Requiem for the Daily Post

29 Replies

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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 entry was posted in Uncategorized on by .

About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

29 thoughts on “Requiem for the Daily Post”

  1. gc

    A wonderfully reflective post Judy.

    I think the master minds guiding the team at Word President has totally decimated the notions of community, freedom of thought and expression and of course as you have alluded to common decency.

    The creative process is not a single action like an amoeba undergoing cellular division. It is a social activity because we all hope that someone out there will read and like our efforts.

    But Word Press’s current action is inexcusable. Their hidden motives might be monetary.

    If they were getting bored from offering the Daily Prompt why not ask users to volunteer to handle the task on weekly or monthly basis.

    No. They decided to pull the pin and end this creative experience for us all.

    There is nothing really to be reflective on except the callous attitude the WP gurus have taken.

    Good bye. Good luck. God bless.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      Thanks, gc. Funny how when you come into contact with thinking, feeling individuals you come to feel the corporation they work for is also thinking and feeling. Not true, it would seem. The whole is less than the parts.

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Marilyn Armstrong

    I was sure they were going to dump all of it this time. They tried before, they gave in, but I was sure they would not this time. They’ve decided to make a run for the multi-billion dollar market and we aren’t their “kind of audience.” I don’t think they will find the audience they want and will wind up a shell of what they are but they have made their choices. I don’t think they gave any of us a minute’s thought and didn’t expect they would. But I tried, because everyone was trying, so I did too. But remember I was hear for the last try at keeping them. I’m sure they never expected the single word prompts to be as successful as they were. They really don’t want us. They have shown for quite a long time that we are the people they want least.

    I will stick with this as long as I can, but I’m not terribly optimistic. Behind these marketing changes lie others we will like even less.

    But remember, you’re on my email list, so every time you send something, I see it and I read it and when I have something to say, I also respond. I’m not leaving!

    Liked by 2 people

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  5. Marilyn Armstrong

    Note that their “hidden” motives are not even a little bit hidden. They want to make more money. NEVER assume that a corporation has anything in their corporate brain beyond the bottom line. It’s ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      Marilyn, suddenly I cannot figure out how to find our yesterday posts about the daily prompt that we posted to The Forum. I was wondering if we could all post our retrospective thoughts there today, but I can’t find it!! Can you offer any wisdom about how to locate it?

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  6. Covert Novelist

    I agree the bottom line is the almighty $. If it weren’t, they would have reconsidered this decision. Since the “community” that has been paying for this site isn’t worth a dime! it’s obvious that the reasoning behind this (since let’s face it) it really doesn’t cost or take a great deal of their time to add a word of the day. The only problems have occurred when they “fiddled” with the back end deciding to “change” and “fix” what wasn’t broken. 279,000 people read wp. I intend to steal their thunder as soon as I can get “Our Daily Post” since it will be run by US (meaning any and all that wish to become involved) or write there (oh and I’m looking for other admins – I know a couple that are in – and suggestions. Certainly won’t be able to accommodate all of them but will certainly give it a go.

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      Many of us pay for our blogs and it still hasn’t made a difference. I cannot figure out why it is a problem..there must be something they hope to shift us to or some larger edifice they hope to build on the tenement rubble of the Daily Post.

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      1. Covert Novelist

        I’m pretty sure it’s the almighty $ at work. If they’d left it alone and stopped “breaking” it, they wouldn’t have had any issues. 279 k pple is nothing to sneeze at in my opinion. I’m assuming there are both political aspects and financial considerations – they want to be in league with the big boys. They can’t and won’t. It’s too late for that! This is a special genre. Unique to writers! bloggers, who have something valuable to say and share. You don’t find this kind of “real” people too many places.

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  7. Embeecee

    Thanks for the nod to Curious Steph and her proposal. Me? I’ll be watching to see who else (besides gc dammit) jumps ship. I come here to read and be informed by people of like mind; to laugh at the funny ones; to sympathize with my own little cadre of people with unnamed chronic illness and to write. Now it’s all crashing down it seems. Thank YOU for posting this lovely tribute to a once interesting idea…the Daily.

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      Thanks, embeecee. We’ll keep seeing each other on the Reader, but with so many bloggers, hard to find new ones to follow unless there is someplace for those with common interests to easily see each other’s work.

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  9. paeansunplugged

    So well said!
    I do hope Judy that someone is reading what we are writing. Perhaps our number is too small for them to bother about us.
    But without the daily prompt life on WordPress will not be the same.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      I think it is a done deal. They aren’t interested in our comments, obviously. Too bad. A number of people have started up prompt sites. Most of them have posted on my website or on the Forum. See you there.

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. spiritofdragonflies

    Thank you for sharing. I have been at a loss as to what happened myself. If you set up a new site please include me as well. I have met so many wonderful people on here from all over the world and it has been a fabulous journey. Love and Light!

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