Wednesday, January 10, 2007
We're Sorry, But We Were Unable to Complete Your Request
Once in awhile I’m allowed to rant. First rant this year goes to Google. Who apparently has a new favorite saying for 2007: “We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request.”
This is the response I get every time I try to post on Scenes and Beans. That’s right—my Kanner Lake marketing blog done broke, thanks to google. It hasn’t worked for the last couple weeks. Since before I switched it to the “the new, wonderful blogger, now out of beta” which google so avidly is touting. Well, guess what—the new, wonderful blogger now out of beta hijacked my blog.
Oh, you can still see it. And I can even edit past posts. I just can’t write new ones. I basically have a frozen blog. Wilbur and Jake and S-Man and all the rest of my characters are stuck somewhere out there in cyberspace, waiting to tell their stories. And don’t you love the error message? It’s so … helpful. Tells you exactly what the problem is and how you can fix it.
Not.
In fact it can cover so many things, methinks I shall adopt it.
“Would you endorse my book?” I’m sorry, but I am unable to complete your request.
“Mom, would you buy me …?” I’m sorry, but I am unable to complete your request.
“Honey, could you …?” I’m sorry, …
I have been trying to fix the blog problem—to no avail. I joined the google groups help list so I could tell them about it. Good news and bad news. The good news is—I’m not the only one with this problem. It’s apparently a glitch in the new system. The bad news is—I’m not the only one with this problem. There are perhaps 20 million other blogs out there with the same sorry message. Scenes and Beans just has to wait its turn to be fixed.
Now that isn’t what “Blogger Employee” told me last week. He/she told me my blog would be fixed—implying soon. Unfortunately since then I haven’t heard a thing. BE’s gone silent. I pop up—“Hey, remember me?” No answer.
In today’s Wall Street Journal I read a short article on google. Fortune Magazine calls it the best company in American to work for. Google dishes out great free meals, has a posh campus, and even built a handy-dandy in-house climbing wall. (Doesn’t every employee need one of those?) The place has a fun, college-like atmosphere. There’s a pajama day—which, according to WSJ, certain engineers protest by wearing tuxedos. Groups go by kid’s camp names, such as Nooglers for new employees, or Doodles.
I’m thrilled for google employees that it’s a great place to work. I don’t care if they call each other weird names and climb the walls all day. As long as somebody fixes their sorry message to Scenes and Beans. I’ll take a Noogler gal in pajamas. I’ll take a Doodle guy in a tux. Heck, I’ll take a Kit ‘n’ Kaboodle canine in a tux. Just fix my blog.
If this doesn’t happen soon, google, I’m gonna sic Wilbur on you. Then you’ll be sorry, all right.
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14 comments:
Whoa there! Are you complaining about a free service that explicitly does not guarantee quality of service? I too would be unhappy if our inconsistent friend blogger was disrupting a commercial venture of mine.
You could give a geek wearing pajamas several thousand dollars to build you a site custom made and automated to your every whim and host it on a guaranteed uptime server company. Then any outages can be legally punitive complaints! It may be time to consider if free tools are meeting your professional needs.
Google produces the best free tools, but they work for themselves, not you.
Thanks for sharing this, brandilyn. everytime I blog I see the change to the new, improved google blurb, but have resisted. Now I think I'll wait a little longer! rose
Google makes me insane! And I don't need any help in that department!
I'm glad I DIDN'T switch. Thanks for the info.
Now, how come F&F isn't frozen (which I'm soooo glad it isn't)? Is the freeze thing random?
Brandilyn, that's rough. As a technological Luddite, the arcane workings of the Internet sometimes frustrate...and frequently baffle the socks off...yours truly. My own writing spot is self-made, and looks it; rather like a Fischer-Price My First Website. It comes with its own blog thingie--which I can update as the Spirit moves me--but I had to turn the "comments" gizmo as it was attracting porn sites by the freightcar load. This www-whatever business carries its own baggage, but I guess we're all stuck with it.
Yes, Grady, I AM complaining about a free service. I fully understand I'm not paying anything. I also know google's not offering blogger or its new blogger out of the goodness of its heart. The company's making money on blogging as a whole, or it wouldn't be in the business. And they're the ones that instructed this change to the new system. Therefore they have the responsibility of fixing their own glitch.
The template for Scenes and Beans was professionally created. My publisher paid my web master plenty of money for it. Now, even if I want to put the blog on some paid-for site--which I wouldn't mind doing--I can't. Because the thing's stuck where it is. I can't access it, can't move it. I can't do anything until google unfreezes it.
What bothers me most isn't the waiting. It's the silence. If Blogger Employee would just come back on the loop and say, "Hey, we haven't forgotten you"--I'd feel much better. But now I'm left to feel like nothing will be done.
A lesson in customer service.
Kristy--as for your question. Yes, to us the freezing is random. In reality, it may be something in certain blogs' templates that causes the problem. But who's to know if their blog will fall in that category when they switch over?
Hey Brandilyn! I'm finally able to leave a comment!! I've been trying for the past several days. It just keeps telling me that your comments are unavailable. Very frustrating! I agree with you, that blogger does have issues, but it's way better than msn spaces and myspace! I moved to blogger from them. I'm having a much better time over here.
Have an awesome day of blowing off steam! Doesn't it feel good??!!?!?
Yea, google is synonymous for INSANE sometimes. Sorry you have to deal with their craziness. Didn't realize how rude they could be when you really need help. I'll pray something gets done soon.
Blessings,
Vicki
Bummer Brandilynn! That is so frustrating. I switched and Thank God I haven't any problems or I think I'd be a looney tune!
My friend Linda had this problem occur to her. At least it sounds like the same problem. She dumped her cache, then it worked. She emailed me how to do it. If, like me, you haven't a clue what that is, email me and I'll send you her instructions.
Bad Google! Yeah, it's free but they still have a responsibility to their customers.
I haven't switched because I'd heard of problems with Beta. I've had problems commenting on blogs that have been converted, where before there were none. Think I'll hang out in old Bloggerland until they make me.
Brandilyn,
From the other side of the fence--I did switch to the new format, and other than the minor inconvenience of being referred to a second entrance pane when I inadvertently enter my old blogger password, I've had no problems with new postings. I was warned that I couldn't revise postings PB (pre-beta), but that hasn't been a problem for me.
Sorry you're having trouble, and I don't blame you for wanting to have a couple of guys from Vegas show up at Google and add new, two-way joints to some legs. Hope it's straightened out soon.
Thanks, as always, for the effort you put into your work--both on the net and on the printed page.
I recommend WordPress for all your blogging needs. :)
I feel for you Brandilyn, that's one of the reasons I haven't...and won't switch over until they make me go kicking and screaming.
The glitch isn't random, it's on one particular server...unfortunately Scenes and Beans is on that server...but thankfully Forensics and Faith isn't.
I don't want to dash your hope but several months ago, I had a problem (old Blogger) where a bunch of my pictures disappeared for no apparent reason. It also happened to many others on the Google help boards.
Google guy said it would get fixed soon...it never did, and he stopped answering people about it!
*sigh*So I wound up redoing the pictures that I needed.
LOL! Sorry for the predicament, but that last paragraph is a scream. Ever thought about writing satire or comedy? ;-)
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