Friday 3 June 2011

Is It Worth It?

Problems with Blogger continue and I’ve tried doing all the recommended things like getting rid of cookies, logging in & logging out, unticking keep-signed-in boxes and restarting the computer to no avail.

Meanwhile I can comment on 2 or 3 blogs as me, a few as anonymous and not at all on others. What with my computer seizing up every 10 minutes or going so slow it would be quicker to write a message on a passing snail and send it - and the internet going down every 5, I could scream.

I have come worryingly close to banging my head on my desk in sheer frustration. So when I am without internet, do I get my head down and get some writing done – of course not, I keep clicking on websites and send/receive just in case I can bully it into working again.

I’ve used a few choice words lately about the internet, my computer and Blogger. I’ve considered ripping my computer from its wiring and hurling it out of the window.

So is it all worth it? Well I was looking back to a time BI – before internet and thought about it and I have to say it IS worth it.

First of all I have made so many friends via email, good friends, people I have come to care about more than I thought possible. I have met some of them in Real Life too, something I never dreamed possible twelve years ago.

I have learned that I am not the only writer to receive rejections – and yes, I really thought I was and that the other names I saw in magazines were selling everything they submitted.

BI I had only ever met one other writer, but he is my cousin-in-law and family so of course I’d met him.

And speaking of rellies, I have recently been reunited with a cousin I hadn’t seen for over 40 years – thanks to the internet.

For someone with an aversion to telephones, email is – well not a lifesaver because I’ve never felt like dying over making a telephone call, but it is wonderfully liberating.

And shopping. Being able to do it from the comfort of my own chair, not having to fight the crowds in shops as well as the panic that often accompanies me on shopping trips is wonderful.

Once I started thinking of the advantages, I stopped getting wound up about the problems. In a few months I will be able to get a new computer and perhaps then things will start working as they should and hopefully by then Blogger will have got its act together.

I haven’t been completely wasting my time while things have been going wrong. I went through my Favourites folder, got rid of some websites that are defunct and found a few treasures I’d forgotten about.

While I was sorting out, making new folders etc. I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you, my fellow Internetians.

So what do you think? Is it worth it?

Popular names over the past 130 years. Handy if you want to name characters from the past.

The Mystery Place - now accepting email submissions.

Common Errors in English - useful!

Meet the Author - see your favourite writers talking about their books.

Dr Hadwen Trust - if you're against animal experimentation.

Unusual and bizarre - take a look, it's fun!

Save me - group founded by Brian May - yes that Brian May.

Daily Puzzle - from the NYT. Mini workout for your brain.

Our Planet - loads of facts.

33 comments:

  1. Teresa, my sympathies. I've had a lot of trouble recently with the internet, and it makes me fel so HELPLESS! But you're right. It is worth it, for so many reasons (athough I'd get an awful lot mroe things done if it wasn't there!).

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  2. On the whole, I think the pros certainly out-weigh the cons.
    But there is nothing on earth that is more frustrating, blood pressure-raising and downright scream-making than a computer that refuses to do as it's told.
    I've lost count of the number of times I've been tempted to chuck the whole lot across the room.

    Thanks for the links (you see - there's always an upside to these things) and hope you're up and running normally again soon.

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  3. Oooooh! Helloooooo, Teresa

    Thank God. I finally got through! That was me up there 'testing' the water! It is so worth it when it the blathering Internet and Blogspot work properly!!!! What are the powers that blogspot actually doing about the problem anyway?

    Come on Blogspot!!

    Julie P

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  4. Couldn't live without the computer for more than a week, despite the hair tearing moments it can give.
    My computer has been playing up this past week, and not just with Blogger.
    Try a disk clean up Teresa- you'll find it in the system tools section under accessories in the all programmes list-if you're using IE. It may be something is still on there creating problems.

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  5. Helpless - that is the word, Frances.

    Gail - I have visions of hundreds of us hurling our computers about willy nilly :)

    Hello Julie - I still can't visit your blog. I arrive all ready to get reading and my computer jams, you vanish and I have to give up. When I do finally get there I'll have loads of catching up to do :)

    It's all been tried, Carol, but thanks :) It's on its last legs I'm afraid and the internet/blogger problems are just making the problems I had anyway much worse.

    Teresa :)

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  6. Much as I know I'd get an awful lot more writing done without it, I do love the Internet for connecting with all the lovely writers online.

    I feel your frustration with blogger - I've not had a problem leaving comments (touching wood), but my Internet connection was playing up the other day and I could feel the stress building in me. Should have gone away and left it for a while!

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  7. Hi Teresa,
    Hallelueea. (I know that's the wrong spelling) Glad it's not just me, same as you, I log in, then I'm annon. then back to log in. Such a waste of time. Though the internet is well worth it. I've been following your stories, and trying to write one a quarter as good since my children were young. I always wondered what you were like. Now it's lovely to follow your blog, and such a treat that you follow mine. I was thinking of changing to wordpress, but I don't want to loose touch with all my lovely bloggie friends so will persevere.

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  8. Apologies for speaking out of turn. When I had a Windows 2000 PC I could never leave comment on blogs that used the system you are using to control comments. However hard I tried, by the time I had logged in my commnent had vanished and I was asked to log in again. I had no such problem with the other PC in the house running Widows XP.
    If I remember correctly, Jane Smith (@hprw or http://howpublishingreallyworks.com although she has since moved her blog to WordPress) had problems with people being unable to comment and she turned some option off.
    Have a look at the options you have chosen to control comments in your blog.
    I am prepared to do more research with @hprw if you like. I don't have a blog myself, sadly.

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  9. sorry to be annoying. I think this post might be relevant
    http://howpublishingreallyworks.com/?p=1550
    It talks about diabling a "word verification" feature'
    It would certainly be good if you could leave comments on your own blog again.

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  10. Me too, Rosemary - it is a great distraction isn't it, but I wouldn't be without it.

    Thank you, Suzy, you are lovely :) I have looked at Wordpress, but I don't like change and normally Blogger is okay. Hopefully they'll iron out these problems eventually.

    Thanks Pierre, all suggestions gratefully received. And thanks for the link - I'm going to come back and have a look and a tinker later when I'm more awake and see what happens.

    Teresa :)

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  11. Blow me - that's not actually what I said - but I think it works!
    Yayy!

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  12. Testing, testing, one, two, three. Can you hear me now?

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  13. Yippee! I arrived. At last my blogger (or blovver as I've been calling it lately) seems back to normal.
    Am very happy to be one of those writers you've met.

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  14. Teresa, I've had to move to Wordpress due to having been hacked on google/gmail, and I'm finding that more people can comment on my new blog.

    I'd be lost and quite isolated without the internet and the friends I've made through it.

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  15. I hear you, Lynne :) And I am very happy to have met you too :)

    I'd be lost too, Sally. It is horrible when someone hacks into your email :( I'll have a look at Wordpress.

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  17. You are welcome and it's great to see you able to leave comments on your own blog.
    About moving to Wordpress, people seem to manage to move their old posts without too much trouble but but old comments are liable to get lost.
    After I sent you the link last night I had a look again and the comment from Captain Black suggests you can still have word verification.
    I enjoy your blog, so I am pleased that you feel you can continue.

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  18. Thank you, Pierre very much :)
    I have looked at Wordpress and I may well join others and set up a blog there when I eventually get a new computer sorted out.

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  19. I couldn't manage without the internet. Made lovely email friends, you included Teresa, and if I want to research anything it's literally at my fingertips! I'm not a great phoner upper either, as my long suffering friends (who aren't on email) know! Great to see you signing is as yourself again! x

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  20. Ah that's nice, Sue.

    I've had to restore word verification as the spam had started to com in. Hope it doesn't cause problems for anyone.

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  21. Argh - come in, the spam had started to come in.... I really should check before I post!

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  22. It should still work fine.

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  23. Thanks for all the help, Pierre :)

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  24. It's definitely worth it - even when Blogger's playing silly buggers!

    Great links :o)

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  25. Lost my internet entirely this morning, Karen - for hours - aaargh! I bet they could hear me screaming ten miles away.

    THank you for coming by, Richard - that sounds like a very interesting competition - thanks for the link.

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  26. I think it's definitely worth it. But I too have moved to WordPress, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be because you press a button, type in the address of this blog, and it imports it all - well, all the posts at any rate. I'm just adding my links in now on a day-to-day basis (yours just arrived). So if you get chance, do consider switching. I think it's a lot more secure too.

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  27. Sounds good, Diane.
    I think I've caught up with and followed everyone who has moved to Wordpress - I hope I have.

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  28. Lydia here - not Anon. As you can see, still having probs. Might follow Pierre's suggestion next time but it's time for bed and I'm too tired!
    The internet can be the most frustrating thing in the world but I don't think any of us would be without it now.
    Research is so much easier and the absolute best thing of all is the friends I have made through blogs like this - it's great to have "got to know you" this way Teresa. Just like you I used to read everyone else's stories and think they sold everything and wonder what was wrong with me! Writing is an isolated business often and it's so lovely to know you have so much in common with other writers - even if you never meet them in real-time. Wherever you move to, I'm sure lots of people will follow you.
    Incidentally - has anyone else had comments in foreign languages on their blogs? I've had several on my website blog and had to delete them because I hadn't a clue what they said! I figured they had to be spam, so I just hope I haven't offended anyone! LOL.

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  29. Hope you can sort it out, Lydia. There are still some blogs I can't comment on at all but changing the comments box allowed me to comment on here.

    I would be suspicious about those comments. You can translate in Google if you want to check out what they say.

    Being able to talk to other writers is invaluable isn't it :-)

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  30. Hi Teresa,
    I thought YOU were the amazing writer lady who always had her stories accepted! I saw your name so many times, I wished I could be a Teresa Ashby.
    As for blogger, I've not been around much lately and so haven't come accross these problems that many people have mentioned...yet.
    Thank you for sharing some of your favourites, I'm always struggling to find names, so I think that one may come in very handy!

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  31. Thank you penandpaints :-)
    Glad you're not having the blogger problems!

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