The message that I received from the powers that be at "the other platform" was that there was "content" on my blog that "concerned" them.
Huh.
Really? I quickly flipped through my postings to see what I could have possibly written that could be construed as slightly concerning to someone. Was it the mass cricket sacrifice? Could it be because I incessantly talk about chickens? That's annoying, but not concerning. I thought that perhaps it was the photo of Greg holding Cluck on his back and that someone either thought Cluck was dead or about to be thrown as a forward pass like a football. Honestly, that little "planking" activity didn't bother Cluck at all. He was calm, submissive and kind of enjoyed being petted and fussed over until we made the remark that his drumsticks were a little underdeveloped and perhaps he should do some squats. Then Greg carefully turned him over so he wasn't startled and set him on the ground and he calmly walked away. Hmmmm.
So I dashed them off yet ANOTHER message (by this time I'd sent several even though they said NOT to) to let them know that the chicken was not being harmed and actually was quite comfy and walked away totally unscathed with a beakfull of Cheerios.
Of course, I continued to stew about the whole thing and then paranoia set in. I must have made someone mad...shoot...what could I have done? I admit, I've been a little "spammy" lately, but I was just trying to pick up a few like minded followers. I wouldn't care if someone did that on my page. The internet is big freaking place and people can certainly read more than one page. I would never be that selfish to not allow someone to share a link. I was very confused.
I was quickly able to rule out the people who were NOT involved. Not so quickly with one other person...although I still try to believe that it has nothing to do with someone "reporting" me for something. I'm hardly a threat. I write a few silly stories about my life and it's not like people are throwing handfuls of cash at me or even making offers to me for any kind of compensation.
Wait....compensation....
When my blog first started getting quite a few readers, a friend said "You should monetize your blog!". So I talked to a couple of fellow bloggers who suggested Amazon Associates and I found another called LinkShare. Could that be the offensive, concerning content? I ripped through the WP "Terms of Service" and it appeared to me that I could have affiliate ads as long as they were from reputable sources and as long as my blog wasn't designed to just drive people to another site.
Who the heck would want to go to another site when I'm writing about chickens?
I continue to be completely perplexed. One of the pages I was posting on has removed my posts...which makes me more than a little suspicious, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty....I guess...I'm still completely paranoid about it though and blocked the person from my personal page...just...in...case. I'm here to have a little fun, tell a couple stories in my own weird way, and fly under the radar because I don't want to be involved in drama over chickens. THAT'S DUMB.
As of right now, I'm still waiting on the affable folks at WP to get back to me. Still nothing and I just checked my email again (I refreshed about 40 times just to be sure). Their "concern" required immediate contact according to their message...apparently, they don't need to respond immediately OR (insert ominous chord of paranoid music here)...I'm being punished. I'm in BLOG JAIL. They say that they won't let me post, but I figured out a way that I can still post. Dear Blog Jail Warden...there's a big HOLE in your JAIL.
So, I don't know...it's frustrating because I'm a very impatient person and if I take time out of my day to contact them over something that I supposedly did and they don't have the courtesy to respond, I'm going to take all the toys out of that sandbox and take them to another sandbox. Which is why I'm here on Blogger. The very sad part is that another, very sweet blogger, had graciously helped me by posting a link to my blog one day and I had skyrocketing numbers (I sort of get off on that...I like it when people read my stuff) and I had gathered around 575 followers. Sadly, this move will affect those numbers, but hopefully, some of you came along for the rest of story.
About the ads too...I wasn't trying to scam anyone by running ads on my page. I really didn't even think that terribly much about it and wondered how one attracted sponsors and thought I'd try this for a little extra chicken scratch (see what I did there?). Suffice it to say, that I won't be using affiliates for a while. At least until I understand how this platform views them. I may have links on my site to other pages that I think are of interest and give good, sound information or to books that I have found particularly helpful. I don't think that will cause "concern" from the Blogger folks.
I wanted to say "Thank YOU!" if you made the trip with me to this new platform. I really appreciate having an audience that enjoys what I write. I told my husband the other day that I wanted to be a famous blogger so that I could go to the Today Show and meet Kathie Lee and Hoda. I was kidding of course, (Kathie Lee and Hoda, if you're reading this I TOTALLY WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW!) but remember, I have that delusional little world that I live in where people don't make fun of you for wearing aprons to bake cookies and where I happily weed a spiderless garden while happy hens cluck all around me and it's a perfect 74 degrees. Things can be kind of funny in my delusional little world and I hope you'll continue to join me. I'll even let you wear an apron and weed a little if you want.
