Saying Goodbye to Blogging

I’m coming here to say that after thinking long and hard, I’m pretty sure I’m saying goodbye to blogging.  It’s not what I want by any means.  It’s been fun but I’ll be very frank and tell you that I’m feeling quite frustrated.

Though I haven’t posted in a while, I guess you can say I’ve spent weeks “behind the scenes” trying to post.  Hours upon hours have been spent trying to correct “some problems” I’m having with this blog and I’ve gotten nowhere.  Frustrated does not begin to even describe how I’m feeling.   I realized I’ve gotten nowhere and I feel all these hours I’ve spent on this have been wasted.

Several weeks ago, while attempting to post a blog, WordPress would not allow me to post any photos.  After going to my media library, I found a message saying:

Looks like you have used 3.0 GB on your 3.0 GB upload limit (100%).  Since you are close to your limit, you might want to consider purchasing a WordPress.com Premium Plan.  With the upgrade, you’ll be able to upload mp3, m4a, wav, and ogg audio files (great for podcasting).

I’ve never even heard of m4a, wav, and ogg.  I have NO desire to do podcasting or try to figure out the more complicated Premium blogs.  I just don’t need all the bells and whistles of the premium blogs.  I need simple!

I realize I post photos with just about every blog I post.  Sometimes a lot of photos.  It’s something I just like to do.  I’m just a visual person and I do like those visuals, just as I prefer to read blogs with photos (it kinda breaks up the monotony of reading I guess?).  I realize I could continue on with just writing and not posting photos but I just don’t think I’d like that one bit.  I want my blog to be visually appealing.

Recently I spent some time in my media library as it seems my storage space was just suddenly gone which I didn’t understand.  I quickly noticed that there were sections of photos that for some odd reason were in duplicate or triplicate or repeated 5-6 times.  AHA!  I’d see several photos in multiples, and then scroll down some more, and there would be 5, 6, or 7 photos.  Again and again, this pattern repeated itself.   So yeah, I can see WHY I have no storage space left.

At first I believed this would be a simple fix.  I would just go in and delete the duplicated photos and presto, I’d free up some space!  So I started deleting these “extra” photos.   I also was deleting some photos I had uploaded that I never used.  In short, I spent hours upon hours and I didn’t make a dent.  It’s slow going, as I had to make sure I was only deleting the extra photos and not photos in a post that I needed there.  Since I’ve been blogging since 2010, it was taking a while!   Then I realized that even though I was deleting EXTRA photos (that for some reason just decided to show up in multiples), it removed those photos from my blog posts!  Aaarrgghhh!!   Which meant I spent even more time (time I really didn’t have) going back to all those posts and adding the photos back in.  So the more time I spend in trying to correct this problem, the bigger mess I’m making.  I’m tired and I’m frustrated.  I’m done messing with it all.

I’m feeling right now that if I spent every waking minute I have left on this earth, I’d never finish, or get it all corrected.  It’s messed up beyond what I’m able “to fix.”  And if that isn’t frustrating enough, all the hours I’ve spent deleting extra photos from my media library hasn’t freed up one iota of space!!

Now I’m seeing blog posts that say that all new “free” WP blogs only have o.5 GB of storage space (500 MB).  That’s quite a drastic drop from 3 GB.  The old predated blogs will keep their 3 GB.  WordPress Pro is an option but it is $15/month or $180 a year and gives you 50 GB storage space.   That’s a little more than I want to spend for a very complicated blog with bells and whistles that I know I will never use or need.  Actually, if truth be told, the thought of starting an entire new blog makes me nauseous.  So I’m pretty sure I won’t be doing that.  My husband is encouraging me to not give up blogging (he knows I love it so), and to start another new blog.  But seeing that new blogs now have so little storage space, and premium blogs are more than I need, it’s looking like neither is a viable option for me.

I love to write, and I’ve enjoyed blogging.  I was still learning.  Some things I never got right, like long rambling posts (like this one)!  And I’m sure I murdered the King’s English more than a few times – mistakes that probably had my mother rolling in her grave.  I try but I’m no English major and though English was one of my favorite subjects in school, it certainly wasn’t one of my best.  I’m not ashamed to tell you I’ve shed some tears over this decision and that I’ve prayed hard about it.  I’m sad at the thought of giving up my blog.  I don’t quit things easily so that should tell you something.  Blogging is one of the biggest enjoyments in my life since my empty nest.  But I think it’s time for this old gal to find another hobby (and that’s not going to be easy at almost 63 years of age).  I felt like I was finally getting up my courage to tell some hard stories, some important stories that may have helped other people.  But I figured God had other plans.  After I first prayed about it, I picked up a Joyce Meyer devotional and after reading it, it was like I was punched in the gut.  The devotional was all about not quitting.  It was about finding encouragement when you feel discouragement.  It was about getting “reassigned” when you feel resigned.  Was this God telling me to not quit?  And then it hit me, that maybe it’s not God who is telling me to give it up, but actually the devil who is the one not wanting me to tell these other stories that might offer help and encouragement to others.  I honestly don’t know.  I’m so confused.  How do you know?  Maybe I just overthink things too much.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not smart enough to go with a Premium Plan since I struggle enough with just this basic non-customized blog.  I’ve never claimed to be tech savy.  In fact, I’m quite the opposite.   Remember, I grew up with black and white TV, transistor radios, and rotary wall phones.  I STILL don’t have a smart phone (Yeah, I think I’m the last person on the planet who doesn’t own one and doesn’t WANT to own one).  I’ve heard the customized blogs are pretty complicated and probably way beyond my capabilities.  So yeah, right now, that does not even feel like an option for me.  Remember, I’m Wilma Flintstone who read WordPress for Dummies when I started THIS blog and didn’t understand 3/4 of what I read.  I was so lost.  The thought of starting all over turns my stomach.  This is just MY opinion, but I distinctly get the idea that WP wants to cater to the business/professional bloggers and not the more simple hobby bloggers like myself.  And I do understand that!  It’s money for them.  The free options are not very appealing and maybe that’s their intention (again my opinion).  Maybe I need to visit other blogging platforms but for now, I’m just tired.

So I guess this is goodbye.  I apologize for this long rambling and disorganized post.  It’s been fun while it lasted (almost 12 years as I started this blog in August of 2010).  I appreciate the few who read this blog regularly and those who occasionally commented.  That always meant a lot and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I have met SO many nice and wonderful people through blogging and though I’ve never met them, I feel we’re friends.  I’ll miss blogging terribly and I’ll miss you too. 

Gail