I'm gone, and so is my blog

I got laid off a few weeks ago,and just today I noticed that my blog has been expunged from my paper's web site. I found that rather curious. All of the stories I wrote for the newspaper are still there. Why not the blog?

I'm sort of bothered by this because if I ever get a shot at another job, I'm sure my potential employer would like to see some of my blog work. I never bothered to save any of it because, well, it's a blog. I was damn proud of it though, and I think it generated a lot of hits.

In any case, there's nothing I can do about it now. Spilt milk.

Guess this is just a message of warning to others out there that you might want to save a few pieces of your blog, just in case.

 

Google it and see if there's a few cached pages you can grab screen shots of. If it's more than a few months old, try this site: http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

 

"I'm gone, and so is my blog."

Hmmm. Turn it into a country song and make milllions.

 

I guess it varies from shop to shop. I got laid off in June and a whole bunch of my blogs --- dating as far back as a year ago --- can still be found in the archives of the paper's website.

Then again, they cut so many jobs they probably don't have enough man hours to go back and delete stuff.

But, yeah, I printed out a bunch of copies of blogs (well, the ones I liked anyway), so now I have hard copies in hand.

Figure this: they cut my job and a bunch of others. Then, two months later, they get this brillant idea to launch a new web site for high school sports. More work, less people. How the heck is THAT supposed to work out?

 

Work smarter ...

 

I'M GONE AND SO IS MY BLOG
By Spaceman (thanks to BBB for the inspiration)
(sing with bluegrass accompaniment)

I had a girl
Not long ago
She was my world
My web two-oh

But sad to say
Little I did know
That our great love
Would end in woe

CHORUS
She done me wrong
Worse than a dog
She wouldn't be
Star of my blog

And now she sleeps
Just like a log
But me I’m gone
And so’s my blog

Well ev'ry day
I'd log on and write
Every little thing
Both wrong and right

And at the screen
I'd sit and stare
At the details
Of our affair

CHORUS

And then one day
She began to pack
I said “Don’t gimme
A heart attack.”

She laughed at me
Said I was wack
“You got your PC,
I’m leavin’ with Mac.”

CHORUS

Now every night
I sit at home
No girl beside
I’m all alone

It ain’t so bad
I cheer up quick
When I put my hand
On my joystick

CHORUS

 

About a year ago my company came up with this idea for a new website that (They claimed) was going to revolutionize our entire state. The premise? Information on all the locals hotspots and places to go and things to do around our state.

The problem(s)? A.) They expected people (who had never heard of this site mind you) to go on it and blog about what they thought of the things going on. B.) They had no intention of advertising it anywhere but in our papers and our papers only reach, oh, maybe 30% of the state. C.) They expected our non-sports staff members to contribute by writing articles, going out places, e.t.c. IN ADDITION TO their already stretched schedules and for the grand price of Free. D.) They expected the sports guys to create content on said site relevent to the region's pro teams, teams we don't cover because they have nothing to do with our state and/or paper.

FWIW, I tried offering suggestions on how to make it a better site as I was in what they described as the "target demographic" (18-30 crowd). They ignored all of my suggestions.

It's been about a year. I think the site's gotten six hits. Five of them were from me to see if anyone else had ever logged on to it.

Brilliant, I tell you. Brilliant.

 

You, sir, are a genius.

 

Damn it, I read those lyrics to the tune of the Bob Saget song "My Dog Licked My Balls," and now I can't sleep.

 

Dude, copyright that. You could sell that.

 

Yep, I feel your pain. Too many of these management types are trying to reinvent the wheel. There's so bloody much info out there for free, that it's hard to say anyone has any exclusive anything amymore. Anyone can set up forums and chat rooms and such. The trick is actually getting real live breathing human beings to use them.

And chances are the ones who do have time to do such haven't got jobs and thus no money to spend on anything.