Yes, I was absent from the blogging world from the beginning of March until about the middle of April. This was mostly due to my interest in family history. I spent so much time researching on the computer that I didn’t have any more time to read blogs or write posts for my own blog.
When I returned to the blogosphere, I tried to catch up with people’s blogs; I really did. I’ve just had a really busy weekend and am trying to catch on posts written since last Thursday. Because of the large number of blogs I have been following, four days away from reading blogs means 73 blogs to catch up with – and some of those bloggers posted more than once in four days.
But, here’s the rub. Our internet provider has taken on more customers in our area than they can comfortably service, resulting in slower and slower internet downloading time for us. In effect, they have 87 people on a 45 seater bus! This slow download time means that our brand-new modem gets frustrated and tries to reconnect (or something like that) which just makes the situation worse. Our speed is so slow that SIL noted that we had slightly better speeds than dial-up!
We have contacted our ISP and they have finally admitted (after two years of trying to get answers) the problem. But they assure us that it will all be resolved on 4 June! After that assurance (about a month ago) the speed got slower and slower. We live only 400m from the exchange and should have excellent service but we have anything but!
Let me give you an example: I tried to open a video on the online art course WM gave me for my birthday. I tried in the middle of the day when most of the people in the neighbourhood are at work or school. It took me 45 minutes to buffer 8 minutes of a 16 minute video, and when I tried to watch the video, Jane sounded like she had the worst stammer in the world. In fact, it took eighteen seconds for her to say two one-syllable words!
But what does this have to do with you and your blogs, dear readers? Well, my internet connection is so slow I can’t use my Blogger Reading List properly so I have to open my browser and type the name of your blog. Then I go off and play a game of “Free Cell” while I wait for your blog to download to my computer. Heaven help me if I want to leave a comment and you a use Blogger and have word verification – it take about two minutes form the time I click “post comment” to the time I can read those dreaded verifications! If you are still using verification, please consider turning it off. Blogger is quite good at catching spam comments (it hasn’t missed any of mine yet) and you can always use comment moderation to make sure you only get comments worth reading.
Anyway, back to the point: It has taken me half an hour to catch up on two blogs this morning and I can’t do this for another seventy-one blogs: who has that kind of time to spend on the internet?
WM and I have done what we should have done a long time ago: we have changed providers. However this may take up to three weeks. In the meantime, our current provider must have found out that we are jumping ship, our speeds are slower than ever!
My apologies to you all. When I move into the 21st century I will just pick up where you are; there's no way I can catch up with all those missed posts. See you on your blog then!
Nothing worse than a slow connection.I feel your pain. When I move next month I won't have a high speed connection anymore:(
ReplyDeleteThere need be no apology. I've enjoyed your comments, but I know it takes a lot of time to leave more than a few.
ReplyDeleteWhen I get a comment from someone, it's a privilege, not something to be expected that has to be done.
Ugh! I would never even try to use the internet if it were that slow! Good luck with the new provider!
ReplyDeleteOh Lynne, what a pain for you. Glad you've finally found a solution, even if you have to wait for it to happen.
ReplyDeleteEven though you may take 6 years to read this, you have my sympathy. ISP's who don't provide what they claim need to realise there are better deals out there and we will follow the dollar and the service. Good luck with getting it all sorted asap.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought our connection was slow!
ReplyDeleteAnd about your apology: thank you, but reading blogs (and commenting if you wish) is not obligatory. It's just like real life: lots of bloggers in the northern hemisphere are gardening now most of the time (not all of ourse). There's a zillion things you can do.
But thanks anyway & goodluck blogging, quilting, ...etc
Poor you! Your internet connection sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad it will be sorted out soon. I agree with Elaine about commenting though. It's wonderful to receive comments but no one should feel obliged to leave them. We all have times when, for one reason or another, we're not able to participate in blogland as much as we'd like :)
ReplyDeletenot sure why YOU need apologise for your provider's inadequacy Lynne m'dear.
ReplyDelete[ and what Elaine said :) ]
I was wondering what had happened to you! I'm sure we've all been there - when we moved house 3-ish years ago, we moved 2 blocks, and kept the same phone number, but it still took our ISP nearly a month to change us over! TS brought home from work a wireless dial-up modem so I could check my email, but I quickly realised that the only thing more painful than NO internet is SLOW internet!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to you being back among the connected people.
No apologies necessary, Lynne! Nothing is as frustrating as a slow internet connection... and I totally understand "going off to play Free Cell" while something loads.
ReplyDeleteHang tough... this too shall pass!
I look forward to seeing you "on the other side" :)
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to get a taste of the 21st century and then get bumped back! I can sympathize with your frustrations! You never need to apologize but it is nice to know why!
ReplyDelete:')
No apology needed. How awful to have it even mess up your birthday present class that you were so excited to take. We will be here when it gets straightened out for you. will miss the contact for now but look forward to your return to blogging regularly.
ReplyDeleteThere is truly nothing more frustrating. I hope the family history has been.interesting.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lynne..you are the dearest, sweetest woman, ever! No apologies needed!
ReplyDeleteYour internet service sounds like mine. I am a manic blog reader,,as well as blog poster... and I spend so many hours trying to get them to load..trust me, I know the issues!
I have spent as much as 6 hrs trying to get a blog photo to load..I become a crazy woman, trust me. And when other blogs refuse to even load because they are graphic intensive (I am so guilty of that with my blog!)
..well, it's too much, isn't it?
Best of wishes that things improve!!!!!
I love hearing from you and reading your own blog, in return!
No apologies needed! You must be so frustrated! I'll look forward to your comments when you can get the internet to cooperate :)
ReplyDeleteYou know Lynne, there is no need to apologize. It is something that can't be helped and if you want to know the truth I have just been slack about reading all my blogs. So maybe I should apologize to you.
ReplyDeleteI know you will be glad to have faster service.
Oh you are a dear for apologising but I agree with what Elaine said. hope your Internet browsing becomes much speedier again with your new provider
ReplyDeleteDear Lynne, there is absolutely no need to apologize!!! When I am off for a couple of days (or 5 weeks like in December) I have decided not to kill myself trying to catch up. I follow about 120 blogs and only catching up from one day (with fast internet) takes forever. I know that feeling of possibly missing a great post or being scared of insulting someone by not commenting, but we all wouldn't be good blogging friends if we were offended by something like that or by slow internet!
ReplyDeleteI feel with you and good luck with your time traveling ;-)
How frustrating! Hope they can expedite your new service.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your internet is sorted out soon. Slow internet speed is so frustrating when looking at quilty, crafty blogs.
ReplyDeleteit's funny you felt the need to explain! Really there isn't any need. The minute this stuff becomes about a sense of obligation, the fun is taken out of it.
ReplyDeleteVery frustrating - I feel lost without my Internet, so I can understand your frustration. But no need to apologise, particularly since it isn't your fault! I hope the new provider is so much better for you.
ReplyDelete