“I have ta’en a due and wary note upon’t.
Isabella in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure (IV.i.31-4)
Software eco-systems
It’s pretty obvious, by now, I’m deeply enmeshed in the Apple Software eco-systems with music, photo, video, TV, and streaming services. Sometimes a bit of a headache, and I’m just cheap enough that I don’t have much set on subscription, so I could, if need be, just back out completely. Totally portable data — my stuff can go anywhere.
Transparency, I hope.
Software eco-systems
Struggling in the confines and constraints of the WordPress Software eco-systems is different. I’ve got this down to just a few, but I’m not totally there yet. Part of what I like about the WordPress systems is that the data’s — theoretically — portable. Can export, filter, and import elsewhere.
I’ve been able to move between two-three different blog motors, with some degree of success. Anymore, though, it’s just that one, WP, and all I back up is the database itself. The rest is “window dressing,” and that takes — maybe — half an hour to pull something together. Longer if I get distracted with stupid details: what color should the “alert” text be?
Software eco-systems
As of this writing, there are two systems I use. One is MailChimp, link below, for the weekly mailer. Simple enough, it picks up the horoscopes’ RSS feed then launches it out to the full e-mail list, I think it’s set for a 12 or 24-hour delay, not sure, don’t recall how I set that stuff up.
The second is on the blog itself with only a handful of notices because I can write, and post, almost daily. Has been daily for over two dozen years now.
As an experimental playground, server software sandbox, that’s allowed me to toy with various methods.
It’s split, at the moment, between three instances of WordPress, but I’ll whittle that down to just two, and the goal is just one.
Therein is the current issue with Software eco-systems, and the various environments.
Software eco-systems
By WordPress category alone, I want to trigger two separate events. Both are “newsletter” type of dispersals, but they go differently. One would be the horoscopes themselves, hundreds of e-mails, currently in bulk, and that has to be filtered from the weblog itself, which is less refined, less polished, and often just associated daily meanderings of a sick and twisted mind.
Being stuck in a singular system is a problem, as eventually there’s that upsell. “Feature-creep,” or “creeping featurism” leads to added costs. Not really interested in that.
One aspect of the old MailChimp service I was so happy with? The low bar for “free” and with a weekly newsletter, I’m way under their current metric in terms of number of subscribers and frequency of distribution.
My weekly notice only goes out weekly. Bonus? No associated upsell is attached. Mail Chimp adds a sticker and link, but that’s allowed, for a free service.
Still looking for something that works with individual WP Categories.
That’s the taxonomy in the current Software eco-systems.
