I’m not in a good mood today, and I blame Weebly.
Weebly is the provider I use for this website. They give me all these layout options and once a year I pay them about $70 or so. That means I can keep putting up blog content, and since I make more than $70 a month from this site, it’s a pretty good deal.
That is…until things go south. I’ve written about Weebly and my problems with them before, specifically in a post called How Weebly Website Analytics Reporting is Off by Over 1,200%.
That was back at the end of January, and the whole issue was that Weebly cut their stats in half. In effect, everyone that was getting 1,000 unique visitors was suddenly getting 500. Did these people just go away? No, websites thought they had that many people, but then Weebly pulled the rug out from under them. Yep, the company had been lying to its customers.
Weebly would never admit to such, and it’ll say it made a mistake. Actually, they’ll say nothing, as was the case this weekend when stats went haywire. They said nothing, sent no emails, and hoped no one would notice. Well, how the hell do you not notice this?
Weebly is the provider I use for this website. They give me all these layout options and once a year I pay them about $70 or so. That means I can keep putting up blog content, and since I make more than $70 a month from this site, it’s a pretty good deal.
That is…until things go south. I’ve written about Weebly and my problems with them before, specifically in a post called How Weebly Website Analytics Reporting is Off by Over 1,200%.
That was back at the end of January, and the whole issue was that Weebly cut their stats in half. In effect, everyone that was getting 1,000 unique visitors was suddenly getting 500. Did these people just go away? No, websites thought they had that many people, but then Weebly pulled the rug out from under them. Yep, the company had been lying to its customers.
Weebly would never admit to such, and it’ll say it made a mistake. Actually, they’ll say nothing, as was the case this weekend when stats went haywire. They said nothing, sent no emails, and hoped no one would notice. Well, how the hell do you not notice this?
June 10, 2015, Weebly stats crash
Yeah, on June 10 I had zero visitors. I find that hard to believe, mighty hard to believe.
So I sent them some emails:
So I sent them some emails:
Weebly made it clear they didn't know what the problem was, and that they would cover it up
What I’m talking about with those stats are the unique visitors. Last week I was getting around 600 a day. Then we had this “Weebly Adjustment” and I’m getting about half of that.
Weebly unique visits now half of what they were...no explanation given
I have no idea why this is, Weebly is telling me the issue is fixed, but my posts are still wildly off.
I'm sorry, but 9 hits in 2 days is not correct
I’d like to add that I haven’t paid Weebly in about 2 years, as they give me a free year of service after incidents like this, because I complain so much. Hey, I’m not paying for this. I run a business, and when people don’t get what they want, they complain to me. Why is Weebly so special?
They have support staff that listens to the complaints, unlike me, the owner of my business. I don’t know where the owner of Weebly is, but it sure as shit isn’t in the office fixing the company’s problems.
They have support staff that listens to the complaints, unlike me, the owner of my business. I don’t know where the owner of Weebly is, but it sure as shit isn’t in the office fixing the company’s problems.
Something else I’m ticked off about is the Montana Meth Project, which Flathead Memo has talked about recently. What that site brings up is that the head of the Montana Meth project is being paid $130,770 a year…and the program doesn’t work.
Amy Rue heads up the Montana Meth Project and makes $130,770 a year doing so
Yeah, that’s our friend Amy Rue, the executive director that’s got quite the resume. How did she get this job? I guess it was because of her high-minded friends, people like Tom Ridge and Tony Blair and the Vanguard Group.
More than likely, however, it was her good friend Lisa Bullock, who’s also on the failed program’s board.
More than likely, however, it was her good friend Lisa Bullock, who’s also on the failed program’s board.
The governor's wife is also on the Meth Project board. One of the men responsible for our terrible journalism environment in Montana is too.
Lisa Bullock pops up in some interesting places, like organizations that profit off of our healthcare marketplaces. She and her husband make a lot of money for their Montana service, a lot. Unfortunately, this meth program uses our instilled fear of drugs to keep up a war that affects few, wastes millions, and has little to show for its efforts…besides enriching those at the top. I sure as shit know our law enforcement isn’t having an easier time, but then few of them are paid so exorbitantly.
4&20 Blackbirds continues to deteriorate. The people “running” the site can’t save it. They can’t post!
It takes more than just a post a week to make a website. The current “leadership” there doesn’t have what it takes. I expect we’ll see that site dry up like some husk on the side of the road. You’ll visit from time to time, but you’ll keep seeing that same July date mark, that same tired post. Maybe it’ll be a farewell post, a sorry post, a ‘we fought the good fight, but just couldn’t do it’ kind of post.
So one less site in the Montana blogosphere and nothing coming up to replace it. I don’t know what those old writers are going to do – get a life, I suppose.
Oh well, maybe it’s for the best. Montanans don’t really want news, and they sure as shit don’t want political commentary. Opinions are not wanted, and facts are not found. There’s no reporting from Helena anymore, and even yesterday KTVH Channel 12 there put an ad out for a new News Director. Seems even Al Marks might be hanging it up.
Here in Missoula Sherry Devlin is finally out, as the Missoulian is looking for a new editor. I fully expect Devlin will be forced to train her replacement, a replacement that will be making half her pay, sans benefits. I personally believe that Lee and other companies like them use the threat of the severance package being severed to force now-valueless workers to train the ‘next generation.’
That’s my opinion of course, so please don’t sue me, Lee.
It takes more than just a post a week to make a website. The current “leadership” there doesn’t have what it takes. I expect we’ll see that site dry up like some husk on the side of the road. You’ll visit from time to time, but you’ll keep seeing that same July date mark, that same tired post. Maybe it’ll be a farewell post, a sorry post, a ‘we fought the good fight, but just couldn’t do it’ kind of post.
So one less site in the Montana blogosphere and nothing coming up to replace it. I don’t know what those old writers are going to do – get a life, I suppose.
Oh well, maybe it’s for the best. Montanans don’t really want news, and they sure as shit don’t want political commentary. Opinions are not wanted, and facts are not found. There’s no reporting from Helena anymore, and even yesterday KTVH Channel 12 there put an ad out for a new News Director. Seems even Al Marks might be hanging it up.
Here in Missoula Sherry Devlin is finally out, as the Missoulian is looking for a new editor. I fully expect Devlin will be forced to train her replacement, a replacement that will be making half her pay, sans benefits. I personally believe that Lee and other companies like them use the threat of the severance package being severed to force now-valueless workers to train the ‘next generation.’
That’s my opinion of course, so please don’t sue me, Lee.
Failure
Let’s talk about Obama for a moment.
What happened!?!
This guy used to be a byword for hope, no he’s just a synonym for sell-out. I’m ashamed of him, I’m ashamed to call him American. I’m not ashamed to question whether he is America or not, because he sure acts like a traitor.
I mean…why, Obama, why? Why do you insist on TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership?
There’s another bill up before the House today, and I’m positive Zinke will vote for it. But the real question is…
It smells so bad it’s not even funny. It’s clear that Obama is not a Democrat, but then I’ve been saying many in the Montana Democratic Party aren’t Democrats.
You can’t hurt workers – you help workers!
But we’ve forgotten even this simple truth, this easy to understand belief. Now Democrats in America just do all they can to hurt workers, just like Republicans and their outsourcing.
It’s a real shame, and I’m not sure I want to be a Democrat anymore. What’s the point? What’s the point when you see this, when you see the Democratic president push for policies that hurt this country, and that even Republicans say are bad?
And then to not even see your fellow Democrats speak out against this man?
We had leaders in this state, back in 1937 when Senator Wheeler spoke out against FDR and his plan to add new justices to the Supreme Court. It wasn’t popular, but it was right.
We’ve forgotten that, and it’s killing us.
What happened!?!
This guy used to be a byword for hope, no he’s just a synonym for sell-out. I’m ashamed of him, I’m ashamed to call him American. I’m not ashamed to question whether he is America or not, because he sure acts like a traitor.
I mean…why, Obama, why? Why do you insist on TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership?
There’s another bill up before the House today, and I’m positive Zinke will vote for it. But the real question is…
- Why is Obama pushing these terrible trade deals on America?
- Why is he seeking to eliminate jobs so those jobs can open up in places like Vietnam for one-tenth of the pay?
- Why are the job retraining programs being cut from this latest version of the bill?
It smells so bad it’s not even funny. It’s clear that Obama is not a Democrat, but then I’ve been saying many in the Montana Democratic Party aren’t Democrats.
You can’t hurt workers – you help workers!
But we’ve forgotten even this simple truth, this easy to understand belief. Now Democrats in America just do all they can to hurt workers, just like Republicans and their outsourcing.
It’s a real shame, and I’m not sure I want to be a Democrat anymore. What’s the point? What’s the point when you see this, when you see the Democratic president push for policies that hurt this country, and that even Republicans say are bad?
And then to not even see your fellow Democrats speak out against this man?
We had leaders in this state, back in 1937 when Senator Wheeler spoke out against FDR and his plan to add new justices to the Supreme Court. It wasn’t popular, but it was right.
We’ve forgotten that, and it’s killing us.
Not everything is making me angry. I’m finishing up with this big project for a guy in Asia, a book on selling products on Amazon. That means the rent will be paid for July and I can push on, doing what I do, driving everyone crazy, and keeping those people asking, ‘why won’t he get a job?’
Because I have a job. I get paid, and though I don’t sit in an office and don’t collect benefits and don’t have retirement, I’m happy.
I like what I do!
I get up early and look forward to “going to work.” Most people don’t, and that’s why they give up, get angry, or lash out. I do those things too, but I like it.
I like bashing politicians and telling people how stupid they are!
And you know what? Most Americans are just like me. Right now Congress has about an 8% approval rating, so this is gold. Why do you think you see Jon Tester’s staff putting stuff on Twitter all day? They know people hate Congress, and they have to work really hard to get that win in 2018.
I don’t – I don’t have to do shit. I actually try to make their lives more difficult. It’s because I know that politics is no different from a game of tug-of-war. You’re pushing and pulling candidates to do what you want. It’s always easier to pull, and more effective. Pushing often gets them to do the exact opposite of what you tell them to. And sometimes, that’s exactly how you get what you want.
Because I have a job. I get paid, and though I don’t sit in an office and don’t collect benefits and don’t have retirement, I’m happy.
I like what I do!
I get up early and look forward to “going to work.” Most people don’t, and that’s why they give up, get angry, or lash out. I do those things too, but I like it.
I like bashing politicians and telling people how stupid they are!
And you know what? Most Americans are just like me. Right now Congress has about an 8% approval rating, so this is gold. Why do you think you see Jon Tester’s staff putting stuff on Twitter all day? They know people hate Congress, and they have to work really hard to get that win in 2018.
I don’t – I don’t have to do shit. I actually try to make their lives more difficult. It’s because I know that politics is no different from a game of tug-of-war. You’re pushing and pulling candidates to do what you want. It’s always easier to pull, and more effective. Pushing often gets them to do the exact opposite of what you tell them to. And sometimes, that’s exactly how you get what you want.
I’m getting stalled on my Montana book again. Here’s what the Table of Contents looks like so far:
Modern Montana history books
I’m not sure if I’ll include all that, as the book is already up to 400 pages and I’ve hardly added any images at all. I might have to save some things for the next volume…I don’t know.
Right now the 1930s and the 1940s are done. That means they’re written and in order, I just have to go through and clean it up and read through it again.
For the 1950s, things are a mess. About 75% of the writing is done, but things really need to be organized. Some things still need to be tackled, such as the early history of the CIA as it morphed from the OSS, and the funding connections for all that. A short history of the Middle East is also something I need to do, though I have most of the rough notes and just have to tie it together.
It’s a good book, and I hope to have it done soon. I don’t feel as though I need to rush, mainly because few of you are waiting to buy it. The first book has sold 192 copies so far, while the latest book has only sold 20 copies. Even the book before that only sold 39 copies…so it’s clear that people aren’t that interested in the more modern history of Montana, like I thought they’d be.
That’s a real shame, as you can see from this graph.
Right now the 1930s and the 1940s are done. That means they’re written and in order, I just have to go through and clean it up and read through it again.
For the 1950s, things are a mess. About 75% of the writing is done, but things really need to be organized. Some things still need to be tackled, such as the early history of the CIA as it morphed from the OSS, and the funding connections for all that. A short history of the Middle East is also something I need to do, though I have most of the rough notes and just have to tie it together.
It’s a good book, and I hope to have it done soon. I don’t feel as though I need to rush, mainly because few of you are waiting to buy it. The first book has sold 192 copies so far, while the latest book has only sold 20 copies. Even the book before that only sold 39 copies…so it’s clear that people aren’t that interested in the more modern history of Montana, like I thought they’d be.
That’s a real shame, as you can see from this graph.
My Montana History Book Sales
That’s still 316 total sales of my four Montana books, which is pretty good. I like it. That’s a lot better than I thought I’d do when I started writing this series back in March 2013 when I was living in China. Now I’m more than halfway done, with the fifth book due out soon and only two more after that.
What could you do if you put your mind to it?
What could you do if you put your mind to it?
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