Has anyone noticed that although the final WordPress Daily Prompt word, ever, is “retrospective,” that the word given on the link URL is “afterthought?”  Did they determine a final prompt word of “afterthought,” then have afterthoughts and change it to “retrospective?” And if so, why?  In considering, in retrospect, the many years of Daily Post responses, did they decide that our responses were not of sufficient value to continue the endeavor?  Was it too much work to continue to post a word a day and give us a place to view each other’s responses?  Is this site in competition with another they hope to deflect our interest to?  Was the flood of protest on the forum totally overlooked?  Does anyone at WordPress ever even read the forum, or in fact, have they ever read our posts on The Daily Post?

This is the second time in my ten years or so of dealing with social sites that I have become totally disillusioned with a site that I had considered to be both different and fun and a cut above much of what I find on the internet. The first time was when OkCupid sold out to Match.Com, who quickly abolished the journals, the awards, the survey sites, the creative surveys made by members, and finally the forum. It has become simply another commercially-driven match-up site. No longer is it a place for fun and creative interchange whose additional value was that one could potentially meet someone that might become a partner as well. 

It seems to me that this is exactly what WordPress is doing.  I will await the announcement that it has been sold to Facebook or Microsoft or Match.com or any of the other huge conglomerates who exist to turn our thoughts and dreams and senses of humor and wishes to make some sort of of real human contact into another commercial endeavor calculated to make the most amount of money with the least amount of heart.

I have always been impressed by what used to be called the WordPress “happiness engineers” who made contact when my WordPress help button on my favorites bar was pushed.  Perhaps they are still there, lost in the flood of changes which have started and will probably continue, washing away my old illusions of WordPress being an organization that really cared about what I will now think of as their “customers.” Since the beginning of my blog, I have felt a part of a larger community.  Now it would seem that the “leaders” of that community have left the building, along with the daily prompt.

It is a small irony that our last prompt word of “retrospective” rhymes beautifully with both “reflective” and “defective.”  Would that it had been elective.

If there had been an afterthought
about the change WordPress has wrought
by saying that our prompt will not
be a thing that can be got–
either by free means or by bought,
perhaps we would not all be caught
here with throats all in a knot,
with no more place where we can jot
all the words that we once thought
would be a means where we’d be taught—
where thirsty minds could draw a draught
and newcomers given a shot 
at adding to the communal pot.
But now, I fear, our dreams are fraught
with the sadness of our present lot.
R.I.P., Daily Post.  once fresh and hot.
Dead, buried, left to rot!!!!!!!

Please continue to make an issue of the demise of the daily prompt on the forum. Perhaps someone will notice. Perhaps they will listen. Perhaps WordPress has not decided to turn its back on those foolish few of us who sought communion in our communications. In the meantime, Curious steph is starting up a prompt site.  Follow her ***** HERE *****to stay in the loop for instructions about how to join.

The final prompt, it seems, for WordPress is retrospective.

This is the best and most persuasive argument for WordPress continuing the Daily Prompt that I have seen. I want to thank Tracy at Reflections of an Untidy Mind for caring enough to take the time to write it.