Suggestion Box

Ohhh… this could be fun!

I alread voiced my recommendation to your Help desk and have yet to receive anything beyond the automated response telling me a real response would come in 24 hours. That was four days ago.

i cast my vote in favor of upping the limit on the number of friends groups. <3

You all really need to get rid of all the damn trolls on here.

I hope you only ‘tweak’ things and don’t make too many changes. I really like OD as it is.

I’d like to hear YOUR ideas on what you think would make the site better.

Preview button. Unless there’s already one and I’ve been missing it for the last ten years. It’s entirely possible. I don’t know how I could write a whole entry about a preview button. :-

Thanks, DM.

Preview button (good suggestion, Jhawk!) Diary Maintenance – there used to be buttons at the bottom for ‘Friends Only’ entries so you could check or uncheck the groups as a whole on that page. Also be able to do diary maintenance on certain ‘chapters’ in addition to doing it for the whole diary (e.g. so we are able to ensure all the entries in a particular chapter are public. private, FO, etc.) email notification capabilities for notes/comments and new entries from our Friends

What? All the suggestions we have all left (over the years) in your notes are not coherent enough? 1. Sell it to someone who has the time to not just pretend to maintain it, but will actually take care of the site rather than relying on volunteers. 2. Sell it to someone who knows how to run a business rather than hold on to a hobby/interest he created years ago, but does not want to let it go because, in retrospect, it makes him look like he had more to do with social networking than he actually did. 3. Sell it to someone who has the upgraded skills to make/fix the programming problems. 4. Sell it to someone who understands Internet advertising and can make a profit. 5. Sell it to someone who UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION rather than writing random entries every now and then when he has a few minutes to spare. 6. Sell it.

i was hoping you’d get constructive ideas and not someone blasting you like some have done. why are some people so ungrateful for what you have done by setting up this site. thank you for all you’ve done since i started here september 17, 1999. take care,

I’d like to see the character limit raised or removed on notes. I like both giving and receiving long notes and find it very irritating, both to write and to read!

Wow. People bitching already? lol I would like to be able to report a rules violation from the mobile site.I ran across two spam diaries last night and couldn’t report them on my phone.

Better help service. It’s been close to 3 weeks since I lodged a complaint type email. Ridiculous. I pay for this site and I keep getting logged out on the mobile site every couple of pages I visit! Maybe a preview button on entries too. And no character limits on notes 🙂 Maybe a new and more modern home page layout possibly. It’s looking pretty old.

1. Create a way for someone with a paid subscription to sign in without getting hit with ads. There have been times when the drop down ads have prevented me from signing in and that’s really annoying. 2. Make the mobile site more user friendly, allowing things like formatting and stuff. Other than that, I’m pretty happy with the site. For a (mostly) free site that doesn’t sell our info to anyone offering a few bucks, I’d say you’ve done a good job. People seem to forget that around here.

Actually, as much as I love Luna, whom I have been reading for almost 12 years, I disagree. I would hate OD to turn into Facebook type place where things constantly change for the good of the site rather than the good of the users. I’ve always been very comfortable with the DM’s recognition that most of us wouldn’t want to be found here.

Aren’t there already a bunch of suggestions in the forum and on your notes?

Acknowledges.

This is quite a few years too late, but they say ‘better late than never’. It is paramount that you allow people to block others. If this was the ‘real world’, I’d be talking about human rights in the same sentence. The What You See Is What You Get text entry thingy is a failure, simply because it ISN’T WYSIWYG, otherwise where the hell do the font changes, line breaks, bolding…

…underlining and paragraph swapping come from? This obviously needs not an overhaul but a replacement. If you’re really not going to be on the site anymore, hire more admins. Maybe s/he’s just the only one who speaks, but EWS is the only name that pops up when people actually have a problem with something. You need more than one volunteer admin. Just a small chunk of a long list. God speed

I’d really like to be able to update by e-mail. WordPress and Livejournal both have this feature and it’s really convenient for those of us who don’t want to log in from whatever computer we happen to be on, e.g. at work.

I agree with mrsmandymoo about the notes. Very good suggestion. 🙂

BTW I just realised what this reminds me of – the girl/guy you dumped cos s/he went cold, now suddenly he realises he made a mistake, but it’s too late. “I’ll do anything, what do you want me to do? Tell me now.” “I’ve been telling you the last few years, but you never paid me any attention. It’s too late.” *violins*

We need more people as volunteer admins 3 don’t seem to be enough these days.

I’m with grey tabby. You ask us for some constructive suggestions and someone who hasn’t written in their diary for a month starts ranting at you about not being around. I love this place and try to do my part by reporting spam, etc. The only things that comes to mind right now are maybe some new backgrounds to choose from, making the profile page more user friendly and when we are searching for something in our entries not having to retype it in every time we go back to try another link. Please don’t get all fancy and complicated like some sites do. One of the reasons we like it here is that we can come on and say what we have to say and not have all kinds of spam coming back at us.

Take that damn anti-spam measure off of editing entries. I edited yesterday’s entry and then went to post today’s but it’s considered SPAM because I just saved an already posted entry. I lost the whole thing. I’ve told you about this before so I doubt anything will be done.

Thank you for asking for suggestions. That’s very kind of you.

I’d like some sort of instant message, so my diary friends and I could chat, if we chose to, while we were on here writing entries. Just a thought

Hi again, Darlin. Only suggestion is an android OD app. Stay with the times. Make is free for plus members. Ya thanks. 😀

I really don’t have many complaints but it seems like a lot of other people do and it also seems that it relates to the amount of time it takes to respond to people’s inquires at the help desk. For a site this big I am not sure three people would be enough to handle it all, I know you all have your own lives but a baby has to be nutured to continue to grow. If you want people to keep loving this site and not up and running away, you have to take care of your own house first! That would be my suggestion.

And, yeah. For a site with much more general intellect than Facebook, you can see some people aren’t happy unless they’re stirring the pot. I cannot imagine anything wrong enough with this site to encourage that kind of spite and rancor. Unfortnately, there is a type that will buy a lifetime membership so they have a lifetime outlet to bitch and rant and generally vent their loathing of everythingat someone. Od is a precious site, the space we are alotted still infinitely more graceceful than anything else out there. If you hate it, leave it. Simple.

1. Entry Date include; Entry time & Entry Location. 2. In cases where someone was “accidentally” blocked (this has happend to me before, and it was quickly rectified via reading a bookmark from said blocked person). I had no idea I had blocked them! It must’ve happened when reading their entry via iPhone. The option to notify an OD requesting “unblock if accidentally blocked” PLEASE! 3. Chat option to chat to my OD friends too (I know you don’t want to go down the path of FB or MS!) still it would be nice to have this option! 4. Blocking someone automatically removes ME from their bookmarks! That’s it for now. I’m wondering if “ANY” of these suggestions and everyone else that’s written here will be noted and actioned? G~

Oy vey! I don’t know how you stand it, Bruce. All of these people complaining! I realize that everyone (outside of trolls) are welcome here, but if they really hate it here all that much I don’t know what they’re still doing here. Plenty of us are loyal to this site and like it just the way it is! Thank you for everything you’ve done over the years and for giving me a home on the internet. 🙂

Also, I think that removing the character limit from notes, some sort of an IM service, and updating by e-mail are all great suggestions. 🙂

If people like Luna really hate everything so much, there’s a simple solution. Leave. End of story. Anyway. As for suggestions, I second the email notifications and changes to character limits on notes. It would be nice for all users to have the ability to block other users, just not those who have paid. I think perhaps adding more administrators or moderators would benefit the site as well. For the record, I have never, ever had a problem with ads and I am a paying member. I’ve never had any issues with the mobile site, either. I have contacted the Help Desk at least a dozen times for various reasons, all of which I have received a reply in LESS THAN 24 hours. I have never, ever had problems with this. Thank you for everything.

A basic chat feature would be really nice.

IOS App. Nuff said.

I’m very happy with it just the way it is. I can’t believe how many grouchy notes you’ve got on this.

AN OD app for Iphone

these past weeks have been nothing but suggestions already

No matter what you do, people will criticize (yet they continue to use the service), so I suggest no changes for those of us who like the place as is.

I am hoping that it will be ok if I leave a suggestion here rather than write a suggestion entry to my own OD……… One of my biggest suggestions is this: a Reply button to those somments left on an OD entry would allow for a better flowing ‘conversation’ and by giving the reply button options it would also then be a choice each OD entry owner could make. I get that there is now the “RYN” where we run back and forth between each other’s OD entries but honestly some entries need the ability to be a flowing conversation right there on the entry. Thank you for the opportunity to suggest/input.

Thanks DM. My usual: A regular method of communication. 🙂 Or how about new templates. 🙂 🙂

OD is a special place where kindred spirits can meet each other and interact. I know of no other online place where this happens. I love OD and have no complaints. The only suggestion I can think of right now is to add the option to include a message when clicking on the “To send a note asking to be added to this diarist’s Friends list, click here” link. That way you can explain how you found themand which diarists are mutual friends. Other than that, I give a big Thank You for giving us Open Diary!

I would really like to see the notes become a bit more like Live journal notes… or at least, let us have the option for that.

People this is like a blogging website not Facebook or man. If u wanna chat or whatever go there. People are never happy with what they got, no matter what changes you make someone will always complain and not in a classy respectful way either. I think OD is amazing, and I think in this bad economy you guys are doing everything u can to keep it going!

Others need to start appreciating that. Thank you for all u do to keep this a place I escape from the world. OD has helped me more then I can ever say to u. I appreciate You, your staff and volunteers. Keep up the good work and ignore the haters

Luna clearly didnt read teh entry which said OD is no longer finacially viable to run, as other wise her suggestions a sto who to sell it to would not have been written… who is going to buy it when they put time in and get nothing out? Advertising only makes it viable if persons spend a long time per visit here, and we dont any more, people spend ages on facebook! Stop whining luna.

I love OD and think it is fine the way it is. My only suggestion would be to please never let it go away 🙂

I love OD as it is, but my first suggestion would be to give subscription renewals priority. I renewed mine almost three weeks ago and it has still not been applied to my diary. Please look into that!!! Also, a note box for being able to explain to people how we found them when we ask to be added to their faves list would be nice. Other than that, OD is perfect! Thank-you,

People who are unhappy with their world are unhappy here. I know that I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth.

To everyone noting: http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D762007&entry=10205

I have been here 12yrs and I love OD just the way it is… It is just what it is and purports to be no more than that.. If I wanted more communication or bigger notes or advanced search capabilities or better editing capabilities or pretty much anything else I would go elsewhere.. OD isnt for everyone BUT it is for ME and many, many others! Thanks DM!

Looks like you opened a can of worms… I like it here and have nothing to complain about or add…:)

It would be super nice if members of this site could follow the rules and stop saying nasty things about one another in notes just because they don’t agree.

I do not want to remind you what Twitter or FB is … but it is popular for one thing because people can CHAT & playing games! Perhaps you can ADD those to make it the MORE POPULAR here! Just some odd ideas!

i don’t have any suggestions…i like od. i just wanted to say thank you. those people who are so bitter and have so many complaints could really find somewhere else to write if this site is so far below their standards. not that i want to drive anyone else away from this site because i know each member is important…but really! if you people are that unhappy then why are you here? thank you dm!

Raising the character limit on notes is a good point. I often have a lot to say & having to voice it over the course of several notes is frustrating, I often lose track of my line of thought. Someone else mentioned an OD app for iphone, that would be nice, but not essential. Otherwise I am happy with the simplicity of the site, I’ve been writing in here for 10 years & I can’t imagine not doing so.

I don’t know if this would be too hard to do but it would be nice to be able to limit public notes to only those on your friends list. This way if you get a troll leaving offensive notes, they’d have no choice but to leave them private. One other one – I would really like to be able to hit a button to just see private entries or just see friends only entries or just see public entries. Sometimes I will write a private entry to keep track of something and it would be awesome if I didn’t have to look through the entire list just to find one of those entries. Thanks!

I would like to be able to have a conversation through notes…i.e., receive a notification (like on social networking sites), instead of having to go to the noters diary and responding with ‘ryn’. Also…maybe a mobile app for iPhone and Android.

I would LOVE and app for iPhone/iPad. But other than that, love the site Bruce. I think you’re doing FAB! 🙂

Another diarist perfectly articulated how I feel about this entry and he said,”It’s the ex-boyfriend you dumped because he went cold and didn’t treat you right, now suddenly he realises he made a mistake and wants you back.”I’ll do anything, what do you want me to do? Tell me now.” “I’ve been telling you this whole time”

http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D844688&entry=10094&mode= My suggestions. I hope you follow up this entry with what you’re planning. I also hope you’re aware of the changes that are going to need to be made before you can start improving the site.

Hello DM! Thank you for this opportunity to leave a suggestion. There are some interesting ideas left here by previous noters, things I never thought of, such as: preview button, reply button on notes, chat feature etc. One idea mentioned I would like to second is revising the front/home page. The information provided on it is fine, but it really could use a facelift.

I just made an account, see what happens.

Just, please, for the love of OD, do not make it like Facebook or Twitter. PLEASE.

I love OD. Would love you to create an iphone app!! 😉

I love OD. Would love you to create an iphone app!! 😉

great idea. thanks…p

Lots of my bookmarks on OD are having trouble saving entries then they are getting deleted. That is probz the first thing you need to sort out. Many said they have thought about leaving over it. That would suck. x

i hope if you are allowing more people, paid or otherwise, access to our diaries you’ll let us know so that we can reassess our decision to have our diaries in these [whoever they may be] hands, or eyes, as the case may be.

I’d PAY for the ability to block certain diarists from being displayed when I hit the random link. There are a few who have, hmm, how shall we say, different points of view than me? I’d like to filter out what is noise for me personally.

I’d definitely like a higher character limit. I know that’s technically for the OD-Plus members but it gets really frustrating when you have to send several different notes, just for one reply! Hopefully you read all these suggestions because most are very good 🙂

Have you even been to any of the Theme of the Week entries?!?!

Leave it the way it is. 🙂 No chatting crap. No liking things. I love this site the way it is even if I have seriously slacked here.

I just thought of another much needed feature. Could you possibly put a flag button (like they have on craigslist) so we could flag spam diaries?

I couldn’t help but laugh at this entry. Are you trying to save face, Bruce? I can’t possibly think of any other reason to post something this inane. Suggestion box? You’ve been getting suggestions for AGES about things that are wrong with the site and the way you run it. Maybe a good look at those notes – and your own commitment to the site – are in order. There’s my suggestion, Sparky.

Thank you for this entry. I appreciate what you do for us here. I will be back to see what I would like to be added or changed. I saw a note from someone who was very unkind. It was uncalled for.. I agree with Gray Tabby

I think there needs to be a select all box for managing entries if you want to be able to delete an entire page and not just one at a time

I like it as it is. It is the simplicity that’s working for me.

Is there a way to make Copy/Pasting easier? Maybe even posting photos easier? Thank you- I love OD!

I would like to see the OD allow ALL users to block other diarists because some of them are acting as bullies, and no one should have to pay for that privilege. I know of a few who dislike some diarists on a personal level. They visit their entries and attempt to taunt them with comments. I believe this has proved to meet the legal definition of bullying. Anyone should be able to block them.

I sent in a request to the help desk back in November or December. I got the automated response, and then nothing after that. It was asking where’s the link for OD news so you could advertise Twelve in 12 again for this year.

I’ve sent a request for help, but no reponse. I renewed my OD+ for a year and still haven’t been given the credit for it. Please get back with me on that. 🙁

It has now been 6 days; or over 144 hours since purchasing a 6-month gift subscription. I contacted the helpdesk regarding this issue after 1/2 hour (30 minutes) after the purchase as per the purchase message recommended because the account in question had not been updated. You wonder why this site has no visitors and people aren’t renewing and you are only scraping by? This is your answer. I would have thought after this latest scandal you had actually taken an interest in your customers. I guess I was wrong. This is *not* good customer service. Please let me know what you are doing to correct this issue.

There’s a lot of good suggestions. I can’t think of any to add, except to reiterate allowing more people to help you manage the site. Thank you for the time you do have available to provide here =)

nothing to say..TT

im trying to find my old diary from teen open diary… did u only post the 1s from 2003? i think mine might of been before that

I’d love to see some sort of instant messaging service. There are lots of people on here I’d like to talk to in another setting besides notes. Thank you!

Like some have commented already, I too feel compelled to say sorry on behalf of all the people moaning. Anyway… I think character limits on notes etc should stay. Sorry to those that have asked about this but I always viewed this as a rather sweet perk of being someone that has contributed to this site. OD doesn’t ask for much money so if you want the limit removed pull some change out of your pockets. I also don’t think time should be spent on the IM route either, it’s done elsewhere to death. And if I want to chat to my OD friends we’ve connected elsewhere. There are some great ideas here though, I think some sort of phone app is a very logical progression for OD. The ability to update via email would be incredibly handy for all of us who write with one eye over our shoulder should our boss stroll up behind us. At the moment I write in Word, email home, then post.

Something that I’ve asked for before is an update in the various forms of code OD accepts. There’s a lot of sites out there which cater to our addiction to music etc, it would be nice if more external site code could be accepted – Sry bit vague, it’s before 7am, the specific code I was trying to post has been raised in a forum thread. But I love this site and still continue to love it more than any other. Merci.. …ohhh! Can we have the option to send electric shocks through the net to idiots and trolls? If this is something you’ll consider I’ll gladly donate a lung and a kidney to help finance.

I’m new (but was here yrs ago). I’m just glad you think enough of us to ask us what we want etc.

Hi – I paid for my subscription but I’m still getting adverts!!! xx

Lately, I am noticing that my bookmarks aren’t updating properly, and I’m getting fewer than normal notes on my entries. I’ll see faves on the front page, but when I go to my bookmarks bar it’s not showing as updated. Any suggestions on what might be causing this?

Aphrodite – I’m having the same issue.

An iPhone app.

I love the ideas of updating by email and allowing anyone to have blocking privileges! Otherwise, the formatting, background choices, etc., have gotten a little old, but most of us know how to upload our own backgrounds to make that to our liking. I love the size of this site and that it’s not one of the top social networking sites that everyone knows about these days. I feel safe and private here. And I post most everything friends-only these days to protect myself from being found and/or harassed. I don’t see the need for huge changes. Maybe just some sprucing up.

Spamming seems to be taking over. At different times on the front page almost every post showing is spam. Last night (and I’m sure it will be tonight also) only ONE was from a real person. Everything else was spam.

Well, you posted this entry SIX weeks ago, but haven’t posted another entry in response to all of the notes left for you. What good is a “suggestion box” if suggestions aren’t addressed? Furthermore, I’m jumping on the “WTH is going on with all the SPAM DIARIES???” wagon. Seriously…all the spam diaries don’t look very good to new or prospective OD members!!!

Hi, DM, the spamming diaries are getting out of hand. I keep reporting the ones I catch, but now the front page is filled with them and if I can’t keep up.

I’ve started a new photo prompt month called “JunPhoMo”. DM, if you could please post a notice on the front page, I’d much appreciate it :-)! It’ll begin June 1st, and run through June 30th. The diary is up and running, so come check it out and join in the fun :-)!

I understand the need for ads to keep the income flowing and the site running. However, with the new ads on three sides of the screen, my background, along with some of my favs aren’t loading and I can’t read entries!

I don’t have any suggestions. I like being OD+ member. I don’t complain about spam diaries. Good idea for a TOTW.

Get rid of spam diaries. Process payments timely– stop stealing people’s money. Respond to help desk messages. If you can’t pretend to care anymore, transfer the site to a new owner who does.

Who would I make this complaint to? I understand that you make money from your advertisers, but the Propel advertisement is really annoying. The advertisement just takes up your whole page, including your layout, and there’s nothing that you can do to get rid of it.

Hello, DM, I am writing to tell you that I have fished out who is at the bottom of the SEO spam diaries, by following the links in THIS diary: http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D933288&entry=10001 And HERE is the culprit that is stealing space for free advertising and clogging up OD’s arteries: http://www.advia.com.au/get-quote So, thereyou have it, folks. Spam them back or ask the DM to please block the url.

Good morning, DM, there is yet another RC entry that is spam. They are getting clever, making the hidden link on a large screen so you have to push your scroll bar to the right, but here it is: http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D931660&entry=10016&mode=date You might also want to ask the nominators why they’re helping. Thanks.

Here’s another: http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D930734&entry=10014&mode= The diarist who nominated should also be blocked, IMO.

Reader’s Choice Spam again: http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D932522&entry=10072 Nominated by Crystal Butterfly

there are a LOT of diaries full of spam on here. A LOT just hit random and you will find at least 4 out of five.

PLEASE. All but two diaries on RC are SEO Spam. The people nominating them are behind it. PLEASE, EWS. PLEASE, DM. PLEASE put an end to this.

Mama Blue- People have been nominating spam for RC in effort to get the admins to ACTUALLY DELETE IT.

Have a general comment wall on the main page. Sometimes I would just like to post something on someone’s diary without me actually having to note on a specific entry. I just want to message them. Or a chat box would be nice. Have been a member since 2004, and will most likely upgrade soon. Keep up the good work.

Just a big THANK YOU for being able to come on to OD today and not see 90% of the new entries being spam.

http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=D798894&entry=10107 Is that what you call customer support/service???

it is probably in your best interest, dearest dm to cut any ties with EWS as he seems clearly not able to conduct himself as an adult and one would certainly hope his behavior is not indicative of any you’d like your name associated with on this world wide web.

I am looking forward to 7.0…when do we get to hear about it?

Yes- could you please add a house work button so the faeries can solve that problem and then i can spend more time reading journals 🙂

– Bookmark entries, instead of whole diaries. – A way to add hand-written entries (using tablets) – Increased characters on notes – Preview button for entries – For the system to /not/ mess with my entries (i.e. adding spaces, changing fonts, just ruining the style in general) – Android app (hopefully!) Just a few ideas that would make me extremelyy happy 🙂

That website is amazing. Good call on the suggestion box.

I wish that even Free OD users could block someone if they need to. It would be easier than hopping diaries and having to start a new one if something happens. Thanks for this site BTW. I’ve been here since I graduated HS. I love being here.

I think what some people may not take into account is that yes, people have been leaving suggestions for years but those suggestions may be outdated. Technology and the internet are changing more rapidly now, so it is probable that a suggestion today vs. long ago (or even 6 months ago!) would be more appropriate to take into consideration as it would be keeping up with the times. With that said,I don’t think it would be a bad idea to take a look back and go through some of the older suggestions just to see what’s there. I feel that I can really put myself in your shoes on some level and when I do, and read some of these notes, it makes me angry. While I wholeheartedly believe that people have a right to demand good customer service, I do NOT agree with the way it is being done. It seems almost like people are not stopping to appreciate that we have this place at all. And ya know? For me? I have not experienced anything bad on this site and I have been here since 1998 (Although not this particular diary lol) and to be honest I have absolutely NO complaints. I am a regular writer, an even more regular reader, and I have yet to really be put out by any outages. (cont)

…The outages, it seems, aren’t that long. They would have to be short for me to miss them so much! I understand being frustrated if you come on here and wanted to write an entry and the site was down, but it seems to me that just writing maybe in Word or something and then copying it later should suffice. I just don’t know what all the fuss is about. The only suggestion I would like to makeis that there be a way for us Lifers to be able to donate. I know some other people have made this suggestion too, so I would love to see that implemented. After all, you would be a fool to say no to free money! 🙂 OK, I hath said my piece. lol <3

I get that you need advertising to help fund the site. But, seriously? Being redirected to a page EVERY time I open the front page and start to log in???? Really?? Is that necessary? Grr!

Would be nice if you could add more pics to your diary. Like on facebook. I’m certainly no html expert!

I have just started a new diary. I was on here for 5 years before and took a 3 year break. It is nice to come back and be familiar. I hate how FB always changes. The only thing I would like is to be able to comment on my notes more easily – rather than going to the persons diary to reply to them. Thanks for everything 🙂

Thank you now I am a part of OD family. I love OD just the way it is now. Few days ago I made a diary at other diary sites when there was a problem here at OD regarding tickets. But I did not enjoy being there. I went back to OD. Most people like OD because of its HomePage, how the way it looks, eventhough it may look somewhat old compared to other diary sites. There is no need changing it.

I am happy with OD just the way it is now. Thank You DM.

http://www.facebook.com/HelpForEmily could u please spread this…i lost my home on june 30 wind storm in virginia and i am still homeless with 4 kids..im a single mom i just ask for prayers and for people to atleast check out the page..my family needs any help we can get. thank you so much!

I suggest you write again. *laughs*

I’m sure I’m not the first to make this suggestion, but hows about an app or a mobile version of this site?

Ok, I found the mobile site even though there is no mention of it on the regular site and it doesn’t default to the mobile site on my mobile device. Start with that, then how about an app?

Can you still buy a lifetime subscription? I’m thinking about getting one, but want to know the prices first. My birthday is on November 30th, so it might be a gift?

I still love you, DM, and I still love OD, even if I haven’t posted regularly in years. Blogs are lame. <3

Shame on you.

Thank you for getting us back together with all of our faves’….. : )

Thank you! *hugs*

Why isn’t my subscription renewal being recognized? I have a PayPal receipt that proves I’ve paid for another year, but when I log in I still get told I have to pay. Please reply.

I wish we had something similiar to a “like” button, for the entries we read!

I’d say before implementing new stuff, to fix what already exists. I run into errors here and there & have to use my back button to re-click (which usually works). Doing what you have to do to have a solid foundation and support staff would be most important. Then build on that. I treasure OD for connecting people on a deeper level. I’d hate for it to morph into a typical social network.

Thank you so much for this. Im one of the ones returning after a lengthy break and for people like me who discovered OD in the nineties the popularity of every social networking site since has baffled me. What can I say? Simply an outstanding contribution to our civilisation.

Keep it simple. Willy of

Urgent! All my friends at OD are not able to write NOTES to me. WHY the NOTE space is NOT there every time I post an entry? Kindly, help me overcome this problem before I lose my friends. Your prompt action will be highly appreciated.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have a plan to save the U.S.P.S.

I have paid 16,50 $ by Paypal to update my diary but I didn’t get it! So, where is my money gone to? This was on NOVEMBER 3 of 2012 !!

It’s close to a year, where have you gone? We miss you here on OD land! Hope you are doing well.

I just read every one of the notes above. I like OD very much the way it is. Please, no messaging, or like buttons. Only thing I’d like is the ability to send a note when asking to be let into a Friends Only diary. Reason I came here today is that I’ve been cheating on you (in a good way – because it’s made me much more loving and attentive to OD) with 750 words. After one month there, they are asking for money. If I pay them I will feel guilty about using OD’s wonderfulness without paying. I am a lifetime member but that $100 was a long long time ago. I’ve wondered why you haven’t asked for more money. I also would be willing to put up with some ads if it would make the place more viable. I realize the place seems on auto-pilot and that’s ok with me. I wish the little notes from whatever powers that might be on the top right of the front page were updated at least every couple months. The awkward syntax in the one offering to help up fix our problems is particularly irritating. Meanwhile, hope things are going well for you. We are doing ok. I’m starting to look forward to spring – but it’s the right time to do that. Thanks bunches.

My suggestion would be for the DM to either become more involved with OD or sell it. There are very few places anymore where you can keep a diary online and make friends, OD is like the last of a dying species and needs to be saved. I would gladly pay again if this site was maintained and updated more. I am afraid to pay at this point because it’s clear the DM is no longer involved.

After reading some of the notes left on this entry. NO WONDER HE LEFT! I think he’s still around, he’s just not putting himself in front of a mack truck is all. I think this site is awesome. Always has been. 11 years for me off and on in the same diary. Same diary name. My wish from the DM ..please don’t let open diary die. EVER! FB has nothing over what we have here in my opinion. Thank you for all you’ve done ..truly.

I have a Lifetime Subscription, and yet the last time OD let me update or even edit an entry is in October. This is very frustrating.

Take the suggestions from here and the forums, make a surveymonkey, post the link on this diary, and let everyone take it to get an idea of what people want using consolidated language. Organize, then overhaul. I love OD and have spent easily +$300 here since I was 15 but I agree – the communication from management is inexcusably horrible, especially for paying members. People would volunteer to help out with maintenance, etc. if that’s what you need, because we are loyal to and adore this place, but you need to post volunteer positions or something and get that started. I want to be able to block IP addresses even if those people don’t currently have an account here. Also agree, editor is in need of a serious upgrade; my entries keep saying “Error” when I post but they’re actually there. I have to edit my title and re-save to show up in my friend’s bookmarks.

You know, I’m always right in line to defend you when people spew off about how you’ve turned your back on this community. But then I see an issue via Eric’s OD – you know, since the Help Desk is still down – regarding the entry save issue. I’ve had my last 3 entries all error out with There was an error on this page. Please try again and if you continue to have this problem, please contact us via the ‘help menu’. It saves and shows up on the front page but doesn’t update the bookmarks. Isn’t the point of our community the COMMUNITY aspect of the site?? I’m incredibly disappointed that this was reported a week ago and is still an issue. I understand you have to make ends meet so you work elsewhere… But isn’t it about time you turned OD over to someone who could care for it the way we deserve??

I know this entry is now officially a year old… would be nice to see some life here. I think a major improvement would be as someone posted above: “I want to be able to block IP addresses even if those people don’t currently have an account here.” This is a painful dilemma for me. This is my home. No other fits for me. It is not a fit for my friends that did not begin with OD before I met them, but I do have people who care about me enough to come here to see me. So now I have one ex-friend spying on me, and my only recourse is to block ALL non-members, when really, I only need to block one IP address. I can’t make people be members to come read, and I don’t want to block the rest of the WWW when I’d be excluding other people I care about; I just one to block one IP. It should be so simple.

I’ve tried to send you guys an email but I never would get an email back. I’ve tried to different emails to so I don’t know why it’s not working. I paid for an OD memebership for a month, it’s been a couple of weeks and I STILL am not a memeber. How long is that going to take? Also, I’ve bookmarked a lot of people but every so often it doesnt say that they wrote a new entry even if they did.

I was just coming to note you to ask for an entry preview function before posting. Have any of people’s suggestions been implemented? It would be lovely to have a spruce up.

Oh I forgot to say, please could you fix the note conversation part of the mobile site so it displays properly. Thanking you muchly in advance!

Thank you so much for fixing my problem with getting onto Bookmarks. I’m very grateful!:)

I’m a long time off and on user, and after years of looking for other sites, I’ve returned to Open Diary, and I am glad to be back. My suggestion is: Leave it as it is now. It has greatly improved since the very last time I used it, and I am happy! Thanks for all the new and fun things you’ve given your users! See ya soon, DM!

I don’t give a **** about this place anymore. Same as you!

I’ve got it! I’ve been thinking about it for more than a year, so I appreciate you giving me all this time to process your Suggestion Box entry. Any lesser man might not have waited so patiently for my input before starting to implement suggestions. So here’s my idea…

Dancing monkeys on the front page, juggling flaming bowling pins while farting rainbows. And of, course, they’re dancing to ELO’s “Don’t Let Me Down”. Don’t let me doooown Bruce! Don’t let me doooownnn Bruce!! Don’t let me doooow-owwn, whoahhhhh….

I now have a Kindle Fire and can write a title for an entry using the Kindle – but can’t make an entry. The mobile site so far hasn’t worked out.So…my suggestion is for a mobile site fix. Thank you.

You posted this entry almost 17 months ago!!!

Bruce you bring to mind the Costa Concordia captain….one of the first to abandon the sinking ship.

Thank You, Web Master, for working out the problems. Job well done. Open Diary means the world to me.

Hey, thanks for the maintenance – it seems to be running faster and smoother now. Appreciate it!

I believe. 🙂

Thanks so much Bruce! The place cannot survive without you. Hugs you back. 🙂 …………………..

I know this site could use some work, but honestly I’m just happy and grateful it’s here. I love this site deeply and it would devastate me to lose it. My diary here means everything to me – I’ve spent half of my life here! So, I guess I just want to say THANK YOU for making the site in the first place, and for keeping it around even so many years later. Thank you!

I wanted to say thank you for getting the site back up!!! I love my dairy and the friends I have made here!!! Please keep it going!!~**hugs**

I wonder most of the time if you’re just to embarassed to admit that you’ve forgotten your password. (A little smile.) I am just a blip, but I am a blip who has been around Ablesites a long time. While I am a blip to you, your creation has been a big part of my own personal development. Thank you very much for Open Diary. For purely selfish reasons, I am asking you to let her live. Even if it is a handful of eccentrics on outdated soapboxes screaming to a thriving Faves Only list of 12…listen there is some magic in the spot. Have some love for it, please.

My diary hasn’t been letting me post new entries, I can click “write in my diary” and the page will load, but the box that you write the entry in wont load, no fonts or tool bar appears at all. can you please help me with this? Cari Justis

I am so very disappointed at the state of OD righ tnow. I have been an ODer for over 10 years and have always defended it – until recently. For over a month, the site has been ridiculously slow, riddled with SQL time outs and other errors. I’ve seen EWS’s diary. He’s badgering you to maintain the site. PLEASE, PLEASE sell the site to someone who can put the work into it to revive the community.

Hi Bruce, It sickens me to read entries and notes where people bitch about you and OD. Other site owners would have removed and barred them out of their sites, but not you. Never you. I used to wonder how you could stand it, reading all the nasty things they wrote. But now I know why it’s possible for you to stomach them. It’s because you are made of sterner stuff, and I am definitely notas strong as you. (i am not as smart as you either).. There are people who will stay here until the end. Me and a small number of my closest faves are some of them. We will be here. And I hope so do you. Even if quietly in the shadows. Thank you.

I personally love OD and always will. But I would like to see the ability to leave longer notes, like to maybe 1200 characters per note. I have been able to tolerate all the haters, they can all go to Prosebox as there seems to be lots of them there. I will always support OD and really other than the odd day of bad performance I am pretty happy here.

Come on man, this is 2013, a website that charges money cannot have such terrible performance. I get that you have a full time job, etc, but this has to improve.

i have to agree with aquafresh above me. i’m trying to download my diary for backup and i keep getting time out errors. i’d really hate to lose my entries with all of these constant errors. i have noted EWS as well, though my last note to him wasn’t addressed. *~

[Persia] – Trust me, I’m a loyal ODer. I’ll be here until the end. But the performance of the site right now is utterly disgusting and I know most everyone agrees. Haters will hate, yes… But wouldn’t you agree they do because of their love and passion of OD? They want to see the thriving community they once knew!

Thank you for all your hard work! I love OD. I feel at home when the site loads and it’s the same site I’ve seen for 6 years. Thank you so much.

The secret of the fox Ancient mystery Somewhere deep in the woods I know youre hiding What is your sound? Will we ever know? Will always be a mystery What do you say? Youre my guardian angel Hiding in the woods What is your sound?

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server error ‘80040e31’ Timeout expired /bookmarks.asp, line 137 please fix these errors. or refund my lifetime subscription. *~

Open Diary users who upgrade their diary pay money, as well as the many well-known advertisers that buy ad-space on here, and yet the person receiving that money renders a site that is now known for barely working. This isn’t right.

Diary Master, don’t you love us anymore?

I stopped paying for this site months ago after years of paid subscriptions. It is really sad how you have neglected this place. It used to be so wonderful. Seriously, if you don’t care about it anymore sell it to someone who does. You have really dropped the ball.

PLEASE FIX OD!!!!

Thank You DM!! You don’t know how much it means to so many of us to have OD running smoothly again.. The only thing I still cant get to work is the “search entries” feature.. but hey I can live with that. Thank you!!

Are you going to be fixing this site anytime soon? Its been running so slow and I paid $100.00 for my diary and give money years ago when it was hacked and don’t feel it’s right not to even get an update on why it’s running in this matter…

I understand the frustration. I love OD, couldn’t see myself anywhere else. I pay for a subscription, started about two years ago. I don’t mind paying a little more even, I just want OD to work. This is my home, and I would be adrift without it. Please consider that many people rely on this site, and factor that into your decision to get out of it with a reasonable sale or allow others with the technical know how to keep this ship afloat. Thanks and many regards,

Just stopping by… things seem to be running relatively smoothly, for the time being. Hope you are doing OK and bearing up.

I’ve been here 15 years. The most recent round of complete and utter bull**** in regard to this site’s performance sent me over the edge. I can’t believe that you think you can continue to run this site from such a vast distance (when you’ve so obviously moved on to other projects) and not let your dedicated admins do anything until they text you for the key to the castle gate. How can you continue to take people’s money? I am disgusted.

When I log in, OD reminds me that my subscription has less than a month. OD, for me, is like finding the best apartment in the world — great location, all the features I want, and the best possible neighborhood and community. Only I rent it from a slumlord who’s letting it rot and crumble. The super, EWS, is awesome, but he doesn’t own the place and can only do so much to keep it habitable. And I realize I’ve been paying anyway, on time, for years, when the slumlord hasn’t kept up his part of the agreement and has instead let the place become inhospitable, dilapidated and pathetic. Then I feel stupid for wasting my money. No more. As long as the core features are free, I’ll probably stick around until the wrecking ball, but only as a squatter. Maybe you won’t read this, or maybe you will and won’t care, but I have to say, if I’d ever been as absent, uncommunicative, and lax at any of my jobs as you’ve been at OD, I wouldn’t HAVE a job. You’re incredibly fortunate so many people stuck by you. I don’t know how they do it.

Just in case you read these notes as they accumulate, I would like you to write us something to help us make sense of this here and then gone and then here again experience. Is the site crashing at certain times? Are there bugs? Aside from the personal need not to spend time or money here…what are the problems? If I understood why it is like silk on one day and not accessible on another I’d have more patience.

LEAVE BRUCE ALONE

What’s going on? I’ve been a diarist here for coming up to 13 years, bought a Lifetime Membership after many years as a normal subscriber, but now, every time I want to write an entry, I lose it with a ‘Timeout expired’ page. Most of my diary faves have left this site now due to the negligence of the site, many had been here longer than I. I’m very tempted to leave and go elsewhere, but I don’twant to. It’s pretty obvious I’m writing to nobody here, as you’ve obviously abandoned the site. It’s coming up to 2 years since you updated your diary, what does that tell us?

Dear diary master… It’s been a while since I have updated my diary… And since being back on my diary, I have found that audio ads pop-up like crazy when I am just simply trying to review my diary entries. I thought, hmm, maybe things have changed and I need to upgrade my diary…. SO I have upgraded my diary… and the audio pop-ups are still occurring every time I read an entry. Help Me

Hi, Diary Master. I don’t know whether or not you still log onto your diary. I do have a suggestion…there are many diaries on this site that are not even being used. Whatever diaries that are not being used should be deleted.

Thank you for getting OD back up and running Bruce. I know you are missed around here. I hope you come back someday.

Thanks for the move to new servers. OD is better than it has been in a long long time.

Thank you so much. I knew you wouldn’t leave us hanging. Merry Christmas to you, and thank you for this gift. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. I love being here at Open Diary.

Merry Christmas.

I would like to thank you for keeping this boat afloat. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a year that is filled with all the fragrance of roses, illuminated with all the lights of the world and be blessed with all the smiles on the planet. Hope this year will be the year when all your dreams come true.

Hey @newtestdiary11661 did you see this?