To Multiply or not to Multiply, that is the question...or so it seems.I've been waiting for the havoc and furor over the Multiply vs. 360 debate to die down a bit before I weighed in on the issue. Many people, both friends, acquaintances and fruit loops, have moved to one service or the other. Others have decided to maintain a presence both places until they are either driven totally insane by the efforts to maintain two separate pages in some manner that gives justice to both or they finally just can't take the pressure anymore or get pissed off and have to finally make a decision. There is not enough time in the world to do both well unless you totally have no life and are willing to spend so many hours in front of the computer that your eyes cross and your private parts dry up and wither away from non-use. (for those of you that cruise on here for regular cyber-sex by cam and keep vibrators and/or lubricant by your computers, I guess you don't have to worry about your parts withering away...perhaps going blind or hair growing on your palms, but that is a WHOLE other issue)
Yes, I have started a page on Multiply as well. I did this for a couple of reasons before it became "cool" to do so and before the mass exodus from 360 began. (what can I say, I'm a geek/nerd/computer goddess) I did this for a couple of basic reasons. I wanted a back-up place to park my blogs just in case of any server "hiccups" that Yahoo might have. I also wanted another place to store private or family pictures when Yahoo pictures closed. I did not add any friends at the time, it was basically just private and not to start a new "social" online network.
Now, I love some of you to pieces. Others of you amaze me with your wit and insights and still others that basically lurk, try to "terrorize" and stalk make me shake my head and thank my lucky stars you don't live in my neighborhood since some of you are obviously clinically insane and/or a danger to society since you've manage to not be locked up yet. Over the past couple of years on Yahoo, friendships have been formed and many outrageously fun and bizarre times shared that I treasure. I have met someone unexpected that became more than a friend over a year and a half ago. I have met and shared so many secrets and wisdom with a wonderful group of women that would all have my back in an instant, as I would theirs. We all come from different backgrounds and live such varied lives, but we are like sisters. I still consider myself blessed to have the opportunity through the internet to meet other special people far away that I probably never would have met or crossed paths otherwise, whose insights and pure talent as writers constantly amaze and thrill me. BUT people...some of you need to get a serious grip and calm the hell down!
For the record, I will be staying with 360 as my primary page until I see what changes they have in store. Perhaps I'm just more patient than most, or don't need the attention..but the glitches on 360 are not any worse most of the time than they've ever been and there are usually ways around them if you take a minute or two to try another thing or two...they just don't bother me that much. When 360 was in it's infancy, there were not as many problems that occurred...much like Multiply now. With the influx of people to their servers though, the problems WILL Multiply (pun intended), just as they did on 360. With popularity also comes problems, many of which have started to appear in the past week or so over on Multiply as well. Granted, they are not as numerous yet...but problems none the less.
As with anything in life, you're not going to get everything or every feature you want in either place. Compare it to getting a new cell phone. You miss some features with your old one, while you love some of the new playtoys that come with something different. Such is the case with this too. Both services have pros and cons about them. You're not going to have every single one of your friends decide to stick with you no matter where you go, life doesn't work that way..online or off. Ranting, raving or trying to make said friends feel guilty will not get you everything you want. Some choices will have to be made, decisions about where you feel most comfortable and what is most important to you will have to be made. You can't always have your cake and eat it too. (of course, why would you even HAVE cake in the first place that you didn't decide to eat?? but I digress...)
Yahoo 360 still has some good things going for it. I like the ease of customization it has. To create a custom background or "feel" for your page is fun and easy, even for most novices, to figure out. I like having a blast to change or update with music if I wish depending on my mood or need to vent. The blog interface, while it has more bells and whistles than it started with, is still basically easy and very functional (just back up your entries before you post them, just in case of a "glitch"). I like the way you have 3 choices to reject or add potential friends...I personally love the DENY option when someone has been stupid so they KNOW if they are deviants or sleazebags..others I just quietly ignore when I don't seen anything interesting on their page or they are "collectors". I enjoy the quick comments and feeds (when they are updating) that you can add to your page. I also like the layout of the page and have (well, most of us still have) 4 personal pictures to rotate in and out easily. I like that I can turn off irritating backgrounds that prevent me from actually being able to READ someone else's page and separate it from the MySpace ridiculous craze of transparent boxes that make it impossible to see the guts of what you have taken time to create. There is nothing more irritating than having to highlight text to even start to see what's on someone's page.
I am frustrated, of course..by the current group of problems that have sprung up. When current blogs don't show up, click on the picture for it on their top page, it will take you to it. When you get a "page not found" when trying to comment...click on "permanent link" and you'll be able to comment without incident. It takes much more effort to post or even read pages at times nowdays. Truthfully though, there must be big changes going on at Yahoo on several of their services, it is not limited to 360. This is not limited to Yahoo however. As the crush to attract more users and revenue increases, other providers such as MSN and Hotmail are also feeling the strain of their upgrades and working out the bugs. Frustration is not limited to Yahoo and their demonic brand of customer service.
Multiply also has some good features...although I will admit I'm not really on their bandwagon yet, I can appreciate some of the thoughts put into putting it together. I like the fact that you can edit or delete your own comments after you have posted them. Sometimes we all rethink or realize a comment was just garbled or something we didn't mean to say..to have the option to remove or fix it is fantastic. I like the spell check function on the blogs and the way it presents itself. It's very easy to use and easy to place pictures in a much more interesting manner around the text in your "masterpieces" of brainpower and thought. You can move modules around your page fairly easily..if they will stick, most of the time they will.
The CSS interface to customize your pages though, even for a computer science major like myself, can be daunting, difficult and time consuming...Time I'd rather spend reading or interacting with friends and STILL have an attractive page. I also DETEST the fact that you are tracked everywhere you go on Multiply.
Face it people, there are times where you just want to visit pages in stealth mode and you just don't have anything you want to say at the moment or the time to comment in the way you want to with some thought put into it. There are also those of you from 360 I have grown quite fond of watching your drama and angst from a voyeur status and being SO thankful I'm not as neurotic as you are and getting a good laugh as I see or read your current "trauma" or rants and I can't do that anymore without the loonies knowing I've been there. At least I'm honest. I don't want to be guilted into commenting or be seen and tracked everywhere I go online. There are times I have NOT visited pages on Multiply of actual friends I love or enjoy because I'm not there to comment, but would have loved to just see what's up..but don't because I don't want them worrying about why I didn't leave my "mark" on their pages. It's often something as simple as I was in between flights or classes and didn't have time. I also can't access Multiply from the Board of Education servers, so I have to limit my time there to when I'm at home.
Anyway, I realize that Multiply is a great alternative to 360 and has great potential. Do I think either service is perfect? No. Do I think that Multiply will have more problems as it's user base grows? Absolutely. Do I think that 360 or whatever it evolves into will make everyone happy or that it will function with great efficiency? Heck no. Both are FREE services..get used to problems..they will happen. I'm patient. While I enjoy many things online, it's not my life. I can do without it for hours and even DAYS on end when I need to. I know, I must have something wrong with me..what AM I thinking?? *gasp*
So, for all of you that have been asking what I'm going to do or trying to pull me one place or the other...this is my plan for the time being. (and I'm stubborn, just ask the Yankee..he calls me a pain in the ass and he's right) My primary page will stay on Yahoo 360. It is what feels like home and where I've made wonderful friends, found some great brains at work, met the Yankee and had a great time over the past couple of years, even when I'm not able to interact as much as I'd like. I'm patient and want to see what they are going to "morph" it into. Then I'll make a decision. I'll keep making new friends here and there selectively. There are some unexpected gems that appear now and then.
I will keep the Multiply page open and you are welcome to add me there, but I will be limiting my friends list there to those I actually like and enjoy interacting with, so if I don't add you..don't be offended. My friend's list there will not be a huge number because my interaction and time there will be less and more infrequent. So far, I think I have 15 people on my list, don't expect it to grow to ridiculous numbers. Some of you that have only been there a week or two and already have 100 or so friends amaze me. Cut the dead wood out and keep those you actually like, not those you add just as a reflex because they sent an invitation. A monkey could do that...if you're piling your page with bimbos or wanna be stud muffins..that says a lot in my book. It it works for you, more power to you...I need and want more from my time online. It's just personal choice, whatever you decide to do...knock yourselves out, I salute your stamina. I will keep an open mind about Multiply though and if it starts to appeal to me more or if Yahoo starts to irritate me more, I may just end up there. I will keep double posting my blogs on both servers though. I imagine I'll also find some people I've never met there as well that are a delight over time.
Bottom line, whatever you decide to do...to Multiply yourself, do a full 360 or spread yourself thin with both...if you are a friend, you're a friend and will stay that way. I will touch base one way or the other. If you're a demented version of my brand of comic relief and someone I don't take seriously other than as stress relief now and then when I need to burst someone's bubble so that I don't do it at home with those I care about...carry on. There will be more than enough loonies to go around on both services. There is one constant in life online, the good people can be few and fair between, but are precious...and there is an unlimited supply of those that have serious issues and problems and should never be allowed in front of a computer or keyboard without a license.
For now anyway...I'm stic
king with the devil I know for the time being rather than the demon I don't.
So, pick your poison...just quit bitching about it or trying to sway everyone over to "your" side, whatever it may be. There is no right or wrong.
And so it goes...
~Kath
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