What the !@#$% is Going on With Susie's Typepad Blog?

I can't keep my lip buttoned any longer; it's too embarrassing.

Typepad, my blog server, rolled out a new interface in late May— and it's so buggy and unpredictable, that I don't know from one day to the next whether I can post at all— or if my stories will appear as I composed them, instead of a barrage of gobbledy-gook.

The file uploading system is also in havoc; so I never know whether I can add my audio files or special features, or whether I can get ahold of the links to add to my postings. I spend days, trying the same thing over and over again, hoping that one morning, it will "WORK." It's been a month of frustration now.

Today's nonsense "behind the scenes" melt me down into a fiery toxic sludge...

The worst crisis, is that I'm hearing from readers who say that the new system is crashing their browsers, repeatedly. One dear fan, Dan, wrote to Typepad for help, and their Help Center  wrote him back, saying, "Oh, we're just fine, and how would you like to sign up yourself, sales pitch, yadda-yadda." Jesus H. Fucking Christ! He's obviously never going to take them up on this offer, after that whitewash!

This blog has been my home for a few years, and performed magnificently. I'm not a web-savvy person by any means, and to have the "back end" handled by someone else has been crucial to my publishing. I can't just switch over to my own set-up, or anyone else's, in the twinkle of an eye. I already wear enough hats as it is. 

So, I am hoping that Typepad will now either allow us to "go back" to our reliable system, or work out the ferocious problems, STAT. If they don't, then I will begin the painful, and un-quick, process of moving my trunks.

Meanwhile, I can collect evidence! If you're having problems viewing this site,or commenting, or using it in any way— or, just as important, if everything seems just "normal" to you, I'd like to hear in your comments below.

Please note the kind of computer you use, your operating system, and the browser you prefer.

Also, if you happen to ALSO be a Typepad customer, let me know if you're having similar complaints. If this is just me, I am officially joining the Paranoia Club.

(Oh! And if you always had problems with seeing my blog, before May 20, then it's not this latest beta-mess that's affecting you. The quick solution to longer-standing problems would be, "update, and/or, change your browser." Typepad works best on up to date Firefox, then Safari, and then everything else).

I know many of us who've lived with computers and the Internet close to our lives, have endured some similar "sky is falling" scenarios. The other week, when Amazon shut down for a few hours, I thought, "This is the end; here comes the apocalypse." For many writers, our whole publishing career is centered on the Web, and when the system collapses, you can only wonder if you're supposed to wander out on the street with a wooden soapbox, and a piece of hand-scrawled foolscap!

Please know that I am paying attention, gathering evidence, and contacting everyone I can, to resolve this  nonsense. I have lots to write and say, and I miss having my "old reliable" to turn to!

Comments

[Lulu]

>> or, just as important, if everything seems just "normal" to you, I'd like to hear in your comments below.
>> Please note the kind of computer you use, your operating system, and the browser you prefer.

Everything's normal from my corner.
Macbook, OS X Tiger, Firefox 2
-- Lulu

[Patrick Keating]

Susie,

I switched to Firefox several years ago, and I have never had a problem viewing your blog. This computer uses Vista 64, and I just updated to Firefox 3

Regards,

Pat

[chris]

Well, you probably don’t need more email right now, but I just have to write. I’m venting. I have been offline for awhile, because I couldn’t get my crafts done. But I was looking over some blogs to get up to date and it suddenly struck me that they looked so much nicer than mine.

So I wrote to my friend Lisa, and said, "when I start my blog up again, should I go with Typepad?" Because Blogger blogs just don’t look quite as slick as Typepad blogs. And Lisa promptly replied and said, "NO! Something’s going on with Typepad! Stay with Blogger, and save yourself!"

So of course, I thought M. Night Shyamalon must have gotten hold of Typepad, and I stayed away.

But I recently finished up lunch, and I wanted to see what Susie thought of the recent events in matrimony, and I haven’t had the pleasure of reading you for a long while, so I zipped over there. And as soon as I booted your blog, everything froze.

Holy server!

As I was writing that last profound sentence, my hard drive started making a very strange humming noise, which was getting louder and louder, and I realized that I still had your site up, and I tried to close it, but it wouldn’t close, and then I realized that Typepad flying monkeys were pressuring my computer to shut down! So I shut it down.

Okay. This email is sounding really weird. I initially wanted to ask you what I could possibly do about my long-term lesbian relationship if my wife keeps saying she wants to get married and I don’t, because I think marriage is BS propagated by a misguided human need to hold on to the delusion that we won’t die alone and that we can belong to someone or whatever people who believe in marriage think.

But then I thought, Chris, this is a pretty heavy-handed question to ask Susie, even if she IS a brilliant thinker and a fine dancer. So I had thought your blog would offer me some advice that was non-invasive to you in your time of Typepad frustration.

Alas, it is not to be.

Somehow, I just wish gays and lesbians would just say, you know what? Marriage is stupid, and we aren’t playing. Keep your flowers, jewelry, catered parties, photographer’s fees, printed invitations, and divorces. But we’ll take the cake.

Okay, I’m going back to work now. I think my system has recovered. I hope yours will, too.

Chris

[chelsea g]

Susie,

I use Typepad as my blogging platform too and have had absolutely no problems with it this Spring. I also have no issues with your site on my various computers.

Kismet? Maybe. Or perhaps it's that our blogs are kinda twinsie-looking, and as much as I emulate you in many things, this particular superficial supplication was completely accidental.

kissykiss,
chelsea g.

[Andrea]

Hope your machine still works, Chris! That's a scary experience!

And from my end, all is well:

Titanium PowerBook G4 (Five years old - a Methuselah among laptops!)
Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.11)
Firefox 2.0.0.14

[Susan]

Well, I am so computer illiterate I've been using netscape just because I always did. Anyway, about three weeks ago I began having all sorts of problems with your bog,slow to load, not loading at all, crashing whenever I tried to click on a link, etc. (and also, I must admit problems with other sites, though not so severe as with yours). So I got smart and downloaded firefox, and have had no problems since, not even with your blog. Firefox seems to work for me. So far.

[Sue Katz]

The weird thing, Susie, is that while I've also found the new Typepad system incredibly annoying - I complained to them, for example, about the fact that their font size up&down doesn't work and I can't increase the font (they answered me like 10 days later saying basically, Oh? - and it took me a dozen tries to get my last blog to upload - I thought it was me) - but I can access my blog whereas trying to access yours crashes my system. In fact, I'm unable to read the blog about how Typepad is fucking up because it crashes.

On the other hand, The Best of the Best American Erotica is simply astounding!! Absolutely brilliant.

Your comrade,

Katz

[Susie Bright]

my guess is that Typepad is no longer compatible with Netscape, and barely, if at all, compatible with IE, especially on Macs. Firefox would be my first choice, followed by Safari, for success.

Meanwhile, I wanted to post about California gay marriage today, but the composing editor in Typepad is turning my entire post into 8 point Palatino fish food. I feel like someone just poured hot lava into my publishing blender.

I just tried something else, though. One new thing I installed in the past few weeks were a couple of Amazon ads... they're so easy and ubiquitous, I thought they wouldn't cause any trouble. But maybe their widget is incompatible with Typepad. I dont' know...

Let me knwo if it helps, that I've deleted them....

[TechnoMom]

I use Firefox, and your blog doesn't crash anything for me. It's always terribly slow, though--slower than similar pages on other servers.

If you decide to make a change, I strongly suggest using WordPress on your own site. You'd have a simpler URL and more control. It's very easy to run, there's lots of support available (including free installation if you need it), and it's very stable. Our family has been using WP for 3+ years with no problems.

[Diane]

No problem here, but now I'll try to look for some!

3-year-old Apple iBook, OSX (Tiger), Safari 3.1.1, Firefox 2 and Firefox 3.

[Steve]

I use firefox on a windows machine and have not recently had any problems with your blog.

[Josey Vogels]

No problems here. On Mac, OS X, Firefox

[Anarcissie]

I've been able to read your blog using Firefox and Safari on a Mac (OSX Tiger). Sometimes the pages take a long, long time to load, as when there is a movie on the page.

For some reason the input forms have very small fonts. Typepad should fix this -- it is a simple change.

[MikeC]

I haven't had problems reading your blog, and as a TypePad customer my blog has been fine. I hope it stays that way. I moved from Blogger when *their* (so-called) upgrade caused me so much grief, and I don't want to move again.

[driftglass]

it's so buggy and unpredictable, that I don't know from one day to the next whether I can post at all— or if my stories will appear as I composed them, instead of a barrage of gobbledy-gook.

Back when I was a kid we had a name for that.

We called it "Blogger" :-)

[LustyLioness]

I'm experiencing no problems on an HP desktop running Vista Home/Pro, (or what-the-hell-ever they call this one,) using a Firefox 3.whatever browser.

[Steven]

Works fine for me.

Linux 2.6.22.19-desktop-2mdv #1 SMP i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 1.80GHz GNU/Linux
Firefox 2.0.0.9, w/flashblock and Java disabled

[Carmen]

I'm using IE and Vista (ugh!), and I've had all sorts of problems getting your site to open. Usually it just sits there and won't open, but every once in a while it freezes the whole damn computer.

[Cowgirlgem]

I am so happy it is not just me :)

I just gor a new computer up and running from peices of old computers that my housemate built for me.
I don't know what kind it is other than it is pentium 3 and runs Windows XP.

I have been using Internet explorer (it is what my housemate installed) but I am now off to download firefox, which i prefur anyway.

I am so glad there is an easy fix for this, It has been months between posts for me and it was breaking my heart not being able to read your blog.

[Cindra]

Susie...

I haven't had any problems with your site since I switched to Firefox. Thank you for that suggestion, by the way. I'm on a Dell PC with Windows XP. I'm including a link to a friend's website in case it might help you with your Blog/Typepad problem: http://www.buildabetterblog.com/

Denise and Patsi are the best blog experts around. I think you should contact them and see if they have any suggestions or opinions about what you might do to solve your problem.

Good luck!

--Cindra--

[kat]

The ads along the sides would load, but not the actual blog. The whole thing would just freeze. The only way to close it was to do a hard ctrl+alt+delete. I stopped coming to your site for a few weeks until today when I said, 'Hey I should really try again"
Windows XP service pack 2. running I.E. 7.0.5730.11

So pleased to see you back,makes me realize I really need to send you some money.

[Cindra]

By the way, Susie...

I am loving the newest BAE. Even more wonderful than the stories, however, is your introduction. Your tribute to your father and your acknowledgment of your daughter's contribution...lovely, absolutely lovely. Thank you for sharing your heart so generously with us, your readers.

--Cindra--

[susie Bright]

Here is the official note from Typepad regarding what browsers they support, and how your Preferences need to be set:

http://support.typepad.com/cgi-bin/typepad.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=171&p_sid=w8bkeU5j&p_lva=1275#

My quickie version of this advice is: Get, or upgrade, to the latest version of Firefox, which is free"

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Then, make sure it is has:

JavaScript enabled
Pop-up windows unblocked (for sites you go to)
Accept Cookies enabled (again, this will be just for sites you go to).

They tell you how to do these things, if you're not familiar with them, in that first advice page I mentioned.

[Susie Bright]

Another news flash, found in the small print at the "Help" Center. It turns out that one of the widgets I was using, "ShareThis"-- that thing at the end of posts that allowed you to quickly email a post, or put it onto Delicious, Digg, etc-- is incompatible with Internet Explorer.

So I disabled it.

Let me know, you IE folks, if that is the culprit!

I still implore you to get Firefox, it's so smooth and easy and nice, you'll feel like someone rubbed your feet for an hour.

[Anastasia]

I had the blog coming up as a blank page a couple of days ago, and checked the status page for it to say that it was all right and that previous problems were fixed, but for hours afterward, my page was still blank, and I sent in a ticket, and they were quite good, looking into it and repairing whatever they had to repair within 24 hours. But I haven't been switched to the new system yet. I think they're going to have a new admin format in the back end. I didn't have any problems viewing overseas blogs, but everything from my end of the world felt like it caved in a couple of days ago. It was like Typepad forgot about other customers outside the US.

[Niko]

The Mercury Retrograde. ;) It's always gets funky when Mercury turns direct.

I use a program called MarsEdit on my mac. Instead of logging in and using the blog interface. It saves me time and can upload at any desired time.. There are other blog editors....

Safari
os 10.4.11

Love Niko

[TypePad Blogineer]

Hi Susie -- Just want to share that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes on TypePad, and they had a couple of pretty bad days, prompting this letter from the company's CEO:

http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2008/06/update-from-typ.html

If you're one of the TypePad advance users, you might also feel an extra pinch when they're launching new features for you ahead of other TypePad users.

[Mary Branscombe]

Vista Ultimate 32-bit and IE 7, no problem at all with your blog.

@Chris. Marriage is what it means to you: doesn't have to be government or religion or fashion dictating, if you want to celebrate your committments. A wedding doesn't have to be fancy, expensive or traditional to be meangingful.

[elf]

I'm using Firefox 3.0 on WinXP, and when I load your blog page, I get an error console from Adobe Flash Player 9 that says: "Error #2044: Unhandled IOErrorEvent:. text=Error #2035: URL Not Found."

[Juan]

I have used wordpress for about a year and it works really great. I saw one of the features on wordpress is that they will transfer a site for you. So it would transfer this whole site to your new site for you. Just an idea. I've used blogger and wordpress for a long time and like them both. They were the only two I liked, and I think I've tried them all!

I like your writing style, Susie. I found out about your site in a book called The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus.