Raise your hand if you’re tired of hearing Bossy talk about her blog’s recent redesign. Now put your hands down because Bossy is not talking about her redesign, she’s typing about it.
You see, when Bossy changed her redesign, she also switched her blog’s host from TypePad to WordPress. This means Bossy had to transfer three years of post archives to their new home and upload one bazillion Bazilian post photos to Flickr.
As you all know, Bossy loves change. She loves change as much as finding out that all of her post URLs were altered when she switched to WordPress, which means she lost three years of incoming links.
And since Bossy loves change as much as watching her blog’s impressive Internet rank fall through a hole in the sub-floor, she was slightly reticent to give up her TypePad account because she had an established name with them.
But then Bossy found out that the only thing worse than inadvertently changing all of your post URLs is having two blog accounts at the same time because your traffic is being diverted to two different locations:
So Bossy had to kill her old blog account, but first she had to figure out how to do it:
Canceling her account remained a scary prospect since TypePad likes to issue many warnings along the lines of Do You Realize That Deleting Your Blog Will Result In A Deleted Blog? In fact it was so scary that after Bossy drank all the gin from the cat bowl, she captured the following screen shot to document the exact time her old blog was terminated:
And then Bossy checked the little box that agreed to the terms of her cancellation, and she hovered the arrow over the Cancel Paid Membership button and she thought about her happy years with TypePad and all the blues songs she wrote for them, and she shed a tear and then she clicked her mouse and. What’s this?
MomZombie says
December 22, 2008 at 12:33 pmI feel your pain. I switched from a WordPress blog to my own domain while keeping the WordPress platform in October and watched my paltry traffic and rankings flatline for almost a month. Much was messed up and still isn’t fixed although WordPress assured me the transition would be seamless. I wish I had some great solutions for you; all I can offer is sympathy. BTW I loves your blog!
Catherine McP says
December 22, 2008 at 12:34 pmMan, now I know why I just read other peoples blogs!
Lesley says
December 22, 2008 at 12:39 pmWho knew all the complications (and danger!) that went into such a switch. I’m currently on Typepad and, apparently, will never, ever leave it. Which I didn’t realize until I read this valuable lesson in blogging.
Erin says
December 22, 2008 at 1:03 pmI feel your pain too. I switched from WordPress to Blogger this year and lost a ton of links and traffic, even though my domain stayed the same.
The good news is that your redesign looks fabulous, and eventually everything will right itself. Also, WordPress is great (I often think of it wistfully), so hopefully you won’t have to move again.
Dee says
December 22, 2008 at 1:56 pmMove back ….
corrie says
December 22, 2008 at 2:18 pmBossy is stuck in Who-ville… verry Christmassy! (or Grinchy, depending on which side of the URL you’re on)
joeinvegas says
December 22, 2008 at 2:18 pmWell, we will keep coming back. Maybe you should just stop looking at the stats and start having fun?
HeyJoe says
December 22, 2008 at 2:19 pmAs a Typepad user, I’m hurt that y ou chose to abandon us for WordPress. I’m going to need some time to sort through my feelings.
Kelly at The Glass Dragonfly says
December 22, 2008 at 2:25 pmHere. Have a glass of wine and take a deep breath. It won’t solve a thing, but may slow the development of gray hairs.
Reeb says
December 22, 2008 at 3:45 pmI’ve been away from computer-land for over a week, and I’m so happy to be back in Bossyville that I just read every single word on all those screen saves. Well that’s hyperbole but I’m glad to be back, and thank you Bossy for going through hell and back to stay connected.
And now to backtrack to see what’s been happening. Apparently you survived the cleanse.
I think the wine idea is a good one. Have a glass (or more) on me.
Crabby McSlacker says
December 22, 2008 at 3:50 pmI am always impressed by you typepad and wordpress folks. I am on Blogger, part of the Evil Google Empire. It’s sort of like riding a trike when all the cool kids have ten speeds.
But it was free and relatively easy and I’m too cheap to pay for my own hosting. And after reading of Bossy’s adventures? Way too scary to ever think of switching.
operagal says
December 22, 2008 at 3:59 pmI’m a web developer by day. Welcome to my world.
😉
OperaGal
Knittergran says
December 22, 2008 at 4:06 pmOMG!!! That whole post must have been in a foreign language, and it wasn’t French, the only second language I have even a tiny possibility of understanding.
I will NEVER try to move my blog.
rb says
December 22, 2008 at 4:37 pmIt’s sad all that work went into your redesign, because the new format is not very good. I’m sorry to be critical. I love the CONTENT of your blog, but having to click to read the post is cumbersome, and it’s not easy to read yesterday’s post because the “Check Out The Latest Posts” bit never shows anything on my screen. It’s just not all that comfortable for a reader to use. I’m sorry!
Kathy says
December 22, 2008 at 4:56 pmI switched from wordpress (my own domain and a shared server) back to blogspot over a year ago, and I still haven’t recovered traffic-wise. (Plus, my old service keeps sending me emails saying I owe them $18, which I don’t.) It’s pain. I wish I could say one provider is better than another, but they all have problems and moving files over isn’t fun.
clickmom says
December 22, 2008 at 5:00 pmI am 1,389 posts deep into typepad and I the only way I am ever leaving is if someone does it for me and there will have be a big money incentive attached too. I’d probably make that person print every single post before messing with it- just in case, because I still don’t completely trust something I can’t hold in my hand.
Oh yeah, I totally agree with rb. Thumbs down to your new format.
Rory says
December 22, 2008 at 5:30 pmI switched to WordPress a couple of months ago and LOVE it. Hopefully you will too, once you get everything straightened out.
Bossy\'s Friend Martha\'s Sister says
December 22, 2008 at 6:29 pmwas that a maxi or a mini typePAD???
Mr Farty says
December 22, 2008 at 6:39 pmBlah blah trackback blah blah stats blah blah typepad blah.
Has BOSSY broken the internets or what? I need some wine.
Dara says
December 22, 2008 at 6:39 pmI hate to complain….but. I kinda miss the old site. You see, I cannot ever get the current post, for whatever reason, I am 2 days behind. When I click the home page it says, “sorry, page not found” and then there’s a search section. I hate having to navigate through all that, and sometimes I don’t which makes me sad, cause I loves me some Bossy. And, to make matters worse, I can’t drink!!!
Life with Kaishon says
December 22, 2008 at 7:30 pmThis seems like a lot of work! I am WAY impressed : )
Chesapeake Bay Woman says
December 22, 2008 at 7:31 pmOh Holy Hell PM can be temporarily disabled at Wine O’clock or Gin Thirty. But it will return in another 12 hours. Or 24. And 24?
Perhaps Type Pad or What’s-Its-Press (either of whom could benefit from the free advertising) has a nice employee technical guru/boyfriend that Bossy can take a shining to, and he can personally come to Bossy’s house and fix everything where “everything” equals “everything except Bossy’s grey hairs, which Italian New York Hairdresser Boyfriend and only Italian New York Boyfriend must attend to.”
Ree (the other one) says
December 22, 2008 at 8:46 pmI will always remember Bossy’s typepad account fondly.
Dorothy Stahlnecker says
December 22, 2008 at 9:52 pmWe had the same thing happen with grammology and I lost so many subscriptions I never got back..it sucks…however, we are strong and we will survive…and I’ll be back…..
I love your stuff…Chickie..don’t change..
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
so NOT cool says
December 22, 2008 at 10:08 pmI have considered the move from Typepad to WordPress, and I’ve also considered switching my url host from HostUltra to … ??? where ??? = beats the hell out of me.
Kay Bryan says
December 22, 2008 at 10:47 pmI HATE the redesign, but I LOVE your blog!
Laura says
December 22, 2008 at 10:58 pmI’m scared. Hold me.
Cat says
December 22, 2008 at 11:47 pmI just changed from one Blogger URL to another, and it has been a total pain. It’s been similar to moving from one part of Atlanta to another, so I imagine moving from TypePad to WordPress would be like moving from New York to California.
Little Miss Sunshine State says
December 22, 2008 at 11:55 pmI can’t comprehend because the fraud department of my bank just called to tell me there were $500 in unauthorized charges on my account tonight………………….Gaaahhhhhh!
When you were on the signpost you should have waited for Dorothy to come along and take you to see the Wizard Of Blog.
ErinH says
December 22, 2008 at 11:56 pmWhen you first started asking questions about your re-design, and eveyrone was complaining about the extra click to continue reading post, I really laughed. Come on, it’s one click! I thought. But, it’s more than that. It’s a lot more awkward to get around here these days. Pages of blank white, scrolling down down down to find what’s written. Still wonderful content…but only if you can find it.
mama kat says
December 23, 2008 at 12:24 amThis is my first time to your page. I have been referred to you before, but I don’t like to “meet” bloggers who might be funnier than me. Alas. Here you are. Quite funny indeed. And yet…I like you.
And I feel your pain…my heart beat a little faster as I read this because the thought of losing years of posts and links and rankings has me drinking a little heavier this evening.
Here’s hoping it all works out for you.
Cheers.
Sparx says
December 23, 2008 at 9:42 amRuh roh… good luck! I have tinkered with leaving the contraints of dear old blogger but I am afraid of technology. Plus that ‘are you sure you want to delete your life’s work?’ thing would probably cause me to lose conciousness.
Much as I hate technology, I love the redesign so nyah-nyah to the nay sayers.
Mwah, darling, mwah.
The Domestic Goddess says
December 23, 2008 at 9:47 amOh dear. But we’re still reading…
Reeb says
December 23, 2008 at 2:32 pmAm rereading the comments, including #14 (rb, no relation) et al with their specific critiques about the site and “click to read.” I suspect that rb has a different viewing __insert-computer-word-here___ which makes it tougher to view.
Just wanted to note that, while I bitched and moaned about that click thing, I’ve gotten so acclimated to it that now I go FIRST and click it, then do something else while it loads, then read. No wait, I cut straight to the chase and click “COMMENTS” and then the whole shootin’-match comes up in one fell swoop. So easy.
Just, dear Bossy, so you know that one of your curmudgeons has come around. I even refer to the much-maligned-by-me orange numbers!
steph says
December 24, 2008 at 12:14 pmKnow what would perk up them hit counts? A new family tree album post, that’s what. Love you and the site. Just had to get used to the new foyer.
Cheri @ Blog This Mom! says
December 27, 2008 at 12:29 pmDear Blogspot,
We’ll be together 4ever.
Love, Blog This Mom!