Technochanges

Dear Friends:

The slower pace of posting recently is due primarily to changes Google/Blogspot have made in their Blogspot procedures.  A few weeks ago when I tried to post I received a message that Blogspot no longer 'supports' my browser.  The message recommended that I switch to 'Chrome'; that's the browser put out by Google.  I attempted to get around this.  I emailed a poet blogger who also uses Blogspot and asked if he had the same message.  He had received the same message, but did not like the new format.  Somehow he managed to get the old format back, but he didn't really know how that happened.

I'm of two minds about this.  First, I have the latest version of Internet Explorer.  That's the first thing I checked online.  I asked for an update via their downloads and was told that I had the latest version.  Part of me is disgruntled that Google is pushing me to use their own browser, Chrome.  It feels manipulative to me.  And unnecessary.  And not very good business practice either.

I realize that Google and Microsoft are in intense competition and I suppose that it makes sense that the consequences should ripple down to my tiny little corner of cyberspace here at Shaping Words.  On the other hand, I suspect that such an approach will alienate a good many bloggers.  But I don't know that; perhaps Google has done research and is willing to risk it.

To continue: I downloaded Chrome and that is how I have been able to post recently.  But I'm kind of bummed out about being forced to do so.  I started looking at other blog sites, but I wouldn't want to change to another site unless I could take the past posts with me.  Maybe I can, but I don't know how to do it.

At least one fellow blogger I have email contact with is taking concrete steps to move his blog to another blog site because of these difficulties.  So it is a possibility.

I'm not coming to any conclusions as yet.  Just letting the readers of Shaping Words know what's going on.  I'm sure it will all work out.

Best wishes,

Jim