June 4, 2013
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And Another Thing…
These days Xanga feels like a community of believers and skeptics in a world with an absent God.
A Post comes! A Post! From the Leaders!
It’s ambiguous (The Post), it’s a little unusual in the world of business plans and customary business practices and what-have-you, but it comes with a link! And a plea! And if you Google, you find links to mysterious online journals discussing the post and the appearance of the Xanga God!
It doesn’t really even require any faith, The Post, because no credit cards will be charged unless enough people believe!
All you have to do to be a good person, a good Xangan, one of the faithful, is say that you believe, and pledge.
But if you’re a bad Xangan, a skeptical Xangan, a Xangan who is always trying to poke holes in the dreams of others or mean-spiritedly refuse to join in on oddly confusing movements with uncertain goals and questionable methods (I never did get around to joining one of those Occupy Wall Street groups), you’re selfishly sitting on your credit card number until………………something else happens.
Maybe The Post will be followed up by Another Post! Or a Sign!! A Miracle! Maybe @edlives is a prophet! (apologies to @edlives, whom I don’t know, and whose Xanga-End-Times posts have been inspiring and hopeful and generally helpful, unlike my own).
It’s just a little weird, isn’t it? I mean, to ask a community of anonymous blogging strangers for so much money and then disappear (again)?
Am I even allowed to post this?! It seems like it might be heretical or blasphemous or something.
I’m sorry, because I love Xanga too, I love it, but not in the way I love my sister or my dog. More in the way I love my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I mean, I really love Xanga. I feel like I probably shouldn’t have to say this to you, lovely Xanga readers, but I have proof that I love Xanga: 1) I’ve blogged here nearly daily since 2004 (wow, that’s something, right?!). 2) I paid Xanga $100 to be a member of it for its lifetime (which sadly, appears to be over, worse luck for me). 3) I’ve blogged about how much I love Xanga for years. 4) I almost went to a Xanga meet-up once, before I lost my nerve.
So, I mean, I love it, but yeah, not like that. I mean, I love it like a business. Like a really, really, really awesome business I’ve used every day for the last nine years. Like my dry cleaners. Like the mailbox store where they know my name and get my mail out of my PO box without making me remember the key. Like that.
Not really like a relative with a terrible problem who needs my help.
Maybe like a relative with a terrible problem who needs my help who hasn’t called me in fifteen years, or written me any thank-yous for the Christmas gifts I sent, or returned any of my calls.
But no, probably not even like that.
Comments (16)
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this whole thing just gets weirder and weirder.
Something else that’s weird ~ several of my friends who’ve pledged have said that their funds were put on hold. Meaning, they can’t access their own money until this bullshit comes to a close. And NO ONE seems to think that’s weird. No one except for my friends who have a significant amount of money sitting in limbo.
@chronic_masticator - I think it’s weird too. I’m uncomfortable by it. I mean setting aside the indignation that those of us who can’t afford it are basically being thrown out on our asses after all we’ve invested into Xanga – this whole thing just seems seriously weird. I’m trying to keep an open mind though.
@BohemianLotus - I’m just waiting for the Xanga Team to waltz off into the sunset with all the pledge money that’s been given.
Change is always a tough thing to deal with, especially if you’re in a house and your moving to a new location – with new rooms, a new kitchen… etc… and even some weirdness sneaks in once in awhile that freaks even more people out.
@chronic_masticator - this is standard practice. You take a group of people, each put in some cash – but someone has to ‘hold’ the money while we wait for things to happen. If what was hoping to happen actually happens, the the money goes as planned. If what was hoping doesn’t happen – then the funds are returned. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is happening more with debit cards than credit cards.
OBL you should check out kickstarter.com. This is becoming a more and more popular way to raise money.
Yeah…It is weird that everything’s so sudden. They had to know about it sooner, right? It’s not like you don’t realize your lease is up until a month and a half before hand…right?
But didn’t you know that all non-believing heretical Xangans end up in Xanga hell (maybe livejournal?).
ALSO. We’re listed as one of the bestest ever blog sites. And that was only two years ago. How long is two years really? Not that long. Right? http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-blog-sites-wordpress-blogger/
@edlives – there are PLENTY of Kickstarter fundraisers that don’t do this.
@chronic_masticator - Yeah, I am thinking that may happen. But isn’t $60,000.00 a bit of a low number???
I love Xanga like I love my smart phone. And I use it constantly. Just questioning the timing of all this. And the suddenness of it. Maybe next time, they may issue a bit of a warning. And what’s to stop them from coming back say in six months to a year for another pledge??? Maybe some one has been watching PBS yearly pledge drives…
Yeah… I find it odd. Just so you have more people in your boat.
It’s super sketchy, as my teenager would say. Sorry, Xanga Gods, I only contribute money to registered 501c3 non-profits. I am not a venture capitalist. When there’s a viable business apparent and it costs $ to use those apparent, visible services, I will decide to purchase them (or not).
I’m in serious grief, OBL. But also, coincidentally, in a major financial crisis myself. somehow the two sadnesses get all tangled in my nightmares, and I barely sleep since even the rumour was posted. I’d probably feel just as bad if the hammer I’ve been using daily since 1977 was last or stolen.
let’s both just hope for the best.
@jsolberg - let’s definitely hope for the best!!! (and also, find me on wp). I completely see what you mean about the hammer. I once lost a little beaded coin purse with the perfect snapping mechanism after using it for two decades. It was nearly the final straw, for me.
@chronic_masticator - yes, I think it’s a debit card issue. It’s always the case when you use a debit card that the money is automatically on hold at your bank. This is why it’s so much easier to use a standard credit card for dubious purchases, like memberships in a blogging company that might exist in the future. @BohemianLotus - yes, it’s unfortunate that the blog-for-free people won’t be able to stick around. This makes Xanga really a place for the middle-aged and older users (like me) or the long-term users who have become full-fledged professionals. It would no longer be a social media site for young people. @edlives - it’s not change I mind, or paying to blog. It’s being a venture capitalist as transvestite_rabbit points out below. It’s contributing money in advance for a new startup with no information, no stake in the company, no certainty about how long my “one year” membership will last, not even a full name or a face for any of the members of the Xanga Team. @onestepcloserto_perfection - I guess that’s just it: I see kickstarter as a way to raise money, not fund a new business or a change in business plan. @Zoz36 - wayyyyyy too low. Plus, it’s all credit cards. No one is going to steal any money (I don’t think). @Thatslifekid - thanks for the support. I feel better. I feel so curmudgeonly these days. @transvestite_rabbit - it IS super sketchy!! I’m glad you feel the same.
@ordinarybutloud – WordPress has been around awhile and is reliable. this initial funding is for the hardware and software upgrades. the company will be around, just in a different way.
@ordinarybutloud – you do have some good points and comments on this matter.
I was thinking it’s odd that they never sent out an actual email to subscribers. Or did I miss it? I just happened to see their little apocalyptic note on the home page one day and then, yes, everyone on xanga was suddenly talking about it. Weird.