Back in the day, a sure fire way to get on the front page of Xanga was to use the word "sex" in the title. Now you basically just have to post.  You could never pass @TheTheologiansCafe in his number one spot, well, maybe if you used the word sex and vagina in the title. That tells me Xanaga is dying, has been dying a slow death for a long time.

Is it terminal though?  Lets examine, when I joined Xanga many moons ago, both my kids used Xanga regularly.  I call these days the days of long, facebook, status's.  All the high school kids used Xanga to write cryptic or not so cryptic entries about their huge, horrible, high school, lives.  Here is a short example.

Dear Xanga ( aka public diary) 

Why doesn't SHE get it?????  WE are meant to be.  You think he loves you, well listen up! He told me he loves you as a FRIEND.  So get a clue.  Also, my mom is such a B****.  If your name is Megan, or Jill, or Mandy, you know why.  If not, none of your business. ha ha ha

Well till tomorrow then, 

Angie

OR

I don't have anything to say. bye

These were usually the boy entries

comments on Angie's entry

Lana: You wish, sorry but we are seeing the Notebook tonight, get your facts straight, you're the friend. 

Megan: ha ha, no kidding

Mandy: Lana, you're SO mean.  She's been hurt enough

Angie: You 2 can have each other!!!!!!!  Megan? what do you mean? Call me!

Why then did I decided to join the ranks of the immature drama queens?  Well it started with me wanting to comment on my son's entry about me losing his laundry.  Excuse me?  Still pisses me off.  And I WAS kind of immature back then in my early 40's.  I also used it to get messages out to my kid's group of friends.

For example, that was when someone was putting poop on people's cars.  No, this is not a joke.  It was disgusting and weird and disturbing.  so I wrote an entry to get the word out that I WOULD find out who this was and I would punish them.  And true to my word, I did find out, a couple years ago.  Ok, it took a while, I admit, but if you're reading this, and I don't think you are,  I'll still find a way to punish you, even though you are married and I think moved away.  Which makes you very lucky, since if I had found out who you were at the time, your name would have been announced on my Xanga, and it is doubtful you would have gotten someone to marry you, since you would have been Known forever, as shit boy.

Back on topic.  Xanga, soon turned into a way for me to connect with strangers, and write, what I thought were kind of humorous and interesting things that people could relate to.  This turned into an obsession and eventually caused a HUGE riff with my ex husband's ( expunged ) new girl friend.  Not that she wasn't looking for a reason to hate me.  Which I still don't get, she got the "prize" and she was welcome to it.

Anyway, Xanga was a way to blog, and as I said connect with strangers.  I was only slightly nervous when I met a couple people, which was probably stupid in retrospect, since both could have been serial killers.

But of course they weren't, since you really do get to know a person through their writings. Although, we now know there are tons of people who have been catfished, so I am glad @mouthygirl, really was a southern housewife, not a 500 pound, bald man.   

soon after the girlfriend fiasco, I blogged less and less.

facebook replaced Myspace and I guess xanga too, although Xanga, to me wasn't the same at all.

And that, I think, is what became part of the problem.  Xanga could never decide what it was.  A blogging site, a social media connection with friends and family, or a social media site with strangers?  

I think if Xanga would have decided then, to be a blogging site, and reward, good, quality written blogs, with front page, based on them actually reading and seeking those blogs out, they would be thriving today.

I read some of the funniest, wonderful, well written blogs, that deserved to be recognized. Blogs that could have been authors of best selling books, and their blogs would have connected back to Xanga. And as I said, could have been thriving.  I even offered, to the team, to find great blogs, for free.  I already had actually, they just needed to feature those people.

 Before you scoff, think about it, it has happened on other blogging sites, with many people.   A couple really popular blogs, get asked to write a book,or just write one based on their huge following, they do, it sells, mega, free advertizing. 

So it's not really about them asking for money from me and you.  It's about me having a clear idea what they want to be.  Decide, do it right, and then maybe.  Until then, it's doubtful, I would feel like I was paying for one of those radical treatments, with terminal cancer.  The new Xanga,and what they offer, makes no sense to me.  If you can convince me otherwise, have at it.

My computer Is in the hospital for a very serious illness. I am taking this as a sign. Im on my iPhone right now, which is the worst way to blog ever! I think this is a sign because since I have been back to more regulat blogging,I have done a couple things I am not proud of. Even though I tried to rectify those mistakes, I think I may need the time to reflect. I am 51 years old, and I feel at times I am acting like I am 13. This is not why I am here. Getting caught up in drama and mean spirited things are not who I am or who I want to be. I want to be here to tell stories, or share my opinion on important matters like " why I think getting an iPad is dumb if you have an apple lap top and an iPhone". Or my next blog, which was going to be traffic court vs divorce court. I really come here to be friendly, make someone smile, share my goofy life with you. But I want to reciprocate and visit other blogs, and that's when the thirteen year old has come out. I hurt someone I care about, I offended someone I didn't even know, I forgot something really important, several times. Everyone here is a real, live, human being. I don't know your issues, triggers, sensitive topics. I don't know your mental state, your emotional vunerability. I am guilty, at times, of looking at this as a game, having fun with the controversy , trying to be popular. All things I detest about xanga. All things that remind me of jr. High. I have found myself being hypocritical, petty, and rude. Not a lot, just one time too many. People are not their xanga site, a string of words on a screen. What I personally enjoy and get out of xanga, is as I said, is sharing what I think is interesting, funny, witty, or important to my life. I enjoy sharing my extreme, amateur photograpy, with photos taken on my cheap little camera. I also enjoy, feedback from others and reading others unique creative outlits. But the Internet by it's very nature gives people false bravado, and while you can make connections there is a level of disconect . So I need to decide why I want to be here, if I want to be here, if I can contol my fingers when visiting others sites. Have I gotten all there is to get here? Or will I go to the library and Write a blog tomorrow? I need to think. If you comment and I hope you do, I can't comment back on the phone. I will read them though, and as I said, I may end up going to the libray. I do know if and when I return to blogging I will be more mindful of My whole xanga experience. What I want? How can I get that? And is it worth it?

I'm doing a contest, a writing challenge.  See here.  At first I was like WHAT!!!!  But then I decided I would give it a big Thumbs Up.  I mean 1,000 E Props for every mini word and phrase I use? Cheers to that!  These mini words better count, even though I have not actually started my story or I'm gona hurl.  Seriously I will give the judges a huge thumbs down.  I want huge props for this.  And I deserve it, because this is hard and it's so well done.

Okay on to my story.

Once upon a time there was a lonely xangan named Cinderxanga.  She really needed a mini vacation.  Cinderxanga loved to blog, but her step xangans were bad to the bone.  Cinderxanga was in a lot of danger.  You see prince xanga John was having a birthday dance party on his site.  She wanted to be the first Xangan to say Happy Birthday to him.  For weeks she had seen Party over here, Party over here and party time on his site.  But she was afraid she wouldn't be invited because Prince John sent her a message saying " You haven't posted in awhile" " I miss you" and so she was scared.  But she WAS invited, and all the other xangans in xanga land said " I'm so happy for you" and " congrats".  This gave the step xangans a brain freeze, they were so angry.  They decided to  hatch a plan.  They would find a way to delete  Cindrexangan's comment on the prince's site.  The meaner of the two step xangans said " Don't make me mad you goody two shoes,  were on the same wave length right? "Don't worry," she said, Cinderxanga is so screwed. 
     One of the stipulations for going to the party was you had to have Hood Foot Wear.  Of course Cinderxanga didn't have any.  But then her xanga God Mother appeared in a regarding your comment and said "it's your turn to shine."  And with a wink, she gave her a mini of Hood Foot Wear.  Cinderxanga was so happy.  She said " oh xanga God Mother, your a star, You rock"  " Here I was saying I'm a lone wolf, but you hit the bulls eye, thank you.  I know these were very expensive.  "You are awesome."  " Your sweet." 'I love you." I <3 you."  " hugs"  This made the xanga God Mother a little sick and she said " Look, You know you want me, and I know you want me but eat me Cinderxanga"  " oh and be back to your site by midnight." " Or I'm going to say, Zap,  Let it Snow" and your comment will be deleted.  " What a Jerk, Cinderxanga thought, but instead she said " Huh?" " I totaly disagree"  " I don't want you, I want Prince Xanga John.  And with that she started singing a little song
When I dream
You make me melt
You've captured my heart

lalalalala

Then she woke up and realized reality sucks and thought, "this is not going to end well."

Finally, the party day was here.  Cinderxanga rushed over to Xanga Prince John's site and saw there were already many comments.  She quickly read them,  Thinking of you, and mmm cupcakes, but no Happy Birthday.  This made her ridiculously happy.  She quickly typed Happy Birthday and left a Your Magic mini for the prince.  Then she rushed back to her site as the clock was about to strike midnight.  Unfortunately she left one of her Hood foot Wear there.  The step xangans hacked into the prince's site and quickly deleted Cinderxanga's comment and left a Happy Birthday from them. 

Prince Xanga was too smart for the step xangans though, he looked at his footprints and realized that Cinderxanga would never come by without leaving a comment and the Hood Foot Wear was left at the same time Cinderxanga came by.

Like a moth to a flame ,he rushed to her site and asked her to be his best friend forever .  He also said "  come on over to my site. "

And everyone in Xanga land said " Congrats ( and they lived happily ever after).

Wish me Good luck.  Recommend and star this entry.  PLEASE!  You all know how competitive I am. 

I love the new reply feature.  I didn't at first because it confused me.  Would the people know I was replying?  Why was my reply showing up on my site?  Was I allowed to reply on others sites to THEIR comments? 

And now I find that , yes, people are aware I replied.  It shows up on my site so others can see it, but I can reply to more than on person at a time, so my profile picture is not hogging my site.  I can reply to other comments on others sites. 

This is very cool,  because one, it's a time saver.  Two, sometimes I wonder, how did she or he answer that person's comment?  The only way I know is by going to the other persons site and looking.  That's usually not worth it.  Sometimes I also want to respond to another commenter but don't want to go to their site at that moment.  If I did I would feel obligated to read whatever post they wrote and comment on it, when perhaps i had no time for that crap.

Sometimes I get a bitchy comment.  I usually respond with something I think is a good come back.  But now everyone can see how witty I am to the negative commenter. 

It also makes it easier to answer comments.  If your one who gets quite a few, it's now so easy to respond.  Just click reply.

Oh and the new subs page and private page?  NICE.

Good job Xanga.

Off to work, : dread:

Wow, people got deep with that last entry.  I meant it to be lighthearted but I appreciate the input.

Show choir director gave Matt a bill for $102.00, this is for the window breakage.  Technically, I don't mind paying the bill, or rather making Matt pay the bill, but this school was so old Laura Ingels Wilder could have gone there.  As a matter of fact, they announced that they are rasing money for big school renovations.   Really, we should be suing them for having thin windows and for having that fake nurse, who never gave us a ride to the hospital.  But I am going to be the bigger person, teach Matt a lesson, and pay.    Then Matt will have to pay me back.  But just to be bitchy, I may only pay 101.00.  Matt does not want to ask the girl, his accomplice, to pay half , because she didn't put her arm through the window.  I'm not sure this is fair, it was her idea to play the game, and it was her dad who taught her the game.  She started it  in front of the window.  And of course he's going to be dumb and play, she's really cute.  I have a feeling the cuteness has something to do with Matt not wanting to share the bill.  Whatever, it's his bill, so he can decide.

More added to this blog after the line.

Yes, another post, I just felt the need to write about my work day again.  A lot happened while I was home recovering from yesterday.  We had two run aways who are back already and one termination who has not been picked up yet. 

I learned later that the director said The Pursuit of Happiness was too dark and they ended up seeing Charlottes Web.  Apparently, they were the only kids there above the age of seven.

Edit:  I think xanga changes some words automatically when I did not click change in spell check.  that bugs me.
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