Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Yep . . . I Lost All My Subscribers

Well hello again, dear friends!  We've quietly slipped into the crazy busy, wonderful, celebratory month of June. I'm hanging on to my hat as the days unfold.

You, too?

Last time we talked in If This Blog Disappears, I shared my somewhat concerning subscriber dilemma and you quickly gathered 'round with all kinds of empathy and stories, information and referrals. 

Michele Morin said it best - 'Felt my stomach clench as I read.  We definitely are singing out of the same hymnal on this, and the only way I can keep blogging and not blow something up is to keep hands off the guts.'

Within a few hours, Pam Richardson highly recommended an affordable designer who specialized in working with Blogger.  And My Fairy Blogmother {really!} responded to my SOS so quickly that it made my head spin.  We rolled up our sleeves and began.




My first job was to head over to Feedburner where my sacred list of subscribers was stored, pull up the information, and send it her way.

Easy, right?

Not for me.

I had never ventured into the innards of Feedburner before ... and you guessed it, in the process of gingerly attempting what should have been simple, my nightmare came true.

I  .  LOST  .  ALL  .  MY  .  SUBSCRIBERS.

Every single one.  And we soon realized that there was no going back.

But the most beautiful thing happened and I kid you not.  After a few numbing minutes as I realized what I had done and all that I had lost, there was no panic, no crazymaking wringing of hands.  

The Lord surrounded me with an amazing, all encompassing blanket of sweet peace.  Once again I released all my valued, precious subscribers up to Him and in return He smiled, gave me an extra hug, and whispered, 'all will be well.'

And it is.

But I want you back, friends.  Right now I have 5 subscribers.  Come back to me please! 

1.  Hit subscribe right here.  

2.  Click on the blue rectangular button.

3.  Give me your email and first name.

4.  Hit subscribe.  That's it.  

 

My Fairy Blogmother has crafted this way too easy sign-up process so beautifully.  Linda was patient with me even as she kept the process moving forward, and while she expertly tinkered with the innards, I hunted up my favorite photo and created a very simple design on the fly.

Check out the cool Post Index she put up ... you can easily access every title or topic since 2015.  I've never seen this feature before and I love it!  And I finally have decent share buttons that you can actually see.  Amen.

I'm so grateful at the way the Lord orchestrated all the moving parts together again.  I still have some tweaking to go, colors and fonts and stuff, but I'm up and running.

Did I say I want you back?

Please don't miss a single post.  Go here right now whether you're a long time reader or a brand new friend.  Please spread the word.

And thank you for grace.

Linda

'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.'
John 14:27

*

sharing my dilemma with
Richella  .  Lisa  .  Jeanne

*

On the Porch #20  >>

54 comments:

  1. I've subscribed, Linda! What a remarkable computer-whiz friend you have. If only I get that lucky down the road.
    Blessings!

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    1. Thanks for letting me know you're in, Martha! I hope you guys are doing well today ...

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  2. Yep, I've subscribed too!! And BTW... I'm on the Cape for a few weeks; yay! Missed this place so much! So good to be here Allison 🥰🤗❤️

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    1. You couldn't have picked a more perfect week, Allison! Enjoy every minute ...

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  3. I can't even imagine the heartache when you realized what had happened! I'm so glad God gave you His peace and a techie friend (clearly not me!) as His hands to guide you. May your new blog be even more beautiful, loving and populated!

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  4. I get your posts via Feedly. I’m still here!

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    1. Good news! So if you subscribe to Feedly or another reader you don't have to resubscribe, yes?

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  5. I just resubscribed my email but you were on my Feedly account, so I wouldn’t have lost you completely.

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  6. I'm so sorry, Linda. I resubscribed. :) I wouldn't want to miss your posts and the warm and welcoming atmosphere you create here. I've been praying for you since I read your email. I believe God will draw people in again. :) I've been hearing about Feedly lately. I'll have to check into that more and see how that works. Love and blessings to you!

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    1. I'm with you, Trudy. More than ever I appreciate that whatever we do, it's God that's in charge. And our best prayers are, 'Thy will be done.'

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  7. Love your top of page pic....so YOU!

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    1. ;-}

      That wonderful old building in the back of the gardens @ the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park! One of my favorite snapshots ever.

      I'm trying to track down what it was used for. If you find out, let me know!

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    2. Ok. Need to go there soon for the chill factor

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  8. Awww, Linda. I am so sorry you lost all your subscribers! But, I love how God has shown up in the middle of this mess and given you perspective. I have subscribed, and I hope all your subscribers and lots of new ones resubscribe to your wonderful blog!

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    1. Jeanne, thanks for all your support in the middle of this unexpected, frustrating transition! You are a sweetheart ... and I'm looking forward to your online return.

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  9. What a gracious, attentive God we have--to wrap you in his peace in those moments that could have been depressing and SO frustrating. Such an encouragement to the rest of us. I too have resubscribed, Linda!

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    1. Gracious and attentive, yes, Nancy! I'm so grateful He cares about all the little details of our lives ... nothing escapes His attention.

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  10. Oh, my heart skipped a beat when I saw your title! :( I'm sorry you lost your subscribers! But I am thrilled to know you are at peace about it. That inspires me. I love your new photo, and I love the index page.

    I haven't missed a beat with your blog. I subscribe to it through Feedly instead of email, and nothing changed there! It has continued to show up as normal this whole time.

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    1. Thanks for the reassurances, Lisa, today and in the last few weeks! You're more than a few steps ahead of me with Mailchimp, so I'm sure I'll be sending you an SOS sometime in the future.

      Imagine my surprise to see this post show up in the middle of the night via Feedburner! Yikes. Never a dull moment.

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  11. I'm not sure what happened, but I still got your blog post today, so I think all is well on this end! I switched to mailchimp several years ago and use it for both of my blogs now, and I am very satisfied with it. I hope you get it all figured out, sweet friend. Sending hugs your way!

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    1. For some reason, Feedburner seems to have sprung back to life after all my information and subscribers vanished. I need to look into this.

      * sigh *

      Meanwhile, please re-subscribe, since Feedburner won't be up and running at full capacity in the days to come.

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  12. I subscribed. I’m happy you accepted the Lord’s peace. Gail

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    1. Yes, His peace is always being offered gently, firmly, lovingly. Why do we persist in running in the opposite direction?

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  13. Changing up things can be heart-flipping! But God's peace is always there for us! You are still showing up in my email box which is great!

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    1. Heart-flipping, yes! An apt description, Lynn.

      Meanwhile, please re-subscribe since Feedburner is not going to be operating at full speed beginning next month and I'm saying farewell to their service.

      Delete
  14. Just did it Linda. Hope it worked. Mercy! Always something going on in blogland isn't there? I see why more and more people are forming private group settings on their fb page to blog now? I hope the rest of the week will be great for you dear Linda. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Mercy!

      For sure, Cindy!

      I've thought of transitioning to a newsletter format instead of a blog, but that would eliminate the conversations we have here which are always the best part of any post.

      We forge ahead.

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  15. Oh, dear! What an adventure! I'm so thankful you have so much support to fix and forge ahead with your much appreciated blog! I know you have more than 5 subscribers now, lol :) Blessings!

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    1. June, hi! I love your new space on WordPress ... I have a feeling I'm going to be connecting with you at some point to learn all about your move.

      Big changes can be kinda scary! Aren't you glad these are His blogs and not ours?

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  16. Oh my goodness, loss of data of any kind feels awful! I received notice of your most recent post in my email but I subscribed again just in case. So glad you found the fairy blogmother!The brick wall and green door on your homepage says it all regarding your recent technical crisis! I'm happy you found some tech support.

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    1. Kathreen, hi! Thanks for taking the time to sign up again. For some reason, Feedburner seems to have found my lost list and long time readers got two copies of this post. I'm sticking with my new friend, Mailchimp and trusting all the little details will be resolved.

      ;-}

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  17. Aw, Linda … I’m so sorry that you lost all your subscribers but what a wonderful thing to experience God’s peace in the aftermath instead of any number of other emotions! I signed back up the moment I read your email, and I trust that many others have as well. Here’s to happier blogging in the days to come!

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    1. Happier blogging = no tech problems, just good conversation.

      Yes!

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  18. Linda is seriously awesome. She did my blog banner and Mailchimp conversion. I'm happy to sign up -- I don't think I had before so you you have a BRAND new subscriber!

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    1. I'm glad you're here, Jeanie! Yay! And yes, I am so grateful that 'Fairy Blogmother' so quickly arrived on the scene to take care of business.

      ;-}

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  19. I am so sorry for all the technical difficulties, Linda. I did subscribe once again as your posts have been a blessing!

    * via email

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  20. I lost mine once, too, early in my blogging career. I never got back the number but I believe those who signed up afterwards were the ones who were really reading. But technical issues are my worst nightmare. Praying for you, sweet friend!

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    1. Donna, yes, yes to this --> 'I believe those who signed up afterwards were the ones who were really reading.'

      No truer words were spoken. That's exactly how I feel. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one!

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  21. Thanks for the shout out Linda. I appreciate it so much. I was happy to convert you over, since Feedburner is going away soon.I am so glad you love the post index. Enjoy. Glad to see your faithful readers are re-subscribing.

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  22. I am so sorry this happened to you! I"m afraid I would freak! But I subscribed. And I'm not sure I had before. So there's that!

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    1. Well I'm so glad you did! You made my night, Lauren.

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  23. Subscribed! I lost mine at a time when I had ‘just happened’ to have downloaded the list a few days before. Praise God. He has been good to you with this fairy godmother.

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    1. Don't you just loved those 'just happened' moments, Sarah?!

      God cares.

      And I'm glad you're here.

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  24. I'm sorry you lost your subscribers, Linda, but I'm so glad you are at peace and have several people helping you with the techy side of blogging. The index is amazing!

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    1. I know, don't you just love it?! What fun to have a new feature that helps readers find what they might be searching for.

      Superb!

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  25. Hi. I hadn’t been a subscriber but your mishap was the perfect nudge to hit subscribe- looking forward to it!

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    1. Well, I'm just so happy you're here ... I hope you find it a safe, encouraging little community! Thanks for jumping right in and leaving a comment. You're very adventurous ... and I look forward to you sharing your insights in the days ahead.

      Grateful.

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