For anyone worried we're closing down

WE ARE NOT CLOSING DOWN

There’s an awful lot that needs doing to DD to bring it into line with latest web technologies. For one thing it looks horrid on the iPhone ;-). I can’t give any promises if/when those changes will be done because of other financial pressures but the comments on my previous post remind me why I keep the site running.

It’s not about money therefore to keep it going.

However at this stage I do have to keep new users off. Their expectations for what a good site looks like are way above what DD presently offers and the majority of recent new users ended up being spammers.

If someone legitimate needs access to a friends only entry or diary then an existing user should e-mail me with their required details and I’ll add them manually for now. If there becomes many I will provide a ‘backdoor’ mechanism for people to use that is not widely known which should see an end to the problem.

So I apologize if my previous post made it look like DD was going away. It isn’t.

This entry was typed on iPhone so now I know for sure how awful the site looks in iPhone 🙂

Steve

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37 Comments

  1. [PRIVATE COMMENT]
    I wish I could help. Lots of us really do love DD. I wish I could program, or pay your mortage. 🙂

  2. This wonderful, untouchable forum, which you provide, is so much more than facebook and the others… This is my home …
    Bless you for your time and effort. I, for one, am not one drop disappointed!!

  3. [PRIVATE COMMENT]
    i still love the site.. thank you for all you do – i know it can’t be easy trying to deal with everything… i for one, will be around til the very end (hopefully that day will never come).. when my finances allow, i’ll reup my account to paid member again – happy to help you out for all you’ve given us.

    wishing you love, peace, and relaxation =o)
    a very grateful,
    Mina (Jill)

  4. I love my DD….just the way it is.

    Maybe you don’t hear it enough, but I sincerely appreciate your effort, and I love this site.

  5. What does this mean for the Friends system?

    Since you can’t create accounts, does this mean that Friends diaries and such can’t have any new access – only existing users can view them?

    BTW – the one small upgrade for which I’ve been pleading about for years is a simple Javascript insertion on the diary page generation script, which would fire based on an onBeforeUnLoad event, to allow you cancel an accidental navigation, refresh, etc.

    He’s an example here:

    http://www.siafoo.net/article/67

    Surely this can’t be done without too much fuss, right? I can’t tell you how many entries I’ve lost for lack of it.

  6. Thanks for a wonderful home on the net Steve ..dear Diary is my Alma Mater and I hope you can keep it going for a long ,long time ..
    Thanks for all you do here and all the best to you and the family . Hope you are all ok and still enjoying Oz .
    I dont blame you for blocking new users in view of all the spammers lately .
    Big hugs
    Linda xxxxx

  7. Sorry you feel so disappointed. We love you and we love DD. Most of the people here are good, not bad, and understand that you have a full-time job and don’t have the time. Don’t let the trolls get you down. All the best Steve. xx

  8. I’ve been writing here for almost 10 years. I come here when I am feeling anxious and emotional and need a release. That is what Dear Diary means to me…this place is where I find comfort and friends who will listen and understand me and maybe throw some advice at me. It has NEVER let me down. Steve, I’ll even pay more…! You have many loyal people here…I wish I could help you out. If you ever decide to close the site down, please let me know so I can copy and paste my 10 years of entries…give me a months notice at least! LOL! We love ya and support anything you decide. And most of all, appreciate all you have done 🙂
    *HUGS*

  9. Thanks for all you have done and do for DD. It is my web-home and has been for about 10 years. I felt really sad and sick after reading the first post. Now I feel much better. Through DD I have made friends and peeped into so many lives: lives that are sooo different from mine. DD is my family’s scrapbook,,,it holds so many of our memories.
    Thanks again,
    Jami

  10. I totally understand whatever decision(s) you ultimately have to make for the site. The only thing I’d ever request from you is a way to dump my diary into some sort of text version, or some agreement with another site (your choice) that permits immigration of data from this site. I’ve been here long enough to know the muffin wars you’ve been up against, and I (along with the other old timers) appreciate the blood and sweat already poured into this place.

  11. I love DD and think it’s great just like it is! You have created a wonderful place that I would be lost without. I actually tried to upgrade to a plus account but I don’t have a paypal card, I just have a Visa debit card. I would happily upgrade if I can figure it out. I for one think DD is perfect the way it is. DD certainly does not have a shelf life but PreditorEd does lol. Thanks for all you do for us. Richard

  12. I just want to tell you I’m glad to hear you are not closing down. I have tried other sites, and while they may do lots of nifty things DD doesn’t, they do not have the community feel that DD has always had.

    Kudos to you for doing something that isn’t all about making money.

  13. Well, I’m staying. Facebook and Myspace have interesting gizmos but most of the time they’re annoying. Actually, it’s time I showed that appreciation. Next paycheck I’m upgrading.

    >^..^<

  14. Funnily enough? I update my diary from my Sidekick (a TMobile cell phone) quite often. It works really well on that screen. I’m glad you’ve no plans to go away. I have NO idea how to back up my entries and would miss the community so very much. Glossy facebook isn’t for me, and I use my MySpace page for hardly anything at all. DearDiary is for me, and I like it plenty the way it is. Simple and not trying to be more then an online blog site. Exactly what I was looking for when I started my blogging quest. Thanks very much for keeping on!!

  15. Steve, you have been great at all the things you have done for DD. DD has been my home for 7 yrs or more and I love it here. I am glad it is not closing down. Thank you for everything.

    Honey

  16. [PRIVATE COMMENT]
    As I am currently unemployed and trying to build my own small business I can’t offer much in the help of money, but if there is anything I can do to assist in maintenance etc., I do database work and would gladly volunteer my time to you. I know a little vb6 if that helps too, but I’m no programmer. Anyway, I love DearDiary and have some friends here that I still keep track of even though I don’t do much posting anymore. So anyway, bottom line is if I can help in any way let me know and I’d be glad to do what I can.
    Nancy Hawkins

  17. i started a diary here in 2000.

    …being able to keep a journal and connect with online support and the prayers…kept me holding on a few years ago when i was in a really dark place in my life. wonderful people use your site, and in ways you may never know, you have touched so many folks lives.

    thank you for all you have given to others through keeping this site running.

  18. I like it here a lot. I probably gave you some trouble with my upgrade, but now it is all fixed. Anyway, I have never felt more at home than here. I really like everyone here and I’m glad you are still keeping it and that’s it…I just like it a lot!!!

  19. I’m so glad you are not giving up on this site. I’ve looked at a few of those other sites and quite frankly I have yet to find one that doesn’t completely irritate me.

    I’m spoiled. I like having one page per entry and the ability to decorate, but most of all I have felt safe here. It is like living in a small town instead of the big city. I’ve made friends and seldom feel the need to lock my door. These are rare qualities in cyberspace and appreciated more than you may know.

    Thank you. 🙂

  20. i’ve been here since 1999, have tried other sites, and i’ve ALWAYS come back to dear diary. it is easy to use, has wonderful backgrounds and i feel comfortable here. no matter how much i tried to find another "home" for franny, nothing is a better home than Dear Diary.

  21. Steve, I’m having a problem with the space on my DD page. It stops scrolling down so I can’t see what I am writing. Is there something I can do to fix it? Sorry.

  22. Am so happy to hear you are not shutting down. I would be lost without my DD.

    I don’t ever plan on going to those "other" places. I haven’t yet and see no reason why I should.

    Thank you for all you have given others and myself with DD!

  23. O.K. Myspace is just a pain as far as I’m concerned and full of a lot of people full of themsleves. Also I have made many wonderful friends here who have supported me thru good and bad ! I understand that you may have to let it go sometime…..you must make a living…your family comes first ! as far as making it more facebook or myspace like ..BULL..it’s great like it is!!!!!! (((HUGS FOR DOING IT!))))

  24. I love you Dear Diary.net
    I have been using this site (gratis) for around eight years now… I think… you’d know. SO much of my heart is invested in it… but the debt is all to you for the service you have provided. Gracias.

  25. [PRIVATE COMMENT]
    i have been here for 7 years. i have other blogs but nowhere have i found a community like that on DD. i have met people who are literally like FAMILY now. i do wish you had the time to tweak or upgrade but the fact that you don’t doesn’t affect how much i totally <3 DD and the effort you have put into it all these years.

  26. I <3 DD. This is the only place where I feel like my thoughts can be shared anonomously. Facebook, blogger, myspace etc is all fun an games but DD is where my HEART is!

  27. Hi Steve!
    I love DD. I’m so glad we’re not closing down.
    Whew!
    I’m having a problem tho. My page stops scrolling down when I type and I can’t see what I’m typing. Any ideas how I can fix this.
    Thanks!
    Keep up the good work!
    Hugs, Tiggs

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