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Flip Flop Friday: 13 point digital rant!

By John Henry, Florida Architect

Services for Real Estate Pros with John Henry Masterworks Design International, Inc. 13013

October 19, 2018 08:26 AM

1. OK, now Google Gmail wants to finish my sentences in my return emails. I can't take this anymore!~ It's already bad enough that we don't talk to each other much and text and email primarily, but now the little communication I have left to convey is being co-opted by some clown HTML in the new Gmail format. I want to finish my own thoughts!! Google, leave me alone!

2. Well, now I hear G+ is getting dropped and this is after I've spent many hours working on two or three separate webs!! Is Google to be trusted at this point to start something and maintain it -- as they should!!? But wait: I keep getting notices to add content to my Google Business webs. What is going on???

3. Why is it that 99% of my facebook likes are from third world countries and children under 15??? Ridiculous.

4. I have a submission/contact form on my main website. 99% of those contacting me every day want to offer SEO services!! Oh, good grief...

5. Speaking of SEO, I must reluctantly admit, I just changed up my meta tags and see NO change in the number of people finding my website. Arggghhhh!! It's been 8 days now...

6. Do you remember how we used to upgrade our computers every three or four months in the heyday? We would get those magazines in the mail that offered separate kits and parts for hard drives, chips, storage, and apps that had neat graphics, defrags, screensavers, etc. No longer. Things seem to be running as fast as they can. Hard drives are smaller and larger. No upgrading for me in several years.

7. I still use Windows XP on one of my two computers. I have an older CAD program that runs only on XP. Does anyone else have XP still for a favorite software program that is no longer being sold or supported?

8. I bought a new surge protector. I thought it didn't work when the power goes out routinely here in Orlando. Well, not ALL the plugs are protected!! Check your own to find out.

9. What the HEY!! Now I have to RENT MS Word, Pub and Excel for a year at a time!! I can't get a disk to reinstall when I need to!!? MS has gone too far with this.

10. I was told recently that the Asian countries LOVE Instagram. If you wish to market services over there, use Instagram.

11. If you have Amazon Prime or shopped at other places online for dog food, a part for your Jeep Cherokee, etc. well guess what? For the rest of your life you will get at least one or two emails a day asking if you want to buy more dog food or another steering pump for your Jeep. Totally insane. But I’d like to know how to get that kind of followup automatically for people visiting my web!! Ha

12. If you continue to get a freeze on your browser with a message that you have a virus and need to buy their software to fix it, just turn off your computer immediately. Restart and open the browser deleting all pages that were open at the same time. That nasty bug will be gone.

13. This last one is for AR here: I write up a blog to be scheduled at a future date. I save it and then schedule it. Fine. They two days later I want to edit it. I spend an hour writing and try to save it again. No do. It won’t save additional text. What am I doing wrong??

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Ron and Alexandra Seigel

Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA

Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

John,

Once you have scheduled a post, you can go back and edit it. However, it will not publish on the date you scheduled it or ever. It is a quirk of the system. A

Oct 19, 2018 08:30 AM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Thanks Alexandra, I thought I was doing something wrong. Lesson to learn: SAVE your test in MS Word before editing and posting on AR. Make sure it is exactly what you wish to schedule before saving to post later. If you leave it alone, you can edit it after posting without losing anything.

Oct 19, 2018 09:09 AM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Good morning, John --- quirks, glitches, snafus. I wish I could say it was temporary but it feels omnipresent. Either I deal with it(adapt) or reject (and move on). Hmm...Ostrich alert!

Oct 19, 2018 08:36 AM

Jim Harper

Marietta, GA

John Henry, Florida Architect

These things all tend to bug the heck out of me. ha. Thanks Michael.

Oct 19, 2018 09:10 AM

Endre Barath, Jr.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA

Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

John it is all good just ask for Tech Support and Artificial Intelligence will tell you everything is fine or talk to SIRI she will reassure you as well, with a nice soft human voice:)))Endre

p.s.: or if you prefer call Google Voice:))))))))))))))

Oct 19, 2018 06:08 PM

Jim Harper

Marietta, GA

John Henry, Florida Architect

Yeah, I don't use SIRI or any of those remote device thingies. I like to push the switch on the wall of the room I want a light to go on and not have to navigate a touchpad. HA. Thanks Endre

Oct 20, 2018 06:10 AM

Endre Barath, Jr.

John neither do I:)) just thought I add more fuel to your Digital Rant:))Endre

Oct 22, 2018 06:27 PM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Hi John-

I have written my posts in Google Docs since the first time I lost something I'd written.

I think that if you schedule a post and you want to edit it, you have to go through a long process to revert to draft, then unschedule it, then make changes, and then try scheduling it again. I've had it work and I've had it not work.

Give your Meta Tags some time to work.

I miss XP, can't stand Microsoft, and use Open Office on my computer.

I discovered that lots of my contacts on my iPhone went poof! If you find a cure for that, let me know!!!!!

Oct 19, 2018 06:36 PM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Hi Kathy, I think if you write and edit in another program then cut and paste you will be ahead of the game. But I've lost content several times by clicking on the wrong button hastily. One way to save or find your work is to click the go back arrow a few times.

I can't tell when I tweak my site with meta tags whether I am getting positive results from that or a number of other things I am doing so it is doubly vexing.

I also lost several contacts on my Blackberry recently, so you are not alone.

Oct 20, 2018 06:12 AM

Debe Maxwell, CRS

Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC

The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Hi John! I love your rant and agree with all of them except I do not use Gmail for that very reason - the solicitations are riduculous! I also have a Mac and thankfully, don't have to pay for Pages, Numbers or Keynote (the equivalent to Word, Excel or Publisher).

As for scheduling, I schedule almost all of my posts. The time to post is on PST. I'm EST so, I have to calculate 3 hours difference but, it works - at least my account does!

Oct 19, 2018 07:30 PM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Debe, glad you like the rant. I have more.... ha.

Yes, too much tracking of personal info and one of these days things are going to get nasty when the previously impenetrable digital world will be massively hacked.
I started scheduling too but could not edit the scheduled post.

Thanks

Oct 20, 2018 06:17 AM

Marte Cliff

Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID

Your real estate writer

I had to laugh about you being asked to buy another steering pump for your Jeep. I've often talked back to the computer, saying "I just bought that you idiot." Dog food I can understand, since they do just keep eating.

I don't like gmail and wouldn't use it except for the fact that there are a few people I can't communicate with via Thunderbird. They're on gmail and my mail to them simply bounces. At the same time, I can send a message to my own gmail account, then forward it on to them. Makes no sense at all.

Oct 20, 2018 10:12 AM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Marte, the emails will never end from Amazon. I am getting really tired of it. And if I go to another website I see ads for Jeep parts, etc. I would even get tired of seeing dog food ads over and over.

I like Gmail because you can send large files without it clogging up like the old Outlook Express. Great to hear from you and thanks!

Oct 20, 2018 03:56 PM

Barbara Le Pine

ADVANTAGE REAL ESTATE, serving Lincoln County - Newport, OR

Your agent for the Central Oregon Coast!

John,

I tried a scheduled blog post only to find out the same bugs you have found, it does not work and you may lose a good blog over it, as I have found when it refused to save my additional text. If I write one at midnight, I better post it at midnight!

Thanks for your navigation updates (or is it NAGivation!) on the digital world. Well done! :)

Oct 20, 2018 12:23 PM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Barbara, I just need some confirmation that it's not only me... thanks for relating your experience. I love everything else about this format but I too have lost entire posts by clicking somewhere accidentally... NAGivation. I like that...

Oct 20, 2018 04:08 PM

Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ

Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ

HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

I thought for a minute I was reading my own diary there! Agreed on all counts! Except I haven't scheduled a post in quite a while so not sure on that; however, I see you have your answer

Today I visited my google analytics site only to see that my old website is listed. It's forwarding to my new site - but argh! I've almost just given up. I used to receive regular hits and the public found my blog site. Now, not so much. Living in a town of 4 million doesn't help. But I still try :)

Oct 22, 2018 06:33 PM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Jan Green I really think we are caught up in a digital conspiracy that promised first a brave new world but now is conniving to get as much revenue as possible by making you pay to be found online. Disgusting. Among the few things positive about all this is that trees weren't cut down to disseminate all this information!

Nov 18, 2018 09:38 AM

Jill Sackler

Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc. 516-575-7500 - Long Beach, NY

LI South Shore Real Estate - Broker Associate

I didn't know how I felt about the complete sentence options, in the beginning. Now, I'm starting to get used to it, as they always knew I would. What can you do? It's a brave new world.

Nov 18, 2018 05:33 AM

John Henry, Florida Architect

Jill Sackler Hi Jill, there is a strange way that the answers are somehow linked to the email and after I while I think we will realize that we are getting canned responses. Sort of some drive by comments here. ha. Thanks.

Nov 18, 2018 09:39 AM