Blog update

Author   vinyl1Posted on Categories Announcement
Greetings, TFTT community!

As you know, this blog as been appearing like clockwork for 15 years.   It may seem simple to those on the outside, but behind the scenes there is a lot going on.    My team of administrators has been constantly monitoring the blog, ejecting spammers and trolls, fixing unfortunate errors, subbing for missing bloggers, etc etc.

In the past week, there has been a lot of discussion in emails, texts, and phone calls across the globe.   We know you are concerned, and we are trying to find a solution that will allow the TFTT to continue to appear, and you to continue to comment.

We have decided to attempt to create a new web site, independent of any other platform.   Anyone who is familiar with IT projects will realize this is not easily done, especially by a group of amateurs working with free or inexpensive software.   My team is scattered everywhere, and we have to use email and Zoom calls to work together on the requirements, design, implementation, and testing.

Right now, I can’t commit to a definite timeframe.   We will try to get it done as fast as reasonably possible, given that some of the workers have jobs and families.

If we are successful, you will be notified.   I have accumulated a list of nearly 100 user emails, and if Live Journal is still up we will of course post a notice of the new site.

In the event Live Journal suddenly ceases to exist, or is no longer accessible, we will move to a temporary emergency platform.   Those who have sent in their emails will be notified.

If  you’re not yet on the email list, you can send an email to me, vinyl1, at earthlink.net.   In the subject line, put TFTT, comma, your Live Journal Handle, comma, your email, e.g. TFTT,Londonsolver,[email protected] – no spaces!  This will allow me to process the emails with a Unix script and build a spreadsheet of our community.

UPDATE:   Thanks for all the emails – I have 202 users on my spreadsheet.   If you are sending one now, please check the spelling of TFTT, as we’ve had about a dozen with typos, which slows down processing.   If you don’t have an LJ account, just put in something – a name, NoLJAccount, anything at all.  Be assured that even the most technically challenged have managed to make it onto the list.

As for money, don’t worry.   We have found a way to do this nearly for free, so no donations are required.   I thank those who offered, but it is simply not necessary.

60 comments on “Blog update”

  1. Thanks for your message which I have passed on to vinyl1. I thought it best to remove yours because it contained your private email address. Best regards.

    Edited at 2022-03-11 06:31 am (UTC)

  2. Thank you Vinyl1. I never for a moment thought the site “ran itself” and you and your team have my thanks and gratitude.

    You have my email address. Good luck with the search for a solution.

    Cedric

  3. for all the hard work.

    I’m happy to make a donation towards costs involved in this move.

    1. As am I and I would think everyone who benefits from this wonderful service. If a little professional help were required Vinyl I think crowdfunding a budget would be very quick.

      Edited at 2022-03-11 08:21 am (UTC)

  4. Though I’m wanted for multiple crimes
    Against verse with my terrible rhymes
    I am not being funny
    I would send some money
    Long live Times For The Times!
  5. I expect that if we lose LJ suddenly, an announcement or url can be posted on the Crossword Club forum as well as sending an email.

    I don’t know if the existing TfTT records can be copied and migrated? It isn’t vital perhaps, but it would be nice to do that if we can.. I tried to copy the LJ account but it seems to resist that.

  6. As astro_nowt already said,
    Without going into the red
    I’ll pay what I can
    If given a plan,
    It shouldn’t cost too much per head !
  7. Good luck with setting up a new site, vinyl1. I’m afraid I can’t offer any technical help, but I would be prepared to help crowdfund your efforts, should you wish to go down that route. I will send you my e-mail address, shortly.
  8. Keen to offer support both moral and financial, sadly not anything useful or technical.
    I really do value this site and am so grateful to its managers and indeed to everyone who posts here.
  9. I can’t see how to contact you vinyl. The address you give isn’t an email address and it won’t accept just that, of course. If one goes to a website with that address one just gets a whole lot of stuff advertisig the platform.
    1. From my experience, a pure email address is rejected by the software, so read the ‘at’ as @
      ….and maybe exclude the comma,
      Regards
  12. Although I haven’t been here long I find participating in this enterprise very rewarding and appreciate the work that’s gone into setting up and running it. So like many above would be happy to contribute financially towards building new site.
  15. More than happy to pay to keep this great forum going.

    I never post, but do the crossword most days, and thoroughly enjoyed this Fridays in particular.

    Thanks for everything.

  16. I suspect that my original attempt to get on vinyl1’s list failed for good reason, and trust that my second attempt, along the lines of HeathrowExpress (sorry for pun!) and jackkt above, succeeded. Ir would be nice to have this confirmed if anyone has time.

    I contribute modestly by standing order to Wikipedia, and also often to free or open source software which I use, and I would consider TFTT an equally worthy cause.

  17. It’s not entirely independent, but you could consider hosting a WordPress solution on your own infrastructure. The software is free, and hosting costs on one of the many cloud providers should be minimal.
  18. Our very best wishes for your efforts. Reading everyones comments after completing or some not completing the puzzles has been part of our daily routine for some years, being most informative and enjoyable.
  19. This is one of my favourite sites although I lurk more often than I post. Like others, I am more than happy to contribute to any fund to keep the blog going. Thanks for all your work – I never thought the blog ran itself!
  20. Thank you to all administrators for everything you’ve been doing behind the scenes over the last few weeks. I too would be more than happy to contribute to any funding.
  21. I’m happy to contribute to crowdfunding if it’s needed. Always grateful to the team who run all of this for us!

    I echo the thought that if there is time and effort available to confirm receipt of our details, it would be most welcome.

  22. Well, I agree with everything above, except that I’m very (very) disappointed in the webmaster (looking at you, vinyl) and the other members of the team for completely and totally failing to take down and chatise posters when they disagree with my understanding and pronounciation of bad homophones.

    Otherwise, if it comes to having to pony up something to either support the development of new software, pay for hosting, or whatever, count me in.

  24. I do the crossword everyday and always read the blog but have never posted. Now seems the time to get more involved so have set up an account and will apply to join the email list.
    Thanks to everyone for blogs and comments and good luck for the future.
  25. When Andy (Linxit) handed the reins to Vinyl I think he may have said that TFTT “runs itself”. Famous last words. Many thanks to Vinyl, George and others who are sorting out our options. One good thing is that so many so-called lurkers have now joined us in person. The more the merrier.
  26. There have been warnings about the possible LJ situation as far back as 2019. I and others have made more recent comments.
    Best of luck to one and all – please try to make equivalent donations to the humanitarian Ukranian relief efforts.

    Edwina

  28. To second the comments of others. I can’t contribute any technical skills, but am happy to help out with any menial “drying the dishes” sort of tasks if that’s any help. I also take pedwardine’s comment on board.

    Thank you again for all your work in keeping TftT going.

  29. I don’t have much in the way of spare time right now, I’m afraid, but if there’s somewhere I can keep an eye on for technical jobs I might be able to pitch in on in the future, do let me know. I’m mostly a SQL Server database developer at the moment, but I’ve done a fair bit of web work, mostly in PHP using the Symfony framework, and I tend to pick things up quite quickly.
  30. I echo the thanks and offers of financial support.

    I am a bit concerned by the comments that some email addresses haven’t been received. Would it be possible to send a confirmation to those that have been successful? Hopefully, that could be automated.

    I’d also like to see the history preserved as I do use the ‘back issues’ when I’m working through the books.

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