Open Web

All about something I stand on, and — this is common sense, right?

The article is here, via, oh, never mind. Link from link to link.

Open Web

Back in the day, when I was first just writing and posting horoscopes, bit of history here, I got picked up by an AOL affiliate, later subsidiary, later, who knows with corporate intrigue, and for the first years, I provided free horoscopes in exchange for a “free for life” AOL account. On into the endeavor, I finally teased out a few dollars for writing then got paid even more handsomely for a year or two, as a ghostwriter. Dot-bust, version 1, Y2K, and so forth.

We all know how that works out.

When I was first contacted, the original discussion, I might even have the email files itself, but I distinctly recall the first contact point suggesting that I take down my website since AOL was handling all of that. I maintained my own site and then used the proceeds from that AOL work to purchase my own domain, back when leasing URL (domain names) cost hundreds of dollars per year, and that’s where astrofish.net was conceived, as the material had been on a variety of servers, publicly available, prior. Every Monday morning, it was the most trafficked, on its server at the time.

That was then; this is now.

I did maintain, through that tenure — 7 years or more — as a columnist on AOL, I did keep my own server, my own material on the web, much to the consternation of the editors and corporate hierarchy. Which, as it turned out, worked out well for me. Even better — for me. Those entities are all gone.

When the good lord closes a door, he opens a window.

Yeah, not always, and being self-sufficient helps. I currently subscribe to the policy that, “The good lord helps them who helps themselves.”

Open Web

The biggest obstacle when dealing with a free service or even one that isn’t free, but a walled garden? Rules, regulations, and the whim of corporate strategy can change. Can change quickly, and that means, what was once a great deal is now out on the street, bereft of shelter.

Open Web

What was amazing, after reading the article, realizing I did this from the start. Build it correctly the first time, and the rest is easy.