October 18, 2004
-
Xanga
N.B. Please do not comment unless you have read this post. Thank you.
I had a post all written and I decided after reading so many xanga's that something needs to be said. I came onto Xanga, when a friend introduced me to this community of weblogs, and at the very beginning I knew so little about HTML, CSS ( I mean I was a programmer not a webmaster/web designer). So I took the time to learn, all the while writing my thoughts down, mainly for me. Then one day I received a comment from a girl, and so I go to her site and read her xanga too. Up to that minute I always thought the only people reading my entries were my family and friends. I was so homesick after leaving London, that I needed a place to fill my time and a place that I could express my thoughts. Back then I wrote without conviction, without hesitation, and through time I learned that some people deserved their privacy. I learned to be more positive, and to question myself more, and I believe I am at that point in my xanga experience where I write to educate me and share with others what I have learned based on my mistakes and successes.
I've read so many Xangas and some I go to and never leave a comment and those who touch my heart with their words are the ones whom I subscribe to. I've looked at Xanga in so many different ways in the past. But one thing remains, Xanga is not a place where idiots can come and abuse you for the privilege of reading your thoughts, ideas, experience. Its not a place where people can brag about how great they are and how they are the sexiest or the most sex driven, a sex machine or a sex goddess, because that crap is nothing new. I would like to think that Xanga is not a place for attention seekers, not the place where morons and idiots can abuse and insult one another. I would like to think Xanga is a community of so many different races and so many cultures all learning for one another and with this medium we are able to unite for a better cause, for something other than just us, other than just our sex life or our popularity, surely it is about being able to be a community that is there for one another.
Texie once showed me that Xanga can be used for a greater purpose, and it worked too. I just read so many xangas today about people complaining about a certain boy getting more eprops than most and that this boy was cheating and so he robbed someone of their chance at the featured content. Does that mean I should whine too, since no matter how many eprops I get for each post I have never made it to the Featured content. Should I write Xanga a threatening letter too? As if Xanga ever answered any of my emails about my account in the past! They have never answered a single email I ever sent them, and to be fair I have written 2 in the space of 7 months.
To be honest reading that particular blog made me realize that I want Xanga to mean more to me. I want it to mean a community writing to educate and help one another in their own way. Writing for writing's sake. Each to their own, but keeping in mind that we are still a community of people with feelings and writing crude, vulgar not to mention degrading entries so that you can become popular, is not going to help nor will it make you a better person. What will make you a better person is the way you act, and the vision that you see in the mirror wont change with the amount of eprops you get.
I have met so many people here who pretend to be someone they are not, who write under supreme anonymity, and under false pretenses, either stealing other peoples work from the Internet, or taking post from others and re-wording them to make it their own. I believe in the freedom of speech too, but when you sit and take credit for someone else's looks and someone else's work and then think, that your make believe self confidence is deserving, then you belong in a community of pretenders (that would be the psychiatric ward). No award or recognition will mean as much as the satisfaction that being true to yourself brings. When you have worked hard for something and you reap its rewards, it means so much more, because you know you did it on your own, as in YOU. Stealing is stealing no matter how you try to justify it to yourself it is still stealing. Calling it copying and pasting does not make it any less degrading to your integrity.
I do take comfort that amidst all those, there are real people in Xanga, and most of those whose Xanga I go to are truly decent people who try to lead their lives and try to contribute to this community of ours. So this post is only for those whom it may sting. If it hurts, its true, so if you didn't like what you read, or if I offended you, then I suggest you dont come and read here again, and change because if this offended you, you deserve it, and you need to be more real to yourself and to others.
This is me being real to Xanga, and let's hope Xanga takes the time to be real to itself and let's hope they take the time to realize that we all deserve better service in the form of communication. Customer service truly sucks and there needs to be more consideration for their members either premium or not, because without US there would be no Xanga.
Lets be a community of writers, expressing all that we have within, all of our dreams, our ideas, striving to be more than just mere attention seekers hoping for popularity by any means necessary. But most of all lets be a collection of strong men and women with a loud and important VOICE. A hosts of seperate identities with 1 determined VOICE.
Thank you to everyone who gave me input on the two different layouts. I apologize for the confusion, both layouts were still in the draft process.. I just needed some ideas on which one looked better. There was no links or content within them, they were just images that I was deciding on. Looks like I am set to use the laptop.
If anyone is wondering about the virus. please visit the head admin of Xanga = John for details and how to remove it.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to read and gave their opinion. Must sleep, Night
Comments (33)
Hiya mate. Excellent post
I have no idea whose been pissing whom off (and no desire to find out), but I completely agree that life's too short to worry about such matters.
Texie rocks. Haven't I told you that already ?
I think there's plenty of room on xanga for everybody, and that each person should be able to find a small corner where people have similar ideas and attitudes, and that they will naturally find those niches. Don't get stressed about what the others think and how their attitudes differ from yours, cos from there it's an easy progression downhill towards holy wars and terrorism and Coke vs Pepsi
"All you need is love."
"Love, love, love."
If that ain't enough just ignore them until they jump in front of you begging to become roadkill.
when i started blogging i had no idea what sort of experience i wanted out of it ...
but man am i glad i started coz i've made so many great friends and learned from other people's experiences ... it great to have ppl care for you when you're down and share your joy when things are going well
i wouldnt careless about being a featured member ... and cheating to get more props LMAO ... this aint money and even if it was, its so lame ... funny
anyway have a good week Z ... was the capoeira link i gave you any good?
To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised when I started looking through Xanga. I expected to find many attention-hungry people, and Xanga is pleasantly void of most of them. A token few still linger - but they just remind me of how good the Xanga community is. And those who compete over eProps because it secures their confidence really arent worth wasting a second thought on, as they will never truly be any competition for those with a real sense of confidence.
P.S. - thanks for your comments on my Xanga, I would really like to get to know you better
And I use Poser or Paint Shop Pro's Animation shop, depending on my needs. By the way, a hot drink before bed was an awesome suggestion.
Awe, this is such a great post!!!
I totally agree. I just don't even understand the point of some people having a Xanga, if all they're going to do is put down one crazy spelled sentence complaining about something.
I am always so pleased to run across nice people like you here on Xanga! Yay for those of us that are real...even if I don't always have something interesting to SAY -- I always have pictures, right?
RYC: Would you really make me my very own skin??? That would make me a very happy Emily. I don't know what I would want...something with Tulips maybe...across the bottom, or fading into the back, 3D like? Hmm..pinkness...Pretty simple though. With a nice font. I like a lot of the fonts at dafont.com. Girlie, but different, still readable. Handwriting style. With a saying...maybe one of mine...maybe a poem I've written? Hmm...I'm getting very excited at the thought
)
Oh, and speaking of Ronny, I think he's mad at me for 1, and for 2, I sent him lots of pretty black cat pictures last night. They're all photos, cats cropped out wiht a transparent background. I figured that would be good for the site. Make sure he doesn't delete them
Have a Marvelous Monday!
i TOTALLY agree... you have practically written about how I feel about xanga... and reading this with such a beautiful background song, just took my breath away.
Have I ever told you how amazing you are?
hey sis! just want to say that you have inspired to change how I write my entries on my own xanga. You are the most positive person I know Zeliah and I think it's rubbing off on me. LOL! Believe me, it's a good thing. You've made me realize that the little tiff(if you can call it that) is nothing to worry about. I love you sis!
being in xanga has truly been a gift and a curse. xanga being a gift, has helped me meet some of the most intelligent people i have ever gotten into aquaintance with, and xangahas also been a place where i can say the things that people don't usually listen to, or care about.
being a curse, i've seen all too many crappy posts that show how shallow people can be sometimes.. and also, i've been abused on MY VERY OWN PAGE.
i think we should all review the pros and cons of xanga... and get on with it... to make it a better place. as you said, to make ONE VOICE.. with a mass of seperate opinions and identities. you are brilliant zel.
hey sweetie
thanks .... what do you do like for abs??
I LOVE THIS SONG
ya know i feel the same way it's like i only have like at the most five comments a day lol but i still go on sometimes i talk about myself(hey its my blog i can do what i want right : ) ) sometimes i inform on things just something that i learned for once again myself ya know... if anyone is touched good for them.. if they are offended well i am sorry but it is my belief ya know.... anyone i am blabbing... being on featured would be awesome but come on most people start their blog for themselves why not just keep it that way if u happen to get pop hey
brittni
I'm rather new to xanga but when I heard that people do try to steal other people's content, I thought that was just insane.
For me, xanga has been a sort of therapy, just an outlet to vent out my thoughts. I write simply for me. So, it's just strange for me to hear that people would take so much time and effort just to get eprops under false pretenses.
Very good post. It annoys me so much that people compete to be on Featured Content.
Now I use it more to keep in touch with friends (who are farther away now that we're in college) by telling a little bit about what's going on in my life, and of course just to share my random ideas. 
I love how you can express any of your ideas on here and people are so supportive, even if they don't agree (I've done a couple posts on religion... I really thought people wouldn't agree with me, but I got good responses even when they didn't agree.) It really is wonderful.
Xanga is an amazing thing, I've 'met' so many amazing people here! I started it just so that I could say everything I have to say about just random thoughts and things going on in my life so I wouldn't interrupt my roommate while she was studying- my roomie last year was a major studier, and I talk a lot
ok, I'll stop rambling now...
love this song btw!
I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Christi
WOW...that was a very insightful post...I still dont know what I want out of xanga but I do know that I want to help people that is why I posted the domestic abuse entry....Most of posts are now going to go towards trying to help people....thanks for this entry
Brittany
P.S. I love this song...its beautiful
Hi Zel, I appreciate this post this evening. Its heartfelt and I wish that there were more genuine people like you (& ronny) out there too. Well I hope the drafting turns out good and we'd be able to see the final product soon. God bless your sweet soul girl, and your curls... hehe. xo Gi
it is a community and has an entire range of personalities and motivations for posting. I still do believe that my own is a reflection of learning and questioning the world around me just as I have learned from reading yours and others...
my dearest friend...
your simply reiterating what i fimrly belive in...althought i do make Number 1 most days...i truly belive in using it as an education as u know and not about dedicating the page to myself like most people do.,..on occassion i do random entries....but im so fed up of complaint and stress and school and so there is more importan things in life..that need discussing...and so thats what i do...
anyway miss you lots...come back soon
aml
Ronny x
haha...can i really seriously complain that you write too much?!
and well, it's a free world...and so is Xanga...it mirrors how there are stupid people, idiots, and all those other types you've mentioned...
dunno...yah, i'm from the bay area...live in SF...
I'm looking forward to visit your new webpage
well, 'copy & paste' is bad no matter where someone is. I enjoy reading people's xanga to learn from their experience cuz mine is limited, I think.
Too true...too true...
I've never been one to long to be on the featured content, though I think I made it once a long time ago. I was here just to see what is was all about, now I'm here because I've made quite a few friends and because I have a much closer relationship with my older sister since she started on this wild xanga ride. I write mainly for myself, so E-props mean very little to me, the comments usually a lot more, but if someone reads the drivel I write and gets something from it, even if they don't comment, it's all good. I pity the person who actually took the time to make a virus that enabled him or her to cheat their way to featured content. It's a huge cry for attention, a lot ofeffort wasted on something that is ultimately meaningless. I think that the person should be banned from xanga for life because they did use a virus which could have done so much damage if it was improperly written. Anyhow, let me get off of my soapbox here and stop taking up space....
I do agree with you on some points whole-heartedly. Like you, I do come across xangas that display nosensical, detestable, and moronic information; possibly to get some form of attention. It makes me wonder why these certain individuals don't spend their time and effort writing about something more beneficial and worthwhile. I mean it takes as much the same amount of time to think of something stupid to write about, and to write something tantalizing. As a Xangan myself, I don't really like to be open with any personal information, and I may not even provide anything informative on my journal; however,I do use it as an outlet for my daily experiences and for things that interest me. Meeting new and wonderful people like yourself was an extra bonus for me. The whole featured content thing is overrated. I really don't think we need to see who is on the top list for the most comments or eprops. But, it is somewhat in our nature to be competitive, is it not? What I like about Xanga is not only is it a form of theraputic release, but a way for me to learn about myself and those who I come across. Like you stated before: It's a community and we are a part of it with a certain amount of responsibility.
Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing your web page when it is finished. Take care!
you are so ryt, ppl shouldnt steal ppls writings or anything like tht, I really love reading ur entry and check up everyday to see if u havnt writin again, plz keep it up
i wish i was better at writing and couldnt accauly keep an entry up without ending it about like 10 lines:P and lots of the time i forget wat im even writing about
I wish i could be more like u, looking at everything in a positive way. Stay awesome and blessed 
~LilDarkie~
when i started here (in the far-away 2000....9, i didn't have any idea what to do about all this - me, a diary, in English!!!!!!
...then, i've discovered the pleasure to communicate my feelings with others, and to learn from our interaction - and when i was feeling i wasn't able to communicate anymore, i just quitted for a long time.....
...all this to say that i write for me first of all, 'cause i get eedbacks that help me growing as a better human being....
You are such a cool person.. did ya know that?
when i first subscribed to xanga, i didn't have a clue what to do with it. i knew it was supposed to be an online diary.. but i was never a writer, so i just wrote about my daily life.. but after a while, when i really wanted someone to talk to or just to get something off of my mind and none of my friends was in reach, i actually used it as a real diary. it felt relieving to have something there just ready to listen. and my friends started using xanga and so if there was ever something i wanted them to know but they couldnt at that time, i would just write it all down, and they would read it. so no matter what happened, me and my friends always knew each other's thoughts and feelings. even if we didnt talk to each other all day long and such sort. but now, i have a handwritten journal.. there i write all of my dear and darkest secrets. the things about myself, the things i feel but am afraid to show the world. i guess that even though i'm very outgoing and honest, there are somethings im still afraid of. but slowly, im working to fix that bc my last post was my latest enrty in my written journal that i wanted the world to know. there are just somethings that happen to me that im scared to tell everyone else. most likely because im afraid that others might judge me based on it, yet i know that whatever it might be, it doesnt define me as a person.. but still, everyone has their secrets.. hopefully i will be able to come out with them one day.... wow, it seems so easy to talk to you, yet we're really not talking.. thanks a lot.
i generally try to avoid xangas like those, they dont really serve any purpose other than promote the ego and make them feel like they have more meaning in the world by posting it. But you always have to have the bad to realize and appreciate the good, although theres always a fine line hehe
Being spotlighted on Xanga wasn't comfortable for me... That's why I disabled the eProps. >___<
I would rather get more people give comments full of substance and thought than have my daily hit number go up...
but yeah! Xanga is full of real people, all writing their hearts out. That's the beauty of it. Don't have to be a brilliant writer to be popular here. Just... honest about life. =)
Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the beautiful entry. ^^
propz
I completely agree w/ some of the things you've stated... and nice site btw....
Oh, and I hope you're registered, and are planning on going to the polls this Nov. 2nd...
.Peace & love.
P.S. What song is this? I haven't heard this one from Brandy....
Thank you for that sweet comment, I can always count on you being wonderful
hey zeliah..
you made a really good point.. xanga is full of people that brag or complain about their personal lives.. me being one of them.. but i like to use xanga as an outlet for my stress.. and i really do appreciate people like you, niki, and ronny.. for all the meaningful entries that you guys post and educating us in topics that a lot of people are afraid to talk about..
as much as i enjoy reading those posts and learning from them, i'm just using my xanga for.. another diary.. that the public can view.
i try not to offend people in my entries and for now, i hope that's enough..
by the way, i love this song!
-love.love-
carol
Hi Zel,
I asked and you accepted ...
Here is a link to a review of your Xanga website. I hope you accept any praise as well deserved.
Clif
i really dislike looking at the macro aspect of things, that seems to undermine the exquisiteness of details; so, often i do not look at xanga as a community per se, but try to appreciate the beauty of each individual xanga.
to tell you the truth, if i had to judge xanga as a -community-...i would be less than impressed with its content. while granted, i have come across some truly amazing xangas (like yours, faye's, magikbeauty's, chairmanmao's...etc.), i more often than not see painfully mundane and incomprehensible stuff..., i see people competing against each other for "propage" and having this general big fat popularity contest.
its the nature of the system i think, it encourages this sort of behaviour even.
but in the end, i realize something: each xanga serves its owner's purpose, and the purpose of xanga as a tool on the whole is not a dictation. i prefer not to see xanga.com as a collective effort of sorts, but rather an collection of individualistic blogs with individual purposes...
simply put...although we are a society...not all of us are on the same road.
even though some of us treat it as a valuable outlet, a resource of invaluable criticism for our writing...the same just does not apply to everyone. some people may even see this as a toy of no consequence.
anyway...i had to think about this for a very long time. i tried to assess xanga as a community but no judgement seemed fair or all encompassing. and while i do love you, i must disagree. xanga cant serve only writers with ambitions....sometimes the idle need release too :p
but indeed, let those who do, unite under one voice! the voice of EXPRESSION! mwahhaa
Your entry made me think! LOL I hadn't really given much thought as to why I joined Xanga. A friend told me about the site and I thought what the heck ... I'll give it ago. I find it an outlet a place I can write what I'm thinking about ... usually triggered by something happening on the day. sometimes I write to get other people to maybe look at something from another point of view. That's what I like about Xanga the many diffrent views that when all put together gives a big picture of LIFE!
Hope this finds you well and smiling, Jo
P.S. Your site here looks great ... so I don't think you need worry to much about your website it will be fantastic I'm sure!
I know this is a bit late and may never be read but I was wandering through your posts trying to catch up and had to read this post. I totally agree with your views on xanga...I have seen the abuse on other blog sites but never on xanga (not that I have read them all). Everyone I have met so far have been totally cool, except for the 15 year old who thought I was a perv for commenting on her site, but other than that all is well in xanga-land.
~Peace
Comments are closed.