Thursday, February 13, 2014

Bloggers beware... everything you worked hard for could be gone in a second.


One day I had a website. The next day I didn't.

On Monday I woke up and as usual decided to check in on my blog to make sure that my post for the day was up and running {and that I didn't have five new ones up by accident like I have had in the past}. It was up. It was running. And everything was a-okay.

I spent the day doing my normal usual routine with the kids, and had no idea what was to come next. When I checked my email on my phone early afternoon, I saw one from a friend {and longtime reader} who proceeded to inform me that she was having issues loading my blog. That she would type my address and it would go to another website.


I froze.

Please let this not be real. Please let this not be real. Please please please.

It was definitely real. Very real.

Every time I typed out my blog URL it would go there. Every time I tried to click on an old link I had promoted or placed elsewhere, it would go there. Any pin I had pinned from my website, anything that I had worked so hard for years to promote and share and get my name out there.... would now be going elsewhere.

I felt an empty uneasy feeling in my stomach. At one point I thought to myself---maybe this is the end. Maybe this was the Lord's way of telling me that I should stop. Maybe I had put in my time, conveniently it has been 4 years since I had started, and maybe this was just the end of the road for me.

I made so many phone calls that day. I sat at the edge of my seat waiting for email replies. I reached out to other bloggers, anyone that could tell me what to do next.

You see, my domain had expired on January 1st, 2014.  I had not known this. I had my payments set up to auto-pay every year {as I had done in previous years}, and had not realized that my credit card that I had used expired in December 2013 and needed updated in the system. Google sent me an email {to an address I no longer used} and when I went to sign in and make sure that my payment was made for my blog, I could not. The link that they provided to me did not work. Googling questions and trying to find different ways just did not work. So I tried to call google {sidenote: has anyone ever tried to call google---it's nearly impossible, and absolutely frustrating to say the least!}. I tried to email google {ha}. And then I put it away and thought I would just accomplish this another day.
Another day----too late.

Apparently, Google had another agenda. It sells my domain to some domain buying website{a place that goes and buys any domain that happens to expire that day.... snatches it up from under you, knowing that they will get clicks}, and then turn around and give you one option only to get it back:

SELL YOUR BODY BECAUSE THEY CHARGE YOU THOUSANDS.

So, because I am not in the business of selling my body, and because I don't have that money, and because I refuse to give into such a sneaky business trap.... I resorted to just starting over.

Three million views in, and now I was back to the very beginning of where the journey started me.

To say that I was hurt {am hurt} is an understatement. This place has been my little safe haven, and my  outlet, and so much more that words could not possibly describe. I know this sounds silly---IT'S A BLOG one would say. I get that. It is just a blog. But it is also something much more than that to me. To me.

For now, my new blog URL is www.frommrstomama.blogspot.com. Yes, I do realize that I have that annoying blogspot thing in between my name and .com, and that's okay for now. I've purchased a new domain and until I muster the energy to get it all set up, this will just have to do.

In the meantime, for the readers that I do have and continue to read, if you'd like to catch my posts you can do so by subscribing below.

Oh and if you have a blog yourself, check your renewal dates. Check your auto pay information. Check check check. Don't make the mistake I did...

One minute you have a website.
The next minute you don't.


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24 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear this. I actually just went through this recently with my domain and Google kind of changed it up on me. I couldn't log in and my log in was a user name that I had NEVER created or used before (Bloggeradmin). I was able to set up payment, but it was very stressful. Your readers will know where to find you!

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  2. Yes this is really wrong what they did to you and it just happened to me as well! I am trying to log in just like you did and its not working. No support over the phone or via email. I was on hold almost 10 minutes with google only to have them come back and tell me sorry they can't help me. Now I know why people switch to wordpress.

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    1. You should try the google apps support. Just today they helped me get into my admin console after almost of a year of not understanding what the deal was. Here is the forum I found to get help https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/apps/aOmPVaVoWuc/RyaRgj_xXOQJ It was all resolved in about 20 minutes. The fact this happens in the first place though is totally not ok. I hope they figure out more a user friendly domain management system.

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  3. Oh my gosh!
    I have to say though, you sound a lot calmer/nicer than I'd probably sound typing up a post like this.
    I'm SO sorry! That's seriously terrible! TERRIBLE!

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  4. I'm so sorry you had to endure this! Ironically enough, I just checked my account a couple of weeks ago because I didn't remember if I had set it up for two years or more? I don't think I would have thought to check about an expired card though, so thank you for being so informative. I'm sorry it had to be at your expense though! You seem to be keeping your chin up =) Would you consider changing 'mama' to 'momma' or 'mom' to be able to have the dot com domain? Just a thought-- if taking out 'blogspot' is something that is important to you.

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  5. Ugh, I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that. I'm glad you didn't disappear forever! I'd miss your blog posts!!!

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  6. So what happened to your old posts that you had written... were you able to retrieve them? I'd be devastated... I need to figure out how to back up my blog I guess.

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  7. I'm SO lucky I got my issues with this very same thing taken care of today. Luckily the email alerts were going to one of my main emails but it took one of google's reps to override the usual password reset system in order for me to get into my admin console. I never even knew a separate email was created when I bought a domain so I never created a new password. It's so ridiculous and counterintuitive. I hope they get their shit together and I'm sorry you lost your domain because of their weird domain management protocol :(

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  8. I would have cried a river if I was in your shoes and that happened to me. I am so sorry this happened to you. Glad you are back though, I always love your posts.

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  9. That's terrible! Hope you are able to get this resolved.

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  10. Oh my gosh, I should bake you cookies. My domain was set to auto-renew in 2 weeks with my old compromised card (thanks Target). I didn't even think about it. Your post reminded me to fix my billing info immediately. Thank you! And I'm so sorry that happened to you. I would cry- just curl up in a ball and cry. I hope you get it fixed.

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  11. So terrible :( Have you thought of ditching Google and going to WordPress?

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  12. I am so sorry to hear this! I had my domain expire January 1st and every time I tried to get to my site it would give me some weird advertisement. I panicked! I know exactly how you feel when it comes to this, and getting a hold of Google was a joke. My other half finally was able to get someone to give me a call so that they could fix it. I'm sorry that you lost your site :(

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  13. I had a domain and I wanted to cancel it so it wouldn't auto renew. I never setup my Google Apps account and ignored all the emails. I ended up finding out to login to it using the name; bloggeradmin. I didn't have the option to cancel it once I was into the account. Google ended up calling me and resolved it immediately.

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  14. Oh, no! This kind of stuff is so frustrating because it's *not* just a blog...it's so much time and effort invested. Thankfully, you still have the most important stuff, it appears.

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  15. This is so sad! I totally feel for you. I would have bawled...alot! Kudos for having it in you to start over!

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  16. Oh my gosh! That's awful. I'm so sorry you went through that. I'm a new blogger and I'm already so attached to my blog. I will definitely keep your advice and check, check, check!
    If it's any consolation, I love your "new" blog and I am now a follower :)

    *Kendwy @ MindofKiwi

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  17. I absolutely hate that this happened to you! I can't wait to see the new URL and the changes that will be coming though. I don't blame you for not buying into the highway robbery. I remember when I went to go purchase my design site URL someone had just bought it even though it went to nowhere. I changed my business name and purchased. Then a month later they contact me wanting like $50 a month for the domain! No thank you! I just told them off and left it at that.

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  18. Wow. :( I'm so sorry this happened to you!

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  19. Thank you for saving other bloggers! I know this saved me! As soon as I saw this I was reminded that I JUST got a renewal notification from Google about my domain. I deleted the e-mail originally thinking nothing of it and then this post reminded me that we did indeed change cards so the account on hand was not correct thus I wouldn't have my domain renewed. Google wasn't very friendly with getting me into my account to change it- went around in circles for over an hour trying to figure it out but I finally did and am not updated. Sorry that this happen to you but once again, thanks for letting us learn from it!

    XO/Lena @ Root&Blossom

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  20. I'm going through the same thing right now. I was registered through GoDaddy.com but the renewal process was through Google. My stomach is in knots and I'm praying with all prayers that I can get it fixed. My previous URL has already been purchased by someone in Bangladesh!! but GoDaddy told me I can still probably get my blog content back, just under a different URL.

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  21. That's so terrible! I'm sorry that happened to you :(

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  22. “I know this sounds silly---IT'S A BLOG one would say.”— I would never say that. A person's blog is like his/her own personal space on the internet. It's where you can be yourself, and just express whatever it is that you're thinking at the moment. It's more than just a blog - it's a little nook where you can be the most honest about anything.

    Edward Kotwicki

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  23. Wow. I just discovered you through BlogLovin. That is terrible and I'm so sorry! I hope that by now things are better and you've gotten most of your followers back. I completely get it. I've been blogging about my kids for years but more recently decided to get serious about it and it definitely takes time in the beginning. I'd be heartbroken thinking that all went to waste.

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