June 2, 2013
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It Feels Like a Prank, To Me.
I’m sure it’s not and what-have-you and yada yada, Xanga O Xanga (hasn’t someone written an anthem by now?), I love you Xanga, I believe in you, etcetera.
Nevertheless, it’s a little weird, people asking for money in this way.
Not for nothing, let’s say I was distressed at the apparently imminent shutdown of Xanga, and I wanted to continue blogging around my anonymous community of inscrutable avatars and questionable profiles. But say I was worried, at the same time, about how weird it is for someone online to ask me to provide a credit card number just so they can maybe set up some kind of [blah blah servers outsourced unsourced code blah blah programming language platform yada yada], contingent on whether or not other people give them a combined total of SIXTY FUCKING THOUSAND DOLLARS in pre-paid memberships in a prospective company by July 15.
What’s to stop me from, oh, I don’t know, waiting to see if there actually is going to be a company and then logging onto WordPress on July 16 and becoming a new Xanga user (for $48 a year, presumably…and why 48? Why? (oops, wrong math) one dollar per week = 4 dollars per 4-week months = 48 dollars per year, I mean, it’s elegant, but a little weird, no?)?
Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t be as…I don’t know…sentimentally supportive…or loving, or something. I mean, it would probably be more optimistic and kindhearted and maybe less……..cynical……..if I just pulled out ye ol’ credit card and gave it to some guy allegedly named John who last posted on Xanga in…when was it…2007? I can’t remember. I’ve been here a long time.
And, I mean, John seemed like a nice guy. I remember he posted really cute photos of his cute wife and cute kid and all. And because I tend to believe whatever I see on the internet, I’m pretty sure that guy with the super cute babies and the nice wife and everything is probably John, and John is probably sitting in some room in some building with a sign on the door that says Xanga, and I even know a guy in real life who lives a life kinda like that and could probably be John, in a parallel universe, so I don’t dispute that it’s possible.
I lack enough information to form an opinion about how likely it is.
It was a little weird when it took such a long lonnnnnnnnggggg time to get a TRUE badge, when I applied after six years of daily blogging. I’m sure that doesn’t say anything about John or Xanga or the probable use of my funds, which after all, are protected by laws and banks and what-have-you, leaving me basically invulnerable to fraud, but still.
When someone starts a new business, say, a service like a gym or something, do they normally sell memberships prospectively so they can afford to buy all the gym equipment?
I don’t know.
Wait…I know! John works for WordPress now, doesn’t he?! It’s genius!!! In a minute I’m going to come back and link you to my new blog.
Comments (21)
Following your WordPress. =)
I still don’t understand why we weren’t told of the circumstances when we had more time to raise funds. Nor do I understand why they haven’t gotten a small business loan, set up some sort of beta, or anything else that would further help themselves. It seems strange that their “only” way out of this mess is to squeeze money from only their users.
I just think they’re done.
anywho I’m following your wordpress.
I think somebody did write an anthem.
O Xanga! Our home and native land,
Our theologian motherflocker Dan,
Something something forty-eight bucks,
Something something Xanga sucks,
Social medium gloriously unfree,
La la la put a fork in me!
Your math is off. 48$ per year, 4$ per month, 1$ per Week
Otherwise I think you have a valid point.
I’m following your wordpress. I think you know that already.
I really do think that “John” might sitting in his bedroom with a door on it that says “Xanga” in crayons. The money he needs is so that he can buy more suntan lotion; when he goes out now he burns instantly because he’s been shut-in for too long.
@chronic_masticator - yeah, agree, it seems strange. but then again, I was young once, and somewhat half-assed and irresponsible. That’s the other highly possible explanation. @TheSecretLifeOfPandas - yay! I hope you get one too, so I can follow it. @we_deny_everything - that is a fucking AWESOME anthem. I feel like I might have to steal it and post it at the top of my page tomorrow. @sonnigenmai - HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…ah, that’s awesome. duh. yeah. Math = not my strong point. @leaflesstree - and I, yours. Xanga in crayons…ha! Yeah, perhaps.
I’m holding off on sending anyone cash. I just paid my yearly fee to Xanga. My question is timing. They HAD to know about this sooner. Or maybe the paying Xangans are leaving before this. I don’t know. I’m playing a wait and see with the situation. I’m at WordPress as a precaution as zoz36.
@Zoz36 - I’m following you. I left you a comment.
I was wondering about the disappearance of the Malaysians and the Hurricane did threaten the servers. Geeks like myself did have a clue that xanga was going down the drain and I did do a post way back when that I was wondering where the employees of xanga went.
John dropped more than his ice cream serving on his cone. The servers cost too much darn money.
I agree with you on this so i will see you over there!!
@Ikwa - yay!
I too ‘found’ you over there, and am now subbed…erm…following. Gee I’ll have to learn a whole new language. LOL
@moniet - ahahaha. it’ll always be subbed to me.
I followed you on WordPress too. I am BohemianStarGirl there.
I’m sure that everything is on the up-and-up and xanga intends to do exactly what it says. Then again, I don’t really have any proof that they don’t intend to open up in July, shut down in September, and spend the winter in Aruba. 60K makes a hell of a vacation.
@distractedbyzombies - as long as you’re prepared to spend the rest of your life in Aruba, where the Visa fraud people can’t find you, that would probably work.
@ordinarybutloud - you’re the lawyer. I always assumed there’s some fine print somewhere that says if the company folds, all monies are nonrefundable. Hello, Aruba. Then again, I’m sure the Visa fraud squad is formidable.
@distractedbyzombies - I’m a lawyer, but not a Visa fraud lawyer. Wait, do they have those? I guess Visa fraud is a crime, which technically means I *am* a Visa fraud lawyer. Hm. This is my well-considered opinion: if I started a business and lost all my investors’ money and didn’t return it, I might feel okay about it. But if I solicited 60K from people publicly online for specific year long memberships and I determined that I’d met my initial investment needs, I would NOT go to Aruba with the money. But then again, I’m law-abiding and trustworthy. Although. Aruba. Although if you didn’t know, a lot of women disappear in Aruba forever. So there’s that.
@ordinarybutloud - So you’ll be defending John while he abducts women in Aruba? I don’t like the way this is shaping up. Not at all.
I only handle appeals. So I can only defend him AFTER 12 people have sent him to prison. Hypothetically.