Whether this blog flies or not will depend on whether it provides the kind of forum desired by BOTW Refugees. This is the first post and is primarily a test, like a tyke on a trike. Please feel free to suggest changes. This is OUR blog, and we can make it how we like, hopefully.
The blog administrator at present is Jude, but I can transfer the Google account to anyone else who wants to take the helm of this ark. I am in the process of inviting other Refugees to contribute posts, but this is going to take a little time.
For now the blog is open to anyone (not just Refugees) to read and to comment. It is possible the comments will get peppered with spam. I will delete it whenever it appears. A more secure alternative would be to open the blog to only those who have a Google account (Google verifies all accounts are humans, not robots). Unfortunately, anyone with a strong aversion to Google would not be able to participate, so that's a big negative. The least desirable alternative would be to restrict the blog to members only. This would make the blog hard to find, invisible to newbies looking for it, and difficult for me to manage.
WordPress costs money, and to the best of my knowledge you have to be a WordPress subscriber to comment.
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT, by clicking on the little Comments link below. I welcome your feedback.
Fiona Byrd aka Jude created this blog. The name of the blog can be changed, and suggestions are welcome.
ReplyDeleteTo post a comment click on the Comments button between the 'Posted by' line at left and the icons at right, below the 'It's a start' post.
Not seeing the comments button. However, in my defense I have only had a sip of coffee. Hubby is making raspberry muffins and I am devising my post-church strategy for making Easter lunch.
DeleteHi Melly! Great to see you! I know how you feel about the one sip of coffee. Have a blessed Easter! (In case I twiddled too much with the program last night and my name doesn't show, I'm Fiona.)
DeleteAre there any muffins left over? :)
DeleteHowdy?
ReplyDeleteDave Mulligan
Yippee! Howdy, Dave!
DeleteHi!
DeleteI got an email notification of your new message.
You have Gmail?
DeleteI replied "YES" a couple of hours ago but looks like it wasn't "Published" for some reason. Yes, I have a few Gmail accounts.
DeleteWill try comments using the other options - Name/URL and Anonymous.
If you do not have a Google Account, click on the drop-down list below the comment box and select Anonymous. Your comment ID will appear as Anonymous, so please include your name in your comment so others can know who you are. This comment is by Fiona.
ReplyDeleteGuess it knows it's me.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Happy Easter all! We have our daughter, son-in-law and grandsons coming this morning for an Easter brunch.
Happy Easter, Steve. Have a great day.
Delete(Fiona aka Jude here)
aha on my display the comment box is at the bottom. :-) Now let's see, certain folks don't like Twitter, we have the ListServ Uncle Tony set up, the WordPress thing and this. Jackie wants to abandon ship and head to FB, and others won't do Google. At this point, my goal is to gather the refugees into the Tiara's Bar until something most can agree on. I'm not married to any one platform. We are online critters, so essentially have willingly given up privacy for the privilege of participation with each other on these various platforms. No matter where we land, there will be an adjustment for all of us. I wish there were a way to still enjoy the daily prompt of JF's column and bottom stories, Myles' Ku's and all the joy we have had as a result of interacting with one another. That will be nearly impossible to replicate. But, we are an intelligent group that cares for one another. We can figure it out.
ReplyDeleteMelly, the blog can replicate the BOTW column! The top of the post can be an article or whatever, include bye-kus by our poet laureate if we can persuade him to come on board. I am glad you accepted the invitation to be an author, as this will allow you to create a post for others to comment on and reply to. The comments are fully threaded, meaning they are like the old WSJ platform before they introduced the clumsy "improvement." We can figure it out. It'll just take time. Blogger might not be the ideal (works best for users who can sign on with their Gmail accounts, but not all Refugees have Gmail and some or many would not want Gmail the same way some, including me, don't do FB.
DeleteCan you please point me to the WordPress thing? I'm so glad someone set it up! It doesn't require Gmail for author contributions. (I'm Fiona, the Blogger changed me to BOTW Refugees for some unknown reason.l)
Um, the blog can replicate the BOTW column in so far as functionality, for the most part -- we could even have the Tiara chase (first to comment on a post) and Sceptre (not most likes, but most replies, perhaps?). But there is no way to replicate the Admiral. We are on our own, but as long as our camaraderie remains intact, the ark won't founder. And if we have to migrate to another platform, that's doable. We Can Do It !
Deletethe blog can replicate the BOTW column
DeleteYes... the idea is blog posts (say a link to or actual copy and paste of the BOTW column, other WSJ article, or content from any source one thinks might be of interest to the community) upon which we comment here.
Here's a comment from Dave as "Name/URL"
ReplyDeleteHere's a comment as Anonymous
ReplyDeleteHello, can anyone hear me?
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, I just realized I accidentally hit the wrong button and you didn't get my reply. Letting you know now that yes, I can hear you now. Glad you came and said hello.
DeleteHey Mark - coming in loud and clear.
DeleteThere is an incentive for coming in with a google account... the other methods send you through that $#%%^$#$ idiotic captcha where you have to click the traffic light or fire hydrants and the %^$ ^&%%$ thing STILL won't work.
ReplyDeleteIt's how Google verifies that you're a human being, not a robot. I've been a big Google fan since I first found it years ago. Secure, robust, easy to use.
DeleteDave you also commented with Name/URL. What did that involve? Did you have your Google account open at the time, or did you close it and come to the blog cold to try that function? I haven't gotten around to testing it yet, so maybe you can tell me what you did. (Fiona)
(can't passt pictures...)
DeleteBelow the comment text box is a dropdown
Reply As: Google Account
Name/URL
Anonymous
(I'm on Windows/Chrome)
I can select the Name and Anon options even though I'm logged in on Chrome.
Chrome is the Google browser. Maybe that's why everything is so seamless for you. Thanks for the info. (Fiona)
DeleteHey all - sort of refugee Tonyr here (fastjazz on Twitter, fastjazz@hmail.com, and Tony Rizzo at WSJ. Yes I am still on there just so I can be abused, infuriated and full-on censored on a daily basis by the police bots and snowflakers.
ReplyDeleteThey DO in fact go back back and delete any posts that made it to actually posting that are even remotely critical of the new snowflake leadership and anything having to do with them or the “moderators.”
Will be interesting to see if this BOTW refugee camp becomes a massive protest!
Hi Tony, Fiona aka Jude here (blog administrator). WSJ analytics show a marked drop in site visits. If you're on Twitter, find David Macmahon (sp?), he tweeted the statistics. Not good news for WSJ.
DeleteHey, looks like i'm in at http://botw-ark.freeforums.net/
ReplyDeleteThis looks like some automotive and music forums I visit.
I'm in on that one, too.
DeleteWe'll have to try it, see if it's going to be our landing-place.
Too many BOTW Refugees hate Google for the blog we're on now to satisfy everyone. I don't know whether to kill this baby or let it exist, albeit as an imperfect, not universally acceptable, replacement for BOTW.
Don't kill it. This might be a good place for us to collaborate even if it doesn't replace BOTW.
DeleteThanks, Melly. I'm keeping it open on a wait-and-see basis, and I'm going to have the patience of Job to wait. Thanks for your support and encouragement!
DeleteI know there are a lot of options out there, but at first blush, this looks to parallel the former BOTW best.
ReplyDeleteI think the key is keeping things organic — letting it grow or not.
There is a Fans of the BOTW on FB. I'm part of it. But it got nowhere near the traction of BOTW, FYI.
One issue with "Fans of the BOTW" is that I'd say most of those in the list now are not BOTWer's but were invited by friends so it has only the tiniest of threads to BOTW.
DeleteSteve, I'm not on FB, but it seems to me that neither FB nor Twitter is ideal for a BOTW-specific community, mainly because the associates drift in and don't know the background. Twitter does offer the group DM, but it's a bit awkward to navigate when there are a lot of comments.
DeleteI'm going to start clicking the 'Notify me' button in the bottom-right corner of the blog comment box so I can keep up with our conversations here.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete