Just in case you missed them, here are a few interesting things that came to light on the Scottish Terrier and Dog News this week;

1) Try Gold Bond Powder for itchy, allergy-prone Scotties. agraciesmama did, and so far, so good.

2) And here’s the comment of the week on a post about swimming (or non-swimming) Scotties:

My previous Scottie “Clyde” wasn’t the best swimmer, but at least he’d try – one time he swam to the dock but then simply stopped paddling … it was like watching the Titanic go down (I know I shouldn’t laugh, but …) Anyway … nothing a lifejacket wouldn’t solve. Clyde’s buddy “Bonnie” (a Westie) would swim out after the ducks or loons, and as others have noted it was only prudent for her to wear a lifejacket for when she inevitably realized she was overtired and would then turn towards shore. Both Clyde and Bonnie would bravely jump in and try to rescue me if I splashed about as if I were in trouble … brave wee pups!!! Haven’t figured out if the two new Terrier-ists are swimmers yet (but I’m guessing Watson will give it a try … and Sherlock, well … he’s a “stocky” boy … chuckle!) – both will wear lifejackets, however … especially after I learned the painful way that swimming out to rescue your dog means you’ll be covered in claw marks unless you’re wearing a wet suit … ha! Now … have to find that photo of them on my back, on the sailboard …

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Scottie News is “sticking” some of its older and most popular posts on the front page temporarily.

Unfortunately I can’t figure out a way to mark these “sticky posts” as being from the archives so it’s a bit confusing.

If you know how to fix this, please let me know.

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Hello everyone,

The meltdown is officially over and the Scottish Terrier and Dog News is indeed back.

A big hand to the Dour Scotsman for helping out in my hour of need. He has told me he will guest post again in the very near future to answer various questions he received while filling in here at the Scottie News.

The mini-break gave me time to reflect on this blog’s issues and I’ve decided I’m prepared to give it until the end of the year to get the problems sorted out.

As I mention below in answer to some of your comments, what is getting to me, is not the time required for blogging. That, at the very least, gives results and pretty fast.

The killer is having a long list of things that need to be fixed and knowing that I’m going to waste hours and hours trying to fix them and then maybe get nowhere.

My site migration was handled by a team in India, but I was also moving house at the same time and didn’t project manage it properly and, let’s just say, they needed a firm hand with the project management. As much as the price was right and the guy in charge was a sweetheart, I would not recommend them without a few major caveats.

So, here’s the bottom line. I will be going back to normal blogging until the end of the year. If my Google search results and traffic aren’t back up by then, I will likely stop.

In the mean time, I need a WordPress Thesis expert, preferably in the Toronto area who can help me out so that I don’t waste precious hours trying to make the changes I want to make. (For example, I want to feature old archived posts at the top of the home page, but with a title indicating they are Featured Posts from the Archives. I don’t want just want them sitting there with a date from the past and no explanation as currently happens when I designate a post “sticky.”)

On top of this, I also need a good handy person for the home, which isn’t easy to find in Toronto.

So, if you know either of these people or, best of all, a handyperson who knows WordPress Thesis and has a Scottie, please send me an email at scottishterriernews@gmail.com.

And yes, I am going to have to pay for both those things, so if you would like to make a contribution and have a credit card, you can do so very easily by clicking that little Buy Now button in the “Advertise on the Scottie News” box in the far right hand column. (It’s PayPal and very easy and secure)

Once again, thank you so much, everyone, for all your comments. I’ve answered some of the comments that raised questions or dealt with specific issues below, but please know that each and every comment was important to me and, taken together, they provided the encouragement to keep this site going.

Melissa wrote:

NOooooooo! Can’t you just go back to the old blog site?

Scottie News answer:

Unfortunately, that’s not possible. And also, I did leave Blogger for valid reasons that still exist. As mentioned above, I need a WordPress Thesis expert.

pj courcy wrote:

I know your post was made in utmost frustration… boy, can I empathize with it. Your blog was good stuff, well executed, and it will be greatly missed if indeed it were to end.

I would help somehow, if I could. My blogs are on Blogger –one of them’s not working right now, ironically enough–so I totally understand the desire to move to WordPress, always touted as the best destination for serious and worthwhile blogs. Which this one is.

I could also blather on with all manner of speculation about SEO and Google and metatags and such… though that would not explain the slowness… but it would be speculation and thus useless. And I’ve seen from prior posts that you know what needs to be done in those areas.

I admire your work on this blog and hope you can find some way out of this horrid WordPress thicket. If not? Well. Seems you deserve some peace for a bit. Cuddle your daughter, hug your dear pup, have some chocolate. And be proud of what you’ve accomplished on your own. Oh, and to hell with anyone who tells you what’s best for you. =) Cheers, and all the best.

Scottie News answer:

Thanks for your kind comment. You seem to have read my mind and it helps to know I’m not alone. WordPress is becoming the industry standard and I had to switch. I just wish I hadn’t put it off for so long.

I think my big problem is that I opted for a theme that developers love and praise to the skies. But what’s good for developers isn’t necessarily good for non-tech oriented bloggers. And developers aren’t great at understanding that not everyone gets a kick out of spending hundreds of hours tweaking their code. Some of just want to blog using a user-friendly content management system.

Peri wrote:

It can really be a slog sometimes and when raising a family and working it is just one more thing to deal with. When my blog got to me I took a hiatus of 2 months just to see if I missed it. I did and slowly went back to blogging here and there as opposed to daily. Now I feel I control it and not vice versa.

I respect and understand your feelings but do hope you have a change of heart.

Scottie News answer:

I’m glad you enjoy the blog. I’ll be making some changes in the way I blog which I hope will help with my personal life. I’m not quite ready to give up on this site just yet.

David King wrote:

Maybe there’s a technical whizzo around that can set it straight? Gosh, I do hope so.

Thank you for the work you’ve done already. And Godspeed you to your next project…

Scottie News answer:

You are so very welcome.

Back during the summer I went to a WordPress workshop to try and meet a tech whiz. It was fun, but it didn’t lead to the kind of answers I wanted. I really need someone who’s worked with WordPress Thesis and can talk plain English. And, of course, I need the money to pay them.

Anonymous wrote:

Can any IT scottie owners ride to the rescue? I’ve read this site everyday since you started. My day won’t be the same without it.

Scottie News answer:

It seems IT types don’t own Scottish Terriers. Hmmm. Maybe if they did they’d be more sensible.

Agraciesmama wrote:

What can we readers do to help ? Is it in any way a matter of finances ? Do we need to pass the hat – a tam of course… and then perhaps you could hire someone to help unravel the mess ? Please let us know.

Scottie News answer:

Thanks so much. I have posted a reminder above that it’s always possible to contribute via the PayPal button. It feels a bit crass, but I’m not letting that stop me. There’s nothing like cash.

TCMum wrote:

Maybe a Facebook group would be easier??!

Scottie News answer:

I wouldn’t encourage anyone to start up a site using Facebook or they might end up with the same kind of problems I had with Blogger. That’s one of the very big lessons I learned from all this. Please everyone, start you own site from day one.

And TCMum, I love your regular comments and sure the readers do too. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

Cindy wrote:

For what it’s worth, I am a multimedia journalism student who has dabbled in web content management for several organizations on my college campus, in addition to a stint managing content for National Geographic Traveler magazine’s web site this past summer. If you need any help with anything, I’d be more than happy to volunteer advice or assistance. Don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d gladly share what little knowledge I have to repay you for the knowledge of this most beautiful breed that you have shared with me. Best wishes to you.

Scottie News answer:

Thanks Cindy, I will be in touch.

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Between dealing with the new blog home and its migration team in India and assembling the Ikea accessories required for her own new home, is it any wonder our fearless leader cracked?

You can help by recording in the comments how long it takes the Scottie News to load on your computer. I’ll use that information for kicking ass and taking names.

Expect Ann to return next week.

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The migration of my site has destroyed my blog. Traffic falls off more every day. The pages don’t load properly. Everything I’ve worked to build here  has collapsed around me.

I work full time. I look after a daughter. I can’t come home and spend hours futilely trying to figure out how to fix things.

That’s it for me and the Scottie News.

Maybe we’ll be back and maybe we won’t.

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My migration of the Scottish Terrier and Dog News from Blogger to WordPress has been a disaster.

Things that used to take me five seconds now take five minutes if I can figure out them out at all, five hours if I can’t and five days when things get really bad. The site is slow as molasses and my readership has been dropping like a stone because, for whatever reason, Google no longer indexes some of the Scottie News‘ most popular posts.

Scottish Terrier and Dog News traffic plummets after August 21st migration to WordPress despite the fact it followed all the Google rules

This is particularly ironic given that I left Google-owned Blogger in the first place because its internal blog search — the one in the top left-hand corner — no longer worked and hadn’t for an entire year. This meant people would come to the Scottie News, plug something into the search box and be told it wasn’t there or didn’t exist even though it most emphatically did exist. This meant potential readers would  leave frustrated, instead of finding what they were looking for and staying on the site and making all of us happy.

Despite many complaints from users, Blogger didn’t take this issue seriously at all. In fact, the people assigned to the issue didn’t even realize the extent of the problem and kept proclaiming it solved. Months into the problem when it got worse than ever, they closed down threads and didn’t even bother to reply to polite user queries. Clearly they weren’t interested in fixing the Blogger search problem because the right people at Google could have solved the problem instantly if they had wanted to or even known about it.

The whole issue turned me from a Google booster into a Google hater. As one other blogger in the same position noted:

I think one of the things that Google are overlooking is the emotional impact this has upon their users and those that placed their trust in them.  If only they would communicate frequently we could be a bit more understanding.  But right now we cannot help but feel abandoned and treated with contempt.
Google need to understand the amount of work that some people have put into their blogs.  Some are a virtual labor of love.  I acknowledge that blogspot is a free service but we were encouraged to use it by Google and were reassured all will be well. To be treated like this by those we have put trust in as the custodians of these blogs is very disheartening.  It does not reflect well on Google and I am quite at a loss as to how they can be so indifferent to the situation.

Google’s customer service is appalling. And while I did pay a very small fee to the company for my domain names, the experience made me realize the problems that can crop up when you use a free product and get what you pay for. (Facebook people, are you listening?)

But enough about me and why I can’t post  all your wonderful dog photos waiting in my mailbox — namely because I can’t figure out how to edit photos in WordPress without taking a week off work — there is a little something all you people with websites could do for the Scottie News. Could you please post a link to our new address or update your old links. Every little bit helps.

Oh yes, and if you want a link on the Scottie News, just leave a comment or email me at scottishterriernews@gmail.com and I will post one. Many thanks.

In the mean time, I’ve asked myself what a real Scottish person, someone like the Dour Scotsman, would do in a case like this. And the answer is pour himself a stiff one. I’m acting on what I’m sure would be his wise advice and I’ve just emptied out the last of the Labour Day weekend Shiraz. Cheers, everyone

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Aargh, the head of editorial operations at the Scottish Terrier and Dog News spent three hours in the dentist’s chair this afternoon, and then took the evening off to watch Mad Men with a giant gin and tonic. See you all on Westie Wednesday.

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