Monday, 08 October 2012
Do You Use Feedburner for Your Blog's Subscriptions?
Time Goes By and The Elder Storytelling Place do and according to Google, which owns Feedburner, it will soon shut down. Well, not quite shut down; here's how our old tech guru friend, Web Teacher Virginia DeBolt, explains it:
”On October 20, Feedburner will end its run. Or, to put it in Google terms, Feedburner's API will be deprecated. That API is what allows you to interact with Feedburner stats and other info.”
If you use Feedburner for your blog's subscription service, do visit Virginia's post about this as she has good explanations for alternatives to Feedburner – paid and free.
Long before I began using Feedburner, I used Feedblitz for subscriptions to this blog and to The Elder Storytelling Place. In fact, some subscribers still receive these two blogs via Feedblitz.
With a great deal of consideration and hand-wringing after first hearing about Feedburner's demise a few weeks ago, I have decided to stay with Feedblitz. “Stay” is a misnomer because making it my subscription service involves migrating all the rss and email subscriptions from Google's Feedburner to Feedblitz and that's not simple.
Feedblitz, seizing the opportunity, has made a big deal about how easy the transition is even providing a 30-odd page pdf manual (30 pages!). But it's not as clear as I would have written it leaving me with many puzzling steps including how to follow the instructions if one already has an account and is not starting anew.
But that's not your problem. Since I sent Feedblitz my email queries over the weekend, I assume they'll get to answering me today and perhaps I can move forward with the migration then.
Meanwhile, I have made a few small changes you may or may not notice on TGB and at The Elder Storytelling Place.
- The email subscription box in the upper right corner now goes to Feedblitz. This should not affect anyone except new subscribers.
- For readers already subscribed via Feedblitz, you will now receive email with full posts rather than just the headline and a tease.
- The “sender” line in your email inbox should now have my name, Ronni Bennett.
- I've changed the distribution time to more closely conform with the time the story is posted online – 5:30AM Pacific time.
In the coming days, if there is anything you need to know to continue receiving your subscriptions via email and rss, I'll let you know here.
Good god, this is tedious. As a reward for those of you who have made it this far, here's an interesting new study from Hiroshima University as reported in London's The Independent:
”Seeing pictures of cute animals may boost workers' performance in jobs that require concentration, a team at Hiroshima University has shown.
“The study, which involved 130 college students, showed that looking at pictures of baby animals could improve your concentration by a tenth.
“Researchers also found that people who looked at pictures of baby animals performed better than those who looked at adult animals.”
Now we all have a legitimate reason to spent time watching those cute baby animal videos. Here's one to get you started – yes, that's Bing Crosby singing.
At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Mary B Summerlin: Loved to Death
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Email this post
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So sorry about all this. You do so well with the tech stuff that I'm applauding you.
Posted by: Mage Bailey | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 06:56 AM
I'm amazed at your knowledge, and how quickly you adjust to these new things. Thanks.
Posted by: Celia | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 07:40 AM
I don't understand any of this! Therefore I just have TGB bookmarked/favorite & get you that way everyday. I can't get my head around the rest of this stuff & frankly don't understand the reason for "RSS", Feedburner, etc. I admire those who do, but I guess once I get into a groove that works for me, I stick with it. I'm sure there are others like me who have so much going on in our lives that has little to do with the techie world & the internet so we just stick with what works, unlikely to venture outside our comfort zone. "Just sayin':)" Dee
Posted by: Dee | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 08:35 AM
I hear ya, Dee. If there were not several thousand who use the rss and email feeds, I'd throw up my hands and ignore it all.
Mage and Celia...
I know just enough about the tech end of websites to have a general idea of what needs to be done. But without specific instructions (not so great from Feedblitz though they try), it takes me forever to work it out.
BTW, everyone, "rss" stands for "really simple syndication." Ha! Not in this migration case.
Posted by: Ronni Bennett | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 08:51 AM
This past year has been one of massive computer frustration. Just when I have things going right they change the format or I get hacked.
I had to buy a new computer recently and that meant changing from Windows XP to Windows 7. I discovered that meant buying a new printer and scanner as my old ones were not compatible. Built in obsolescence has become built in frustration for me.
My blood pressure can't take many more changes. I do admire you, Ronni, for your expertise.
Posted by: Darlene | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 08:52 AM
It was all too much for me until I looked at the video of baby animals. After that, everything made sense.
Posted by: Marcia Mayo | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 10:23 AM
I have all my fave blogs on IGoogle, the active ones. Including yours Ronni. :) Now Igoogle is closing shop November 2013.
I tried to rss myself a few years ago and gave up. I do have a bloglist on my sidebar so maybe I'll just use that...
Thanks for being there Ronni for the rest of us. :)
XO
WWW
And lol Marcia!
Posted by: wisewebwoman | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 11:47 AM
What a tonic that was, looking at the baby animals.....thankyou Ronni. You give us good stuff so often!
Posted by: Lady Luz | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 12:09 PM
I am not highly literate with computers and admire your perseverance.
I have TGB bookmarked and read it from the website every day. As with other blogs I routinely read, this allows me to post comments faster than through a RSS feed.
Posted by: rilyman | Monday, 08 October 2012 at 03:02 PM
If you don't have too many favorite blogs to make it impractical, you can list your faves on your own blog page (with a "gadget") Then call up your page and visit your faves by clicking one-at-a-time down the list.
Works for me. That's how I get to Time Goes By to read the huge amount of useful info Ronni assembles.
Posted by: Gabby Geezer | Tuesday, 09 October 2012 at 12:47 PM