Blog Housekeeping – Email Moving Day
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Well, yes, for the third damned day in a row, I'm doing a post about the back-end mechanics of blogging. Don't blame me; it's all Google's fault.
In 2007, they bought FeedBurner, a feed management service which had been around since 2004. With Google's squid-like reach on the internet, it quickly became the most popular service of its kind. Like almost everyone with a blog, I succumbed.
Subscriptions to my blog hummed along for several years until a month ago, when I read rumors that Google is shutting down Feedburner. Well, not quite. As my favorite tech guru, Webteacher Virginia DeBolt, explained:
”Feedburner’s API will be deprecated. That API is what allows you to interact with Feedburner stats and other info.”
Given past experience with companies Google has bought and then shut down, I don't have much hope that Feedburner will remain viable over time, particularly since Google has – wait for it: a new Google solution for feeds.
Of course, they do.
Google has handled this quasi-shutdown in a really shitty fashion: without an announcement directly to its customers nor in any online venue where non-techie types (LIKE MOST OF FEEDBURNER'S USERS!!) would find it.
It was mere accident that I saw a small reference to the change a few weeks ago buried in some newsletter I rarely read.
RSS SUBSCRIBERS
Until further notice, subscribers to TGB and The Elder Storytelling Place who use the RSS feed will see no change and need do nothing.
Email subscriptions, however, will be migrated today.
EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE READ THIS
Today is moving day for Time Goes By and The Elder Storytelling Place subscribers.
Sometime after this post is emailed to subscribers – which usually happens at about 8AM Pacific time – I will migrate all subscription email addresses from Feedburner to the new service, FeedBlitz.
If everything goes correctly, you will receive tomorrow's – that is, Thursday's – mailing without any glitches. But, well, you know Murphy's Law as well as I do. I have every reason to believe the move will be fine, but until I know that for certain...
As a reminder and for those who missed it, I'm going to repeat what I told you yesterday about the migration:
- Please add [email protected] to your address book or email whitelist today so that the new blog delivery won't end up in your junk/spam folder
- Watch for a message from FeedBlitz advising you that the change has taken place
- If Time Goes By stops arriving at your inbox, let me know via email (use the "contact" link in the upper left corner of any page) and I'll figure it out.
There are about 85 TGB subscribers and a dozen or so ESP subscribers who are already subscribed via FeedBlitz. Nothing will change for you.
Sometime not too far in the future, I will migrate RSS feed subscribers but that is more difficult so I want to give myself some time to work up the nerve, energy and determination. My old teeth can take only so much clenching.
I am so sorry to burden you all with this but if things go screwy, I want to you know what has happened and that I am here to help. Plus, it would break my heart to lose any of you, dear readers.
At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Ross Middleton: Knowing the Cosmos
Thanks for the heads-up but I didn't understand a word of it. If I don't get the emails I will check spam and if you are not there I will hunt you down because I look forward to your posts every day. Good luck switching....
Posted by: Stefani houseworth | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 07:42 AM
Some of you know that I lost access to my blog because Google would not, or could not, help me with my account that had been hacked. To use today's vernacular, Google sucks. I have lost all of my dear readers because there is no longer a new post to read.
I empathize with you Ronni. I am glad you are computer savvy and will be able to make the transition.
Believe me when I say, I feel very sure that you will not lose any of your readers because we will find you wherever you are.
Posted by: Darlene | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 07:43 AM
Your posts come to me via the wordpress reader. I am hoping this means that your change will not have any effect on this. I don't understand a lot of the tech stuff, but I understand enough to know that Google is taking over the world. And that scares me.
Posted by: chlost | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 08:27 AM
If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will....
Posted by: steve kemp | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 08:42 AM
Thanks very much for all your work, Ronni, I enjoy your blog immensely and learn a lot from you.
Renee
Posted by: Renee Watkins | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 09:37 AM
I'm an e-mail recipient of TGB and I have got my fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Posted by: Larry | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 10:23 AM
I, your supremely lazy reader, will continue to read you online. I cross my fingers and toes for you tho.
Posted by: Mage Bailey | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 01:37 PM
FYI - Added Feedblitz to my Email address book, got the notice from Feedblitz yesterday, and received your Email today. Looks like it's all A-OK so far.
Posted by: Miki | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 03:19 PM
I don't know HOW I get your column--except that your site is a little square on my computer screen(used to be favorite places---guess it's an icon now), and I just click on the icon every day and it takes me to you! Thanks for ALL you do!~ Jane
Posted by: Jane | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at 05:17 PM
Well -- I see an improvement! The blog post title "Confessions of a Late-Age Coward" has been added to the title line in my email, so this will be very helpful to those of us who can't keep up with our blog reading!
Thanks for all the work with the conversion, rather than asking us to subscribe again.
And thanks for sending us all the news we need to know!
Polly
Posted by: Polly | Sunday, 14 October 2012 at 08:24 AM