Google/Blogspot warning!

By: Qwaider

On:Friday, November 21, 2008 8:53:03 PM
In:Blogging Tips
Viewed: (5911) times

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Are you on blogspot? Is your favorite blog on Blogspot!?

Well, there's this rumor circulating in the Egyptian blogosphere that Google is closing down people's Gmail accounts and Blogs without prior notice.

I'm not sure of how accurate this is, but I wonder if it's going to catch up and spread!

Frankly, I don't know of a place that would be safe from Google's wrath! I mean, you better be on Google's good side or you're condemned to oblivion.

Recently, I've been having too many negative thoughts about Google, like for example, I was trying to find the site for ART TV, you know the Arab Radio & Television network? I tried for over 3 hours and I still couldn't get to the site of ART! I kept getting Fine arts schools, Art galleries, Art work, art collections. You name it!

Then that whole fiasco with Yamli and Google's anti-competitive tricks.

And now shutting down blogger's sites without prior notice or fault.

I have to go hmmm at "Do no evil" mantra!

Frankly, I don't know of a place that would be safe from Google's wrath! I mean, you better be on Google's good side or you're condemned to oblivion.

Then that whole fiasco with Yamli and Google's anti-competitive tricks.

And now shutting down blogger's sites without prior notice or fault.

I have to go hmmm at "Do no evil" slogan!

Either way, here's what I would do if I was on BlogSpot, just incase you were next

Back up all your content to hard drive.
Create an account on Wordpress, and import all your articles (just in case something goes wrong) (Wordpress will import all your articles AND your comments). I think Jeeran can also do that
Create a backup email account to your Gmail account.
Maintain a list of all your contacts on Gmail on your hard drive
Use a mail client (other than the web client, to keep track of all your mail) you can use Mozilla's thunderbird, or Windows Live Email (my personal favorite)

Don't get me wrong, I think BlogSpot is an awesome tool, and a fantastic blogging engine. But in a world with so many uncertainties, this "cancellation & deletion" is a true nightmare. If we can't trust world's top companies, who can we trust?

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Memories....

#1
za3tar
Said
On: 11/21/2008 9:13:21 PM
SpamScore=[0]

Hmm .. this makes stop and think.
I don't think that Google is the evil empire *yet*. However, i do not buy their "Do No Evil" mantra.

But i guess this is the problem when one entity has too much control over a certain platform.

#2
Suha
Said
On: 11/21/2008 10:23:55 PM
SpamScore=[0]

I have been told to relocate my blog to blogspot as an advice from a reader becuase he said it'll guarante me more traffic..
I don't get how it makes a diffrence which account you use.. I find livejournal easier and the FAQ questions help me navigate..
Wordpress doesn't have many clourful themes like livejournal maybe i'll make a website of my own through wordpress if I don't get bored of blogging...

#3
Qwaider
Said
On: 11/21/2008 10:47:12 PM
SpamScore=[0]

Suha, Lifejournal is the Antichrist of blogging. It's horribly closed in the worst of ways. Not only that, it's really hard to make heads or tails out of. Their choice to only allow OpenID to include links is causing anyone who leaves you a comment (one of the most important aspects of blogging) suffer

Wordpress is the Mercedes Benz of blog engines, with Blogspot being the Toyota Corolla. LivaSpaces is like a ford Focus while Jeeran would be somewhat like Hyundai or Kia but these are certainly better than Maktoob or Albawaba which I would rank in the same neighborhood as Lada

PLEASE, don't take this negatively. I'm just the messenger. Lifejournal isn't that user friendly. Wordpress has WAAAAY more customizations than all of the above (combined) with the ability to customize whatever you want in anyway you like it done

#4
hamede
Said
On: 11/21/2008 11:14:56 PM
SpamScore=[6]

http://www.artonline.tv/home/

#5
Batoul
Said
On: 11/22/2008 6:05:09 AM
SpamScore=[-0.03]

O_O I need a wordpress.

#6
Hani Obaid
Said
On: 11/22/2008 6:25:50 AM
SpamScore=[0]

3 hours ? Found it on the second try. It would be your first hit if you searched for:
ART Arabic

I just don't like the blogspot commenting system, it keeps cutting urls in half, and the captcha can be too difficult.

It wouldn't matter too much if gmail erases my account, but I don't see that happening since they keep increasing my allocated space!

#7
Qwaider
Said
On: 11/22/2008 8:24:39 AM
SpamScore=[-8.27]

Which is another bad thing about google. People with the EXACT same query get COMPLETELY different results based on some crazy ranking algorithm

#8
Jansait
Said
On: 11/22/2008 10:28:35 AM
SpamScore=[0.5]

thanks...

I use the mail client in mac but i wonder if google would really close the gmail..

#9
Faisal
Said
On: 11/22/2008 10:36:53 AM
SpamScore=[1.5]

here is the ART website:

http://www.artonline.tv/home/

just googled : arab radio and television !

#10
Hani Obaid
Said
On: 11/22/2008 10:45:02 PM
SpamScore=[0.5]

I think the algorithm takes into account location. I get different search results even on the English version of google when searching from Jordan as opposed to the US.

#11
Nizar
Said
On: 11/23/2008 9:12:12 AM
SpamScore=[-0.03]

Dijavu, for some reason the text got loaded twice in a row, it felt like dijavu while reading your post.

I can't think of a reason why they will shut down blogspot

#12
Why Blogger Is Better Than Wordpress
Said
On: 11/23/2008 12:44:15 PM
SpamScore=[0.5]

I use the mail client in mac but i wonder if google would really close the gmail..

#13
Qwaider
Said
On: 11/25/2008 10:02:06 AM
SpamScore=[-8.31]

Folks, google is NOT shutting off Gmail, and they're NOT shutting off Blogspot/Blogger
What happened is isolated blogs on Blogspot, and isolated email accounts on Gmail were closed down.