Anger, Sorrow

via Daily Prompt: Screw You, WordPress Bloggers!

Those of you who’ve been with me for a little while know that, although I link to it frequently, I don’t rely on The Daily Post for inspiration.  I have no shortage of inspiration in my own life about which to write.  I value The Daily Post and Community Pool for their ability to expose me to new & different blogs and, most importantly, to connect me with other Bloggers.

Not needing inspiration upon my return to my blog today after a week’s forced hiatus, I had to find out about the demise of those two cherished forums from my friend Martha Kennedy’s awesome blog, I’m a Writer, Yes, I Am! (how’s that shoulder hip doing, Martha?).

My immediate reaction was deep-burning, flame-colored rage.  How can the Auttomaticians retire such an indispensable tool for outreach and connection, exposure and collaboration, and why would they?  I take it as a gargantuan, fat, throbbing, burning middle finger thrust up in defiance of all who have come to depend upon it.  Were I younger and still as hotheaded and subject to blind rages as I used to be, such a subtraction would’ve been sufficient cause for me to quit blogging after sending a nasty, profanity-laden letter to the WP powers-that-be.

Fortunately, my temper has cooled considerably in my middle age, and even when fanned into extremity tends to cool rather rapidly.  Now I’m just freakin’ sad.  I’m not depressed, not down in the dumps, am not going to wander around aimlessly wringing my hands thinking “Woe is me!  Whatever am I to do?”  I won’t get lost in any wilderness of doubt, wondering what to write about.  Don’t y’all worry about l’il ol’ me, I’ll be just fine and dandy.

But I am worried about newer Bloggers trying to figure out what to do once they’ve made the leap of faith required to begin opening up to a larger community of writers, thinkers, and artists.  I’m worried about established Bloggers who yet remain timid about opening up and reaching out.  Without such reliable, structured, and most importantly consistent guidance as that formerly provided by The Daily Post and Community Pool, what resources do they have to help them get off the ground?  And how do they go about finding them?

What do y’all think?  Am I just overreacting?  What suggestions do you have for beginning bloggers now that The Daily Post and Community Pool are gone?