On December 14 I logged on to Haloscan to access the email addresses of commenters and draw winners’ names for giveaways.  Upon arriving at Haloscan I was informed that JS-Kit had acquired Haloscan, and I could either download all comments, or pay $9.95 for all my data to be converted to Echo and receive uninterrupted service. 

I do not know if I upgrade to either the White Label or Echo Pro  if I will have access to them.  Or if I will receive a response and better customer service.  I know $9.95 is a pittance, and I’m happy to spend more money on this site if it gives you guys a better experience.  But not for suckage.

Maybe it’s just taking JS-Kit awhile to convert all the Haloscan info over.   And while I await a response from the JS-Kit support team, I am not touching anything in my websites’ code. 

However, I was led to believe from language I read on the former Haloscan website and in a generic email from JS-Kit that by paying for the formerly free service, that all would carry on as before…and better.  And it has not.

I hate going ranty.  It’s just so bloggy.  I’m an online writer.  A freelance writer.  I just happen to have this resource blog too, right?

(Insert cricket chirps.)

Well, today I am owning my mommybloggyness.  I’m going very bloggy ranty low-techy ignoranty.  Pretty soon I’ll start talking about health care reform.

But it’s all to explain to you why things look different around here and to warn you other Haloscan users that have not yet been selected to transition to Echo.

Now I’m off to go find some Precious Moments clip art to paste in my margins, tickers to display my children’s ages and a plug-in that will play Taylor Swift when you arrive at my page!  LOL. (And that’s the first time I’ve ever used that acronym.  Ever.)

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UPDATED:  
The JS-Kit executives on Twitter have been very concerned about my problem.  Thus I am now one of those public complainers on Twitter. Yay me, I’m now one of those annoying squeaky wheels.

UPDATED AGAIN:
The fabulous Andrea just sent me this new design element for my site.  It goes perfectly with my mommybloggy rant and I <3 it!

I use almost all Google software on this site, which is usually wonderful. Reasonable, user-friendly, I normally have no complaints.

However, Google’s Super Pac Man acquistions of Blogger and then Feedburner and how they now all work together have made a big mess out of some of the RSS feeds. I was one of the lucky ones, yay!

That’s why if you get your dose of APISS via e-mail you got a whole lotta loving whorishly dumped in your in-boxes all at once this weekend, rather than decently doled out throughout the week. But your email feed should now be working fine. If you’re not receiving e-mails from sender A Parent in Silver Spring, please let me know.

The suck: those of you that have subscribed via a reader will have to re-subscribe. Please click here to re-add me to your feed reader. Thank you.

So if you missed all those cool giveaways and contests and weekend recommendations I had for you, my apologies. How frustrating.

I’m frustrated too. Those of you feed reader devotees won’t even get this.

This is what Google has to say to that:

Saw-ray.

I recently got wind that a local free provider of family programs decidedly does not want me to publicize their public events for kids. Don’t put them on the calendar and please do not blog about their events.

No problem! I’m happy to stop my uncompensated, positive PR for your place and focus my dark craft elsewhere. Maybe I’ll write about an organization that, shocker!, is struggling to attract and serve families in our community.

I’m usually so worried that I’m going to slight an activity providing-organization, not giving enough online copy and links to wonderful events and resources. I feel so bad when I forget to add an event to the calendar, or read about a happening after it occurs that could have been of use to APISS readers. When I receive an email or press release that I don’t think is a good fit for the goals of this website, I always feel terrible. I agonize over errors on the calendar and so appreciate when people email that times have changed or things have been canceled (thank you!)

I’ve been known to email back a marketing person a longer and more thoughtful email as to why I was not going to promote his or her event/product/organization than I spend on most posts. When I wrote an article for the Post one time and a local business was edited out of the piece, I went out of my way to generate online copy on multiple websites promoting that business.

ANYWAYS, my point is not to obtusely talk smack or give myself props for being the patron saint of local breeders and congratulate myself on my own radness. Because I do have personal, greedy, non-altruistic, ambitious motives for writing APISS. I mean, someday I might receive like free feminine hygiene products or an invitation to talk to a local Brownie troop. Come on, fame and fortune are MINE! [Cue evil laughter.]

My point is to say in complete truth and politeness: If there is ever an event, link or item that I have publicized on this website that you would like removed due to spatial or economic constraints to your event or site or for any other reason, I will remove immediately. All you have to do is let me know and I will be totally cool.

I promise I won’t blog it. I believe that every organization should receive the press they deserve and I only promote the good stuff.

Now back to your gorgeous weekend frolicking, get thee outside!

Image courtesy the Add Letters sign generator

UPDATE: E-mail feeds are back!!

So, Google acquired Feedburner, the service that allows APISS readers to view my ramblings in an RSS feeder or receive new postings via email. And now the email deliveries are not working.

But never fear…

Faster than a non-speeding help desk.
More powerful than a bullying customer service agent.
Able to leap tall troubleshooting orders in a single bound.

Look! Up in the sky!
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s APISS!

I’m trying my best to ensure email feeds are back to normal shortly. Thanks for your patience!

Funny photo from PBase.com

I just received some feedback that a reader can’t access the APISS calendar of events. I myself can see it in Firefox, Explorer and Safari and through my Comcast cable connection. I’m hoping that the difficulty in accessing the calendar is an isolated incident, but I won’t know unless I ask you guys, the readers.

I’ve also received some feedback that the calendar is difficult to navigate, not updated frequently or not adequately filled with activity options. And we can’t have that! Especially with cold weather and the holidays dictating our need for maximum get-out-of-house opportunities. So if you don’t mind, please vote in the anonymous poll on the calendar in the right-hand sidebar. Or leave a comment below. I promise that I won’t be able to see how you voted or cattily publicly react to criticism or helpful suggestions.

Once I know the problems you guys are having with the calendar I can work to improve it and reassess the software and format. And I’ll add any public events to the calendar that you like, just send me an email with anything you’d like to have listed.

Thank you!