Problems With Blogger and with Links

Image found at Wolf-Howl

This post is a general query out there to anybody who uses Blogger. It's the Google-owned service for creating blogs. I've used it for over five years for Greenlee Gazette, and have recently encountered a problem. After I've posted a blog with source links, I've found that my link is broken. On a couple of occasions, Dan from LasVegasBadger.blogspot.com has pointed out that my link didn't work. On each of those occasions (and on several others I've found myself), it wasn't so much that the link was broken, as that it was just flat-out wrong.

I just went through two pages of my posts, and found at least half were this way. Now, I've been doing this blog since 2007. . .I know what I'm doing! So, I wonder if any other Blogger bloggers have this issue? In each case, I get a nonsense link with "blog" in the name, and in each case, the usual "open in new window" command that I always use is not employed. Here are a couple of the false links I've found: [http://goog_624617935/]  [http://draft.blogger.com/~mdexpatinpa/] [http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1613533033]. Obviously, I didn't come up with these things by myself. Something is going on that is inserting these bad links. Anyone know what it is?

Thanks!

UPDATE: Since this post, I have written two posts with excerpted and linked articles. In both cases, I paid close attention to my copying and pasting of links, and the boxes I checked in the posting process. In one case, the link worked, in the other it was that garbage I mentioned above, and no checked boxes. So, this is definitely happening in the software, and is not a user problem!

Would Somebody Please Leave Me a Comment?

No, I'm not begging for attention. I tried to leave a reply to a comment, and I can't make my computer do it. It keeps getting stuck in a loop. I don't know if it is a Blogger issue, or if it's my computer. So, say anything you like. . .I can take it!!!

Blogger is Back! Now What?

Blogger--the service that hosts this blog--has been offline since sometime on Thursday. Hence the lack of posts since then. It's been a weird couple of days, not being able to blog. Oddly, having an excuse not to post anything has just given me withdrawal symptoms! But now that Google has fixed the service (and I just found out by clicking to check it out), I've got stuff to do. So, I promise to get a few posts up today, but for now I have to go out and get some exercise and then some lunch.

Anyway, it looks like  everything isn't back up to normal. It won't even let me put a photo in here. [The PC let me add a picture, or maybe they finally fixed it]

UPDATED to add that I'm bummed that my last six or seven blog posts disappeared into the ether. There was good stuff there! And it makes me look like I'm slacking. Back soon.

Blogiversary: 21 Months! (Almost) 4,500 Posts!

I've been taking it kinda easy around here this weekend, mostly because we had quite a bit of overtime at work, right on through Saturday. I'd moan and groan about that, but--in this economy? Are you kidding? So, I just cut back on the blogging.

But tomorrow is yet another blogiversary, another small milestone that I'd have never imagined would roll around when I started this blog. 21 months, and (nearly) 4,500 posts. That's sort of a dual milestone. I've said in the past that I have had three goalposts for the blog. Since the election, many bloggers have called it quits, or drastically scaled their blogs back. I didn't want to do that, but I needed goals to focus on, since the urge to blog was--well--less urgent after November 4.

My three goals are 1) 2 years blogging, 2) 5,000 posts and 3) 100,000 visitors. As fate would have it, it is possible that I'll hit all three at the same time, which will undoubtedly spur me on, and force me to set new goals!

February was a kick-ass month for visits to the blog (and thank you for that). One year ago, February was the month of shame, a black-hole of very few readers. But this year, in 28 short days, I had the third best month of the blog's existence. That's saying something, since traffic fell by four-fifths after the election. And I came within spitting distance of second best month. Only October stands significantly higher.

I'll probably be back here next month with a tale of woe, on how tragically short the visits were in a 31-day month. But for now, I'll take it as a victory. So, thanks for reading, and bring your friends!

Gays and Straights March to Protest Proposition 8

Image from source, Towleroad

I didn't go to tonight's Las Vegas protest over the California Proposition 8 passage. I kinda wanted to, wanted to be part of the movement. And considering that I got married in Palm Springs this June, I probably should have gone. I actually feel kind of lame for skipping it. I hope they had a huge turnout anyway.

It turns out that I'm more of a armchair (OK, desk chair) advocate. I give money to the causes, and I blog about them, but I'm not much of an "in person" advocate. Maybe I should change that. I'm proud of the people who are doing this, and I hope that they are successful in changing public opinion, or at least in showing our numbers. And I'll try to be there next time. Promise.

Read all about the protests happening all over the country here: Gays and Straight Allies Protest for Marriage Equality Across Nation