May 30, 2013
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Relaunching Xanga: A Fundraiser
It's hard to believe, but Xanga has been around for over a dozen years. In that time, we've soared to great heights... and then come back down to earth. Through it all, we've stayed with the site for over a decade now.
We're now at a crossroads, as our lease is up soon on the networking facility where we've been hosting our servers. As the status quo is no longer possible, we've been working to figure out the best way for the Xanga community to move forward.
We've seen other sites go down different paths... some have sold their sites to the highest bidder, while others have doubled on their own platform. The thing is, it's really hard to grow a social site that has fallen from previous heights. MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal... lots of people have tried to resurrect these sites, and it has rarely, if ever, worked.
ANOTHER PATH
We started to wonder if there was another path. We started building the Xanga website back in 1999, and it's amazing how much has changed in the past almost 15 years! If we built a site like Xanga now, we'd use a lot more open source software - heck we'd probably even build on top of some of the existing open source blogging engines out there, and port users over from our existing custom platform.
We'd focus the site on what we have always felt was its core strength: the Xanga community itself. And we'd get the community a LOT more involved in running the site - especially when it came to fighting spam and trolls, the bane of any community site. It would be a blogging community by the people, for the people and of the people.
As we mapped it all out, we thought: "Is this possible... could we build this??"
Well we mapped it all out, and got really excited. I believe that this is a plan that could give Xanga a fresh lease on life. And life is the key word, as our options look like this:
Door #1: We can't afford to renew our expensive lease at our networking facility, so we would have to offer everyone a free download of their blog posts, and shut down the site.
Door #2: We would find a way to port Xanga to open source blogging software like WordPress, and reinvent the site together with the community.
We strongly favor Door #2, but need your help to pull it off. It would require two things to open that door: time and money.
MONEY
I'm willing to work for free, but we'd still need roughly $60k to open door #2, including:
* The costs of setting up new hardware at a new data center/hosting facility.
* The costs of programmer/webmasters to get the site up and keep it running.
* The costs of running the site day to dayBecause of this cost, we would have to move Xanga to a paid model, where bloggers pay for hosting for their blogs. (Just being a member of Xanga would still be free though, so others could still subscribe to your site.) We would enable our bloggers to pay in either money or time (through volunteering). At first, though, we would only be able to offer money options - as we would need a significant amount of money to make the relaunch possible. We would also include a gifting option, where you can buy a Xanga blogging membership for a friend... or earn one through volunteering, and gift that blogging membership to a friend.
Since blogging memberships would be paid, we wouldn't have any ads on the blogs... giving our bloggers an ad-free experience.
I would donate our time to get things up and running... but programmers and webmasters would still need to be paid to relaunch the site. So we are launching a Kickstarter-style fundraising effort, with the following rewards:
- A year-long Xanga blogging membership ($48)
- Two year-long Xanga blogging memberships (i.e. One membership for you, one for a friend... $96)
- Three year-long Xanga blogging memberships ($144)
- Four year-long Xanga blogging memberships ($192)
- Five year-long Xanga blogging memberships ($240)
Here are some of the new features we'd be able to offer out of the box:
* Custom themes - you'll be able to use custom themes we'll pull from around the web, as well as add/edit CSS.
* Plugins - We will provide a library of powerful plugins that you can activate and configure on your site.
* Group blogging - At long last, you'll be able to allow others to blog on your site... and share moderation rights on your blog.
* Threaded comments - We'll look into threaded comments, which would allow readers to reply to comments in a threaded manner
* Better spam controls - Every user would have their own spam queue that they could configure and manage.
* Moderation features - You would be able to put keywords, IPs and usernames into moderation on your blog.We have been busy assessing the feasibility all this, and started the work necessary to launch Xanga 2.0! If we can raise $60k by July 15th, we will be able to keep the site up! If not, we will understand and will use the time between now and then to help users download their data.
TIME
We also plan to rework Xanga to tap the power of the community so that we can be much more responsive and community-driven. We would ask for volunteers in various areas, including:
* Spam fighters: to help us fight spammers and remove spam
* Themers: to help us design or find gorgeous themes to make available to all
* Plugin developers: to help us develop and deploy new features
* Plugin evangelists: to help us find and test new plugins
* Jury members and Judges: to help us resolve abuse complaints
* Helpers: to help members with customer service
* Documentation writers: to help us write up world-class documentation for the site.Volunteers would receive free Xanga blogging memberships that they could gift to friends, and our most active volunteers would be invited to join our decision-making bodies.
* A product council: to prioritize product development efforts
* A frontpage council: to figure out the best way to promote member contentKEY DATES
First things first: no matter how things turn out, we've made it so that all members (Classic and Premium) can generate and download a backup of their data through July 15th:
http://www.xanga.com/private/archives.aspx
Beyond that, here are the key dates for the next two months or so:
* May 30th: We launch this fundraiser, and continue our work building a WordPress version of Xanga.
* Through July 15th: We will contact our registered members to let them know about the fundraiser, and also allow any and all users to download their blogs and media files for free.
* July 15th: This will be the final day for the fundraiser.If we have a successful fundraiser:
* July 15th: If we've raise $60k, then we will move over to the new WordPress version on this date.
If the fundraiser isn't successful:
* July 15th: If we haven't raised $60k, then this will be the last date that Xanga is up and running.
One last note: throughout this process, you will have full access to your data! You can either download your content from our servers (see link above), or we will relaunch the site shortly after July 15th.
You can check out the fundraiser (and make a pledge!) at the following link (we have a full FAQ there as well):
* https://xanga.crowdhoster.com/relaunch-xanga
TOP FAQs
How can I download my blog data?
All Xangans can download their blog archives in HTML form from now until July 15th (this has traditionally been a Premium feature, but we're opening it up for all members): http://www.xanga.com/private/archives.aspx
What will happen to all of my friends and subs?
If our fundraiser is successful, we will be migrating over the logins of every single one of our Xanga users. So all of your friends and subs will transfer over to the new system, and anyone will be able to subscribe or comment on blogs.In the new Xanga system, people will be able to comment and subscribe for free; the fees will only be for members who want to host a blog.
When will I be charged for backing this fundraiser?
If you back this campaign, you will not be charged at all, unless the full $60k campaign goal is reached. If the goal is reached, then the credit card you leave on file will be charged when the campaign concludes on July 15th.
We have answers to more FAQs at the bottom of the page here.
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Let us know if you have any other questions! I'll be answering questions, reviewing the rewards and posting regular updates on thexangateam blog.
John@Xanga
Comments (494)
I think the fundraiser is a fair idea to try to make things work, and I'll be happy to contribute myself. Thanks!
If this is successful, does Xanga continue to run like Xanga or will it be WordPress? Just a touch confused - I don't understand high-stuff techy lingo. And I've used WordPress before; I'm not a fan of it at all, so I guess I'd go to Blogger instead if that's the case. I just want to keep Xanga as-is :-If Kickstarter takes PayPal then I can donate.
Wow! I can't believe Doomsday is almost here. I hope you're able to raise the money. I can't imagine Xanga closing down.
I wish I could help out. I really do, but I just can't afford to. So sorry. Good luck on getting the required funds.
@Marica0701 - I too would like to know the answers to these questions.To XangaTeam: I too had a very bad experience with wordpress and have no desire to continue things there.
i hope it continues. much luck, xanga, been with you for 10 years now
This part confused me. "Because of this cost, we would have to move Xanga to a paid model, where bloggers pay for hosting for their blogs. (Just being a member of Xanga would still be free though, so others could still subscribe to your site.)"If $60K is raised by July 15th, this means everyone starts paying to be part of Xanga? Who gets it for free? Do you mean:- free: a member of Xanga is someone who just opens an "account" on Xanga but doesn't blog- paid membership: anyone who blogs.
If only some pretty previews would show us what we're buying into, it would be easier to decide how much to contribute. Not knowing whether the majority of our strongest community members will even be around will make it difficult to decide whether 5 years of membership is throwing away $200 for a future ghost town or a steal for 5 years great service.I'm mostly playing devil's advocate here as this is pitching a black and white line drawing without all the pretty colors to see if it's the best fit for our monies.Regardless, I'll support Xanga and the community as much as I can. If I'm wrong, I'll be pissed off about it in a few years.
I have no desire to be involved with anything like word press.
I would easily buy a 2 year so a friend and I get a year as well as a extra year for myself possibly more depending on my finacial situation. I really hope Xanga doesn't shut down, I would be lost!
@Marica0701 - We are reworking WordPress to be much more social and friendly, like Xanga."Do you mean:- free: a member of Xanga is someone who just opens an "account" on Xanga but doesn't blog- paid membership: anyone who blogs."@ElusiveWords - Yes, exactly... thanks for asking!@SasGal - We'll get to work on showing you guys some pretty previews!
It's been around a month since I've been on Xanga. The reason I've been missing for a while is not important. If this is going on within the next year or so, I'd like to offer my time as a developer/programmer. I'm going into class for programming within a few months and am currently learning about a few languages (Ruby, Java and whatever else I might find to be a solid language to learn.). I'll be offering this only at the cost of a letter of appreciation to put in my portfolio. I'm going to focus my studies on mobile programming during my curriculum, we all know how useful iOS/Android programming can be (C# and Java, basically).
gah! I would love to stick around and I could put up some money, but how many of us can actually afford that? it sounds like it would turn into a thousand readers and just a few bloggers.
I am probably like many others on here (only my blog is on revelife) that I've not had any experience blogging anywhere else. If blogging on wordpress is so much trouble that some don't want to go back to it, I may not be able to do it.Question: I pay Premium now, and may not be getting the whole year's worth that I paid for, and now I would pay $48 more. Would that be the same setup as Premium (no ads, etc.)How will you set up an enrollment/pledge page for us to look over and get on the bandwagon. If time is that short, we ought to be notified as to progress in the interim (dollar-wise, at least).I just hope I won't lose all my friends/subs because they don't like the whole idea!
That's really sad. I hope you raise the money.
@TheXangaTeam- Wow! I'm in shock right now. I was just saying on my pulse hours ago, that I was thinking about merging my Xanga blog and possibly shopping around for another blogging site like WordPress, since I'm not getting nearly as many viewers as I want. It kinda makes me sad. I just joined Xanga this January and I met some great people. So, I can download my Xanga blogs and upload them to WordPress?
The option to download our blog is something that some of us need.. as we met many great friends through Xanga and would like to have an archive of.
I hope this is just..ugh. I just. ugh. shit.
I need some time to process this. I figured Xanga would always be around.
Well, I sincerely loved Xanga, I've blogged almost everyday for the past 6 years or so.Thankyou for everything you've done to keep it up, I know it's not a charity and there are costs involved. Unfortunately, not being able to blog for free will drive new users to other places where they can blog for free. So I honestly don't see the community sustaining itself over any meaningful length of time with this model, even if we manage to pony up the $60k.It's been great, but it is an unfortunate end.Many love and thanks.
This is pretty major. How long do we have before the lease is up?
If you make people pay to blog, I guarantee that will be the final nail in the coffin for Xanga. The community has shrunk too small to be able to raise the money you're looking for and many will just defect to tumblr. I'm very disappointed that the Xanga Team waited until pretty much the last minute to tell us this. Why wasn't anyone steering the ship for the past couple years?
I will most likely opt for a one-year subscription, to start off. If it doesn't look good by July 10, I will need to download all my RighteousBruin stuff. I have one question. Can I also retrieve my Cyberbear material, from 2009-11 on HTML download?
I will contribute some. I've only been around ~3 years, so after the site's heyday, but this place has done a helluva lot for me and I want to thank you guys for that. It seems like you really care about the "place" and that's refreshing to see with this gargantuan system that is the internet. It'll be really sad to see it go.
All my serious posts are duplicated on wordpress, not that I have a lot, so the wordpress work-around does not worry me. I mainly use WP as a parking space for my articles which I link to from various other sites, in fact I use WP also to host my main business website.However, I have been associated with Xanga for some years in various guises and find the social aspect of this place very pleasant. I like the sound of your Door #2 and the new features that it will incorporate. I would pay the suggested $48 per year for that but at this point in time, not all in one lump. Will you be offering a monthly payment option? Things could change before the 15th July and I will work on it!
There's no way this will work. I seriously am going to cry.
All I got from this was "Hey guys, we need you to give us $60k in six weeks or we're going to shut down." Nevermind how the team has been all but entirely absent for months, hell, nearly a year. It's like the relative that only shows up when they want something, and when they get it they disappear again. No thanks.
@coolmonkey - I agree. This is a very short amount of time during which to raise that much money.
This is really sad I've been here since 2005 and stayed because I didn't care for any of the other blogging formats out there. The community really makes this place unique. I hope your doors can stay open!I just went over and pledged for a year. I really hope we can get enough backers...
I got to admit, I'm surprise at how sudden this news is to us. I wish we had more than a month and a half notice to raise the money. Is the fundraiser solely relying on the userbase, or are you hoping that the site could get financial sponsors from other sources?The site has given me a lot, so I will likely donate to the cause and happily volunteer in some of the roles you mentioned. However, I am very concern with the timeframe given to succeed and whether it is enough. I do hope it works out.
60K in a month? LOL I can't contribute at that rate! Heck, I can't even pay off my student debt which is less than this at that rate ($300/mo for 30k). I can almost guarantee that if you have bloggers pay for their sites you will not receive enough funds and will have to shut down anyway. Question is, what will be done with the funds raised that are insufficient to sustain Xanga?Maybe ... just maybe if you had mentioned this prior to the US sending out the tax refund checks ... then you could have scored some more. Yet you wait until the deadline occurs in 6 weeks. Why wasn't this announced sooner? It's almost as if you want Xanga to shut down.
A few questions --I don't put my credit card info on the web for any purpose -- will there be a way to pledge that I can then be billed and write a check as I have before for lifetime? If I pledge sufficient funds for 2 years of membership, could that count towards two consecutive years for me, or must it be split between me and another member?I would be willing to volunteer some time for functions that don't necessarily involve technical knowledge (or for which I can easily be trained -- are there things that I could do in this vein (perhaps the spam thing? -- or a customer service liaison type of function? -- possibly helping with a user manual that is user-friendly? Is there some way that paid members could be prioritized in the comments functions?
@Lean_to_the_Write - Above, it says you will not be billed until July 15th. If the $60K is reached, you will be billed on the credit card you have listed.
Oh no!
I love this site. I've met so many awesome people on here and I just enjoy the sense of community on here that isn't found on any other site.I unfortunately don't have money to pony up for blogging as sallie mae and everyone else has dibbs.I'm so sad that this site is possibly shutting down. 
OMG, you're killing me!!! YOU. ARE. KILLING. ME!! I've been on Xanga for 12 years! TWELVE YEARS!! And I get a notice at 20 minutes to midnight on a Thursday that in 6 weeks everything that I've come to know and love could just *poof* and vanish, or become something else entirely. Those are some crappy options. I already HAVE a Myxl Dove WordPress account. Why would I want a Xanga-flavored Myxl Dove WordPress account too? That's like telling me that my Los Angeles Lakers are moving to South Dakota. They'll still be called the Lakers, but if I want to come to any of the games I'll have to pay for the plane ticket myself.UGH!!!!I love Xanga. Like really LOVE this site! I am heartbroken.
I've been here since late '99. I just have no words. I feel like a bunch of promises were broken. I also notice this doesn't say anything about what you're going to do for the members that paid a pretty chunk back in the day for Xanga Lifetime.
I am so sad that this is happening. And like many others commenting here, where has the disclosure been all these months going downhill financially? $60K in 1 month fundraised...voluntarily? Is that even a viable solution? It sounds more like a final cry for help before the inevitable end.I have met so many good friends on Xanga, stuck by the site through thick and thin despite the rolling eyes of my Tumblring friends and it's done me well. I would be willing to help but if the Xanga Team itself is so desperate that it asks for individual monetary contributions from its users, then I would say we little people can't do enough to help you now.
I came here quietly. Kept to myself. Met some lovely people over the last five years.But life has carried many away.So many stories stopped being written, and just as quietly as this poet came, so too will I leave.It's been a journey, that's for sure. I'm back up, then packing up.
@StupidSystemus - I meant the funds that XangaTeam raises through the fundraiser: They are raising funds but can only continue if they reach the 60k goal. If they are raising funds but cannot make the 60k goal, what happens to the insufficient funds? For example, the fundraiser garners 10K, it's clearly short of the 60k goal. What happens to the 10k that has been raised?
Have been dreading this day. Will give the fundraiser some thought. Would miss ya if it all went down.
I completely understand the cost issue of your operation but I am also realistic enough to say that there are very popular social media sites/blogs available which are free of charge. Yes, it may be unfair to compare Blogger to Xanga because the first one has Google behind it, but that's a reality. Free vs. paid ... you gotta offer a bomb. The old timers might stay around but new comers might be be turned off by the fact that they'd have to pay for something that's free elsewhere. Eventually, very few new people will join.Finally, what happens to the money for those contributing to the fund-raiser if the target is not met? And what about those folks who paid for the premium membership a while ago? Are they exempt from paying?
I paid $100 over 3 years ago to get Lifetime membership, not to mention shelled out a few dollars to get Xanga credits. I seriously hope that there's a way to resurrect Xanga. I've met such wonderful people on here many years ago and to this very day remain good friends. Also, this site has provided me very good therapy as to vent my frustrations. I think having a paid membership will be the nail in the coffin. But donations might be the way to go which I don't mind donating. Sad news indeed. :-/
@Lean_to_the_Write - Nothing. It's a pledge. Basically, you pledge to do 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 year membership. If you do 1 year, you are pledging $48. If July 15th rolls in and only $10K has been raised, you will not be charged $48. All those who chipped in will not be charged.
Excuse me, but what about those of us who have recently paid for the big 'lifetime' membership? That equals my payment being for less than two years of 'lifetime' use...which makes me more than slightly upset.
@StupidSystemus - Oh! Now my stupid brain gets it =) (Gimme a break, I wake up at 6am and hit the sack at 11:30pm). Hell, I'm 45days behind on my student loans and get daily calls; I can't buy more than 20$/week for groceries, and I'm supposed to shell out 48$ or 96$ for a blog? I'm too sober to contemplate that as a possibility.
almost everyone talking about are saying they're going to go elsewhere and not pay - this is a stupid idea - you must be awful business people if you can't come up with a better solution than this.
@BohemianLotus - @moniet - @beowulf222 - - I was curious about what will come about those that paid premium. They didn't explain it in this post, but they answered that question in the FAQ section. Here's what they said (copied):"At various times over the past decade, we've sold Lifetime Premium memberships for $100. Because we normally charge $25 for a year-long Xanga Premium membership, this means that after 4 years of Xanga Premium service, your Xanga Premium has been free. As mentioned above, the current Xanga Premium program is being shelved. But we will be offering credits in the new system for all Lifetime Premium members, at the rate of $25/year. If it's been a year since you bought a Lifetime Premium membership, we will give you a credit of $75. If it's been two years, you'll receive a credit of $50; three years = a credit of $25. If it's been more than four years, you won't receive a monetary credit but we will find another way to offer you something special as a thank you. If the fundraiser is successful, then all Lifetime Premium credits can be used towards Xanga blogging memberships."
I HAVE HAD WONDERFUL MEMORIES WITH YOU. I'VE BEEN USING XANGA SINCE ITSTARTED. I HOPE YOU CAN RAISE THE MONEY TO XANGA GOING. PLEASE DON'T SHUT DOWN WE NEED YOU. I LOVE XANGA! I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE MORE WONDERFUL MEMORIES IN THE COMING YEARS TO COME! SINCERELY YOURS, LAUREL TYLER
@John, I will do anything at all to help you with this transition. Just please, tell me that Xanga will retain some of what made it so special: it's community focus. Is that possible using the WordPress platform? Will Xanga still have a front page, featured blogs, Top Posts, etc?
@Roadlesstaken - Well. That's just dumb.
For anyone who's interested in staying connected, regardless of what happens to Xanga, come on over and join us on the Xangaville Facebook Group. We currently have over 200 displaced Xangans as members. We'll keep everyone posted on what's happening with the fundraiser.
@MyxlDove - And what about displaced Facebook members? LOL I am not on FB anymore and have no interest in re-joining it at the moment.
@MyxlDove - <~~~ Noah and his ark of hardy survivorsAs I am without facebook account and full of sin, I will die here with the others.
@beowulf222 - There's always Google+
It had to end at some point.Even if the initial $60k is met, I don't see many people sticking around for the paid membership model that would result from it.Xanga has a great community with great people in it, but so many of those people are going to fall through the cracks if they suddenly have to pay for membership. Even in the unlikely event that everyone stays and the community remains exactly the same, it's questionable how many people would pay to be a part of it, and that community is really the only thing Xanga has going for itself over all the free alternatives that exist. There wouldn't be much incentive to not just relocate elsewhere.It breaks my heart to see Xanga end, but this just seems like a longshot for a chance at another longshot. I feel like we should all start preparing for the worst.
@Roadlesstaken - Thank you, I couldn't get the faq to load. It annoys me no end that the 'lifetime' service we were promised was apparently a lie, in all ways. At the time I paid for it, it was because all sorts of 'new' features were promised to us, and because if we did not buy into it, we'd have to pay even more for things we should have had free all along. Now, the cash I sent them, believing what they said, is gone, and I discover that whatever NEW or IMPROVED services we were supposed to enjoy are also going to be taken from us along with the whole site. Seems lifetimes are shorter than I thought. As others, I do not put my banking info online. The Lifetime payment made that issue a non issue. So how are we who do not wish to put our bank info online to pay this new fee? So not happy right now.
It's sad to see what is happening, but Xanga's time has come and gone. I can't say I'm shocked, but I am thankful for what Xanga has given me. Thank you Xanga, and in all likelihood, goodbye.
So, in other words, I should just go back to WordPress?Seriously, what is the revived Xanga going to offer that's worth 48 bux? I mean, I can start up a WordPress site for free, and it pretty much already has all of the features that you've listed on this blog. Unless you offer something major that WordPress does not, then there's no reason to pay into Xanga 2.0.
A sad day. I'm curious as to what $48 would get a blogger, when one can blog for free generally.
So, if the fundraiser isn't successful, would the posts I've submitted to Datingish, Lovelyish, and HealthKicker be deleted, too?
@MyxlDove - OK, I haven even signed up to that one yet. Doubt I will ever do so.
I am truely sad, I signed on to xanga because of the infamous Bianca. Since that time I have opened several other sites and canceled them because xanga was far superior. I even had a friend gift me lifetime xanga. I didnt care if there were adds as you all needed to make moneyso never complained that they were there. If xanga goes to a pay thing then I wont be able to follow. Tis a sad day for me.
So what blogging site is everyone going to move to?
I HAVE SPREAD THE WORD ON FACEBOOK ABOUT XANGA SHUTTING DOWN!I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!! I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO KEEP XANGA GOING!!I HAVE BEEN ON XANGA FOR YEARS AND ITS IMPORTANT TO NOT GIVE UP AND KEEP XANGA GOING FOR THOSE WHO LOVEXANGA!! KEEP DONATING XANGA USERS AND LETS KEEP XANGAGOING FOR MANY MORE YEARS AS IT TAKES!!!
I've been on this site for a long while, three high profile (front page) accounts, two "true " badges and premium with the lovelylollipop account and I think this community has a stronger asset on being "free " than on being "adds free " ...I mean, I never have adds on my site even when I'm not premium and I think it'd generate some income to have adds in a front page blog... idkI think maintaining the community would be important and even much more productive than making it paid for everyone
I'm just sad that I wont be able to blog anymore, and I think I'll miss reading lots of blogs that wont be able to sustain a paid to write blog D:anyway, just my thoughts on this sad sad tragedy :'(
@f5ye_angel5 - yup, since Xanga is the base for all of them.
Why are these the only options? It seems to me both of the following could be better:1) Put advertisements on people's blogs. With the hits generated, it should be possible to pay for it with relatively unobtrusive ads.2) (I think this is the better solution) Make Xanga like the Green Bay Packers-have the fans own it. I don't know if people will pay for blogs but I bet people would pay for a piece of the site. And the type of community Xanga is, I think the community would be a good caretaker for the site, same as the Packers.Would need to figure out how to sell the shares. There could be volunteering requirements in order to own the shares.I just think the site really should belong to the bloggers anyway. There would be nothing without them.
Is Xanga HK shutting down too?
I'm happy to contribute to the start up costs but paying for the blog every year is a difficult decision when there's other platforms out there for free. I'm sad. I'll be so lost without xanga and my regular xanga friends
Yeah I hate to be rude but maybe it wouldn't be such an emergency if you'd actually, you know... done something with the site for like the past 5 years. For God's sake there are parts of the side that have been there for years and still say "new"! I'm not very confident that Xanga will survive.
@tyler_anna - Damn, keep your panties on.
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@PinkPinecone - livejournal is far superior to xanga and has been since its inception in 1999. No cliques, no bullies, no ish sites, no soliciting.
@bolt99 - I think your suggestions aren't very practical.#1 Xanga doesn't generate nearly enough unique traffic to generate any sort of advertisement money. Unlike youtube or other similar site that are free and ad driven, the Xanga user base is tiny.#2. The owner of Xanga presumably invested a ton of money and time into building this site. If he were to put a monetary value on it and try to sell it off to the users, there is no way you could afford it. Hell, people are having a shit fit over $48 dollars. How would the users put together enough money to purchase the servers and all the hardware to keep the site working?If the Xanga "team" can't pull together the $60k by the deadline, I'm sure he'll sell off whatever hardware he has and still make something off of it.
This is one of the dozens of reasons livejournal is better, including bullies and cliques run this site and it's not even worth it whe it's free and now you're soliciting money from users because you've alienated the original crowd with your upstart Ish sites and noob users who think they own this place. Xanga is such a shithole and has been for years. That being said, you should've known this day was inevitable. Your demise has been a long time coming. You care too much about the staff's friends and not enough about the majority of your users. Everything you've done in the last 3 years has contributed to this moment. Livejournal forever.
Lone Remaining LiveJournal Fanboy Celebrates Death of Xanga
I’ve had moderate success at Kohls, but they don’t always have much of a selection or much in thewayShort Sleeve Shirts of different sizes. I don’t know why as so many dresses and skirts need Long Sleeve Tee Shirts a slip to make them hang properly.
@TheXangaTeam - See above. Won't be charged until July 15th?!Bullshit.You CAN set up a pledge where the money isn't even put on hold, you know?You need to contact me immediately, John. I just pledged almost two hundred dollars and that money is now gone from my account, inaccessible to me. You can fix this, or my bank will. Having my comment here surely won't help your cause, so I'd suggest this be resolved quickly.
wow... this is... devastating. Unfortunately I can't afford any of the options to open Door #2... Find me on blogger I guess?
wow!!!!!!!!! I have seen this coming. First of all, apologies for every time I complained about the Xanga team just sitting around only working when they feel like it. I never really thought about the costs, or rather, I thought you are still making a fortune. I think I have also thanked "Xanga" (who or whatever that is) because it has been such a great place for me. I know this sounds hypocritic, but I am not so sure I want to be part of this anymore, if it is only availiable when paid for. The reasons: - Money, obviously. Even though that in itself is the smaller concern...I own 240$, but it isn't worth it. It's not 'peanuts' to me.-I am not sure Xanga is working perfectly... it has driven me insane quite often, and I don't want to deal with that.- There are other sites. I have thought about trying to make a secret fb group and 'moving' part of my clique there. Or a second fb account for onlie firends. Also about moving to another site and taking my friends with me. - the community will change. Biggest reason.I don't belong to the 'main-stream', opinion, intention or style- wise. I am friends with a bunch of 'top-bloggers' and those who are tagged non-stop, but there are as many of them that I could do without. I often wanted to leave bc of people I don't like, and there are many who DID go so far (and came back or not). I am certain that 80- 90% of the people I like here, and who actually read my blog, will consider it easier to stop this altogether, than to sponsor. You never know who is going to stay, and if the 'best' ones leave, it won't be worth it. I also don't believe so many people can actually afford it with ease. P.S.: the ads are really my smallest conern. On facebook the user-generated ads have actually helped me find interesting products, so what's wrong with ads?I think this is goodbye for me. Maybe it's good. I got slightly addicted.
@TheXangaTeam - why would we have an account and NOT blog?
@Iobot - livejournal has always been more successful than xanga. That's why lj doesn't solicit its users for money. Happy to pay for lj.
@under_the_carpet - online cliques are ridiculous. The "top bloggers" are the cheapest proselytizing pontificating attention whores there are. You and they are why I hate this site. There are so many more good quality bloggers if you'd take the time to look past the front page.
@Iobot - so wrong. T cliqueyness and favoritism that xanga developed in the recent years is why it turned to shit. Most of you don't even know of a xanga before 2010. Fuck noobs like you, let's go back to 2003.
Did it ever occur to you to go back to your original notion before all these self-important noobs took over? You want to know why you're failing, it's because you let the noobs run everything. If xanga goes back to how it was 10 years ago it might be a quality site again.
You're going under because you have the same prolem now that you did when I first pointed it out 3 years ago. You implement changes without first consulting your users and then when they voice their opinions you don't listen.
Definitely think that Xanga and the Xanga community is worth saving - especially if we can migrate to a better platform. I'm heading to the site right now and will gladly put in for a five-year membership.
The option to download my blog doesn't work for me. I logged in, found the page that let me download my archive as a zip - and got "Sorry; the page you requested could not be found." There was a link to try again from the page I'd started from, but I just got the same result. Is this due to everyone trying to download their archives at the same time? I tried hitting the "help" link to submit a request in the usual way, but the server timed out ("504 gateway timeout"). This is very worrying!
Wow, as a long time member here I'm shocked and saddened by this announcement. What you are proposing will radically alter the very nature of Xanga. Raising that kind of money now and year after year in this age of Facebook, Twitter, and the like is going to be a challenge at best. I will consider supporting your fundraiser but as an aging member, I don't have lots of money to throw around. Best of luck to us all. Peace, Al
Sad news indeed. It might be too late but I want to help, I'll send you a PM and see if there's anything I can do. I imagine your email list still has some value to it... maybe we can work something out.
You're all shitting yourslves over the end of xanga when it's the best thing that could happen to you. You know, some people have war in their country.
What becomes of blogs of Premium members? I am one who purchased a lifetime for Xanga. Will our blogs be archived properly? Will Xanga honor the lifetime commitment?When my financial situation stabilizes, I will donate to the cause. Might be a while, though.
@wordwarrior39 - lifetime of the site, not your lifetime.
A fundraiser seems like a fair idea. I really don't want xanga to go away. I've been a member for 7 years now. But I also would not be able to afford having to pay for a blogging membership. If I stuck around with just a free membership would I be able to comment on people's posts?
@Fagyourmouth - Like they want a lawsuit for fraud.
@Fagyourmouth - Either way I think they killed xanga. They probably killed Kenny, too.
Can there be a .xml blog export option available? An archive is great, but some of us want to keep our blog entries online. .
DownWill WordPress Have The Same Security Options As Xanga? I Like Being Able To Be On Lock Down
Please address what will become of the lifetime memberships if switched to the new xanga 2.0 scheme if 60K is raised
@StupidSystemus - Unless you pledge with a visa debit card, in which case you lose those funds immediately.That's worth mentioning to people Xanga "team!"Hell with this. It's been great to meet and friend people, but there's no captain at the wheel; ice berg, straight ahead!
=[ I feel like my dog just died...
Xanga has been begging to go out of business for years. I don't think it's prudent for a customer to pay for front row, let's go over the cliff together, seating.
Guess I'm going to have to save all my writings. I'll miss you Xanga.
@Erika_Steele -same case is also happened with me:(
I just wanna thank you for sharing your information and your site or blog this is simple but nice article I've ever seen i like it i learn something today.
Sad day if Xanga shuts down. Seven years ago, I paid a one time fee for a lifetime membership. Now I have to pay annually to help keep it running? I appreciate the time I have had here. Best wishes to all.....
Damn, and here I was going to make a comment about improving the site, I completely overlooked the financial aspect of running this service for the community. I don't know about that paid model if it would work, but at least the downloads of all the blogs would be really meaningful to those of us that have been on here pouring our hearts out all these years. I always did like that Xanga maintained its "integrity" by not selling out, forcing upgrades or changes, gently advertising premium instead of jamming it down our throats. I felt it made Xanga have a classic kind of quality, since selling out doesn't necessarily gurantee longevity. Thanks for everything since!
Seeing that most people here use friends lock to keep the trolls out, perhaps it is time to lay it all down and move on. When you let people like Curtis Bell fuck the place over year after year, and he's only one troll, there are dozens, then you have already lost Xanga. All you see in public are the same faces, there are many more who we never see because they are behind a friend lock to keep from being hassled. I'll simply gather the folks that I care about and add them to Facebook. I wish you the best, I had fun for 13 years.
this just sux ....
This is disappointing news. A friend just introduced me to this site earlier this year, and I've really taken to it. Hopefully, it can be saved, but personally, I wouldn't be interested in having to be a paid member when there are so many free sites out there.
This sucks. I can't believe this is happening.
I guess this doesn't totally surprise me, but I am surprised that the lead time is so very short -- to think that our blogs could all be gone in a month and half. That doesn't really give us very much lead time at all. Question: Does anyone know how to port our current blogs to WordPress (or to another blogging site) (I use a Mac). At this point, I'm thinking I'd like to have a public back-up somewhere else, no matter what happens to Xanga.
Come on. Really guys? You didn't know you were in trouble Like, say, around TAX TIME? I could have made a pretty nice contribution, but now the money is gone. I don't have anything to give.
I have no memory of ever signing up for this site. This email is a total surprise. I went in and looked at my account and I'm confused. I don't know what this site is used for, but go ahead a purge my account. That will be one less headache when you move. Good luck.cwfan2
Xanga Team,I don't have the 48.00 right now, but I should be able to get it by July 1st. I am a premium member and even have my personal URL with with Xanga. If I lose that with you guys, I don't know how I would go about transferring it, or would it be out there in limbo?Good luck. Our prayers are with you.Patrick
I like your idea of a fund raiser to save Xanga. I love it.Would it still allow me to have a so called Friends Lock? Privacy is important to me.I am a Life Time member, but would make a donation.frank
I do not use credit cards on line due to our Density Theft.CAN I MAIL IN CASH OR CHECK?
If you make this site paid, xanga has no future! You won't be able to compeat with free alternatives like tumblr, and loose all your members! It'll be a waste of money!
Heavy.
It seems to me that even if everyone offered to donate money, that the site is going to shut down anyway. And like it's been mentioned, there are way too many free options for a site with a low user base to survive if they decide to make their community pay for it.Add onto that that it seems like people ARE being charged on their cards, even though this post says that it won't happen until the goal has been reached. And that the link to archive your posts leads to a page that "doesn't exist." Something is fishy and not right. I agree whole-heartedly with the sentiment that this should have been revealed to the community A LONG TIME AGO. It seems weird that just a month or so before this needs to be done, you have all of a sudden showed up to tell us about it and expect us all to give you a big chunk of money (or time, in the future, of course). All of that said, this site has meant a lot to me over the past 10 years. So much of who and what I am has been chronicled here. Things that I wanted to always remember. Things I want to forget. Things that I want to share with my children when they are older. And it breaks my heart that it's time to say goodbye.
I don't feel like reading through all the comments and I can't that you have addressed it in your blog post but what about those of us who have already paid for our sites? I have two lifetime sites.
Is there a page where we can see how much has been donated? That may help trigger people donating if they can see how close we are to the goal, or not.That said, as much as I appreciate the introductions, updates, and life-sharing that happens here on Xanga, I have a WordPress account that I can keep using. It'll just be a shame not to have the sense of community that makes (made?) Xanga so special.I am skeptical, though - I think even if the $60K is raised, Xanga's going down anyway: if not on July 15th, shortly thereafter. You won't be able to maintain a paid subscriber base to cover all your costs.This is a sad day, but at this stage I think it's a case of a quick death or a slow death. Such a shame.
as Matthew implied I am stunned that a person can profit $5746 in one month on the internet. did you look at this webpage http://www.rev24.com
Question: If I support the four or five year deal, does that mean I can only use it for a year and have to give the rest for gifts, or does that mean that I can have 4-5 years of paid account usage for myself? I'm not made of money, and that's one of the reasons I've stuck with Xanga for so long... Because it was an affordable option for me as a blogger. But this is just expensive.. :/ So, if I do a multiple year option, I'd like to know that it is going towards my site. Will it be? Or do I only have the option to gift the other years to friends?Thanks so much! So sorry you guys are having to do this. I hope xanga can stay open. I may be lost without it. :/
Wow. I will miss Xanga if it goes, some of members are like brothers, sisters (and 2nd mum's and dad's to me)
@cmdr_keen - Agreed.
Makes me sad!!!
That is really sad to hear... I hope that Xanga can raise enough money
@Fagyourmouth - I will check out livejournal. But as for the bullies & cliques... I know what you are saying but I never paid attention to any of the "popular" people on xanga. I used this as a personal blog to share with friends, and have been here for 9 years so Im quite sad that its dying as A LOT of my life is on here.
Guys, I love you, but for chrissake, PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE at least fix the archiving problem! I'll pay for my archive if I need to but it's NOT working, and you guys aren't answering the help messages (in fact, the help form isn't even working.)
Sad. I come here to write about my life being poor and wishing someone would buy me food. I can't feed myself so I suppose I'm going to lose xanga.
I've been here 10 years and I guess this is what it feels like to the elderly when they have to be put in a nursing home and lose all that they have worked for to keep their head up...
I'm having headache now.
What happens to those of us that paid lifetime memberships? Do we still have to pay monthy fees?
Why is your backup archives feature not working?
Most of the questions asked here in comments have been answered in the post, or in team's comment on the first page of comments.But mine hasn't been answered...Why did you charge my card when your request for pledges states clearly:"If you back this campaign, you will not be charged at all, unless the full $60k campaign goal is reached. If the goal is reached, then the credit card you leave on file will be charged when the campaign concludes on July 15th."How much longer would it have taken for you to type "But if you use a Visa Debit Card, that money is automatically placed on hold, you lose it until it's charged, unless the goal isn't met, and the hold is released."How long? Took me fiteen seconds.Perfect example of why Xanga should be allowed to die. Contact me with information on how you'll be reversing the hold on my account, John. There's no way for me to contact you about it, and there's no help from crowdtilt either. You want us to pay for something that you can no longer manage effectively? What a joke.
As an already yearly paying member, you are saying Xanga will go down unless they receive further monetary contributions totaling $60,000 ? There is a bad business practice here.
I have been around for more than 11 years here and sorry but I will not pay to blog. I already have a wordpress site that I DON'T pay for. I hate to see you guys do this but I understand that you can't operate without the funds. I Just hope YOU understand that the community will shrink even more.. And I sure hope I get some kind of refund for my premium.
I'll miss Xanga for sure. I wish you'd given us more time though. It's too soon. I'm not ready to die yet
Really? Those are the only two options? Think outside of the box. For example, how about starting a corporation, issuing a hundred thousand shares, and sell shares of xanga privately for a buck a share? You can maybe even offer the current owner(s) something for essentially a written off investment. Ownership then gets transferred to the shareholders. That way, we can keep the "free" model if needed, hire a "team", and try to revive the site.
Thank you John for your work and best of luck to us all re: the fundraiser!
There should be a stimulus package for this. Via the mental health section of Obamacare.
Does the downloadable archive include comments and messages?
Really hope Xanga can be saved!
One concern I have, even if your funds are met, I have used WordPress. It is an entirely different interface than Xanga and far clumsier and complex.I have grown to love Xanga for it's interface. It is unique, beautiful, and well designed. If you are JUST going to port over the community to Xanga with the Xanga logo very little will be gained.Can you guarantee that Xanga will be relaunched in WordPress AS IS using only WordPress servers - or is this just going to be a WordPress community using WordPress's own interface and controls ?That will be a major deciding factor to a lot of people here.
@spicycajun - Spicy, could you please list the URL to your WordPress site ? I'd like to see what kind of boats can be built there as you seem to be an adept veteran at this sort of thing. PM me or befriend me here if you like.Thanks ...
I gotta ask... why would I pay for this, instead of just starting up a WordPress blog?
@Dippity - because those of us who learned about this at 11pm last night flooded the system.
@Endrath - they're hoping that the sense of community at Xanga is unique enough that you are willing to pay for it. Other blogging sites are free and have a good format, but none have the same sense of comradery and kindred spirits as Xanga.
I feared this day and knew Xanga would be faced with this dilemma eventually. I can definitely contribute at least a year's worth of membership to help out. That would be awesome if we could port Xanga through WordPress and still keep Xanga around. I've been a member for a decade and would hate to see Xanga shut down.
@living_embers - I agree. I have met some great friends and created lasting friendships with other Xangans on here!
@Ghillies_guide - the whole way this thing is being handled seems like they are basically hoping it fails. Trying to raise $60,000 in 17 days is absurd. Why was this not handled so much sooner if every month they knew the figures and that something needed to be done?
@Yorokobi1010 - it's six weeks, July fifteenth, but still it's not enough time. Suck fest
Hi Xanga, long time no see.With all due respect, visiting Xanga is like travelling back in time. Was there at least 1 person at the office who noticed that it's not 2008 anymore? This layout is god awfully out of fashion or nostalgic at best.Are you serious? A "fundraiser" to grab cash before your company disintegrates into cyber history? If you are serious about prolonging your existence as a web community, get pitch yourselves to potential buyers. Tumblr sold for $1 billion and they are relatively obscure compared to Xanga at its prime.Good luck
I am so so sad. I have been a part of Xanga and written my life down for the past NINE years here. I'm very thankful for the Archive Manager, and if that weren't an option I would REALLY be upset, but this community has meant a great deal to me. My Xanga friends know and accept more about me than IRL friends do. I loved it here because I didn't have to pay, and I don't look forward to paying. This is a big part of my life dying. I am willing to pledge but I don't know how much money I'm going to shell out before I get tired of it.
@Ghillies_guide - wah wah, I was thinking June. Still...agreed suckfest.That'll teach me to go on a rant.
@Iobot - Based on simple inference, July 15th.
@Yorokobi1010 - Because they're kinda inept?
Well, being a full time college student and full time employee, I really only have enough money to support my bills right now. I can help with themes, though, I've always been Photoshop savvy. Anything to help Xanga stay alive!
Just make a "The Social Network" styled movie about how Xanga came to be. Throw Justin Timberlake in there and you should have the money.
@Ghillies_guide - wah wah
Best of luck John and the rest of team of Xanga, thank you guys who have worked at Xanga and are doing other things.It has been a fantastic blogging website and will miss it if the doors of Xanga closed down.I would like to thank Xanga for the live chats you did a few years ago.I heard about this site in 2005 and I do fear the lights will go out
I am sorry I cannot help out, even if I won the lotto the jackpot by the cut of date, I would probably save Xanga, depending on how I think the future of Xanga would work out, looking at how other sites have gone.
I've been on xanga since I was in sixth grade, back in 1999/2000.(I was 11 or 12.) I mean it was on and off between 4 different blogs but... still. I can't imagine not having xanga
If I understood anything other then journaling I would offer my time to you guys. I sure can't offer money because I am a broke joke at the moment.
To be blunt, "if it aint broke dont fix it". Sure, the tech on this site seems to have aged, but I don't see why people are viewing "aged" with a negative connotation.
I suppose this is the end of my "Life time membership" once Xanga move on ...if it is possible. From my side I would like to thank the Xanga Team for almost seven years of blogging experience. I experimented with many sites and Xanga remained my first choice. I always loved the ease with which Xanga worked and I blogged my most treasured thoughts, moments and experiences onto Xanga. With all the other bloggers I experience a sense of grief. Much time was invested into writing on Xanga. I made good friends who walked parts of my life journey with me. I appreciated every comment ever made. However life is cyclical. Nothing happens without purpose and when doors close new one opens. I hope that Xanga will continue and the I can be part of that process. Moving from Xanga means looking for new ways to communicate, new communities to interact with. Where the path will lead in unclear but the end is always the beginning of a new adventure. I salute Xanga for the experienceI salute my subscribers for subscribingI salute those who took the time to actually read and comment on my writing. The journey here is drawing to a close.May you all find new ways forward For us true Xangans, we will always remain Xangan even if Xanga is no longer
@Fagyourmouth - I found most of my 'friends' in comment sections of others, or in 'groups' where I already found other people, and therefore it's not surprising that a little group where we know one another and talk about similiar stuff established. It's as in real life, where I meet up with certain constellations of friends again and again. I don't exclude others if they want to be a part, or 'rot myself together' with them to plan evil stuff, and I'm still my own person. When I dislike people it's on an entirely individual basis, not just because they belong to camp X. I also count individuals who don't belong to that said 'clique' to my 'close online friends', but I probably won't keep in touch with ALL of them in the same place, once Xanga shuts down (IF we keep in touch that is.) Yes, clique building can be a negative thing, but on the other hand I think this kind of group-formation is exactly what sets Xanga apart from other sites. Everyone has/had their own little 'family' for whom they return. If I always focused on EVERYONE, as I maybe would if I opened a blog on tublr or elsewhere, I wouldn't be as open. I have tried to find more 'interesting' bloggers in groups, but often it's so that the last post was made in 2011 or so. I don't know where else to look. Top bloggers typically blog for attention and some posts are just written to stir emotions... I do think the whole top-blog system has helped Xanga go down. If the blogs with most comments get there, it's not surprsing that controversial topics and questions that are easy to answer land there. generally things that don't require much thought.(That doesn't mean that SOME of these bloggers aren't really nice people though.)Ah well, not that it matters now.
I'll hold out hope! You guys have done an excellent job here. You've given us a truly enjoyable place to express ourselves and make new friends, and not once did I ever detect a hint of greediness, indifference, or anything at all that might have compromised my respect for you and my gratitude.I wonder if you might not be able to cut expenses by narrowing the network a bit. There are quite a lot of -ish sites, and of course I don't begrudge anyone their preferred forum, but hosting and bandwidth consideerations might make a haircut something worth considering.More than anything else though John and all you great people on the Xanga team, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Peace to all of you, and all reading.
I am shocked and saddened.But also very grateful for the time I've spent here.
@under_the_carpet - Livejournal has COMMUNITIES where you can comment on people's entries that can actually be posted IN the community, Not so with xanga's "groups." One community is called add_me where you can find friends with similar interests to your own.
@PinkPinecone - On livejournal, they have a similar page on the front page but it's top communities, but all you have to do is click once to dismiss them from the front page when you're signed in and they won't show up anymore.
@Fagyourmouth - well that sounds good I have to say! I will check it out.
Livejournal has autosave so no entries will be lost for any reason.Livejournal has a community called SUGGESTIONS where you can enter a query that is reviewed by the LJ staff and if deemed feasible or relevant, will be posted in said community for open discussion among users.Livejournal has threads in comments, not @username.Livejournal has a staff that answers your questions and concerns in a timely fashion, and if your entries in a moderated community are rejected you will receive an email as to why.Livejournal allows more than 3 user pics.Livejournal allows you to make custom groups on your friends list and there is no limit to how many groups or how many users are in a group.
Livejournal doesn't have top blogs on their front page, but do have something similar: most popular community entries. You can opt to remove a certain community's entries from your front page, however, and only have to click once to remove them forever.
Livejournal has rich text in the comment section which allows for the change in color, size, and font. Also marquee and background HTML are accepted.
Livejournal has been around since 1999 and not once has had to stoop so low as to solicit money from its users "or else."
On livejournal, our interests are hyperlinks listed in our bio, a separate page entirely from our journal page so we can find others with similar interests. When you click on an interest, it takes you to a separate page full of users with the same interest. Common interests with a user are bolded. On livejournal, we can see all of our friends on one page (our profile) and there's a friends page for all our friends' updates that we can access via our own journal, and we can apply our layout to our friends' page when we view it as well. LJ cuts that can be inserted anywhere in the entry, not just at the end. On livejournal, you can upload pictures onto another image hosting site (photobucket) and input them into an entry instead of having to host it on the blogging site. Or you can upload from your computer's hard drive.There's no subscribing AND friending, just friending on livejournal. You can be their friend without them being yours, and vice versa. Your entries can be visible to everyone but only friends can comment on them. No profile module on the journal, but a real, separate profile page where we can add photos and graphics and anything else we want, on any side of the page we want. There is no limit to your profile length or content.Livejournal informs us of maintenance before it's done instead of after, and updates us accordingly. We can include pictures in our comments. No chat bar at the bottom of the page on every page that you can't get rid of and no ads on top of your journal.On livejournal, you have to go looking for trouble because the site is so massive. On xanga, trouble finds you. On livejournal, the staff doesn't implement a change without consulting the users first, then does it anyway, and the users can't opt out. That's xanga.
Remember the "ideas" idea? People only voted up or down, and initially only could vote up. No comments to further the idea were allowed and the xanga team did not act on nearly all of them. No feedback from other users was possible and the xanga team provided none on the status of our idea unless it was implemented. Otherwise, we had no idea if it was being considered or not. No communication. Xanga has no communication.On livejournal, you can freeze a comment, or you can screen it meaning only you and the commenter can see it.
Xanga is like Internet Explorer. It tries to be better but everyone uses Chrome or Safari or Opera which will always innately be better than IE ever could hope to become. But the noobs in Bengladesh don't know any better so they think anything they have is the shit. The Bengalis would be you, xanga diehards, simply because you don't know any better.
@coolmonkey - The Xanga Staff is just too out of touch with reality. That's what caused their predicament in the first place. It's not even worth using free. If I wanted my character defamed I'd visit my mom. And I wouldn't have to pay. Except for gas to get there and back.
@Keniiiiiiiiiiii - The Xanga Staff is just too out of touch with reality. That's what caused their predicament in the first place. It's not even worth using free. If I wanted my character defamed I'd visit my mom. And I wouldn't have to pay. Except for gas to get there and back. This site has looked the same since I first started back in 2003. But the type of user has definitely changed. The only changes xanga implements to its templates are more ads defacing our journal, and a chat bar at the bottom that won't go away. Xanga's half-assed revamps show how much the team really cares about this site. (Not much at all.) This is yet another half baked idea to subsist for a finite amount of time. Think of it as a scam.
@SasGal - Think of it as a scam. You don't even know how long after Xanga takes your money it'll all last.
@Foodhog - Ride a bike, fly a kite, climb a mountain...
@chronic_masticator - The Xanga Staff is just too out of touch with reality. That's what caused their predicament in the first place. It's a scam.
@BohemianLotus - Lifetime of the site, not you.
@moniet - life time of the site, not you.
@AutumnStrength - You could've done that before too. And get treated a lot better.
@MyxlDove - the self-important noobs, trolls, cliques, and bullies who invaded circa 2009?
July 16th is my birthday, soooooo......logging into Xanga that day would be greeeeeeat.
@Fagyourmouth - I don't understand your question.
@StupidSystemus - Ha! One year at livejournal is less than half that! And what happens after everyone's paid for the year or 2 or 3, etc? No one left to contribute any money.
@TheXangaTeam - Any chance of getting our private messages archived? A lot of that stuff is really valuable to me. Thanks again for what I consider ot be a great job and a great service rendered since '04 in my case.
In the first place, some of us are already paying to use Xanga. How will our outstanding account balances be viewed? Also, you might reach a lot more folks if you were notifying them via their email addresses on file. Had it not been for a long time subscriber/follower, I might not have even heard about it. Communication is a good thing!
@MyxlDove - The Lakers started in Minnesota.
@MyxlDove - "What made xanga so special."
@milfncookies - I hope you get a car for your birthday so you can get off xanga and do something.
@Fagyourmouth - Exactly. So if the site changes things up, it's still the site, and Lifetime should still apply.
@BohemianLotus - Aren't you optimistic. There will be no xanga in 6 weeks. You got jewed.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/31/4384598/journal-site-xanga-tries-to-fend-off-an-impending-shutdown
@Fagyourmouth - So are you saying my point was lost on you?
I just paid to renew my premium and am back blogging again after a short break. I've been here forever and can't imagine xanga not being here- I worry about the sites of people I love who have passed on but their thoughts and words are here for me to visit when I miss them- who will save them or will they die just like those who wrote them? Paying to blog won't kill me. I've tried other sites and NONE of them have had the community of here. Can we please figure out a way to save the sites of those who have died? Maybe a historical resting place?
First of all, thank you ALL for your hard work this past decade. Appreciate it!Second, the archive thing, DOES NOT work. PLEASE HELP!!!
I hope things can be worked out.I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you've done! This has been a wonderful place to be! I appreciate you and Xanga! No other blog site has the community of caring that Xanga does. HUGS!!!
July 15th is my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend :0
I can't help feeling that you might get more people subscribing if the minimum weren't practically $50.It's been great, but I see fewer and fewer of my friends here, so, I think, I'll just go somewhere else where I can get what I use (blogging software, plain and simple) for a small fee. Which will annoy all my LJ friends that I don't go there, but, hey, I don't like their interface.I feel it's rather pathetic that I've found out via a friend's blog, rather than a direct email from you: I've had premium membership, I've gifted premium membership: you guys have something to learn about customer service.You're very welcome to my almost 5000 credits (never knew what to do with them). If you'd let me pledge $10 now, you might have gotten the $50 from me down the line.
@Fagyourmouth - Yup if it were only that easy when you have sever OCD, Social anxiety disorder, sever agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorders not to mention my EDNOS which is gets really bad when I leave my house. Not everybodys situation is the same. Maybe you should think about these things before writing fucking rude comments to people. Oh and thank you but I do know how to think and entertain myself I don't need some fuck head to tell me how to live my life. Don't be a troll and maybe you should go fly a kite or take a fucking hike!
This sad, yet hopeful news brings us old-timers back to Xanga to reminisce and get all nostalgic. Good luck, John. I hope that you raise the money. I'm curious, for those of us that have lifetime premium memberships, will they still be valid if you raise the money to continue?
I honestly don't want anything to change at Xanga. I have stuck with it because it is the best out there, just the way it is.I tried all the others and always stuck with the best.
this is sad.... one of the best blog is going down.i might be able to help out as Plugin evangelists or Help on the weekends...and i might able to do 1 year subscription.... will see
Wow. I wish something would have been said sooner, if Xanga was in trouble. I would buy membership to be able to keep Xanga going, if it were offered at a price I could justify. I have made too many good connections over the years here to lose them. Xanga has kept me going through some of the toughest times of my life.
@Fagyourmouth - What's it like?I mean, living in your mom's basement, addicted to Mountain Dew, Oatmeal Creme Pies and kiddie porn?Good job, tearing yourself away from the kiddie porn long enough to be a dumbass all day here, though. Your momma must be so proud.
This makes me sad since I have already bought a premium/lifetime membership or what ever you may call it on Xanga years ago... lifetime means lifetime you would think. If they close down I think they should refund those people who have purchased that years ago when you offered that. just saying....
I met my wife here (@deevaa), and several other people who remain dear do me, back in the day where eprops were new and shiny, it was easy to get a post on the front page, and Mark Zuckerberg was busy accumulating student loans. Weakest Link games and their associated controversy were da bomb.... for a while anyway.I'm happy to gift her a membership for a year or two to replace her life membership.Best of luck with it.
The archive doesn't appear to work FYI. It says my archive is there, but when I click it, it says the page isn't found or no longer exists.
I think like with any of the other sites I have been with in the past before they close the doors they offer FOR FREE the option to download our files. That is the respectful thing to do for your followers especially those that founded your site with you and helped you along the way. You lost me when all the garbage just became too much and I cared not to have to have my comments purged from a PTB's profile just to make others happy. Since I had a lifetime account and paid for two others for my family I can only assess that I am not too happy with the idea of three hundred dollars of unusable image space now because that is what I used xanga for. I still wrote blogs here and fully intended on coming back but with this why bother. I will just continue to stay at tumblr and facebook. Take care guys and please give us a heads up if you are NOT going to let us download all our stuff in one shot, I will have to archive my posts myself and that will take forever. Thanks for the many many many many many x's I have just lost track of the number of years now that I have been here and say thank you. I have lost (if you do in fact shut down) two of my mainstays. My life is slowly shutting down around me. Time for me to either kick the bucket or move...LOLTina aka QueenTina
Under the new paid model, what happens to those of us who have already paid for lifetime premium?
Hi. I have a question about the Archives. How are private posts handled? Will they become public, will they be deleted, or will they remain private?Also, media that is a part of a post--will that be deleted?Thanks!
9 years I have been on Xanga. Some of my friends have been here even longer. Xanga is clunky compared to other blogging services, but it had heart, a community, and the ability to lock things down in the way others couldn't. Starting out, I didn't want a blog that had all the fancy bells and whistles -- simple was good for me.Like everything it seems in technology, good things come to an end, and often.. a very horrible unfair end.I was disappointed when I saw this post by the Team today. Disappointed, not in the fact that Xanga seems to be having financial troubles -- but the fact you have effectively left your membership (that were loyal) both paying and free -- to only one alternative should you meet your ''pledge goal''. Pay up or leave. I think you'll find that a move over to wordpress, and forcing your membership to pay will destroy this company faster than your July deadline. So sadly I like many here, will be packing up and leaving. I don't want to, but I'm being forced to. Fundraising is one thing... forcing members to pay afterwards is another bad decision. You very well know that there are a plethora of competing sites, that will overun Xanga -- because they offer more features for free. And if I wanted to *pay* for it, I'd purchase my own domain elsewhere. Many companies fail to listen to their users and stay relevant in the changing technological landscape... sadly I fear that's what has happened here.It's a shame.
i have been on xanga since 2005 and became a life member. some of us DO pay to be here as some do have premium. so they are sort of paying to blog which would not be much different. i will be pledging in the hope that xanga will continue. i know many of us have $$ issues (hell i have not worked for 2 years) but i can scrape together a yearly or more amount.if you like this community, i think it deserves a helping hand from the community. many of us have gained lots from being here and i think it is time to at least try to give back. over the years i have been here i have paid for premium for many of my xanga buddies. some knew i did and others still dont know that i did. i have given "prizes" for the last 2 mxa winners.i just feel we, the xanga community, should at least try and save OUR community.
I've made some awesome friends here. It's been sad seeing a lot of them drift away, one by one, and now ... the sadness just multiplies.I've learned a lot about computing here. But not enough to get by elsewhere. The creators of Xanga have created such a user-friendly place that it's the ONLY place I even know how to post a hyperlink. Well, the good news is that I can learn how to do all of the tasks that Xanga has been able to do for me.I'll have a lot more free time now, when Xanga finally dies. If it dies. I love the place so much that I might be the last person out the door.Thanks for all the good stuff you've done. And as for the bad stuff? Heck, I know you meant well. I do hope that you see that I'm trying to end on a positive note.
This has been my outlet and support for several years. It is my safe haven. It has gotten me through a lot of tough shit. I can speak my mind and have people love me, help me, support me, and carry me. My account is unknown to anyone in my physical life. Without it, I don't know what will happen. And I can't pay for something my husband doesn't even know exists. There are so many people in the same boat, I hate that this one thing we have will be gone.
Every time I click on the link given to download an archive of my blog, I get a "sorry, not found" error message.
i would be interested in saving Xanga, but i don't really see myself signing up for a paid blogging membership and that deters me from donating..
i feel really bad about this news. i hv been blogging for at least 9 years. I owned 3 xanga sites with different people coming by. It has been a great time with xanga accompanying my ups and downs. I hope you could get the sum and continue the blogging service. I bet this means a lot to many of us who don't aim at readers but only expressing ourselves through blogs. I love this site.
Whatever happens from here, I am thankful that you created xanga and let us share our thoughts and put up with our constant complaining.This was a great place and I am thankful you created it. I hope this does not feel like a failure but instead something you did that was awesome.
@Fagyourmouth - How much are you being paid by LiveJournal for your proselytizing?
I've been on xanga under various usernames for well over 6 years now. This was the first blogging platform I have used, and honestly, even though I don't like the platform as it is now (wordpress is better, sorry), this is still my favorite place to connect with friends that I've grown to know and love over the years here.That being said, I call horse shit. Six weeks to raise &60,000?!?!?!?! Or its over? Done? I don't know if this is some pathetic last ditch effort to get people to care about a platform that I can find FOR FREE elsewhere or if you guys genuinely need the money and are actually on the verge of closing down. Either way, I'm sorry, I won't be "donating" to help keep Xanga open. I have a multitude of other outlets that helps me keep in touch with the people I really care about from here, and lets face it, you guys haven't really given me much of a reason to stay. Every feature you list above I can get for free, save from no ads, on WP itself. Without having to pay to blog there. And there is always the option of self hosting (which I do for less than $10/month) and the service itself is so much better than any "service" I received here. You can purchase the option of having your own domain name for like $18/YEAR, which gets rid of the annoying .wordpress in your web address. And there is a "no ad" option for $30/year, which is still less than what you would be charging for a year of blogging service. Even if you combine the domain name and the no ad upgrade, its the same price, and I'm guaranteed to receive an answer to any question I have from WP's tech support people, usually within a matter of minutes. The most I have waited is a few hours, and that was during a brute force hack that compromised millions of blogs across WP's platform. The community for self-hosting is even better.Add that to the stellar lack of customer service I've had from the Xanga staff, the constant xanga being down, or being glitchy and not working properly (I've yet to be able to upload an actual profile picture, and I've been trying for months), and I'm just done. How can I trust you when you say this product is going to be so much better when you've let this one go to shit? There is struggling financially, I get that, but when I've sent multiple messages to you guys and not ONE of them has been answered, it kind of makes me feel like you just don't care that much, and that is pretty much why I left in the first place, and why I can't trust you enough to fork over almost $50/year for something I can get for free (or close to free) elsewhere.
So basically you are saying, that we get to pay (through "fundraising") to turn xanga into a paid blog? A PAID BLOG? Seriously look at the people who leave comments here, half of us are non-paid blogger. You are driving half of your customers away. And come on, which successful social network and blogging site is paid?? if facebook is paid, it will fold within a month. That is just bad business model. I have to point out that what you are doing is essentially taking our memories hostage, ("money or your blog disappear!"), of which I have to reply, "We don't negotiate with terrorists!" Xanga, you took the wrong step.
$48.00 minimum.... Bull shit, you've run a halfway decent site into the ground with unbelievably stupid decisions like having a $48.00 minimum on your fundraiser. If your not smart enough to put a $1-$5 minimum contribution so that MORE people can donate than your fucking retarded.
@justfinethanku - Agree. Look how many people on here are saying that they can't afford to give $48 right now but really wish they could. I'm sure most of those people could and would chip in a few bucks, which would add up.
hi, xg user from hong kong, will donate soon.
@reginasikora - I agree. Minimum as $1 is better. $48 is not affordable to everyone,
@BohemianLotus - exactly!! My lifetime disappeared and when I inquired I was told it never was. I paid $100 for that!! So now I dont really trust that the next step is honest on xangas side
So you guys couldn't find someone to invest in the site? $60,000 is a lot to raise here in 6 weeks, but it seems like the kind of money that you could have gotten elsewhere with better planning.
Argh, this totally bums me out. Its sad to see this place go if it really does. I have been around xanga since 2004 at least and have met wonderful people and shared great memories that I don't want to lose
I'm so sad.
Downloading my posts link doesn't work--any suggestions?
@Lean_to_the_Write - they said that they won't charge peoples' cards if it doesn't meet the goal
@LeeKymKween - Thank you for reiterating that. Please read the remainder of my exchange with StupidSystemus last evening to see that my question was already answered.
Egads been here and premium for almost 10 years..any reason the site is having problems on Friday night, unable to post a new entry on my site?
Good riddance. Never liked the site.I still remember you guys freezing my friend's Xanga which she kept over 2 years over nothing.
@Lean_to_the_Write - Not even a month. I want to know what this new 'thing' even looks like. .___.; There's no pictures of it.
Man, Xanga should have given us tiers of "paid blogging", like $3/month increments of unlocking stuff. Think about it. If they had locked the CSS on our sites and gave us, say 100 blog styles to choose from until we paid $5 a year, who wouldn't pay the $3 a month for unlocked CSS? Think of how many users that is. Who couldn't justify $3 a month as an adult to unlock CSS? People who couldn't afford it wouldn't be locked out of blogging the way they will be with this new system. They would just have generic-looking blogs.
Well what can you do? Most people said they wanted apps and games, but none of the old farts that monopolize the top blogs do not want this (they are afraid it might take the focus off of them and "most of those people have the ((all eyes on me)) syndrome". I work for a huge record company and I can get xanga back on their feet but it's going to take a little cooperation on the part of the older folks have to drop the "all eyes on me" and focus on keeping xanga up. They don't have to play them if you don't want too, no ones forcing you to play. Think of how much revenue Xanga could take in if they got Pogo or Zynga games?Screw the one jack ass who is always on the top blogs, screw Crotchity Granny and screw "The Pickle Fucker" and her stupid ass photos.Lets do what we need to do to keep this site on the map, even if it's something the a small majority of Xangans do not want. This is a free website, feel honored to even be able to have xanga and learn how to bend a bit if you want to be able to blog here.
@TheXangaTeam - actually I am happy to contribute even I am not allowed to blog anymore, as it's reli a big memory to mewould you allow anything below $48 donation?? also, paypal would be great too!!!Supports to your work
I joined back in 2004. Loved the site when it thrived, but I think this horse is needing to be taken out back, if you know what I mean. No use for it when people have other mediums these days.Was fun while it lasted, yes. But look at MySpace. It too needs to be killed.
How to donate? And how much the team have been raised out of the total $60K? If the donate platform is user friendly then we can mobilized more people to donate. is there any link to donate online?we miss xanga , although we don't use them so frequently, but it is a treasure box of memories of many people.
come on guys!!!!!! we are all xangans!!!! pledge the fundraising to save xanga's life!!!! we need more backers !!!!
question from HK user, the old posts on 2004 and 2005, the Chinese words become meaningless random code. How can we get back the Chinese words we typed, i have sent the archive request to your team already, i hope the archive file have all the Chinese words.thanks for your great efforts to save the xanga, i will donate soon.May miracle happened for the sake of memories.
Assuming Xanga includes All the Xanga blog sites, including datinglish, etc, have you put yourself On the Block to be a part of worldspot or Tumbler. This IS a great community, and if you could cash in on the whol package it seems everyone would be happy. Yes Xanga is a shrinking ship, but it is unique and could rise up along with the tides of one of the more popular blog sites. Surely, there is some worth to the group of us here?
I've been posting on Xanga for close to 11 years, or maybe more. This was really upsetting. I've met so many people, we've shared so many things; things that I'd never tell anyone. This was like my home. Thank you, Xanga, for a wonderful ride. I hope you're able to continue.
I've used xanga since 2004, first under a different name, and then this one. I know it's an old dinosaur, but that's what I loved about it- nobody was ever going to accidentally stumble upon my old xanga blog, and if they did, I had security options in place to keep them out. I blog for a small group of about 10 close friends so we can easily keep up with each other's lives, and only those 10 or so can see my blog. I can't think of any other blogging platform that would enable me to be so selective about who can read and knowing exactly who is reading at any given time. That makes me sad; I've become used to journaling my life almost daily. Xanga helped me chronicle life through college, going out in the real world, getting married, starting a family, and all the little things in between I'd never remembered if I hadn't written them down. It sucks to lose my "safe place."That being said, this fundraiser seems like a half-hearted "well, we tried" offer by the Xanga team. It doesn't sound like your hearts are in it. You announced the fundraiser only 6 weeks before the full amount of money is needed and made the minimum amount to donate $48, essentially crippling your ability to actually raise the $60k you need. It comes off as "See, we tried!" gimmick rather than a real attempt at actually earning the money. Maybe your hearts aren't in xanga anymore; if it's been failing for years, I could hardly blame you. But I'm not buying that these are the only two options, and that even after earning $60k from users we'd still need to pay you nearly $50 a year just to be able to blog. How long could that possibly sustain the site before another influx of cash is needed to ward off a shut down? This whole post is like a kid whose mom tells him to go find his shoes and he walks into a room and looks around real quick before saying he can't find them anywhere. Sure, technically you "tried" but...I think being up front would have been a better idea. "Guys, we can offer some options, but realistically, none of them might work and we can't promise that the site won't continue to go further downhill even after a temporary relaunch. We've had a good run but as developers, we have to keep up with the times and move on when our time is up." It seems like xanga's time is up. Sad, but true. I'm sorry to see it go as it's really become my private 'home" on the Internet.
I'm already paying for multiple blogs and have no problem with it. I think Xanga is an awesome host and will gladly keep paying. Whatever you guys wind up having to do, I want to stick with through it with you, been with Xanga since 2004 and get excellent world traffic, and hopefully if Xanga has to move will continue to receive excellent search engine services. Was a little freaky suddenly finding this out while I'm on vacation, but so glad you posted a time schedule (whew!). When I get home in a couple of weeks I'll start figuring out what I need to do to help make my own transition go as smoothly as possible in case you do the big move. LOVE THE XANGA TEAM. *kiss*
I bought life-time membership. It will be contract breach if Xanga closes down. So Xanga you do not have my permission as a key stakeholder to close down. Get yourselves sorted out! On a more serious note. I am always willing to act as volunteer and assist Xanga moving forward.
xanga, please stay alive!!!!
@John - Here's my question: Is it the size that's the problem? Because I've LONG held that Xanga should send out an e-mail to everyone who's site has not had activity on it in six months or more, and give them until (say) June30th to post content, or the blog will be deleted. It would free up SO much room, and possibly make it less costly to keep Xanga afloat. Why is Xanga not considering paring down, like that?In addition, there are so many things that could be cut: pulse, chat, top blogs, skins, reviews, audioblogs, etc... And if that wasn't enough, all accounts could go paid (Premium, only). I don't think that there are only two doors, just two doors you're willing to open.Not to point out the obvious, but... if it's going to be 'pay for Xanga with WordPress format', what would keep people from just getting the free WordPress format, themselves? I don't see this as viable.I have been writing here every day for thirteen years. Um... this is NOT good.
Might want to try using Indiegogo to raise money.
I admire the work of Xanga, seriously, my favourite blogging site ever. It'd be really sad to see it go.The XangaTeam is very responsible and also making this place user friendly, all the hard work, I think they deserve lots of gratitude for.Thank you so much for all these years. I really hope we can manage to raise enough money to keep the site.
Can Xanga cooperate with Facebook...?I m really like Xanga for leasing more private feeling throughout the words
Three questions: 1) Why do you use two spaces after periods? C'mon I know you didn't type this announcement up on a typewriter. Or maybe you did. 2) Why did you squish your logo? In the header of the page, you have a nice normal logo. But when you placed the logo in to the post, it's all squished. 3) Why not have the "kickstarter" campaign on kickstarter? I think this question pretty much explains itself.
Myself a Premium member for 7 years, no complaint, support !Wish Xanga Team success !!!
I've been on xanga for about 10 years. During that 10 years, I upgraded to the premium, lifetime status. IF you raise the money, and IF you move to WordPress, what happens to my premium membership? Is it gone? Will I have to buy it again or be grandfathered into the "new" system?
@Kuuipo420 - If I were able to say 'I can get you that kind of money right now', I'd just do it and not make a big deal of it. So now if Xanga falls through, it's because you were being a snot, too? I don't understand the kind of post you made.
I want to download all my blogs to my computer..but I don't know how to. All I did is I pressed the button to update my archives then the following show, but then what do i have to do to download? anyone here help? I don't want to lose my memories here..
<table class="goodmessage" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" border="1"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">Your request to Update Your Archives has been submitted - we'll create your new archives ASAP!
I would like to get a year's membership also. In addition, if I want to donate some money towards your goal, how and where should I do that? Please message me with the details. Thank you.
"Lifetime" means LIFE so asking for more money is NOT right even if you "change" the formatting.Archives are NOT working. Just tried it and a SORRY message pops up.
Quite frankly, you need to get back to the drawing board. Do not forget about the MANY bloggers who have LIFETIME memberships. Folks, that MY LIFETIME, not YOURS. I find it disturbing that a % of the lifetime fees have not been placed in annuity for such a time as this. Exactly who is your financial council? Do me a favor and fire them. If I wanted a wordpress blog, I would have one! You have my money and we have a contract. If you thought the "fine" from way back when was bad...you will defiantly find the class action settlement most distasteful. I really suggest you go back to the basics and start thinking along the lines of Xanga in perpetuity.
dead husband's xanga sites: is there any way for me to DL his writing? it's not just blogs, it's creative writing... I don't have his passwords... he was KIA in Afghanistan 2010
I am praying that Xanga doesn't shutdown!! I wouls be lost without this site. I don't want to have to 'start over' on a new website.... I hope Xanga stays up and running, and members still have a choice whether or not to be classic or premium users.. Good luck..
@Anna - I 10,000% agree with you. I would be lost without this website. People that don't get on and do anything shouldn't have an account! Get them deleted, don't let everyone else that uses this website be punished for idiots that have a site and don't use it! This website means a lot to so many people.. Personally if it closed down, I don't know where I would move my site to...
@bingji - hey, it's going toward the right direction. It takes some time (usually one day) for them to generate your archive files. so just wait a bit and check back later
To XangaTeam:As you mentioned:How can I download my blog data?All Xangans can download their blog archives in HTML form from now until July 15th (this has traditionally been a Premium feature, but we're opening it up for all members):http://www.xanga.com/private/archives.aspxBut when I click on that link and tried to download it....it gone failed.Please let us knew any other ways to let us download our blog data...Of cos, i reli dont want you shut down at alll since Im using Xanga on 2005...cant image my life without Xange...it's mean too much for me!!!Please maintain it for us!!!!!**finger-cross**
lol i dont get what i just read especially with all those dollar signs.i like xanga because its xanga. its easy to use and convenient. please dont make it difficult.no place to blog anymore
Hi, xanga team if you need volunteer, I am very willing to be one of them. 'Cause I know wordpress quite well and can be one of the programmers to test themes and plugins. email at yungsarah@gmail.com. Thanks.
I've been blogging here since 2002 from an account that no longer exists and I'm of mixed feelings about this. On one hand I am not surprised that Xanga is at this point--over the past couple years the site was diluting itself a bit too much with all the offshoot blogs and not really connecting with the userbase. On the other hand I am a bit stunned about the nature of this post and decision. It all seems very last-minute and quite odd that Xanga is unable to procure $60K...what about all the ads on the free sites and on the homepage? Or the Xanga Premium users? Something seems very fishy about this...mainly the relatively short notice of the news, the vague way the two options are presented, and the new subscription model you propose. I no longer have close ties with Xanga (many people I've met through here have long gone elsewhere) so I don't care either way, so I'll download my archive and bid adieu. It's been fun, Xanga...you were great at letting me pour out my teenage angst!
@InvisibleAng - Same problem here...
What!!! OMG the end of xanga is here
Well I have been happy to be a part of the xanga ever since 2004. Farewell xanga! It was nice knowing this site!
What about the Xangans who don't give their credit cards over the internet? I've spoken with a couple of them who aren't sure how to pay.
I can be one of the Themers and Helpers, please don't close down xanga
No!
So long, farewellAuf Weidersehen, goodbyeI leave and heaveA sigh and say goodbyeGoodbyeeeeeeee
For me, and many others, Xanga started with an email from Bianca Broussard in December 2000. It was an exciting place from the start. Going from a Geocities site that never got any hits, to comments within my first few hours of posting? It was incredible.It's easy to take the blogosphere for granted now - but in those days, reading all the smart, fun people on here was exhilarating (it still is, though I visit less often than I used to). I couldn't believe it when the Xanga gods, people at the top of the eProps table, would actually take the time to read my posts and warmly comment on them.It was a place that let me develop my writing voice, and feel connected to other people who loved the written word. When have I ever that kind of consistent, generous feedback on my writing, or an online forum? Literally, never. One of the most powerful contributors to my continued love of writing was this judgment-free space where I could throw my thoughts out - fully-formed, or half-baked - and feel catharsis, as well as a reaction. From most of the comments on this post, it's clear that Xanga still is super meaningful to a lot of us.I hate talking about Xanga in the past tense. If you're in a position to donate - and I know we aren't all, until the minimum contribution amount goes down - let's try to save it.XangaTeam - wishing you the best of luck as you navigate this difficult situation.**Song for Xangaites (posted Friday, February 09, 2001)It's time to go to bedI know it's getting lateBut still something keeps me hereI know it must be fate.I know it must be Xanga.Something's urging me to turn on the compAnd sit and type a whileSomething's making me log onI know I need a smile.I know I must find Xanga.I need to find James and Freebird,Litboiler, Sallyann and YuYu.I need to reach out to sophieavis,Prometheus, Jacob and pjfweb, too.I know they're there, in Xanga.KayMacMahon and lcsaph must be there!I seek Abaxial and holly_green,Aaron and notforprophet, as well asLoopdeloup and seldomseen!I know Xanga is the key.Woodge, zarathustra, LadyOneillPoptardis, Bluemoo and such.Wilshak, s_bankester, and JobyCudo.I need the Xanga touch!I know Xanga will take me there.Standwithafist and be brave I thought.Deevaa and darklove will be there too.Soon I will be there among them.Soon I will be among the chosen few.I know Xanga will make us one.It's time to go to bedI know it's getting lateBut still something keeps me hereI know it must be fate.I know it must be Xanga.I know it must be Xanga.
I saw the news about the financial problem of Xanga and felt sorry for that. I have been using Xanga for 7 years and would like to participate in the funding. However, as a student, paying $48 for a blog membership is a bit too much. I believe not only me, but a lot of people have this issue as well. (I assume that quiet a lot of the users are students like me) I may buy the $48 membership but if there are cheaper options like $10 - 20, even does not include any reward, more people might buy without any consideration. Although I may be too idealistic as the business and the reasons behind can be complicated, this was just a simple thought of mine that flashed onto my mind when I first saw the contribute choices. Sorry for my poor English. Hope it does not bother you.Have a nice day and hope that Xanga can continue,Katherine Liu
Clock ticking, can we save Xanga, maybe.I would just like to say once again thank you for a great site, I been using the site since 2005, can I blog elsewhere maybe on postcards.
I appreciate the fact that you need funding, but slapping the exisiting Xanga Lifetime members in the face by not giving them a way to repurchase Xanga on WordPress Lifetime is not the way to go.
just a bit of the estimation. as we can see most people prefer paying for one year only, we likely need additional 888 backers to support, which means approximately 22 people paying per day. I believe that most people will donate in the first and last few days. and only about 30 people supporting in average in these few days. Not so confident about it...if wecan reach $20000/60000, one-third in another two days, it will be safer
Can I ask the xanga team to help me get the damn password for one of my old sites whose email that I signed up with (I forgot which one I used)...please and thanks! (btw the site's password I want is peacefulraindrops).
Fuck your stupid customer service, the message failed because it won't go through...how does this help me at all?
I have already paid for a lifetime membership ~ so I would still need to pay more, is that correct?? Not sure I understand all this ~
I was amazed xanga survived this long. I don't know anyone else that uses xanga, and I only used it as my private diary and barely talked to anyone. I really, really appreciate the free archiving. xanga has hosted so much of my soul that if my blog were a physical book, tom riddle would want to come possess it and mess me up. thanks for being great.
Xanga will always be for me #1 social site whatever happens, its still funky,
I'd gladly give a little to the Xanga resurrection, but it would need to be less than $48. If you could open up just a "donations" option, that would be awesome. I no longer blog here, but I did value the Xanga experience when I did.
Shame on Xanga, John, for dishonoring the gift of Xanga Lifetime that my dear, departed friend Rose gave to me.
$48 or whatever this = in £s and other exchanged rates, is a bit steep. I understand you need the money.Cost to blog maybe one day,
xanga 是我的回憶. 也是我的分享地方... 不想close 呀 .
I signed up for "Lifetime" premium all those years ago; and here I am a month from the end of my life. Who knew it would end so soon.
Hey John, sorry to hear the site is having trouble.I have an idea for a web site I wanted to run by you.I don't know if you received my previous msg.I can come meet you in the city.It'll take about an hour.Let me know if you are interested.Otherwise, good luck and good night.
I've been with you guys for ten years and feel like the site has become a kind of diary. I will sorely miss you if you go. Hopefully you'll consider having a way to convert our old sites to the new platform if you do keep going.
A bunch of us are talking about selling our crafts and donating 50% to Xanga. I make candles, and I was wondering if I could use the xanga logo as the background for the label of a special candle I'm making to sell. If not, I'll just use the colors used in the xanga logo. Thanks!
hk.xanga.com - Xanga's Hong Kong site outlet -- carries over 25% of its worldwide traffic.Yet there is no appeal for funds or even mention in HK Top Blogs about this dire conditon (translated version of hk.xanga.com ).How hard are they really trying to save things over there?Is Xanga perhaps threatening to close the English version of its site on July 15th but intending to maintain hk.xanga.com status quo?
I'm broker than broke right now, so I guess I'll have to head elsewhere. I'm just wondering why, 16 hours after I clicked the button, I still can't download my archives.
I have a problem with this for a few reasons. TheXangaTeam hasn't been very active in years compared to when I first started in Xanga in 2005. They very rarely ever update their blog so how are its users supposed to know what's going on? And they were a couple years behind their competitors making a mobile app. Which when launched had about a fourth of the features of Xanga & the app was severely neglected after launch. I don't have the money to "donate" to Xanga, especially when we don't know if this going to work or not. I can't justify paying a minimum of $48 to hopefully save this site. I don't feel like TheXangaTeam is whole heartedly in this because there's no previews, they haven't been active in ages, they don't interact, & why are we just now finding out about this? I don't have premium, but what about all these people that have paid for lifetime premium? Are they going to have to pay again if this does succeed? I love Xanga, it was my 'home' before Facebook, MySpace, & Tumblr, but I can't see how this is going to work because we didn't find out until the last minute & they don't seem in it whole heartedly. If they let another company buy them, (like Google, Yahoo, etc) that company would have the money to keep this up & running. Xanga has been "dying" for years now, so why didn't they start sooner to recruit new members or do something else to save it? This is sad, it really is. And there's still questions TheXangaTeam needs to answer to its members. I'm really sad to see it go because I remember the days when posts featured on the front page would get thousands of comments & feedback, & same for the "New User" feature they used to have. Its went downhill, & they haven't made an effort to try & stop it until now - a month ahead of time.
@notforprophet - That's a good question.
OMG
I love Xanga. I've been a member since 2003. I'm an editor and an author, and I'm happy to say that some of the best connections I've made in the industry were made right here in the Xanga community. I would be very sad to see this site go, so I'm going to contribute, and hopefully we can keep Xanga running. I would also like to offer my editorial services in the form of volunteering. I'm not sure where you might need a professional editor, but should you require one, I'm here. I would have emailed you, dear Xanga team, but I couldn't locate the information. Hopefully you'll see this message. Rosa Sophia -- author.rosa.sophia@gmail.com -- http://www.rosasophia.com/
I am sorry, Ning did that and because we are a mission we cannot put that kind of money into a blog, so we would have to opt out, but would like too remove my old post before leaving. Thank You! Shanna
I am sorry, Ning did that and because we are a mission we cannot put that kind of money into a blog, so would have to opt out, but would like too remove my old post before leaving.Thank you!Shanna
I paid for your 'life' plea and now you want me to pay more?
I tried to download my archives and got this: Sorry, the page you requested could not be foundThe link might be broken, the page might no longer exist… or else our servers might've temporarily forgotten where to find it
Well, I don't know about anyone else here, but I am still paying off my student loans and thus, either coughing up a substantial sum of money or agreeing to a paid blogging account is just not possible--unless I win the lottery.Seek out investors and don't guilt-trip any of us when we can't afford to contribute. You just aren't that special anymore. If you are asking for a donation AND for us to pay to use a program that's become a dinosaur sounds a bit shady.Geocities didn't use any fundraising----they just went belly up after giving us almost a year to save our pages so that we could use another web hosting service. That was the end of it.Xanga needs to follow suit.
Lets start an online forum: http://yuku.com/
I've read this and the kickstarter fundraiser. There are somethings I don't understand - not being tech savy and all that. Will the new Xanga have sign-in lock? Will it have something like footprints showing you who comes to your site? What about protected posting? Multiple profile pics? I list of subs you can access from your site like we do now? Will I be able to just click in my friend's user name in a list and visit their blog? Will we be able to reply to comments and the other person know it? These don't seem to WordPress features or any other blog site. I need to know how many of the features I love about Xanga will still be there. I appreciate everything about Xanga. I appreciate - truly, truly - everything the team has done to get it going and keep it going. I understand newer, better technology has come along and the code etc for Xanga is a bit of a dinosaur - making it hard to update and add features. I understand this because a friend of mine is a developer. So I truly appreciate the work you've put in to make this amazing site that I have used for 9 years. Xanga is an awesome community - here and now. But it's code heavy and difficult to deal with. I get that. I just have to understand what I will get for $48 a year -- when sadly there are free sites out there. I have paid for premium at $25 but doubling it is something to think about. I wish you kept the price the same... More people might have jumped on board. And that's what you need - initial money to finance the move and update. Just some thoughts. But I do sincerely thank you again.
I have a Xanga Life membership, yet I can't seem to generate a working archive file. The only existing copy I have of my wedding video is on my Xanga, unfortunately, and there doesn't seem to be any way to download it directly. I would really appreciate it if you guys could help me get my blog, photo, and video archives updated and working.
@BLB - Same here...
If we don't kickstart now, then once the new xanga starts, will it be exactly like this one and would you be able to have a free membership?I just don't understand why Xanga did all of this last minute? They knew this was going to happen eventually. Obviously. I don't know what I'm going to do without my xanga girls
they're like my real friends... lame as that is, there will be no way i can connect with most of them.Just find a way to stay here. I wish that could happen.
@Fagyourmouth - Not opposed to that idea in the slightest.
Could you please make it that the archives include the titles of our blog entries. I"m a Premium member and have requested this for years. If the site does close down, i would HATE to lose all the blog titles to my (many!!!!) blogs entries as they pertain to the blogs. Also, if Xanga goes down, will my pictures still show up with blog entries? I know i can see them now b/c it goes on the internet and you guys are still up, but i don't know what will happen when you guys are down. (I hope it's not a matter of just posts and just pictures. I'd like to know what pictures i have with my posts.) Please let me know. If it's a paid service will there be unlimited photo storage? (Maybe you store photos on another site...not sure how WordPress does it?)I was very sad (!!!!) to read this morning that Xanga may be shutting down. I use this blog as a journal of my kids. Love it. This is extremely disappointing to me. I hope something works out. I know you're bombarded with questions but if someone could please answer mine as well, i wiould REALLY appreciate it. Thank you.
Now I would have happy paying monthly to be able to blog (maybe a little bit too late). The thing is for me I find Xanga easy (okay bugs now and again) it will take me a while to get used to something else.I have tried WordPress and cannot remember my blog
Still no ability to get to archives. Are they ignoring us reporting it when reading all these comments?
Can't get the archives link to work. I archived recently, (Lifetime member) but have posted since then and uploaded a LOT of pictures and don't want to lose those! Please help us out! I'm sure i'm not the only one! ???I'm taking a long road trip Wed. and my husband bought for me a way to blog in the car. I had NO IDEA Xanga was likely closing down. If i can't even save my blog entries than i'm leery about spending the time blogging on the road. Please fix the archives.Also, i asked above about titles showing up in the archives: (please!!!!!!!)I think some of us would like to know features in the new Xanga: footprints, can there be a friend's lock, protected posts, search feature (have LOVED that feature!!!!), etc. If we're going to pay, it would be nice to know what we're paying for. Thanks for the work you guys have done. Please let me know about fixing the archive link by tomorrow evening so i know if i can blog on my trip or if i would just lose all those posts. I'll be in the car all day so i had planned to do a lot of blog-cathing up! Thanks!!!!
The archive URL isn't working today.
Why would anyone pay to host a blog on wordpress through Xanga when they can get their own on WP for free? Goodbye Xanga.
Why would I PAY to host a blog when I can get one elsewhere?! Even if it DOES survive, it'll go down the tube fast, especially when there are tons of free blogging options elsewhere.
when were we going to be contacted? i only found out by something someone said on another site which i, for kindness sake, will not mention here. and, what about lifetime if we already have lifetime? either way, john, it's been a fun ride and i'd love to see it continue. i'm hoping you'll let us know for sure one way or another.
So, "Lifetime Premium" was a total waste of funds.And the download isn't working for my archive.Great...just freakin' great!
Best of luck to you guys. Unfortunately, I will be taking the archiving and run approach. Students can't afford to pay to blog...that's why we find free accounts. Hope it all works out for you.
So, if you're successful in your idea, Xanga will then be like WordPress as well as having to pay to blog?I'm lost... Don't like the idea if that's the case nevertheless.
What about those with paid LIFETIME memberships?!?
@Lean_to_the_Write - so does that mean those ish sites like Lovelyish will also get deleted? none of them look worried
Hey, I am interested as becoming a volunteer! I would love to be a Jury members and Judges: to help us resolve abuse complaints!
I'm disappointed about this. My friends and I are moving to wordpress. It's too bad, I like Xanga better...but not enough to pay for it.
This makes me feel ill. Xanga is my home! I hope we make it to 60k in time!
Should Xanga 2.0 or next generation.Group blogging, does this mean separate passwords, to protect posts/entries made.If we don't op in (money) can we removed our entries, make them private.I am feeling confident Xanga can be saved, I am still uncertain $60,000 is a lot of dosh, even though we are 1/3 of the way there. I really hope that if Xanga 2.0 does get launched it will be a success, I don't know there are a lot of social networks out there, some more popularly than others.
Those blank Xanga accounts, where people have signed up and done nothing.How many inactive accounts where there just signed me guestbook etc are there?
so it will be ad-free which is good if Xanga 2.0 is launched and understand why the money is needed 60,000On Xanga I don't how many members have paid for lifetime members/premium, yearly etc to avoid adverts on their blogs.What about driving traffic (traffic is key for some people)
Here is a question I have not seen an answer to... The site, the FAQs and everything else has said that HOSTING a blog is $48 a year. If you are a member not hosting a blog, can you still post a blog on someone's site who IS hosting a blog, or does that ability remain only for members paying $48 a year?Errr... to make it simpler$48/year covers the blogger or $48/year covers the blog site?
OH! Additionally, is there any plan to implement any sort of IM programming into Xanga, such as the Meebo we had previously, or is that a plug in option that will be available?How long do you forsee Xanga downtime lasting during the transition - best case and worst case scenario?Are members allowed to have more than one blogging account (as long as it's paid for obviously)?What will happen to the Xanga mobile apps? I expect they would be rendered useless since the platform is changing?Will we still have the same protection options on the new platform... protect lists, private posts, etc?And.... I'll wait to see if you have time to answer these before I put any more questions up.
Hi - if you guys make the 60K and migrate to a new platform, what will happen to my protected posts? I have VERY private information from the past decade of posts that are ALL protected so that only 15 or so users can see. Will they remain automatically private or protected or will they be public? I am very afraid of this happening and wondering if I should shut down my site right away to prevent this from happening. Please advise.
Xanga has become troll central. Shut 'er down.
I've been with Xanga for many, many years (2002 or 2003 I think)... I just came back on regularly and now this! I am a lifetime member btw so I can't see throwing more money at it. Sad... but.. all things end at some point. Now I will look into getting archives from you. Thanks for the memories
I did a google search, just to see what kind of articles, if any, came up on the matter of Xanga being in dire straits. There were a few, so I scoped them out...read the comments. A lot of people had no idea Xanga was still a thing, some proclaimed it was a place for teenage girls, etc. Seems to me, if Xanga has any hope at all...it needs more than just a "relaunch".And an additional note: I've been scoping out other blogging sites. Most I stumble upon offer freeby, with the option to go pro and gain added features....but BOTH have the ability to blog either way. And pro for a year is offered SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper -- almost a third of what you're saying people would have to pay. Hate to say it, but you guys are digging your own grave. Being someone who blogs for herself and nobody else, I can't warrant $48 alongside my other major bills (student loan and now a new car loan).
can't we just all go premium and keep u running??? I've been on here since 2002 and I am going down with the ship
I have three lifetime accounts. With this relaunching, all bets are off and we're all starting from scratch back at the beginning correct?
@SasGal - I believe it's per blog site. $48 for one ----.xanga.com blogsite.
@virtus1 - CRY SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU LOSER. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU.
definitely a saddest news
hope the fundraiser can be success *_*!
Also, why hasn't there been a mass email sent out to ALL xanga users? Or at the very least a giant sign on the front page? SO MANY of my friends, even some who blog regularly, had absolutely NO IDEA until I told them! Shouldn't everyone be told so they can have enough time to archive their sites?
@llamalima - Are you trolling my trolling?!?
@consignedhearts111 - Hello. I highly recommend SnagIt software by TechSmith. It will capture any screen or any part of a screen and save it in a wide variety of formats, including several output formats that keep links intact and text editable. I think this will solve your problem. Peace
Or.. or you can keep the ads and not have people pay for things -_-
I support this move.
I went to the site to make a pledge. Contrary to your FAQs, the charge has already posted to my credit card. Does that mean if the drive is unsuccessful I will be refunded the money already charged? Or should I be filing a dispute right now?
Thanks for the post. I will opt for a one-year subscription. Host please let us know if this is well above your expected line for door#2. If not, please let us know.To fellows: I hope we would have some bottom line expectation to ourselves so that this can last longer by our collective methodology.Ken
I do hope we can do it.The ish sites, quite a few I remember from a few years ago, wow.My favourite were Tripcrazed, popsite and hardestevel.
I think that when we contribute, we should earn a special badge by our username, showing those bloggers who "saved Xanga". Like the LIFE badge, showing that we are OG, since we won't be "shareholders", per se, but contributing "founders" to the new Xanga.
Hi GentsAlthough I didn't post as much as I did when I was young, I do treasure this little place which we record our footprints. To show my support like other users, I did donate and I wish I am hearing that you deduct that amount from my bank account and relaunch this blog with wordpress platform while retaining the community concepts
A guy from Hong Kong
I have been trying to reach customer service for several days now with regards to resetting my password on my old account so that I can archive all my entries, but I have not heard anything back -- no reset email, no reply to my messages. I've checked my spam folders as well, and I've already emailed the team with this form http://help.xanga.com/about/contact/password-customer-service/ but I've gotten no response. I've even posted on the password help section.Xanga has been a huge part of my life for the past decade and I'll gladly pay to keep it going, but in the event that it doesn't work out, I need to have my entries archived. Please please someone on the Xanga Team look into this matter and message me.
Instead of paying $48 for a wordpress version of the site, why not just join wordpress for free? Or join any of the other dozens of blogging sites for free, or a paid account is less than half of what xanga wants.
@blunt_force_mama - oh good a tiny littlesquare that shows everyone how important you are! Can youpay your mortgage, car, student loans, gas, and groceries with it?
@fujima_hk - what happens when everyone paid for a subscription but xanga runs out of money and has to shut sown before you can renew your paid account? Who's funding the site in between user payments?
@mystic_in_training - too poor for email.
The xanga team is never around unless they want something, then disappear again.
The way xangans want it is already available on wordpress for free! You never give users what they want and instead change the site without warning, let users complain, and don't let us opt out. Xanga is the way the xanga staff wants it and it will always be that way. You solicit money and get what you want and then climb back into your hole.
@christao408 - nothing at all
@MyxlDove - your information is not credible. Who cares what your point is or was.
@Ghillies_guide - is that the best generic cliche you can muster? Xanga at its best!
@Foodhog - go find somewhere else to feel sorry for yourself and your made up life and stop cutting yourself because can't spend all day online being emo on the lowest of the low blogging sites.
@Fagyourmouth - I am not sure the exact number of active member of xanga right now. I just think that if there are more than 10,000 active member, definitely it is a viable suggestion (if the host estimated his/ her cost correctly, lol).
Does new WordPress version have private /protect function too?
so.... what will happen to "life" members?
Your fundraiser page doesn't take PayPal. Damn
@relichunter - just another example of how out of touch they are.
@TheXangaTeam What happens to everyone's money when xanga runs out of money half way into the year and you need to raise more money but can't because they already bought their subscriptions? all other journaling sites are free and don't solicit money from their users. And a paid account at livejournal is less than half of what xanga wants. Free accounts with a paid account at only $19 a year. And they aren't shutting down. Makes you wonder what you did wrong and what they are doing right. I have been telling you for years. Just a few days ago, in fact. I guess this is what you get for changing the wrong things and not improving the right ones. This is what you get for not listening to your users. WordPress is already free.why stick around here to use your non HTML supported version. And on top of it all, pay an insulting amount of money for it. You're like the Republican party. You are so out of touch with reality and the public, do whatever you want, dick people over, take their money, play the victim, blame everyone else, ignore their concerns, insult them, and get all butthurt when people call you out on your bullshit. Only a small contingent of hardcore fascist rednecks follow you because they've been indoctrinated and on't know any better. You're liars and manipulators.
@Turbodog - you got jewed.
@Turbodog - you got jewed. Life of the site, not you.
@bbkoca - go get a free account right now and find out. Why pay an insulting amount for xanga's version that may or may not be around and who knows how long till they need more money but can't get any cause Everyone already paid for their accounts?
I'm no longer employed. What i wrote here was done without family involved (okay, there was one exception).I was "gifted" a lifetime membership.I did my best to stay out of trouble when asked but it didn't always work. it's some weird, and not asked for, magnet imbedded in me by aliens, no doubt.i'd not be able to give to the cause as much as i'd love to.i made great friends here...and a few enemies (about which i'm not proud).i've enjoyed chatting with some of you in the upper echelon (?sp) of the xanga world.i'd hate to see it go because i'm not a huge fan of one sentence entries and thoughtless babble all day long on other such sites. *cough*good luck to all of you on the xanga team and thanks for doing what you did for such a long time. you could've bailed many times before this, i know.
If we don't have a credit card set up on Xanga, but we're already a member and already have a blog does this mean our blog will get shut down/lost if we don't pay? Or does that mean we just won't be able to post anything?
@Fagyourmouth - How is community organized on WordPress? Isn't this what special about Xanga?
I don’t understand why there can’t be a third option: raising enoughmoney to maintain the current Xanga. I believe the majority of the communityloves Xanga as it is – a free place to join and blog. One of the main things that bothers me about the so-called door two is that it’s not free. Even if you raise enough money to open two door, you’re going to lose a vast number of Xangans because we can’t/won’t pay for our accounts. Another issue is that, for role-players or people who use numerous usernames, we post various blogs on various sites. The archiving is wonderful, but a lot of people are sad to see their custom CSS and their different sites/blogs vanish. There’s nothing about archiving layouts and even I’m having trouble archiving from just a couple sites.I guess my questions are as follows:Will there be a door three to maintain the current Xanga?If Xanga is relaunched, will there be a free account option, maybe withadvertisements or something?Again, if Xanga is relaunched, will all the data, including CSS and blog posts, be transferred from old sites?
@TheXangaTeam: Is there any way to archive the COMMENTS to our Xanga blog posts? These are just as valuable to me as the posts themselves. Thanks...
Just some questions and hopefully they can be officially answered soon. 1. If we are already premium for this version of Xanga on July 15th will our blog be transferred over with the launch -- or does that only happen if you've pledged in the fundraiser? 2. Will the new Xanga have footprints or a sign in lock type feature? 3. Will the new Xanga have the option of public and protected posts? I've said it before I'll say it again - I love Xanga. I love the features and no place else out there is like Xanga. I don't want Xanga to be like the other guys. Then it's just - well, the other guys. Thanks.
What happens to the paid. Accounts if xanga has to shut down in the of the year due to unsufficient funds? Do people get their money back? How do you expect to raise more money if you need it when people already paid for their accounts? Noone left to buy more accounts. Unless they're stupid enough to pay$48 for another account.
I'm the first to contribute $1. I am not such a hard-ass as I sometimes come across.
Happy birthday, guys.
damn i didn't have enough credits to give you guys the BEST FRIENDS FOREVER mini
happy birthday xanga.
Did anyone else notice that the xanga team thinks 1999 to 2013 is 15 years, not 14? They're so bad at numbers and counting, no wonder this site's funds among other things have been mismanaged.
The dedicated users are all the noobs, cliques, trolls, bullies, and attention whores that invaded xangaand turned it into what it is today and the reason all the old school users left. The fact that the Site has looked the same since its inception, virtually no privacy or HTML options and no regard for users' opinions is why It's shutting down. Xanga is asking for $48 per one year account whereas at livejournal and other blogs, it's free and the sites are still running without having to solicit money. A paid account at livejournal for a year is ou $19 and they have never asked users to bail them out. Hasn't xanga learned from the government bailing our corporations at the expense of the people? You will find that due to this outrageous price for a service that other blogs provide for free, xanga's funds have been mismanaged. As has their customer service. The xanga team appears as if from nowhere to beg for money but then is nowhere to be found when users voice their concerns and opinions about changes to the site. Changes that come without warning. Like an ad sponsored chat bar at the bottom of your page that you cannot remove and cannotopt out from. The front page is full of banal vapid self-indulgent tripe and emo posts about their made up lives. No substance. No quality. The same people on the front page. Every day. Oh and there are ads on the journal pages. LJ doesn't have that. And there is no guarantee that once 60k is raised, xanga will even last a full year before users purchase another aid subscription. Ad if it does go under after only a few months how will users who paid to keep it going get their money back? The staff was never dedicated to you or this site, so what is your allegiance to either of them?
@peacenow - did you ever wonder why the other guys can get away with charging less than half of what xanga wants, even support free users without soliciting money, or fear shutting down?
@routergenie - The fact that it exists as a blogging site that people use makes it a community. Unfortunately for you it has no bullies, cliques, trolls, or attention whores like those who are so readily available on xanga. I've researched the topic sporadically over the years and have even experienced the quality of xanga drop dramatically very quickly. In weeks, not years. Way before you were ever here. Blog, blogspot, blogger, livejournal, Tumblr, open diary, diaryland, blurty, insanejournal, and dreamwidth are almost all unanimous top blogs. Xanga cannot be found on a single top blogs list anymore. .
Did I mention livejournal has a comment preview option?
@LuckyStars - that's all the banal, vapid top blogs are here on this site, which is also full of noobs, trolls, attention whores, bullies, and cliques.
@routergenie - livejournal, insanejournal, and blurty all have communities where you can actually post entries and other members can comment. Unlike xanga groups. Your interests are listed on a separate profile page as hyperlinks so whe. You click on one, you see all the people who share that interest. When you visit someone else's profile, your common interests are in bold. Thereare also communities called addme and add_me devoted entirely to finding friends. On wordpress, there are forums, meet ups, and emailing lists. There are also two versions of wordpress; .com and.org. So take a minute to step out of your narrow,close minded bubble and see that when it comes to community, xanga is actually the worst blogging site to promote one.
Xanga team you are so full of shit. Livejournal has never had to be resurrected. It's in the top 3 or 4 on almost every free blog site list I found. Some obscure sites e.g. Commiejournal have died because they refused to beg for users for money and ran no ads. You will inevitably suffer the same fate, but only after you steal your faithful users' money.
@Fagyourmouth - It looks like you are very dedicated to tear this apart.
I have a personal URL I have purchased through Xanga. How is that handled if you transfer over to WordPress, or close? I want to keep it alive.Patrick
Unbelievable.I wish there was a way I could help but I am very VERY broke. Xanga has been my longest maintained blog and I will be very unhappy to see it go.
I hope that it manages to live on.
Doesn't the paid model break faith with those of us who originally paid $100 (or whatever it was) for a lifetime of service? That doesn't seem fair.
The end could coming soon for the website, I will be sad to see it go should it shut down.I thank you Xanga, for not just shutting down the website without warning.Even though I am lifetime badge, I understand that the end could be near for XangaI really hope Xanga 2.0 comes into play, best of luck.
The XangaTeam should post everday anew and assure they are at the top of everyday's "Today's Top Blogs" and make sure they are in a link for "Featured Xangans"and have a prominent top link on all aggregated subdomains (like hk.xanga.com, etc. - this carries 25% of all Xanga's traffic and they have not mention at all about the postured imminent closedown) plus have a contribution link, if possible, on every private Home login page.The XangaTeam needs to update in a new post with the crowdhoster link much more prominent. I go back to the XangaTeam's last post now and then to see the progress of donations' completion on crowdhoster. And I have to dig dig deep into the narrative before I find the link among other Xanga links. It is very confusing. Can Xanga put a short message and link to crowdhoster at the top of the page whenever someone logs into their private Home page? They need to make a simple crowdhoster link ubiquitous absolutely everywhere they can with a short explanation of need and a link back to a XangaTeam post in the event that someone needs more information details before contributing.
On livejournal you can post anonymously. Unless the user disables anonymous posting of course! Since lj is an ooen source blog, you dn' have to have a user to comment but users can also select who can see and comment their journal, from everyone including anonymous to registered users to friends only. You can also set the privacy of each individual entry. WordPress is open source as well.You can link your livejournal to twitter and facebook and last.fm so you can automatically share and cross post on twitter and facebook and lj automatically detects what song you're listening to via last.fm and posts it in your journal.
XANGA HAS BEEN MY HOME FOR MANY YEARS AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP THE HOME THAT I HAVE HAD. IT HAS HAS BEEN A COMFORT TO ME TO KNOW THAT I STILL HAVE MY XANGA TO COME HOME TO . SINCE I HEARD ABOUT XANGA SHUTTING DOWN HAVING MY HOME SHUT LOSING A HOME AND EVERYTHING YOU PUT IT INTO IT. ITS LIKE HAVING SOMETHING TAKIN FROM YOU. ITS HEART BREAKING. I THINK ABOUT THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES. SOME OF THE XANGA USERS HAVE HOMES THAT THEY HAVE LOST TO FLOODS, HURRICANES, AND THE TORNADO THAT RIPPED THROUGH OKLAHOMA. AND THEY ONLY HOME THEY'VE KNOWN IS XANGA. I WANT THEM TO HAVE WHAT THEY NEED IS XANGA. I WILL BE HEARTWRENCHED IF XANGA GETS SHUT DOWN. THIS IS MY HOME AS WELL AS FOR OTHERXANGA USERS THAT HAVE MADE XANGA THEIR HOME. IT BREAKS MY HEART TO KNOW THAT THESE FAMILIES CAN NEVER GO BACKHOME TO THE HOMES THEY ONCE HAD. BUT THEY HAVE XANGA AS THEIR HOME.THEY LOST A BIG PART OF THEIR LIVES AND EVERYTHING THEY TREASURED MOST WAS A HOME THEY ONCE LOVED. THEY LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAD.THEY NEED XANGA THEY CAN'T LOSE ANOTHER ONE. THIS IS THEIR HOME! I WILL BE HERE TO WELCOME THEM HOME WITH OPEN ARMS AND LOVE.THESE XANGA USERS ARE FAMILY TO ONE ANOTHER AND WE ALL NEEDEACH OTHER IN TIMES OF SADNESS, FUSTRATION, HAPPIENESS, LAUGHTER,JOY, EXCITEMENT, ROMANCE, AND LOVE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A HOMEIS. FILLED WITH EVERYTHING. AND ITS A PLACE OF COMMUNICATION.AND A PLACE TO COME TOGETHER WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH. THAT'S WHAT XANGA DOES FOR US. AND THE MESSAGE WE NEED TO SEND TOTHOSE WHO NEED US. WE CAN HELP THOSE WHO NEED A HOME AND WECAN SHARE OUR HOME, OUR XANGA WITH THOSE WHO NEED A COMFORTIBGPLACE TO COME TO AND KNOW THAT WE ARE HERE FOR THEM WHEN THEY NEED US! FACEBOOK DOES NOT PROVIDE THAT. XANGA DOES! WE HAVE MADE XANGA OUR HOME FOR YEARS AND IT WILL BE FOR US AS XANGA USERS AND FOR OTHERS AS WELL AS FOR THOSE JOINING XANGA. IT PROTECTS US AS WELL FOR XANGA USERS AS WELL AS FOR THOSEJOINING XANGA. IT CONNECTS XANGA USERS WITH OTHERS AROUNDTHE WORLD. IT PROVIDES A HOME FOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR WAYOR A HOME AND IN NEED OF A HOME WITH OTHERS THAT PROVIDES THEM WITH ALL THE LOVE AND KINDNESS THAT XANGA HAS BROUGHT TO US AS WELL OTHER XANGA USERS. AND HAS GIVIN US A HOME THAT NO OTHER WEBSITE CAN PROVIDE.
OTHER WEBSITES DO NOT PROVIDE WHAT WE CAN GIVE THESE FAMILIES IS A HOME THAT'S WARM AND WELCOMING! AND I WILL SEE TO IT THAT I CAN DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO REACH OUT TO THOSE THROUGH XANGA TO GIVE THEM A HOME THEY CAN COME TO WHEN IN TIMES OF DESPAIR. AND PROVIDE ALL THE LAUGHTER, FUN, AND GOOD TIMES THAT A HOME CAN PROVIDE.AND GIVE THEM A SENSE OF HOPE THAT XANGA WILL CONTINUE TO BETHEIR HOME FOR NOW AND ALWAYS, AND INTO THE NEAR FUTURE!!
SO PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT XANGA IS HERE AND HOPEFULLY WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THEIR DOORS OPEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEEDING A HAPPY PLACE TO COME TO AND STAY!!!
I miss you already, Xanga.
Thank you for all you have done and best of luck as you move forward.
@Fagyourmouth - lol how sad.
Honestly there should have been changes to keep up with the times, but whatever, hindsight 20/20. Despite this being predicted and many of the popular bloggers who brought in traffic either left to go to another blogging site or just quit blogging.The community was nice. Personally I like the isolation this site provides, but I didn't used to just think of it as a cloud-like file back-up system.
Xanga has a different feel to all the other sites I have tried, even though I been on Xanga the longest I am kind of sad Xanga could be closing down.The community is fantasticIf I would have about Xanga earlier instead of 2005. I don't think I have missed the boat about Xanga when it was popular.The thing is over the years I have heard more about Facebook, Twitter and back in the day (Myspace between 2005-2009) not heard much about Myspace in the news. with Facebook and Twitter there is not one day, where you cannot avoid seeing the icon.Talking about Xanga 2.0 will the pages be more secure (you know when you buy an item online there is a padlock) would this be a feature on Xanga 2.0 and also instead of the Internet explorer icon for the address, will we see a Xanga icon in the address bar.
It seems like You force me to buy my adolescent memory>__< I hate you,you are such a destroyer.I don't need to move to WordPress!! Do you know WordPress can't replace Xanga? My heart is pulverized,Cuz"You've ruined my memory.Life means nothing without Xanga>_________________________<I will always miss you!!!! My oldest friend"Xanga"
Are you guys looking for a super creative volunteer / ingenious problem-solver / Janny of all trades? I have been a Xanga memeber for at least a decade - maybe two - I''ll admit there have been long breaks throughout - hoping Xanga would revamp their interface - it seems like it just keeps getting more overwhelming - when I run into issues switching over to Apple - I don't bother searching the forums anymore - or even, Apple Care yet - there's just too much going on - you'd think they'd create an algorithm to summarize all the key points. BUT I always come back. You should look into why your users always come back. I have a lot of suggestions that might help A LOT and maybe save you 60K - hopefully you won't be changing the entire platform and don't turn into another Penzu - maybe a few of the features, but who needs another Penzu or Penzu-like - but Xanga really needs to simply the interface first - think UI of FB (bad example - not a fan) or Apple across all their products not just their platform (though they do have their kinks) My demographic - just turned 32 but have opened several accounts with Xanga since high school; and perhaps not as as tech savvy enough to drop by the site while feeling nostalgic to find myself I'm a bit overwhelmed by the interface,"Simplicity is often equated with minimalism. Yet true simplicity is so much more than just the absence of clutter or the removal of decoration. It’s about offering up the right things, in the right place, right when you need them. It’s about bringing order to complexity. And it’s about making something that always seems to “just work.” When you pick something up for the first time and already know how to do the things you want to do, that’s simplicity.- "COMMAND C + V" from Apple iOS7 Keynote.I hope you don't turn into another Penzu - its a little coveniant; I'll give them that - but I got a one year subscription and used it for about a month, even though a signed-up for reminder e-mails. If so, make a cooler Xanga one, or however many other journaling apps are out there. I have tired all the other alternatives and still came back to Xanga - only to hear Dum Dum Dummm .... If you guys go - I'll have to revert back to Moleskin - but you can't set up a BLOG on paper. I would be willing to put my creativity to work - for FREE - or throw in however much you need to reach your target by July 15 - I am confident you guys will reach that goal. I just hope you guys innovate strategically so you get the most bang for your buck. Unfortunately, I learned HTML in HS though Xanga and only took a C++ programming course at CAL but I am OCDetail-Oriented, steep learning curve - instinctually know what works and what doesn't - aesthetically and functionally - my VC buddies need to consult me for stupid things iike what color and pattern to wear for a profile picture but they're a good resource for what direction everyone else is going and what they think would generate the highest IRR ... though they have made some "uh why?" investments, even though they're Top 5 - getting ahead of myself again. LMK! Willing to pour in slave labor hours to save - no, REVAMP Xanga. Kudos for always being unlike any other platform out there to date - just tweak it in the right direction - innovate or die =)
Bye bye XANGA.You will be missed.I spent the rest of my credits on this cookie ...whatever those were for.</3
I've been thinking long and hard about whether or not to contribute to this "fundraiser". In all honesty though, the fact that this post about "give us money" went up May 30 and we haven't heard a thing from the Xanga Team since then does not make me trust them or this fundraiser. If they were at all serious about wanting to save Xanga they would have done a lot more than this one post. In fact, even though I've been a member (premium-paying for most of those years) since 2003 I have not received one message about this fundraiser or about how to save/download my blog archives. How do you expect people to save Xanga if you don't even notify them it's in trouble? This is piss-poor business management, but I can't say I'm too surprised based on my experiences with their "customer service". That said, I still may contribute if it looks like the goal may actually be reached, if for no other reason than to extend the amount of time to reconnect with others elsewhere. As someone with social anxiety to such an extreme that it took me quite a while to build up a readership/friendships even here in cyberland, I'm definitely upset to lose the Xanga community.
I shall miss you Xanga. You were in an integral part of my life these last few years. I've made many great friends on here...</3
Thanks for everything so far, xanga team, and good luck.
No update on the fundraiser for more than two weeks eh? That should tell you all you need to know, if you didn't know already.
I want to buy xanga, can you contact me? coder88
I' really disappointed at this news. I joined Xanga because of the closure of Multiply last year and now it's happening all over again, I have to say it upsets me greatly and I'm not sure I would stay with the new format. I know nothing about WordPress, but from what I've read in comments here, I don't think I would like it, so I would likely leave when this happens. I already have a mirror blog on Blogger, so no big deal, though I much prefer Xanga, so I'm very sorry to hear this sad news.I also wanted to comment on the price you are looking at charging members. I have to say that there is no incentive to anyone buying any membership more than 1 year as you are not giving any discount to buying into it. I don't see why anyone in their right mind, if they are willing to pay for this, would buy more than 1 year at a time.That's my 2 cent, my blogs are already elsewhere, so I'll continue as I'm doing now, posting in both places for as long as it's available, then I will more over to Blogger permanently. I'm glad I had only bought a premium membership for 6 months, otherwise I would be really pissed with this news.
You need 3,000 people to donate $10 each. I bet if you add the option to do this and make a campaign around "3,000 at $10" you can get there. The $48 is just too high of a barrier for most people initially. Make it a $10 towards your yearlong membership or something.
Omg I just found out... I've been with Xanga since the very beginning! :[ this is bittersweet..but, thanks for the opportunity to blog for free over the years.
Might I make a humble suggestion, for what it's worth? If you allow the bottom to fall out from beneath the LIFETIME members, your integrity effectually gets a swift kick in the head. It's not much of a foundation to build upon to tell a LIFETIME member that, "Well, we know we said LIFETIME, but that was then and this is now. And besides, if you've had it for more than four years then you're getting it free anyway." Not exactly. We paid $100. up front for a membership where there would be no further charges. Please don't toss your LIFETIME members aside by going back on your word. Just something to consider.
As usual, you did not ask the users before you decided that this change is what they want. And even after all the bitching by the users you still are convinced it's what they want, just because it's what YOU want. As usual, you're dead wrong.
Time for an update? Are you gonna make it work? Is Xanga staying??xoxo
Hold out long enough, Bloomberg will PAY you to shut ME down...but Xanga has to go back to the old days when THIS was THE site you could say ANYTHING sans PCnazis on your dick!
XANGA....I REALLY WANT U TO STAYYY SO PLEASE DO..YOU ARE FULL OF MY MEMORIES...
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This is the first thing I'm writing on Xanga in 7 years. Started using way back in high school, got all of my friends on, had some good times. Re-reading some of the stuff I wrote is crazy. It looks now that the goal won't be hit, and I'll be truly sad to know I won't be able to come on here again. Here's to you guys, for keeping it going as long as you could.
@coolmonkey - YES.
Well. Close this sucker down already. Stick a fork in 'er. Pull the plug. Flip the switch. Where is my HTTP 404?
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1774"><tbody><tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20" width="1774"> <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> will most likely opt for a one-year subscription, to start off. If it doesn't look good by July 10, I will need to download all my RighteousBruin stuff. I have one question. Can I also retrieve my Cyberbear material, from 2009-11 on HTML download? <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> ice stones <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20"> <tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" height="20">
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don't close down Xanga, please!
thanks!!!...best wishes!!!http://aliciabanks.xanga.com/
This is so so deeply upsetting to me. I have always counted on xanga being what it is and continuing to be here as a time capsule of my adolescence and now it's all just going to be fucking erased. Honestly, I think xanga would be doing a much greater thing if they just stopped trying to revive themselves and just existed how it is, even if everyone abandoned it, to hold all the old sites that are archives of memories for so many people. I grew up on this site. And not it's all being erased.
This is like having someone take all my journals and throw them on a fucking fire and say, oh but wait, you could have downloaded an archive of them, screw your handwriting and real paper and the sacredness of the original form, we'll give you a mindchip containing the contents of what you wrote, isn't that the same?No.
Yeah but you can upload the archive up to WordPress and it's the same thing....
Things aren't looking too good. I left a long time ago and hadn't touched my old Xanga blog until today. I'd support you guys if the site can continue. Not sure if others will though. Too bad if the sign has to go away. But it is the nature of the Internet. Just ask Friendster or MySpace who had to adapt to survive. Geocities didn't survive though and is now just a memory. Let's see what happens by tomorrow.
Will everyone be notified when they can download their Xanga posts by email? If not, how so?
You guys are retarded...It's a fuckin' way to make themselves known again. There might be a lot of users, but over half don't even actively use their accounts. Barely anyone knows of Xanga in the new generation...It was good when it first came out, then Myspace, then Facebook, then Twitter. Now, they want us to pay to help them finance a new release for charity? They aren't the first business to use charity as their reason for a need of money. There's hundreds of FREE, MORE POPULAR (get your voice heard easier) out there...Peace out Xanga...Everyone I know ain't paying for your shit and have already announced the links to their new pages.
how can i get back my xanga posts? pls help