I had to delete something to post this. **whine**
And I don't believe this will make the "interesting text" list, unlike my last post. Which was also a rant.
Sorry about not replying to comments - go blame the site editors. the error screen isn't my fa


Poetbay rant - any suggestions?

I've apparently reached the fifty-text limit that this site offers free members like me. And I wont be allowed to publish any more texts unless I either delete something or I get a paid membership. Or, I make a new id.

Deleting texts is a painful choice - I dont want to delete texts that have comments from certain people, or some that have really poignant comments - it just seems a heartless choice to make. Besides, I can't pick what to keep or what to lose... sigh. (I keep having the same problem with my inbox... but that is a whine for another day)


Paid membership - uh uh, no way. Bunch of reasons -

1. the owners treat us like we're dumb. One of the things I hate to do is pay people to make me feel like a fool. (I'd like to clarify that being in school with academic prodigies is different - and I'm on a scholarship.)
2. I don't have the money. I have huge expenses related to my studies and living... I don't have a job. I realize that 9$ or something for six months is not a huge thing - but it is a matter of principle. I'd rather spend an additional 9$ on a comfy pair of shoes... or comfort food... or something.
3. When I first joined this site (way back in '06, I believe), there were no such limitations. Yes, the size of my inbox was limited - it was always a 100-msg limit. I can live with that. But the number of texts I was allowed to post was not limited. I don't mind the fact that the site allows only paid members to post pictures or add other effects to their posts. But seriously - are you going to make me a chocolate starved poet out of me and make me pay? Whoever came up with that?
4. The only thing I can give up to make that money would be my chocolate. I've got major exams coming up and there is no way I'm going into chocolate rehab. Have a heart.
5. After the last couple of weeks where I can't reply to comments or pms the usual way, I'm beginning to hate this place. I have enough frustration in my life and this isnt helping. That especially applies to my trying to reply to comments for my last post (Just a Request) - I keep getting the damn error screen when I try to open the comment in my inbox. ***insert whine here - why me, site owner, why me?***
6. I changed my picture about last week, and I got a message saying it has been updated but will take a while to appear. I tried uploading a new one today, and got the same message. But still, no pic. Sigh.

Make another id - cmon, seriously? Do you know how difficult it is for me to come up with ids? or titles to hide behind? I like having my name as my id - i dont want to add or change anything to it. I love my name.

I would have left this site because it is so frustratingly dysfunctional. But I have made too many friends here that I would hate to lose.

So help me out here - tell me what I should do. I guess it seems obvious, I should make a new id, that would be the simplest solution without the heartache, but with a small headache. Or does anyone else think that the right to publish unlimited number of posts should be returned to free members?

PS - please please don't make it a gift or something and give me a paid subscription. My pride may be battered, but I still have some left. To the one who offered to do that - and who shall remain unnamed - I understand your wish, but no. Please especially spare me charity donations - that would make me leave here, even with all that I have to hold me back.



Words by Arti
Read 1206 times
Written on 2008-07-07 at 05:44

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Damon
I would suggest that you make a second account. I know you said you don't want too, but you could even use the same name and only add a 1 or something like that to it. Or, perhaps you could make a new account and move your old poems to it and keep posing on this account.
Damon
2008-10-18


amandeep
i am not sure what to suggest u but i think it would be a better idea

If u have written a poem then u got the comment ..
But u can even include a one more poem in that page by modifying that...and one the title u can grade that poem with Status "Upadated on this Date" that means just write Upadated and mention the Date .

yes its true

the errors are frustrating ..even when we comment on the poems some sort of mesage is shown "Query failed".thats very discouraging...

I hope ur studies are going well

Best wishes for ur future
you are a talented writer on this bay of love..

its very bad to know that it is happening here on this site. now it is not like that it was used to ...

regards
amandeep
2008-09-24


limber junctionson
thank goodness we have the likes of you arti!
you and the likes of you are very important here.
please dont think you are not read.
2008-07-09



Dear Arti,
we are many people here, I believe, who think and feel like you!

I've been here on poetbay since the very beginning, and it hurts me so much to see how this site has been degraded by its so-called administrators...

Now a little suggestion for your text dilemma. I'm not sure it is the best solution, and it takes some time, but anyway - here it is:

Use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy each poem, including the comments, starting from your oldest posts, into a Word document.
Then, you can delete the copied poems from poetbay and post new ones, without having to lose completely the comments you've received.

Hugs
Anna Aliena
2008-07-08


Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
I was in a similar position recently and had reached my limit. After quite a bit of hassle, I did manage to become a supportive member, although I do have strong doubts as to the wisdom of that decision. The only reason I did, in the decide to allow money to be extorted from me, was for the same reason as you, I didn't want to delete every poem and the comments that went with them. I would gladly share my supportive membership with you Arti, as I don't really use much of the 'perks' that involve being a supportive member. I do have a picture but thats all - I never post artwork or make books or exhibitions etc. So really being a 'full supportive member' is a little bit daft. I do think that the management should look into this aspect of membership. Not all of us fully utilise it. Therefore a two tier structure could be possible or even three tier. Those who are unable for whatever reason to pay a membership be allowed to post as many texts as they need, those who pay a nominal amount but do not need the extra 'perks', paying a reduced membership and those who do fully utilise all the 'extra's' paying the full membership. This way, I think, you would get far more people paying and this would allow those, who have difficulties paying, not feeling ostracised on the site.

I really do sympathise with you Arti, I know when my membership ran out, I spent a few weeks feeling that there was hardly any point in writing on this site. Even worse when you feel, that you have been a longtime member and given a lot to the site.

I hope you do stay - I really hope the administration listen to you - although, I am increasingly getting the feeling that they don't want to listen. Lots of things have been promised and still there has been no change. I'm away soon so am just wiling my time at present - hoping that when I get back, things will have miraculously improved!

Good luck with the exams,

And keep on with the chocolate, I've read that it is a great stress reliever, especially to women !

Elle x
2008-07-07


Thomas Perdue The PoetBay support member heart!
You joined on June the 6th 2006, I joined shortly after that, on the 22nd (Yes, I did have to look on the profiles, my memory is exceptionally good, but I don't remember THAT good at times). No, there wasn't any limits to the number of texts back then. I liked it a lot better back then...

Well, I think the messaging system is fixed now. :-)
So that frustrations should be over with...

Yeah, it is annoying that only the paid members are allowed additional features for their posts. I only realised earlier that us regular members can post pictures with our texts! And I was going to put a picture with the poem I just put up earlier today! :-(

I haven't even tried putting a picture on my new account here, I just assumed that no one would approve it so that it would actually appear anytime this century... *rolls eyes*

As for deleting texts, if you want to save a particular comment, you can just copy and paste it into a Word document to save to your computer. I'm going to do that with all of my stuff from my old account eventually...

A new id? Well, how about you use your first and last name instead of just your first name, for a new id? Would you like that? Just a suggestion...

On AP (AllPoetry) there is no limit to how many texts you can post. Of course, non-paid members aren't allowed html editing there... Both of the poetry sites that I write on have their own problems... But I think I have lost my interest in sites such as these. I'm not wild about the idea of leaving them, but I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything here anymore... I figure I'll just give my email address out to all of my friends that do not have it already. I would like for this site to continue to exist, so that I may return someday, if I do decide to leave...

I don't know what to suggest to you though. Just do what feels right, and hopefully everything will turn out okay. :-)

I hope everything turns out okay and you stay. :-)
Best wishes,
T.
2008-07-07