The Mail & Guardians old “blogging” platform seems to be gone. What remains is a Wordpress based multi-user replacement called Amagama.
Amagama looks very cool I must admit and I personally love the functionality of the Wordpress platform. But Not everyone shares my views on the topic.
Many of the old blogmark users are up in arms and taking up arms to batter Vincent Maher (M&G online strategist and brain behind Amagama). There have been some extremely nasty and rash responses to the M&G’s decision to get rid of Blogmark.
KC, Arb, Marijayn, Morticia, Dolce and Dolorez – oh it had been easy enough to track him down. They knew his cellphone number even. This was not the time for electronic communication, however. This would take a personal touch. A very firm, cold, silvery touch…
“Vincent?”
“Tired grunt.”
The four in unison said sweetly: “We are here about our blog.”
Vincent cowered as he saw the nail files, sharp ones…
“Matt!” he shrieked.
“Oh, we already had a word with Matt,” said Arbchick, smiling as she reached out and firmly grasped his hair.
“Now, let’s talk about fixing things up around here,” said KC wiping her blood stained fingers on her Levis.
Another:
Where is my old blog and post?
Why can’t I log in under my old name and password?
It says I can’t register as Flutter as that name is already taken.
And Another:
Vincent Maher is a sell out
If I wanted this type of blog, I would have stayed with my blogspot one.
YUCK.
Ok enough with the nay-sayers. They are idiots. Maher has some great points and logic behind the M&G’s move to Wordpress and Amagama. Blogmark was a “blogging” platform without any blogs. That is a load of hogwash. It was a glorified forum that the users seemed to enjoy. It was old, decrepit and ugly. Simple. I wish I had a screenshot, but alas that old system is no more.
The new system is simple, clean and easy to use. The users that say otherwise are complete bafoons. It took me literally 3 minutes to sign up, verify my account, change my theme, edit my blogroll and save it all. That is simplicity in its finest form if you ask me.
With approximately 1500 or so active users the handful of people who are unhappy are just that, a handful and my advice is this: If you don’t like it, leave, now, soon, immediately. There are many more bloggers who will take up the platform when you leave and the world of blogging is best without your ignorance. It’s people like you that prove Bullard right (and he just might have been right about the blogosphere looking at the old blogmark users).
There are, apparently, many other emails coming in to Maher threatening his life because of the change. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???? Petty, that is the only word I can think of right now that wont get me in to trouble. You are all being petty. It’s a blog, it’s a better looking and more functional blog and guess what, Amagama actually provides you with… A BLOG! So take it, use it and enjoy it, or don’t and piss off you morons.
