July 8, 2013
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Our Vision for Xanga 2.0
We've written a bit about why we're relauching Xanga... and wanted to followup with a bit about our vision for Xanga 2.0!
We're working super hard right now on building Xanga 2.0, so that it brings the goodness of Xanga together with the power of the WordPress platform. As we've been building the new site, we've focused on three things that have been great for Xanga over the years... and that we'd like to bring to the Xanga 2.0:
1. Simplicity
2. Community
3. Privacy1. SIMPLICITY
When we first launched Xanga, it was really simple. You could blog, other people could sub to you, and you could read all of your subscriptions on a single page. There was a real power to this simplicity and it made it really easy for new users to understand how Xanga worked.
Over time, Xanga got a bit more complicated and harder to explain. For example, what's the difference between friends and subs? If pressed, I would explain that there are three main differences:
* Subs are one-way while friending is two-way.
* The full text of subs posts show up on your subs page, while snippets of both subs and friends posts show up in your Universal Inbox.
* You can use friends to Friends Lock your entire site.Not exactly drop dead simple! So we're looking to streamline stuff like this, while retaining the power of stuff like Friends Lock and the subs page (the subs page has always been my favorite page on Xanga!).
We're really focusing the site on getting back to what has really worked over the years! Ah, simplicity...
2. Community
Whenever anyone asks me what Xanga is all about, I always answer: "blog community." To me, that's what makes the site fun: you can blog, and there's a community of people generally excited to read your posts (and vice versa).
I know a lot of people who have tried other blogging platforms, and they'll often say that they feel they're publishing into a vacuum... and that nobody is reading their blogs. We're working to keep that warm community feeling on Xanga... so that when you post, your subs can quickly and easily chime in with a comment. (As part of that, we'll be importing every single login over - along with all subscriptions/friends - so that your subs can continue to read your posts even if they're not blogging on Xanga 2.0).
We're incredibly excited about using the WordPress platform, as the publishing software is incredibly powerful. As we adapt it for use for Xanga 2.0, we're working to make sure that all that power is combined with the warm fuzzy feeling of Xanga community love as well.
3. Privacy
Xanga has built a lot of privacy features over the years, including Protected Posting, Site Lock, Friends Lock and more. We're working to recreate those for Xanga 2.0... as well as to add more over time, like multiple lists for protected posting!
So many publishing/networking tools are focused on making everything public. Privacy is going to be core to the Xanga 2.0 experience, so I'm sure we'll be working with the community to prioritize further privacy enhancements! Let us know if there are any you'd like to see in the comments below!
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While I have you guys, a quick update on the fundraiser:
* We've raised almost $38k, which puts us over 63% of the way there! That's almost 2/3 of the way to our goal!!
* When I was on Alex's radio show last week, a few of you guys asked if it was possible to extend the fundraiser end date. I looked into it and it's actually possible... so we've extended the fundraiser through the end of the month. That gives us 23 days to finish raising the remaining funds!And here's an update on Xanga 2.0 too!
* We've been making steady progress on building all the features we'll need for Xanga 2.0.
* We've found a great new webhost and purchased a hosting plan on it, and have provisioned it with the software we'll need to run Xanga 2.0!!
* We're working now on getting ready for the big changeover... writing code and importing data.
* We're targeting the end of the month (July 31st) for changing over to Xanga 2.0. That means that there's a little more than two extra weeks of Xanga 1.0 for everyone... and we have a little extra time to get Xanga 2.0 in tip top shape for you all!Many thanks to the incredibly generous Xangans who have pledged to support our fundraiser... your support means the world to us! We'll start getting in touch next week about your Xanga 2.0 accounts.
If you're considering joining the Xanga 2.0 migration, please check out our fundraiser here:
* https://xanga.crowdhoster.com/relaunch-xanga
In the meantime, I hope you guys are beating the heat! We had a brutal heat wave here in NYC, but my kids have been using a whole bag of tricks to stay cool.
Some of the local playgrounds pop the cap of their water features.
We've been making Zoku instant popsicles as needed.
And we've been staying indoors when possible, like last Thursday morning for the fourth of July!
I got way, way too much sun last week, so I'll be staying indoors as much as possible in the coming week! Hope you guys are surviving the heat wave... and thanks again for your support! - John@Xanga
Comments (174)
Thanks for the update!
What I get is you want Xanga to become like an exclusive private club that turns its nose up at outsiders. I'm sorry, but this "pay to blog" is some first-rate bullshit and even though I could spare a few dollars, absolutely not when I could take my blog elsewhere and blog for free (and could, with enough effort, build up just as much of a "community" type reader base as I could here). You can take your exclusive club to hell with you. I give you a year max with this new model and then you'll realize what a big mistake it was to get rid of free ad-supported blogs.
Thanks for the update, and sharing a bit more of the vision. Looking forward to it.
John and team - thank you for the update and please keep them coming. Good luck with the rest of the coding and testing.
Thanks for the update, and stay cool with those adorable kids!
I appreciate the understanding and update. Thank you for keeping xanga here. I have read so many new ideas and met so many people. My adolescence and young adulthood would have been so different without you.
How many people that made a pledge are from Xanga and how many are from Xanga HK? If Xanga 2 does happen, how many people would be actual bloggers? You've mentioned that most of the money is coming from Hong Kong, so even if we generously split them 50/50, wouldn't that mean there'd only be around 150 ppl in each of the Xangas?
Thank you for the update! I'm excited at the possibilities with the extension. I'm glad you guys looked into it!
Those kids are adorable!
Cute kids
Thank you for this update! What an impressive bridge you are building between public and private! I think that public access will be a key to rebuilding the comunity we have known, and yet I fully appreciate the safety that the privacy features bring to Xanga. Again -- thank you for the work you have put into this project !
It'll be weird if there is no xanga anymore after having been here since 2002. If I weren't between jobs, i'd be contributing.
Your son looks a lot like you!
@xgfundingajoke - Considering they have about 65% of funds with the minimal community push they've done - their odds for success are greater than you think.
Consider this - they have not employed the following:
1) Mass message to entire community via each user getting a private message or splash page info.
2) Big media push
I'm sure they also have big donor contacts and connections with big names like Biz Stone who could help spread the word.
The biggest complaint from folks isn't that they couldn't make the amount, but that if they had flexed their muscles a bit more they could have easily achieved their pledge drive goal and more in a short amount of time.
Thanks for the update, but I agree with greekphysique. Pay-to-blog sucks in a world where there are tons of free blog sites.
Sounds good to me, but I don't know much about it. Hope it works!
I have to say I've been back and forth through the years trying other free blogs and I always end up back to xanga. Although I'm not crazy about putting out the money to pay to blog if it keeps the community I've grown to love the. It's worth it. If xanga 2.0 comes to fruition and does well the first year could you change billing to $4 a month to make it more appealing for people to try it and have time to fall in love here like the rest of us?
It sound's good! I hope everything works!
Wow ! Awesome pictures of random smiling happy kids eating multi-colored frozen confectionery treats ! Yay ! Great photography there. *KUDOS !*
Boo !
No actual photos of where our donated money is going towards. No screen-shots at all. Me and one other person you WELL know will definitely be looking forward to seeing some FIREWORKS 48-hours from now. I know I will be. Count on it.
Thanks for the update, and yay for the extension!
You repeatedly use the word "power" is this nebulous way that comes off salesman-like. Oh wait - you ARE a salesman now, aren't you?
Glad it will keep going, and you all have my support! You should keep the popular posts on the main page as well, in my opinion. - pedrothepoet
A lot of the privacy features is what makes users on this site annoying little cry babies.
Awesome. Thanks for the update.
Can you make it so on xanga 2.0 there is an easy way for wordpress people to follow you? It will help us drive traffic to our sites. It sucks if it is complicated for wordpress people to follow you. But if you make it easy, it will allow us to grow and offset the people we will lose because they couldn't pay. So keep the follow button on top just like it is on wordpress and you might make me happy. I might also show people how they can use xanga to grow in the new platform if you do that.
And your children are cute.
I'm not a developer but being friends with one makes me realize somewhat about the outdated platform Xanga has been running on. It's amazing what the team has been able to do with that. Xanga truly has a lot of features. I also understand the massive undertaking of preparing all of the logins over to 2.0 as well as the intact blogs that will move. Massive. I appreciate having more information about features. I love the subs page too (not the universal inbox so much). Privacy is a very big deal to me, too. I also admit the money is a very big deal to me but I've seen the figures and I know WordPress premium is more expensive than 2.0 is projected to be. I appreciate the efforts being made to keep Xanga going. ... The children are adorable. peace
Thanks for the update Xanga
keep as cool as you can man 
@secretbeerreporter - why don't you just disappear as you've said you were going to. you won't be missed.
thank you so much for the update!
Thanks for the update! Here's to success!
Those babies are disgusting.
Awesome! Thanks for the update.
thanks man.
@coolmonkey - excuse me...may i ask where did u find that the donations are from the Hong Kong users?
where do i send a cheque?
just tell us if Xanga is going to continue in its present form, or will it become like the rest of the chat sites, ie Skype when Microsoft closed down MSN, most people hate Skype because 75% you have to pay for, the rest is crapp. why are you asking us joe public for money, I thought that you had sponsores and adverts paid for these sites, and we only added by upgrading to premium etc . by reading your continuous blogs about yourselves and how good Xanga will be, will those who have given you money , become shareholders and have a say in the running of this site,, please reply on here (blog) and let us know, because so many people I know have left and others are thinking about leaving, because this sites commitment to us,, tc,
Thanks for providing this service over the years. I think like others have said, my life would have been different without you. However, it's not really gonna be the same once everyone must pay to blog, and to be honest I think you guys know that. Community is about the people, not the place.
It's been a good run. Thanks for Xanga
.
glad to see the kids making the best out of the extreme weather! thanks for the update and as always, keep up the good work!
you can't really do anything about community other than give people a venue around which to form it. community is people and though the thought repulses me i find myself in agreement with certain people whom i never thought i would agree with.
I've seen great writers and wonderful people run off of this site by the "community" (both because they felt they were blogging into a vacuum and others because of direct attacks against them) and others who have become mediocre at best in order to fit in and get subs, views, hits, etc.
when i first started using xanga there wasn't much in the way of privacy when you posted. people came by and read or they didn't; they commented or they didn't, but even with that it never seemed like a necessary thing. people commented on each other's sites and would get traffic in return, if only to reply(before the reply button) and in that way people got to know each other. maybe it's just nostalgia, but it seems that the quality of writing was better back then and the warmth of community was a bit warmer. frankly at this point xanga feels like a place where i (and i know i'm not the only one) am not really welcome or wanted, and you're asking for me to pay to continue to feel this way.
Thanks for the update and informing us <3
Thanks for the update! I'm glad to hear that many features that make Xanga stand out from other blogging sites will still be there in 2.0.
While I know that the Team is busy writing code and such for 2.0, I wonder when/if we will get screenshots/previews of 2.0? I know that it's a big dealbreaker for many people, in deciding if they want to pledge. It doesn't mean much to me right now as I have already pledged for two subscriptions (and I may consider pledging at least one more), but I'd still like to know what may be coming for us.
But keep up the great work and I have faith that we'll make it through
And you have my offer for volunteering in any way for 2.0.
And to all the haters commenting on this post: take your b!tching away from here and just leave Xanga already if you don't like this site anymore. Or do you really have no lives besides writing your negative-nancy comments here?
@secretbeerreporter - Wow... aren't you so full of yourself? You're the very reason I might pay to have an exclusive blog site... just to keep grumbling idiots like yourself out of the way.
Good riddance to you, wherever you end up. I'm sure you'll troll there just like you probably did here.
With a great deal of honesty, truth and directness, I say that as with many such sites, what
is going on here is a move away from freedom to that of a dynasty where we are being
told how and what to do and now, how much to pay. Sites no longer listen to the people
using them, they make up our minds for us, without regard, and push "their" ideas upon
us because THAT is what THEY want to do. It is their design and God forbid if someone
dare try to tell them that it is not what we want or are willing to pay for under any circumstances!
Your vision of Xanga 2.0 is exciting. Thank you for the update John. I am delighted that we have two extra weeks to hold the fundraiser and with good support, God willing we will get there.
you can't be just freeloaders forever-I have been in the past but now I am going to pay for it cause it's worth it and
we have to be responsible for Xanga 2.0 through out own contributions if we want to keep it alive.
I'm so glad and excited it will simple,too.
thank you , thankyou , thanks.
the little ones are adorable but I know they aren't as sweet as they look; I have two grandkids. LOL
Loved the kid pics. Thankful for the efforts on Xanga 2.0. I still wonder how our personal url's are carried over. I'm nervous a bit about that one.
Patrick
Is there any way you'll have xanga 2.0 up and running before you close down this xanga? I'd like to be able to get all of my archived entries from here and then transfer them over to xanga 2.0 to continue blogging. Will something like that be possible? Also how much will it cost to continue blogging on xanga 2.0? I'm very confused about this whole process.
We are having a bit of a heat wave in the United Kingdom, I am trying to make sure I don't get to much sun. It will gear me up nicely for a vacation/holiday in Cuba later this month.
sounds like a big con to me..no it is a big con, how can you trust someone who messed up big time first time round!!
totally confused...if I donate will my site safely transfer to Xanga 2?
And will Xanga still shut down on the 15th?
Thank you for the update. I have always felt simple was better. Hope the campaign is successful.
@secretbeerreporter - AGREED!!! I am a college blogger who can't afford to pay that much!I am very disappointed in Xanga's choice to do this. Why pay a fortune when I can blog on a free platform, so long as I advertise to get readers? Xanga has only themselves to blame when they find themselves losing members. You shouldn't need to be wealthy to be able to blog; the price is just ridiculous.
@secretbeerreporter - yup
@TheTheologiansCafe -
Can you make it so on xanga 2.0 there is an easy way for wordpress people to follow you?
They can use the Reader on WP. I'm following people on LiveJournal and Blogspot using my Reader on WP.
Excellent! Perfect! Simplicity and community. Keep it that way and I will stay.
Sorry xanga youve lost my trust.....what happened to the JULY 15th date? Your extending it??? youre like politicians lieing through your teeth and saying things to make people happy. I will not be paying $48 a year...Xanga Died a long time ago.....sorry i will blog until its no longer free
Thanks for the update,
I archived my blog and for some reason it only goes back to August 2007, bet I have been with xanga since 2004. How do I get the rest of my posts archived?
Wow your youngest one has grown so fast...last time I saw pics from JustBee's xanga is when she was still a baby.
I'm sad to see so many troll comments in response to this update. That
said, the way in which this has happened -- suddenly and completely
without warning, asking for a lot of money -- does lead the more cynical
side of me to suspect that something disingenuous (if not outright
dishonest) is happening here. A lot of good questions have been asked
by other members, but these have been neither answered nor
acknowledged.
I still find it incredibly baffling that Xanga
threatened closure if a lot of money was not raised in a mere 2 weeks'
time, with no warning and no hint over the last several years that
anything was amiss. I still believe that if things were truly as presented, if the staff honestly cared *that* much about this site, and if there really was some dire and sudden financial crisis behind the scenes, less drastic measures could and should have been implemented sooner. Even a hint of transparency would have prevented the need for a relaunch.
This site, and many like it, has been sustained for many years on ad revenue and premium subscriptions. While those streams of income were probably not enough to make anyone rich, I am surprised to find them suddenly insufficient to support the site. Could ad revenue not have been increased before we
got to this point? Could the price of premium memberships have risen
even a tiny amount to recover these mysterious unnamed, and apparently recent costs? I surmise that this relaunch may be more profit-driven than we have been led to believe. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with profit, I strongly dislike subterfuge and find something mildly insulting about this entire thing.
That
said, I have loved this site for more than 10 years. Will I
contribute? Yes. Will I pay so much per year for what has always been a
semi-private diary? Possibly not. I can talk to myself and my small
circle of friends for free on many other sites. Xanga has meant a lot to me, through a great many trials and through all too few triumphs. I am glad to see that some version of it will continue, and am even more thankful for the opportunity to download an archive of my past lives.
I can't wait!!!!
hope xanga stays around for a long time! you're the most easiest to use and understand. plus, when are we going to have xanga talk (discussion forum) haha jk.
@secretbeerreporter - This, so much this. Not to mention the WordPress software isn't "very powerful", it's extremely limiting and expensive.
Wow, I can read blogs for free, but not post? Scew you, I can do that on people's websites. WordPress also FORCES moderation in ALL posts at least the first time from a user in order to allow them to continue posting. Community? Hardly. It encourages censorship amongst the readers.
Customization? Hope you like viewing in 640x480 resolution! Have a larger screen? Gotta love that negative spacing! Want to change the color of your font, your background, or anything other than what is given to you for "free"? Nope, fuck you, you're stuck unless you pay a MINIMUM of $99 a year for a "basic" membership! The basic doesn't support pictures nor videos. You can get a website with 5gigs of space and unlimited bandwidth for less than that! Xanga may be "promising" less cost than that, but get real. This is a cash scam.
I may hate the WordPress software, but it's free over at WordPress.com and people can still view and comment, even though it's a fascist style setup disguised as a capitalistic process.
If Xanga doesn't turn into a bunch of snobs who feel better than others for supporting it, I will go ahead and use a cat for toilet paper.
Oh, and what has never been addressed yet: If you don't reach your goal and close, are you keeping everyone's money or are you actually going to refund the suckers?
@Sunrie -
" Not to mention the WordPress software isn't "very powerful", it's extremely limiting and expensive. "
- yes, wordpress.com is very limiting, and going premium on wordpress.com is very expensive. But the wordpress platform is extremely powerful and flexible. Major difference between the two.
"Wow, I can read blogs for free, but not post? Scew you, I can do that on people's websites. WordPress also FORCES moderation in ALL posts at least the first time from a user in order to allow them to continue posting. Community? Hardly. It encourages censorship amongst the readers."
- If you've been keeping up with all the nuances of these changes, you'll realize that theXangateam is very open to adding a free level of blogging. However we all just have to deal with this upgrade and transition first. With the initial upgrades, we will expect better community level tools.
Customization? Hope you like viewing in 640x480 resolution! Have a larger screen? Gotta love that negative spacing! Want to change the color of your font, your background, or anything other than what is given to you for "free"? Nope, fuck you, you're stuck unless you pay a MINIMUM of $99 a year for a "basic" membership! The basic doesn't support pictures nor videos. You can get a website with 5gigs of space and unlimited bandwidth for less than that! Xanga may be "promising" less cost than that, but get real. This is a cash scam.
I may hate the WordPress software, but it's free over at WordPress.com and people can still view and comment, even though it's a fascist style setup disguised as a capitalistic process.
- Again, major difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. Do some more research - you'll realize it's actually a good deal to start with. And with thexangateam being open to making a level of free blogging down the road - there's room for future growth.
"If Xanga doesn't turn into a bunch of snobs who feel better than others for supporting it, I will go ahead and use a cat for toilet paper."
- feel free to use a cat for toilet paper - but the mental image would include serious scratches in very uncomfortable areas. Just sayin'. I personally have very different points of view from most people I've met and became friends with on Xanga - and I look forward to more people with a diverse set of interest on Xanga 2.0.
Oh, and what has never been addressed yet: If you don't reach your goal and close, are you keeping everyone's money or are you actually going to refund the suckers?
- uhm, from the outset, if the goal isn't reached - Xanga doesn't get a penny . read the Fundraising page.
Re PRIVACY: I released my sign-in lock about a month ago, shortly after the initial announcement of Xanga 2.0. (I had initially placed my site on lock due to multiple bots -- I'm not certain that I want my photos spread by bots all over the world) I was appalled yesterday to find well over 2,000 hits by a bot from Ontario. Is there a way that Xanga can control bots -- something similar to sign-in lock, but blocking them before they get to individual sites?
@edlives - You know, you're the only one really pushing this. I'm not a huge conspiracy nut, but this whole thing stinks.
"Open to adding"? So, in other words, no plans at this time. "Free blogging" is you volunteering to work on their site, further reducing the costs...bullshit.
What this looks like to me Xanga has an agreement with someone new to buy the site, but they don't want to keep running it as a completely free model. There must also be an immediate cost recuperation, hence the $60K price tag and the move to a pay model.
None of this comes across right, especially after the two week notice and the "hard deadline", which was moved for no reason.
This site needs to learn from the Xbox One fiasco and rethink this all.
@john
Kindly address the following:
1. While the fundraising drive is extended, will xanga remain up and running beyond 7/15?
2. Will there be any consideration or incentive given to LIFE members to transition to the 2.0 platform?
Thank you,
John
Simplicity, community and privacy that is indeed the points of strength for Xanga. WordPress also has the ability to develop commercial or theme focused blogs which will make it easier to build a healthier financial model. Xanga should look at Xanga 2.0 with the eye on continued sustainability...so that long standing members are not left in the lurk.
@Sunrie - Uhm, you do realize that John did share in this very post why the deadline date was changed - right? (due to public response)
You also realize that it has been stated on the fundraising page as to where the money would be applied to - IF they reach the $60,000. ... right?
what's going to happen to all the -ish sites?
So since the fundraising date has been extended, does that mean the whole site will stay up through July 31st?
What is to become of my lifetime account?
@secretbeerreporter - I'm loving waiting for Xanga 2 because YOU will be gone
have a nice day knowing soon we'll be turning our noses up laughing at you.
A "community" made up of people who are willing/can afford to pay the $48 year-long membership... unfortunately I won't make the cut, even if Xanga survives. I'll miss you. Wish there was an ad option for those who can't afford to pay the fees. Other websites aren't so cut-and-dry, all-or-nothing...
Thanks for the update!
Man, those kids are freakin cute!!
cute kids.
I feel like people would contribute to save xanga if they didn't have to pay every month to stay as an active blogger on the site. If you would ever reconsider letting xanga stay "free" for bloggers and sold that vision, I think you'd EASILY reach your goal in the next two weeks.
@rsreale1atyahoodotcom - there are free blogging sites plus ones that are half of what xanga wants.
@christiantean - cliques of bullies basically.
Stop cheating and prolonging the inevitable. YOU'RE DONE!
@Preachrkid88 - there are other free blogging sites and ones that ask for half of what xanga wants.
@TheTheologiansCafe - get your own wordpress account without xanga.
Cute kids and thanks for the update! Glad the deadline has been extended!
I am still having trouble downloading my photo archives. 14 attempts since they became available and none have worked. I've attempted to seek help through xanga help, contacting through the "contact support," writing on the xanga fb page, and commenting below these launch posts. (I'm kind of desperate to get these to work in case the site goes down!
) If someone could help me out on that, i would really appreciate it! 
I'm not the only one having trouble. THANK YOU! And thanks again for the update!
How do we view the new site once it is up and tunning? I.E. To what web address do we "go" to see the new site and decide if we wish to pay to be a part of it?
typo: Running*
I agree that paying for xanga is complete bull. I've been here for 8ish years and until this site i HATED blogging. This site was special. I hope ya'll fall flat on your face for making people pay for it. As much as i hate the set up of other blogs and am disappointed because i have been loyal to this site for so many years, I am going to go somewhere else. This is just wrong. you are letting down EVERYONE who uses this site. Pathetic.
I'm actually going to free up space on your servers and delete my xanga account as I do not use it anyways. I prefer WP on my own private website, as my blog was only meant for two characters to talk to each other in a failed attempt to brainstorm ideas for a book I decided to not write. Yep, it failed. ROFL
About paid blog...Banner ads works the best as click through ads never make money. Why do they not make money? If I click on every click through ad I see, then the business behind you having click-through ads, bans you. Banner ad do not need me to do anything, but I see them, and that is good enough for the ad to give you money and for them to make money. However....paying to blog will not work very well as MOST people are not into paying for something they can get for free elsewhere. I've tried Xanga before (with another blog) and canned it as I prefered LJ at that time (another site I don't really use anymore.)
Best wishes though anyways!
Thank you, John, for the informative and heartfelt update. My comment would be a mere repetion of what Zakiah, ZSA MD said above. God-speed.
In reading the 88 comments so far, I'm astounded and dismayed by seeing all kinds of 'nobodies' crawl up out of the sewer to spew negativity. I've never even seen, or read anything worthy of the time from any of them. 'Good Riddance' is given new meaning. The community' of which you speak has never included the likes of them.
Meanwhile, I'm praying for your success in converting Xanga into a sustainable platform.
Perhaps I can 'dedicate' part of my pledge money to AC, as you work in the sweltering heat./ Shalom from Israel (also hot in quite a few ways)/ JS
@jsolberg - And that is the exact problem with Xanga. These "nobodies" are part of Xanga's community just as much as the attention whores, elitist noobs, cliques, and bullies on the front page with their lack of substance posts. These "nobodies" are people who have been around for years but are obscure bloggers because they value substance over vapidity. Xanga promotes the attention whores and ignores the rest of their "community." there isn't even a place to post to request friends and you can't post entries in blogrings to get to know others with similar interests. our interests are even hyperlinked to find others with the same interest! And now Xanga wants us to PAY when we could blog elsewhere on sites with those features for free? and even if you wanted to pay on those sites, it'd still be less than half of what Xanga wants.
@edlives - @ElusiveWords - @Facetiouseloquence - @Facetiouseloquence - @coolmonkey - @SasGal - @ShimmerBodyCream - @slmret - @acomfortingcolloquy - @xgfundingajoke - @CaKaLusa - @SoullFire - @thereluctantsinger - @ata_grandma - @wyckdstorm - @dustysojourner - @xgfundingajoke - @dw817 - @dw817 - @saintvi - @Six_Days_Divided_by_Blondville - @Konrado - @TheTheologiansCafe - @edlives - @GreekPhysique - What happens when Xanga shuts down mid-year from lack of funds? are they going to make you all pay more to keep it going without even a guarantee that they CAN keep it going? And what about all the money you poured into it in the first place that was still not enough? You'll never get that back if Xanga has to shut down. There are other blogging sites that are free and also offer a paid account for less than half of what Xanga wants. And you can get a wordpress account without paying Xanga to use their version of it.
@christiantean - @Jade_Orchid - @consignedhearts111 - @Preachrkid88 - @Superbuds - @Tall_Sunflower - @xxfinding_perfectionxx - @kytrevka - @jsolberg - What happens when Xanga shuts down mid-year from lack of funds? are they going to make you all pay more to keep it going without even a guarantee that they CAN keep it going? And what about all the money you poured into it in the first place that was still not enough? You'll never get that back if Xanga has to shut down. There are other blogging sites that are free and also offer a paid account for less than half of what Xanga wants. And you can get a wordpress account without paying Xanga to use their version of it.
@HisLadyofVirtue - @Jeremy_Sheer - @JstNotherDay - @HisLadyofVirtue - @musterion99 - @MzKeekz - @Aloysius_son - @Mythica - @muchimuchi - @JohnsProvoking - @slmret - @Sunrie - @JohnsProvoking - @Zeal4living - @edlives - @TheNotoriousGOD - @CareyGLY - @John_Q_Normal - @Blue_Moon1 - @musterion99 - @Ninasusan - @pinkblonde49 - @dingdongdingbat - @maryhurlbut - @starmanjones - What happens when Xanga shuts down mid-year from lack of funds? are they going to make you all pay more to keep it going without even a guarantee that they CAN keep it going? And what about all the money you poured into it in the first place that was still not enough? You'll never get that back if Xanga has to shut down. There are other blogging sites that are free and also offer a paid account for less than half of what Xanga wants. And you can get a wordpress account without paying Xanga to use their version of it.
@Zeal4living - Community to Xanga are bullies, cliques, elitist noobs, and attention whores with no substantial content that end up on the front page every day. What about the quality content of obscure bloggers that you've no way of reaching or finding due to Xanga's complete inability or desire to implement a community in which users can find each other and request friendship or blogrings where people with the same interests can post in one place? or even hyperlink our interests so that we CAN find people with similar interests? Also, when it comes to privacy Xanga is severely lacking and behind the curve by years. on Xanga, you can't make multiple customizable friends lists with infinite friends on each list. you're limited to the number of custom friends lists and the number of friends who are on each.
@TheNotoriousGOD - Where the hell did they even come from?
@Fagyourmouth - I had a great community of friends that visited and commented on my blog. My blog was never one seeking to be a top blog. I am not looking for millions of readers - the ones I have keep me busy enough. I never had a problem with privacy as my blogging was in the open domain. Can Xanga improve? Sure they can and I hope they will use this as an opportunity to do so. Going to WordPress as a platform will certainly enable many the features you mentioned. There is much room for improvement. But the platform served my needs for 9 years sufficiently to keep me loyal to Xanga.
As in Star Trek II: The Search for Spock, Xanga is trying to initialize a Genesis Device in its search of a new glorious rebirth. In order to keep the rebirth reaction going, it is going to need some money, but I don't believe that will become the early constraining factor. The most crucial factor in its early success will be the core number of bloggers at its onset--will there be enough and will they be prolific enough in blogging to hold off the impression that the glorious launch of Xanga 2.0 has become spent fuel collapsing in upon itself and plunging it into an inescapable oblivion?
I was present at the birth of Xanga. Its early critical core of "bloggers" was actually artificial. The Xanga founders (nicknamed by me as the "xangagods") created the
"community" of these artificial bloggers in their own image and likenesses. The soon-to-be infamous Bianca (“Bianca Broussard”) was created and developed for PR purposes and went on to spam Geocities users with invitations to join the great new experiment; there were numerous "bloggers" about at the onset, but most, if not all, were apparently either 1) related to the Xanga enterprise by inside invitation or 2) fictional personalities created to shake out the test bed and to create a pre-public, pseudo-real sense of community.
How do I know this? The fictitious "bloggers" passwords were easily guessable. And the real persons (xangagods) fueling the fictitious interactions left enough unpublished messages to each other on these fictitious blogs for someone who was not a prophet to discern this core dynamic.
In any case, the point is that the xangagods properly recognized that a new startup blogging community had to have a critical core of interacting bloggers or it would fail. And so they furnished that. They also recognized that once a core was in place, they’d need to grow and grow rapidly to gain momentum and keep things exciting. Hence, the Dec 18th and 19th 2000 primary “Bianca Broussard” recruitment spamming of Geocities users (I was spammed and joined on Dec. 20th 2000). Hence, the secondary recruitment spamming of Angelfire users on March 3rd 2001. In 2001, Xanga finally accrued a self-sustaining base of actual bloggers that made Xanga attractive enough to other potential bloggers to join without the need for further fictitious or spamming shenanigans. At that point, the “training wheels” were no longer needed on the Xanga bicycle.
With the launch of Xanga 2.0, Xanga may have a critical core of subscription bloggers at its onset to make things “interesting” without the need to resort to fictitious blogging. But after the initial “birth effect” wears off, what are they planning to do this time to grow and grow rapidly to gain momentum and keep things exciting? That’s the challenge. Xanga 2.0’s Genesis Device will need more and more fuel in the form of participative bloggers to keep from imploding. Xanga 1.0 managed to do this through recruitment spamming that offered free blogging. Xanga 2.0 ???
My conclusion is that without some offering of free blogging Xanga 2.0 is doomed. But I am not a prophet.
@jsolberg - "I'm astounded and dismayed by seeing all kinds of 'nobodies' crawl up out of the sewer to spew negativity."
.....well,
I'm astounded and dismayed that you have the gall to call fellow
xangans "nobodies" for expressing their concerns and dismay with how
this is all panning out. (I've been here 8+ yrs) But apparently you're
"somebody"....who are you again?
I think Xanga would have been set
in it's way by now with the donations had they of decided to win over
those who blog for themselves privately. They want Xanga to be community
and user friendly, but I fail to see how paying $48 to blog at all is
community and user friendly. There are other, BETTER WAYS to introduce
premium blogging so as to include EVERYBODY who has supported and kept
Xanga going over the years. Allowing people to transfer over JUST to be
able to comment on blogs is nothing short of a joke.
Duly pledged.
[part 1/2]
Not sure if anyone else noticed this, but, I'm seeing a lot of people are having trouble with downloading their archives, and it is honestly very distressing. I can't download mine either, but I'm thinking it's probably because I updated it last night ... so I'll just be patient, for now, and wait to see if it'll work in 24 hours or so (if not, I think I will have a mental breakdown). As a side note, I am really confused: is Xanga going offline on the 15th - like said originally - or at the end of the month?? If so, why are they able to 'extend' the time on the server (or was the server originally going to go down at the end of the month, but they just pushed the 'deadline' ahead of time)? Or is it just the fundraiser that got extended? ... someone make sense of this for me, thanks.
Seeing as how the recent comments are all about nobodies/somebodies, I guess I'll throw in my own tidbit of story. I guess I would fall under the "nobodies" category. Although I actively use Xanga on a daily basis, I don't particularly participate or get involved with the Xanga community itself (not very often, at least), but I do quietly watch it on the sideline and pay attention to it now and then ... but Xanga is the only site that I would bother to look at what's on the front page + follow the website's changes/news; I don't care enough about other sites to voluntarily check their updates.
And what I'm seeing right now is, I think, a lot of people are considering the "nobodies" (like myself) to be the "moochers" of Xanga because we don't "contribute" to the community here. But I don't think we should be categorizing people like that ... although we "moochers" don't pay for premiums (in my case, it's constant financial difficulties, I can't afford shit so I can only blog - it's kind of embarrassing but it was my dream to get a "LIFE" premium on Xanga but I couldn't afford it -still can't- when it was around; but for others, it might simply be because they don't want to pay and I think that's fine, I'm not sure what's so wrong about it, since Xanga /was/ founded as a free blogging place, right?) but it still doesn't change the fact that we're all "users" on Xanga, even if some of us don't 'actively contribute' to the community. Some of us aren't here for active community involvement, some of us here chooses to use Xanga as a place to blog and write their "stories" (fictional, nonfictional, whatever it may be) ... without all of us here sticking around, Xanga would've been a ghost town. I wish people could understand this point though: everyone has their own situations.. please don't put people down because you think they are "nobodies/moochers" ... but I also see quite a bit of entitlement attitude, with the demand of "everything must be free!" ... I mean, even I understand that Xanga is facing financial difficulties and I can sympathize..
I may not have a "TRUE" or "LIFE" or "PREM" badge, but believe me, I do truly love Xanga dearly, and like many others on here, I've spent quite a bit of my time here blogging about my life (sorry, I'm friend-locked because most things I write nowadays are all personal and I find it difficult to share with people I am unfamiliar with; my Xanga is literally a record of my life). In October, it would've been my 10-year anniversary on Xanga and I'm rather sad that the current Xanga won't be able to make it 'till then. I've met many people through Xanga, many wandered off the site early on when the golden days of Xanga fell to the rise of other social networking websites (it's always funny how, whenever I'm seen blogging on Xanga... people are like "whoa, Xanga's still around? you're still on that old thing? LOL" - yah, I know it's "ancient" but after all these years, I just find it hard to let go of ... so I continue to bum here and Xanga literally feels like "home" to me - I move around a lot and I wouldn't really call the house/people I live in/with a "home" .. so I've always considered Xanga to be my home, actually) .. I've also met people on Xanga that I became REALLY good friends with (we call ourselves "internet childhood friends" haha) ... and I'm always grateful to Xanga, because it is this very special place that allowed us to meet and share our stories. We're continents (sometimes, countries) apart but Xanga gave us a chance to find each other. So thanks, Xanga, truly.
[part 2/2]
Although Xanga has changed a lot throughout the years, I think one of the things that really made me stayed + constantly crawled back to .. was because of how much it cared about the opinions and comforts of its users. Compared to other websites that (literally) forces their layout/update changes on the users ... Xanga gives you choices and actually listens to what we, the users, want - they ask us what we want and our opinions before actually implementing changes ... I mean, I'm still using the primitive classic Xanga layouts and not the fancy new ... universal inbox thing (confusing for me, but maybe nice for others) ... and I'm glad that they allowed us to keep using it instead of forcing the new changes on us, so thanks Xanga. And the thing is, I think that the updates/changes that Xanga do.. is "for the better of the users" - and they stayed true to it for a long time, and that's what I really loved. Even as a "nobodies," Xanga cared, to some degree (I mean, I do pop out to comment and voice my concerns now and then, and I feel that they do listen) .. and maybe this is part of Xanga's downfall - because they cared too much about their community of users. And that makes me wonder though - is that maybe why they're changing now? I can't help but feel that Xanga has become more distant to the users and less personal lately...
I thought that Xanga cared about its community of users, but lately, with all the unsolved problems and unanswered questions, I can't help but start to feel that Xanga is taking off in a very direction than it used to be. And though I know it's important for them to set up the "new" Xanga and that the Team is probably more focused on trying to shift things into the new and "reformed" Xanga ... I can't help but feel that it's a little pointless, if we, the users, are being tossed aside like this right now. I'm a free user, and maybe I shouldn't whine so much but it does make me wonder though, if premium users are able to download their archives without trouble ... if so, then as harsh as it sounds, I think we know where Xanga is putting their priorities. I think it's a bit funny though, that Xanga first built up its reputation as a free-for-all blogging community and is now moving into a more exclusive pay-to-blog system ... I think a good question posed by many is "how will Xanga continue to stay up" with the way it's going to be set up (paid-to-blog) ... by turning away its current "fanbase" (aka. users like the nobodies/moochers, who will, hopefully in the future, be able to "pay for prem") what are the chances of new people getting into Xanga, a to-be "paid-to-blog" community, when there are dozens of free alternatives ...? I mean, I've tried the dozens of free alternatives, and sure, I still think Xanga is the best ... but when you're unable to pay to blog, I guess you'll have to shut up, suck it up, and use the free alternatives (miserably). I don't have solutions, so I guess I'm just a whiner, but I feel that there might be something out there that's not being considered ...
And as much as I'd like to continue blogging with Xanga 'till the end of time here, if it takes /this/ much time to update my silly archives (not even considering the possible download time) .. I think this just further pushes people away from Xanga ... though, maybe that's what they're trying to do.. hmn.
Oops, I had intended to only comment on my concerns about the archives but instead rambled into sentimental things and then ranting/complaining ... but thanks for reading anyways. I really hope that the archive downloads will work properly soon... Hopefully we'll see some updates on the situation tomorrow (Monday).
As long as we all can blog and still be connected I'm happy!
Oh Xanga, I am so disappoint.
@The_Lost_Journal - I do, perhaps, owe you an apology. My un-charachteristically-irate comment was referring to the empty, newly (and freely) created sites commenting here, whose intention was simply to gnaw at the ankles of the Xanga crew, who have succeeded in creating a thing of beauty. (Whether it has out-lived its usefulness is essentially the question.)
You express your position well. And the fact that in eight years I have never heard a word from you on any of the hundred sites I read regularly is not a mortal sin. Could well be that those of us from the Front Page around the clock get an un-warranted feeling of, to paraphrase De Gaulle, 'Xanga, c'est moi.' (Xanga, dat's me!)
I will say, in particular, that at least half of my acquaintances here were 'found' through Xanga Search, back before it became a wasteland of jehovah's Witnesses. Metros, and 'Audio Search' were two other functions which disappeared, to my disappointment.
My hope is that you continue to have a fulfilling blogging experience, either here or or a different platform/ Yonatan
NO REPLY FROM XANGA
Because of the demise of free blogging on Xanga, no matter the outcome of the fundraiser, I have been collecting my archives.
While trying to access a few of my sites, I discovered to my dismay
that I no longer remember the password or email account connected to
those sites.
I sent requests for help on each site around two weeks ago and have not heard back from Xanga. What's going on???
Losing the creative content of these sites would be a huge loss to me.
PLEASE reply.
I'm posting this here because I am getting frustrated and no one is answering me through any other channel.
I'm amazed at how many people have left comments here requesting help with their current accounts because the Xanga Team is not answering direct contact messages, and they aren't answering here in the comment section either. This is why people stopped paying for premium. This is why people won't pay Xanga for the ability to blog.
I can not pay to blog. I loved blogging on Xanga. For years when I was living in poverty, your free blogging community helped me to find the support I needed to be strong and keep going. Once working, I've had less time to blog. I'm still not in a position where I can say that I can afford to pay to blog which means that I guess I shall lose both of my sites. It sounds as if only the most popular bloggers will continue with you then. It's a shame. I did try other blog sites and did not like them. I had trouble mastering Xanga and as you added new features, I really struggled. Simple is good for me. I will really miss my blogging friends.
Do you have Xanga merchandise? If so, direct to where they can be found and bought. If not, this is something to consider to help generate revenue.
YOU SUCK
Not about 2.0, although I am eagerly awaiting for this to be over so I can continue doing what I enjoy, no, this is about a tiny issue amongst what I'm sure are hundreds that you all have going on right now.
I have footprints on as a setting however I'm getting an "unknown" visitor as of late, five times so far today, I'm just curious if you all know what is up, is there a glitch in the system or is Xanga being hacked again?
Thank you for your time and again, sorry about bringing this to your attention here.
BLESS YOU ALL
Amy
This is being sent from muy "private" account, as I cannot access my site these past few days. I hate to see what is happening to Xanga. I joined in 2005 and could have lived with Xanga forever the way it was. With the exception of footprints and minis, other changes were not helpful, at least not to me. As crappy Facebook infiltrated people's lives, many fled Xanga, sadly. I'm sure many of the changes here were an effort to compete. But whatever you are trying to do now sounds extremely complicated and costly, making it unlikely that people will do this. The sense of friendship and community will be forever gone. I'd give my left nut, if I had one, to keep everything the way it was. Isn't there a way to upgrade your server with revenue from the paid ads? And I have to say, I am REALLY unhappy about losing my Lifetime membership. I just can't afford the new program and there will only be people on here who can pay, meaning you'll lose most everyone. Very sad.
Can you help with signing on? I don't understand why I can access one site and not the other. Also, how do you retrieve archived posts from here? Sorry, I am not especially computer-savvy, which is why I loved being on here. I could master anything I needed to do here - except now, retrieving my posts and photos. Help, please!
Several people have e-mailed me today that they CAN'T get on their Xanga sites.
I just wanted to let you know what's going on...so that maybe you could help.
Thank you so much!!!
HELP! Xanga team. May I know that which encoding Xanga engine used for Traditional Chinese words before the time of using unicode? I have to fix the language for every single entry and it is definitely a nightmare because I reli have a lot of entries in my blog.
I have downloaded the archive.zip and unzipped it. I tried to openxxxxx_2005_Sep.htm in Safari and it shows Mars language. I have tried 1. Traditional Chinese (Big5), 2. Traditional Chinese (Big5 HKSCS) and 3. Traditional Chinese (Windows, DOS) but it fails to fix them.
Wait, I'm confused...I like Xanga, but I do not want to pay for it. So what happens to me? What's all this talk about WordPress? Are the Xangans who can't pay just migrating to WordPress.com? Or is there some kind of plan for them to move to Xanga 2.0, too?
I have gone to the archive page and updated my archives. What do I do with these files? Am I supposed to import them into a WordPress blog, or what?
On another note, boy am I sure glad I caught this news in time. If the deadline HAD been July 15, I would've come back to find all my writings gone! Doesn't Xanga email people about big announcements like this? Maybe I missed it...
can u allow paypal in crowdhoster??
@xgfundingajoke - database hardware may be expiring sooner than the domain itself. domain is pretty cheap.
Questions!
So if I pay for a subscription does my blog (and all my blog posts) transfer over?
You said that for people who don't pay their usernames will migrate over, what else of their infomration will just migrate over? Will they just have rights under their name to comment/subscribe only or will they have photos, etc?
Thanks in advance!
is xanga dead?!
Will my xanaga page just delete itself as of July 31?
So....are people who recently bought lifetime premium going to get any sort of reimbursement?
I am so sorry to see this site has reached difficult times
I've been a member since 2005, though haven't been active in a very long time. I was taking a trip down nostalgia lane when I discovered this site is undergoing changes. I just now discovered it, and I see I've missed the July 15th deadline to archive my posts! I tried submitting it on both my accounts, ("Bebop113" and "Walking_Shade"). It would mean the world to me if I can download and save my memories from so long ago to my computer. If you can't, I understand. I wish you and your team the best of luck and will continue to support Xanga 2.0!
-Ryan
Don't think the archives are working today? Just a friendly head's up.
And....while i'm at it...i've mentioned it before, but still can't download my photo archives. Running out of time if xanga doesn't get the funds. Would REALLY appreciate getting this matter solved.
THANKS!
Thanks for the update!
Your kids are adorable!
Any chance you can answer as to why the WordPressWXR.zip file doesn't work for me? ;'(
@MagisterTom - Still not working?
@MagisterTom - NOPE.
@StrokeofThought - nope.
@ZSA_MD - @Texasjillcarmel - There are other blogging sites that ARE free as well as have the paid account option for less than half of what Xanga wants. you can get a paid livejournal account for $19 a year.
@jsolberg - You act like you've been here for like, 2 months. You don't know the Xanga team at all, obviously. They only come out of the woodwork to solicit money then when users have a question the team disappears again. Xanga's over.
@la_lune_du_chasseur - wordpress already exists. you can make your own personal wordpress account for free right now without using Xanga.
@mystic_sakura - haha lately? the Xanga team has never cared about its users except for the vapid ones who write vapid, uninteresting, unoriginal banal crap but still make it on the front page. the bullies. the cliques. the attention whores.
@peacenow - Maybe if they'd updated their platform a few years ago instead of having the same one since its inception Xanga would last another couple months.
That's disgusting. After my friends moved on to myspace from xanga and then facebook from myspace. I still kept my xanga and logged on here and there to pretty much keep it as my own diary. Now that i learn it's pay to blog... it's like what the hell has gotten into ur guys' head? This is just absolutely rediculous. I am not paying to blog anything when i can do that on facebook. Good luck with ur dirty little scheme.
While donating, I was given no directions to include the names of the blogs I wished to support with my donation. How/when do you collect this info?
g.
Will those of us who have Xanga Lifetime Memberships be migrated over without having to pay more, since our membership is "LIFETIME"?
i still dont get whats going on! is xanga going to be gone forever or its now gone elsewhere and people have to pay to blog? wha da fa
either way, i'll miss you xanga. the old you. other blogging sites like wordpress, blogger (blogspot???) and livejournal are all so confusing and complicated. im having a headache just looking at it so xanga is definitely more convenient.
it wont be the same without you and i wish i had known you earlier.
is there any way we can get a new update? We're closing in and there is no word from you about the $15,000 left to raise. Please speak up!
Sad times. I've held different accounts on here since 2003. Sorry to have to be this way, but since I've never payed to blog, I don't plan to start paying now. Does anyone have any good suggestions of free Journaling sites I can check out?
@jsolberg -
I am struggling to recall the mechanism by which I stumbled across your blog, many years ago, but I am extremely glad I did. You have enriched me in countless ways, and I consider you a friend in more than a virtual sense.
I think what probably happened was, much like in real life, overlap of social circles. I read a blog already known to me, say Blogger X; I read the comments on that blog, posted by those known to Blogger X. Seeing a particularly amusing or insightful comment from Blogger Y, I am prompted to investigate his/her blog, achieved by a single click. Blogger Y also has some amusing commentators (some in common with X, some not). This leads you to Blogger Z, and ultimately to the alpha and omega of blogs, Al Tezachen. I think this is how 'community' evolves, and I do hope the new Xanga succeeds in creating a petri dish suitable for culture of that community.
@underused - I never thought about this! Xanga this is something worth addressing!
@Superbuds - Do you have any information on what this means for us "Lifers"? I haven't seen a response from Xanga on this and it has me concerned. Does "LIFE" still mean "LIFE"?
@Ladyblue - from what i understand when the announcement first came out...I think it as something like...it was worth 4 years. So, if you've had "Life" for 4 years, you've gotten your money's worth and no, it won't be considered life on the new xanga 2.0. If you haven't had it all 4 years, you get some credit. It may be on the very first post when they talked about relaunching how "life" would transfer over. I can't remember the details exactly.
@somewittyhandle - I deeply appreciate your typically well-considered and expressed thoughts. There is indeed something mysterious and magical about how Xanga's formula fit so nicely into the hand, and worked so well for the purposes you outlined.
I certainly did not expect to be slammed here by some' Faggot in Deine Mund' offall. I'd thought we pay certain sectors of the populace, albeit a pittance, to collect every morning the newly-soiled chamber-pots. his/hers needs attention.
'That is all' as they say. CYA whatever transpires/JS
@Superbuds - Actually, it was supposed to be worth "LIFE", not four years. In effect, Xanga lied when they said a LIFE membership meant, well, life. It sullies their reputation and mars their integrity, and honestly if they won't stand by their promise to those of us who purchased LIFE memberships and are willing us to throw us under the bus with a lie, then sadly I'll have to bow out. I have ten years of memories here and planned to have a lifetime of posts to share. This is a sad and disappointing day.
@PixyPants - livejournal and wordpress. i dont think livejournal is alive though. wordpress to me is just one big...clusterfxxk of confusion.
why cant xanga move to a new place (or whatever they're doing) without having people pay to blog. i just dont get it. use the 60 grand for the new place or something. i just dont get it.
@naphtali_deer - Sadly, no. Seems +thexangateam doesn't have time to make that feature work.
@MagisterTom - I don't get it. I have heard of people have trouble. What browser are you using? I downloaded an updated version of my archives & photos today w/ Safari and had no problem at all. I hope you're able to get your archives!
I'm a stay-at-home mom that isn't making my own income and I am not going to ask my hubby to give me the money to keep my blog open. I agree with those who say having a paying blog is ridiculous when there are so many free ones out there. I don't enjoy the others as much as I do with xanga so it will be sad to move away from this. I've been on here for 11 years and have made many friends. A lot of my friends have already left xanga and moved on somewhere else. I understand the need to switch to a new format but I do not understand why you need to start charging to use this. I'm now on Blogger and WordPress for FREE.
@naphtali_deer - How large is the photo file you're downloading? I've yet to be able to download mine and i'm thinking it's b/c it's a large file. (I've tried Safari numerous times.) I am so hoping to get this worked out b/f the deadline if xanga doesn't make it!
@Superbuds - My photo file is 198 MB. It's possible the file may have ended up in your trash, so check there. I'm no computer guru, and can't explain why that might happen, but that did happen to me previously. I hope you can get all your files downloaded!!!
The privacy/audience limitation features have set Xanga apart from other blogging platforms and this feature remains attractive for those who are not looking to grow an audience but to connect with a few people or simply journal in an old school way. If I were a parent, I would feel okay about my teenager blogging here through protected posting.
Xanga is a great place to learn about blogging, but I think to grow you're going to need to really look at integration with wordpress, other options for subscriptions, etc. You won't survive as an island, but you do have something to offer the other platforms don't and I don't think there's anything wrong with a pay model for those services. However, if you go to the pricing only platform, you're going to lose your base. It just doesn't seem sustainable.
I couldn't help but notice you don't really have a social media strategy and that doesn't feel like a company that is on top of its game.
I hope the platform lives and I wish you the best of luck!
@naphtali_deer - I watch it quit downloading and then tells me it failed. All 24 attempts on my computer (more on my husbands). Feel like i'm running out of time. Still think it's b/c my photo file is huge! Glad yours works. Still hoping somehow/some way mine will before the 31st...if the funds aren't met....
@xanga, i am still unable to archive my photos. Many attempts. I feel under the wire with the 31st approaching and funds not met. (Yes, i did donate.
) Although i have tried contacting you, my latest email is not making it. (every 24 hours i get a message saying it's delayed and eventually, i assume it will get returned to me.)
If there is ANY help you can give me b/f the site closes down, i would really appreciate it. Normally i can be patient, but with only a couple of days left, patience won't help me in this matter.
THANK YOU!
I better not wake up on August 1st to find xanga still exists.
@Superbuds - they don't care, obviously. They want to take your money and disappear.
@muchimuchi - they want to take your money and disappear. All other blogging sites are free, plus they offer a paid account for less than half of what xanga wants.
@Blue_Moon1 - perfect example of why xanga sucks and is dead. Methinks we'llall be laughing at you and the other suckers who got conned by xanga.
@muchimuchi - you haven't been to lj ever, have you?
@somewittyhandle - xanga's "community" couldn't fill a petri dish. Fewer than 700 users is hardly worth it.
@muchimuchi - you're an imbecile. Nothing is more complicated than figuring out what comment and where people are replying to on xanga. Livejournal has something called threads. Nothing is simpler or cleaner.
@Fagyourmouth - if xanga is so bad, maybe you should get off your fat ass and stop replying.
@Fagyourmouth -
See, that's the thing about culture: it grows.
Just like a colony of e coli will grow in your mother's mouth when I fart in her face.
@Fagyourmouth - and you're the imbecile. nobody cares what you have to say here. go use that mouth of yours in real life and get the fuck off the internet. calling people names online is retarded. retard. nothing better to do with your miserable life huh than replying to peoples comments on a site thats about to close. than again i could understand, you're scared. dont be scared. people love that mouth of yours down in south central. go use it! if you ever called me names in real life, you wouldnt see the end of day. i would get somebody to knock all your teeth out because you aint worth getting my hands dirty bitch so go call people in real life an imbecile. you fuckin' faggot. play nice or dont play at all.
o there he goes tsk tsk tsk.
LESSON LEARNED: dont mess with this bitch
@muchimuchi - wow just a snippet of xanga's witty irrelevant retorts that have nothing to do with the conversation at hand! You're just butthurt because you failed.
@somewittyhandle - if anything, the xanga. Community has shrunk. 780 people is the best you can do now? And it's full of bullies, cliques, trolls, and attention whores. You never knew xanga any other way. How sad.
Another suggestion would be a tighter integration with social sites like Facebook, Twitter or even 9gag.
Currently the 'Publish to Facebook' option appeared just like an ordinary share. In fact, worse than an ordinary share. For instance, the 'share' would only appear in others' newsfeed, but not on my profile, unless I first highlight and then un-highlight my story. A larger icon, more photos from the entry for preview, and a longer abstract, is preferred.
Think of Xanga as a replacement or an upgrade to Facebook's Notes feature. Xanga is definitely superior, but simply not tightly integrated enough.
im a premium member... how can i get rid of the toolbar and footer?
Please update the xanga ios app as well.. :<
Good luck to all you people who are going to pay to blog. IT'S NOT bitching. It's simply making a priority to save money in a tough economy now. I'm barely able to keep myself afloat with the necessities, things that I DO really need. While I love Xanga and have actually been around for years, somehow the thought of paying to blog when there are free alternatives just doesn't..I don't know..Sound right. Perhaps it's just me but I feel like I've been forced to make the decision and either just stick with other social media sites or pay whenever I want to upload something.
I have friends and people I'd like to stay in touch with just as everyone else does. And I'm in no way complaining. Just WHY should something that was so inventive, somewhere where i met so many wonderful people [who bettered my life] be asking it's former users to not only migrate but to PAY.
Granted there would be no 'negative people' for a while, but it'll be just like everywhere else. Some people would pay just to complain. What extreme people want, extreme people do.
And I'm in no way a 'freeloader' like some people have previously called others because I was 'blogging for free.' I entertained the idea to buy a blog and pay premium without complaint. Because I would be able to post my art and do things to entertain my friends. Now it's like... Well what now?
XANGA...CUT THE CRAPP AND GET ON WITH IT.. I THINK THEY ARE TAKING THE "P" ANDJUST GOING TO DO THE SAME AS MICROSOFT AND ALL THE OTHERS.. PUT THE FEES UP ... BRING BACK MSN..
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