Recently, I started using a colored template for my newsletters. Some people love them. Others not so much.
I’m relieved when the feedback is good. When people complain, I feel bad but my hands are tied to some extent.
For one thing, there are all kinds of devices in use out there… and eyes too, for that matter. What you see may not be what the other person sees.
I don’t like the new editor. I have complained bitterly; damned near screamed bloody murder about it, behind the scenes. I have raged. But you know what? It’s going forward anyway.
I want flesh this out because it’s important…
A few months ago, Snapchat rolled out an update. Everyone hated it. I was using the utility at the time, to look in on my college-age son and his friends. People screamed about it. Snapchat did not respond and I watched the use of the utility drop by 80% in a week.
I’m not sure why Snapchat did not listen to their customers but I suspect they needed to increase clicks for cash in order to remain viable / profitable. In whatever case – FAIL. The utility has been abandoned.
Now WordPress, who has nearly 100 million users, is launching a new editor. The screenshot above shows you what people think of it. You can scan the comments here: Gutenberg reviews.
Pay close attention to how the team responds to the 1-star reviews. You can see how this it’s going. I’ve already fought this fight with Aweber (host of my newsletter). They will not relent, Eventually, we’re all going to have to deal with this. It’s like Windows 10. No one wanted that, either.
I just want to let you know what content creators are having to deal with. One day, Satori is going to sign on to write her forecast and find these little insane blocks she’s supposed to write inside. Let me tell you, the learning curve is steep and people who write hate it. Will she quit?
I just want to let you know what I’m dealing with on the back-end. It’s like having to restore you computer. This took five or ten minutes with Windows 7. It takes 1-3 hours with Windows 10 and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
I’ll tell you what. If you like original, independent content like you find on this blog and in my newsletter, I’d find a way to support it. Because maintaining a site like this have become really, really, really hard.
How are you faring with technological advances?
I’m not extremeluy exposed to technology, but the little I work with, I hate some of the things that have been modified (Illustrator). You wonder WTF the tech guys were thinking about when they turn something practical into something that doesn’t work well & is counterproductive.
The anger is that you just have to put up with this stuff, can’t do much about it.
I had an idea recently: do you think there are some incredibly rich people who can have custom-made computer systems, built to their own quirks & specifications? Like tailored underwear?
I like the color on the news letter. I can read it easier on my phone. It pops now. It is so much easier to read! Other changes out there….I dread it. I have to keep learning something new every 10 minutes just to communicate with my family. I think to myself sometimes how much easier just to use that phone on the kitchen wall….
The only thing good about any of it to me is it is keeping my brain alive. If I am going to exercise my body, might as well do the brain every day too. Still, its aggravating and there are times if it weren’t for communicating with my family.
Im really sorry you’re having such a hard time with it. I do have problems with some of the colors but its because I dont see as well at 50 as I did at 20. Not your problem tho and I will still enjoy the content. I am unable to suppoet you financially tho as I am unable to support myself finacially either. It would make me very happy to pay for your wise words and wise direction, hopefully I will be able to help in the future.
One thing that people may not realize is they can adjust the view of things on their end. You can enlarge the font, for example. I have my browser set to 110% for example.
I love the look. The font is small and its a good reminder that we can change the size of the fonts. But my challenge with my older eyes is the print seems too light.
If there was a way to make it darker. Dont know if embolding it can be done…
I have had enough people ask this, I will call them today and ask for advice.
But I’m telling you that things look different on different devices. This is what I see (on all devices)
https://www.elsaelsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/newlsetter.jpg
That font is pretty heavy, it seems to me.
Oh. It must be my device then…
I have enlarged the font on the next two letters. Will see what people say.
It’s not technology at all. It’s the corporate way: minimize expense, max out profits. And now mostly controlled by various bobblehead types (i.e. the yes people) often in marketing/accounting and almost always disconnected from the actual user and customer. Whether it’s service, you know the ones from the other side of the world and frequently know far less about it than the user. Product development is designed not for the end users, but for the corporate system (none of whom have to use the product)and a lot of that is tracking and using customer meta data. Or it’s product packaging, which is designed for production, packaging and transportation and most certainly not for the person that has to open the package or dispose of the packaging. None of these people are listening to the user/customer because they already have figured out what the corporation is going to offer the customer and not what the customer wants or needs. Or all the media services that have so many plans of what they decide they will offer you, instead of what you want to watch and when you want to watch it. And frequently, these are all monopolies with little to no competition, so they can do what ever they want, not what the user would like.
Luckily there are exceptions to this, where some corporations are succeeding BECAUSE they listen to customers. But there aren’t too many of them.
Makes sense. Thank you.
came here to write this. well said laughing crow.
Well said & right on point. Thx
Bingo. Finally someone else I see gets it.
And the company ends up suffering eventually. It loses profits. The CEO gets fired with a golden parachute and the workers lose their jobs. The investors go elsewhere.
I don’t think it’s age related due to all of my Mercury placements but every new thing at work I hate. They have changed the road in my community, hate it. Every new thing slows me down or encumbers me someway. A workaround has to be employed in each case.
We are changing to new software at work, it is official. This change will be the equivalent of taking Adobe Photoshop away from someone and giving them Microsoft Paint to do the same job in the same amount of time. This is happening because people were too lazy to learn the software we use. They have 18 months of work experience I have 38 years experience and I’m an idiot. No clue what I’m talking about. My co-workers that have to use the software are idiots too.
I think that’s a part of the corporate ‘strategy,’ implemented by the ignorant management types. I watched this in my own places of work and heard it from others. Intensive, long term on-the-job training evolved into shorter and shorter time frames until it stopped altogether. People with experience and training were replaced with with either low-paid, untrained workers, or highly paid friends and relatives. I recall seeing a joke about this – ‘last week I couldn’t spell manager, now I are one.’
A local experienced film photographer who did product photography for several local firms was eventually replaced by secretaries that were given a cheap digital camera… No experience necessary.
I really like the new color in your newsletter, Elsa! Sorry it’s such a pain for you as the writer, though…
The digital age does have a steep learning curve–I’m not sure I can learn fast enough to keep up. But this has happened before. For example, I’ve been thinking for a while now about the people who had to become expert telegraph operators, and then poof, overnight, their hard won skills were obsolete . Or really fine obstetricians who were trained to use forceps (a good tool sometimes, but dangerous in clumsy hands). No one is there to do the training anymore. I do not have a wise suggestion, other than : it never goes well when change is resisted, look at the Luddites or the Know Nothing Party. Maybe Alexander Pope? ‘be not the first by whom the new is tried/Nor yet the last to set the old aside’
I love the newsletters with the colors! It really accents what you’re saying. Its hard when software companies like WordPress change the user interface that you use to update the site. They don’t seem to care that their changes are counterproductive for their users.
I always look forward to the Newsletter!! The only time I have a hard time reading it is when the font is in white (unless it is also Bold). Thank you for your hard work – and for bringing awareness to us about the b.s. you have to endure “behind the scenes.” I think Technology has a way of slowing us down regardless of our intellect and/or our age.
Thanks. I am done with the white font but other things crop up.
For example, I have a template now. I copy it and fill in the ugggggh, blocks. Come to fine out, two months after the fact, that people who get the letter in “plain text” are getting the letter from two months ago… over and over and over again.
This is the kind of thing I can’t know. I would never think of something like this in a million years. I had to get on the phone with the puzzle to figure out how it was happening. It’s maddening.
Makes you think whether many of the good reviews are actually planted, as it’s so extreme. Not looking forward to it if they make it compulsory, just renewed on 2 websites so it will be a while before I can switch. What a pain. I agree with the Illustrator comment too, it’s like they have to be seen to be improving things like its actually progress. Premier Pro had an upgrade this year that literally wiped all your content when you closed the program, people were in tears online, hours of work just disappeared. They seem to have fixed it now but why make professionals look like idiots, part of the problem is that it’s faceless. You are yelling into a curtained void. When you’re on the other side it’s all about moderating and controlling feedback.
Makes you think whether many of the good reviews are actually planted, as it’s so extreme. Not looking forward to it if they make it compulsory, just renewed on 2 websites so it will be a while before I can switch. What a pain. I agree with the Illustrator comment too, it’s like they have to be seen to be improving things like its actually progress. Premiere Pro had an upgrade this year that literally wiped all your content when you closed the program, people were in tears online, hours of work just disappeared. They seem to have fixed it now but why make professionals look like idiots, part of the problem is that it’s faceless. You are yelling into a curtained void. When you’re on the other side it’s all about moderating and controlling feedback.
Sorry just tried to edit misspell of Premiere Pro and can’t remove it! Ho ho irony…
I’m not sure I can call them ‘advances’ ??
Facebook is killing their site as well with wacky formulae for editing of friends’ postings and relentless advertising that blocks out your friends messages! It’s all about their agenda as blocked advertisers just reappear several days later! You also have to take on FB Messenger with NO option to block this. It’s so anti client!
All that stuff is too cumbersome; never mind the privacy issues.
I’ve pared down to what is essential… wordpress qualifies.
I simply got rid of facebook. Simple. I operate under my own steam as far as communication is concerned. We all contribute to the noise. I think alot of people will follow suit (This wont be for a while tho) Unless you have a business and need to use facebook to reach customers,
I have a tech support person. Laaazy!!!
I am as donkey trail as I can be. I am leery of dependency on a bunch of stuff I don’t really need.
And overall, I think technology is ahead of our ability to handle it. Technology has evolved faster than people and so happens the destructive use of it.
I liked the old way since the colored version is narrow and when I copy it into my calendar, it sometimes makes the rest of my entries get narrow too. So if you ever get a choice, I vote for the old…
I like old ways too but I have watched things flip to where most people on this site are using their phone. These trends can’t be ignored.
They read the letter the same way. I’m talking about a vast majority.
It’s come to a point where people have to adjust or compensate on their end. Or unsubscribe, of course. But I am tapped out at this point, as far as trying to please most goes. I have constraints as these changes occur.
Although I didn’t bat an eye when it changed (for the record, I do enjoy it and went OOOOOOOOO PRETTY because I’m such a Libra), I’m sorry it’s a PITA for you.
Oh baby! I want to rant about these companies not paying attention to what the user want! It is so damn frustrating that they have a good thing but have to upgrade it to something awful! And if you want to keep an old system…nope…you must use what everyone is using or switch systems altogether. It pisses me the hell off! Now, the internet is getting that way all over and changes are happening everywhere! GRR! Maybe it is time to give up the computer completely and say to hell with technology! Says this Saturn in Taurus who hates change! Nevermind the Aquarian Ascendant that is always changing. Harumph!
Ah, the good old days of snail mail. I prefer that over the constant upgrading of computers and the internet.
Had an eye-opening conversation with DAD about this.
Has anyone here noticed that people talk over each other more than they used to, when they’re talking on the phone?
He says it’s the technology—there’s a one-two second delay on the other end, so people never know when to start speaking anymore.
He has worked in IT for years and years—he says we didn’t have this problem until smartphones came along.
Today’s white font was a mistake. I’m sorry.
It’s horrible situation; I don’t know what else to say. Mercury is Rx. I am trying to sort it as fast as I can.
The reviews are getting worse and worse. Even the five star reviews are negative. People are doing this because apparently their one star reviews are being deleted.
https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/gutenberg/reviews/
Note to writers: Pens and pencils still work. Typewriters still work (and–added bonus–can’t be remotely hacked). Let your thoughts and ideas flow interruption-and-aggravation-free onto paper using the sturdy and reliable tools of your choice (don’t accept that there is no choice!), and then if necessary, hire someone young and fluent in today’s latest tech to transfer it to the computer/internet for you. Writing is consuming enough without writers having to spend absurd and frustrating amounts of time navigating the built-in obstructions of computer programs. Or, just refuse to update older programs and stick with the ones that work more efficiently–in other words, the genuinely useful ones that were created originally to seduce us into adopting all of this technology in the first place, before it started morphing gradually into an increasingly intrusive and invasive force that now has people feeling trapped without any choice whatsoever and incapable of functioning without it. Take back your choice!