Web 2.0 technology.  Now, this was an awesome milestone in terms of coding in the past - but it did put them into a box that caused a lot of potential problems.  Launch one new feature, others collapse.  This is because each feature became inter-dependent on other features in terms of resources required to run them.  Having stability in a platform helps out the user experience across the board, and whenever they kept on introducing new features (say like XangaTV)... they had major stability problems.

Site security could also become quickly outdated as new coding and tech were introduced into the marketplace.  Over time this can an increasingly bigger problem.

• Xanga's ability to monetize their efforts

The ability to generate revenue is a major hurdle with any business... especially an online one that had a heavy reliance on Google Adsense advertising.  So, allow me to illustrate with my experience on Autisable while it was a part of Xanga.

On average, Autisable used to generate over 100,000 page views per month.  Earnings from that traffic would be paid to me each month as an incentive for me to manage the site.  100,000 page views at the time equated to about $100 per month.

None of the ads were optimized based on the users browser experience, but were only optimized based on the keywords and topics of the individual blog posts/pages.  This was happening not only with Autisable, but with the entire Xanga network of sites.  This is one of several reasons why the Niche sites were being launched.... so ads being distributed could focus on those topics - so the users could view relevant ads they might be interested in for the site.

The challenge here is two-fold:
1. This didn't stop spam accounts from being created on all niche sites and xanga proper.
2. Adsense changed their payout system

First, spam accounts.  With anyone being able to create an account at a whim at any moment, it allows for bots to create accounts and comment on other accounts blog posts with bad-links.  Lack of control in this area was a major hit on the quality of ads being displayed because comments and the spam accounts told Google not to have higher-paying ads (if the ads were only going to be based on the keywords and topics for that page).  For the most part, all posts were searchable by google and the fact that people weren't behind a membership wall.   Google, therefor, distributed cheap ads on the site and therefore revenue streams that were once a pilar of their efforts had a significant impact.

This forced Xanga to provide other revenue generating options from their users, including ad-free as well as blogads.com and so forth....
Evaluating the ad-free option became a no-brainer from a fiscal perspective.  Why not just make it a members only paid-to-blog model and stop fretting over the old-school model and not deal with the ongoing changes Google was going to impose on sites.  A members only pay-to-blog model by this time had proven itself as a stable opportunity.   But the hard-decision to change a decade-long entrenched user experience had to be made in order for long-term financial sustainability.

Would this have been something I would've done?  No.  But, it wasn't my business to make that call.... it was Jon's.

Adsense also changed out their pay scale to websites - which meant that it wasn't just about the traffic... but about the quality of traffic being provided.  This included such heavier topics as how well a website is in regards to their SEO.

All of these years later there are programs now available to optimize ads based on a users browser experience and not JUST dealing with the website page keywords and content.  Current programs available can provide more quality ads to a page that relate to a user - which would increase the number of times an ad is clicked because that ad would turn into a sale and generate revenue.

So, what now?

Well, we wait in terms of Xanga.

Me personally?  I blog here to share a couple of things here and there about Xanga and go back to all things Autisable.

Until later, back to the grind I go...

Nah, not at all.

I had a few minutes and thought I'd surprise y'all with another update.

Yeah, I know.. but have to change things up a bit to make it at least moderately interesting.

Ok, back to the grind I go...

Summer is the most difficult time of the year, especially August, for this Autism family.

The best-laid plans fall through the cracks as the mad dash to address family needs and parenting take over to ensure zero meltdowns ever occur... as well as making sure I'm able to pay the bills on the homefront.

I'm very grateful at the moment as I'm doing some contract work for several companies in the realm of social media and digital marketing.  This allows me to work from home and periodically gives me some time to focus on building Autisable once again.  To say, "I hope this continues" is an understatement.

I've been doing Amazon Flex and Doordash delivery for over 2 years now, and so it's good to get back to writing and blogging once again.  The focus to be able to pay the bills has been primary these past few years... and it's been physically, emotionally and mentally demanding.

In regards to Xanga, not a lot to share about the site itself.  My last update pretty much brings people up to speed as to what's going on there.

The site remains 'as-is'.  Sort-of stuck in limbo in terms of development.

As for the Xanga Team?  Well, it's primarily just John that is OFFICIALLY the only team member that remains.  It is, after all, HIS baby.

Eugenia is still is around, although no longer officially a part of the Xanga team, she does still log in to address people's accounts and ensure payments are processed for those of us who are paying to blog.  But don't expect a lot for those who need archives or to dive into their individual accounts.  I think after several years after the switch to 2.0 - it's safe to assume at this stage nothing will be done to research that avenue for the foreseeable future.  I'm sure the data is still around somewhere, but no one will be able to take the time to dive into the servers to see if they can salvage something someone's ignored for so long.  So, let's be honest with ourselves on that note.

Now...

Because of my work, I haven't been able to focus on Xanga's Facebook page on a regular basis.  Nor have I been able to chime in on this blog like I used to.

But, I'm still blogging here - that hasn't changed.  I do pop-in from time to time to provide an update or so on what's going on with either xanga or myself.

I am starting to get some more news about John, but I need to chat with him before sharing anything.  I wouldn't want to share anything with anyone until I have all the facts straight. I'm sure y'all can respect that if I was going to share things about you (if I heard anything about you that may be relevant).

As for Autisable, the site has many of the basic similar features as Xanga once did.... and there's still more to do on that site.
I plan to get Autisable to grow and to stick around long-term.  To do this I've launched a Patreon page for Autisable to help raise ongoing support to help me work on the site and on the podcast.

Although there has been no news for Xanga, Autisable is growing and slowly becoming what I've envisioned it to be.  I think this is because I know that people are relying on me to make it happen - and I've made promises to address the site that I intend to keep.

Thank you for sticking around and reading my rants here... even if it's for anything Xanga related.

Appreciate you...

 

This week I came across a blog post written by a Xangan who has been keeping track of all things Xanga, including taking screenshots of this very blog and writing his perspective on what's going on with Xanga, and some theories on what is going on with me.

I remember this happened often on Xanga 1.0.  Not just with me, but with popular Xangans and with members of the Xanga Team.

Now, it doesn't matter if what he wrote was right or wrong, but what matters is that he wrote something.

In fact, there are a lot of Xangans who miss the old Xanga.  To be honest, I do to.

I miss the interaction on this site.  I miss the collaboration, the insight...

Facebook is OK, and many of us are still connected on that platform... but there was nothing like Xanga.

It's been several years now and hears a bit of a recap of what has happened since Xanga 1.0 converted to 2.0...

1. 6 months after Xanga 1.0 shut down (as well as Autisable shutting down)... I lost my full-time job and became unemployed.
2. a few months after that, I lost my mom on Mother's Day.
3. Started a new Job, and two years later the company shifted it's efforts, so back to being unemployed.
4. Became self-employed and launched Autisable, LLC... as well as started delivering as an Amazon Flex Driver.
- got mentioned in Business Insider - https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-drivers-say-flex-delivery-jobs-are-disappearing-2019-1
- got featured in Money Magazine - http://money.com/money/5634561/amazon-flex-driver-weightloss/
     - ended up interviewing an owner and got highlighted in this Youtube video as a result (again, Amazon Flex related) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFmM_smJlo4
But the first two events essentially took the wind out of my sails on doing anything blog related.  I was going through the motions, seeing what I needed to do and regrouping.

So, why did I stick around?

Well, it was because of you.  Because of the members of Xanga.
It was also because of those involved in the Autism community - parents, teachers, professionals... and above all, autistic individuals reaching out to me - asking about Autisable.

You see, Autisable wasn't my brainchild (surprised?).  Discussing Autism was the last thing on my mind when talking with Marc and John about heading up a blogging niche community on the Xanga platform.  I've shared this story time and again that I reached out to John and Marc about having an interest in learning what they are doing.  They offered me an opportunity to head up a blogging community site and asked me to create a list of what I was interested in.... and let's just say this Autism Dad put Autism near the bottom of the list.

But the Xanga Team, primarily John, locked onto that topic and both him and Marc said that they liked my blog posts about being an autism dad and wanted to know if I'd be interested in heading up an autism site.  After some thought, and a lot of prayer, I agreed.  We talked briefly about what the site could be, and about the logo, and they designed the name and logo...asked if I liked it and a few months later Autisable was launched.

When the site was shut down, I barely had any inspiration to write anything....

My 'passion project' was gone.  My connections here on Xanga fled to other platforms, and my Mom passed away. I was also trying to make sure bills were being paid on the homefront.  After all, I wasn't getting paid to do anything Xanga or Autisable related.

So, I kept up appearances while searching for a new job, pushed ahead with what I could, and waited until Marc and John let me know that Autisable was ready to migrate to its own server.
Suffice it to say, all I did get in that transfer was just Autisable's main blog... all the Autisable member accounts remained on Xanga.... so I had to rebuild the entire site from scratch... including hunting down the authors (recreate those accounts) and match the blog posts (over 3,000 of them) with the authors.

Now, why did I relaunch the site?  Because the community around the world reached out to me...
... It became a source of information for schools, for professionals, for anyone needing information about Autism that wasn't from a non-profit.
In short, people were able to hear directly from people who experience autism in some way...

So... I felt compelled to do the work.

It became bigger than I thought it was.... so I have to keep it going, for the sake of the families impacted.

But what about Xanga?

Well, over the past few years I've kept in touch with Marc, Eugenia, and John.
Eugenia is now my primary point of contact, and we touch base managing the site and help people with their accounts as we are able.

Marc, well - he's moved on - no longer directly involved with Xanga.  He and I still chat now and then, but to him, the site is John's baby.

John, he's still brewing something about the site. What it is we're not sure yet. Once he shares with us anything about the direction of the site, rest assured I'd be the first one to announce it.

There are too many Xangans still wanting access to their content, still wanting to connect.  That's why I work on the facebook page and am still here on this site.  Is there a backlog of FB messages to work through?  Yep.  More people are finding the Facebook page everyday, and I spend more time on the FB page messenger side than I do posting content.
People still need access to their account, don't know if it's still there... or people looking for their loved one's account because they passed away.

Am I disappointed at the lack of progress on the Xanga website?  YES! I am!  But I put myself out there to help everyone, so I'm mostly disappointed in myself.

I'm grateful that there are folks still here, providing words of encouragement.
I'm grateful to be able to blog on Xanga still and to share with you any news that I can.  I just wish I had more to share besides "no news yet".
But, I'm like that watchman on the wall, just standing guard, waiting for the word.

So, what now?

Well, as you probably saw in the title of this blog post - there are some general thoughts (noted above), and an invitation... so now... the invitation...

You see, all this work that has been going on with Autisable has come to a point where I would like to invite my fellow Xangans to join the site and to let me know what you think of it.

Although it isn't perfect, it does provide the following at this time:
- each member has their own account (update cover photo, bio, profile pic) - you can register with either an email address and password OR your Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, or Twitter account.
- Ability to follow other members on the site
- newsfeed feature (think Facebook)
- ability to blog and for the community to see your blog posts
- ability to submit blog posts just for the main page (which would be highlighted on social media accounts)

Of course, more features are available, and even more to eventually be launched...  but it's an attempt to at least bring Autisable as close as possible to what Xanga used to be.

The reason for this invite is because Autisable was birthed out of the old Xanga platform, and the only people who knew how to navigate that platform well and could provide the best insight are... well Xangans.

Anyways, it's an open invitation - and although the site focuses on Autism, I'd love to have some Xangans on it - helping me make the site better by providing much-needed perspective.

Here's the link:  https://Autisable.com

There's a lot more work that needs to be done on the site, this I know. So, thank you in advance if you're willing to join and help out.

until next time (which should be sooner and not so long between blog posts here from now on)... back to the grind....

Well, talk about a long time no see...

Yes, I'm still here and still blogging.

Life is always throwing curve balls, and in my life, I've been incredibly focused on my family as of late, and of course on Autisable.

That being said, the world of Xanga had to take a back seat for a while as we got several things sorted out with Autisable.

I'm now in the process of catching up on the rest of my online efforts, including all things Xanga.

Seems there needs to be a smoother way to communicate directly with the Xanga team as I've answered the same questions thousands of times and the forum provided tend to be a bit more complicated.

So, while the Xanga team is doing whatever it is they are doing... I'm pushing forward with my own efforts...

I'll be looking into setting up a short FAQ section on Autisable to specifically address questions associated with Xanga (how it relates to Autisable, and how to deal with Account information regarding accounts on the Xanga network.

Although Autisable is no longer a part of Xanga, there are remnants of information still remaining on their servers from the old Autisable website.  I'll explain further as this level of communication continues.

Part of my efforts in this is to make sure the separation between Xanga and Autisable is clear, and what people can do regarding their accounts is addressed more appropriately.

Now, Autisable's functionality is getting very close to what Xanga used to be on the front end.  Just one more level of functionality and people will be able to journal on their own accounts.

For now, there is already a newsfeed, connecting with other members (by following), real-time notifications, and submitting content to the editors to be put onto the main page.  Once we have the last remaining piece of being able to journal on your own account, the base level of functionality of Xanga would be available on Autisable.

The advanced items are private messages, labeling/verified accounts, and so forth.

Let's just say, it's getting there and while all of this is going on I'm having to address thousands of blog posts and pages - making sure each has updated search engine optimization.

This is the tedious, time-consuming part of what I've been up to.

So, while much of my time has been on these other efforts, my level of communication with anything Xanga fell off the map.

I did send an email out to John at Xanga last week.  No answer as of yet.

Hope all is well with everyone.  Until later, back to the grind.