Have You Seen This Avatar?


The Google Friend Connect widget, once populated with faces on my sidebar, now appears empty and clueless, a border of its former self.

On March 1st, Google discontinued Google Friend Connect on all non Blogger sites. Since that day “that will live on in infamy,” I’ve tried to find a Google Friend Connect plugin or widget that works on a WordPress site.

So far, no luck in finding one.

To avoid a brain melt, I decided to put Google Friend Connect on hold and add Google Plus to my sidebar. I found a Google Plus plugin, activated it and then – nothing.

Okay, I admit I’m a bit of a technotard. Solving technical problems makes my brain hurt and sends me into apoplectic shock. My right brain overrides my left brain and chaos ensues, then I lose ability of all cognitive thought, also known as a fluster fuck.

When I get flustered, I start foaming at the mouth and overlook the important words on a page. Kind of like hysterical blindness or a blank ditz moment.

Because when words look like this . . .

<embed src=”yourfile.mid” autostart=”true” hidden=”false” loop=”false”>
&amp;lt;&amp;lt;span class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=””&amp;gt;bgsound&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; src=”yourfile.mid” loop=”1″&amp;gt;

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35 Comments Have You Seen This Avatar?

    1. Lauren

      Ha! I hope they have distinguishing characteristics and aren’t just flat and gray. But then again, you never see them, so you wouldn’t know.

      Reply
    1. Lauren

      You might be right. They just left the shadow. Maybe the season finale of “The Walking Dead” had something to do with it. I haven’t watched it yet.

      Reply
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  4. Jayne

    I feel your pain.  That’s why I’ve stuck with Blogger (outside of shear laziness.)   I go completely crackers when I have to deal with some new tech challenge.   Why must Google and their despicable ilk torture us?   It’s like you need to have a 12-year-old permanently on your payroll.   

    Reply
  5. Lindamedrano

    Last time I was here, there was a notice that one had to be “invited” to read your blog.  I was a little hurt that I was not on the list.  

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Crap!!!! That was me screwing around in the control panel. I didn’t know what it meant. Now I do. There is no list. This isn’t a classy joint.

      I follow Groucho’s philosophy. “I wouldn’t belong to a club that would have me as a member.”

      Reply
  6. Juneohara65

    A border of its former self…love it! And technotard…God, do I relate. You have no idea. Or maybe you do.

    Thanks for another great post!

    Reply
  7. redheadranting

    I don’t know but I’ll mention it to Kelly. She can’t fix the Google thing but she can probably fix the Google+ thing. 

    I hate Google and yet everything I do, each and every day, is to please the Google God.

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      The Google thing is baffling. Margaret and I compared Google Friend Connect scripts and they’re identical, except for the IDs. Yet, GFC still works on her site. Who knows if Google+ will even be around in a year.

      Thanks for your help, Jen.

      Reply
  8. mommapolitico

    Lauren, I feel your pain! I am totally baffled by the whole google + business…I do not need or want yet another social media conglomerate in my life. My friends are already angry enough that I do not check my Facebook page but once a month, and I don’t need another reason to be unfriended, or uncircled, or whatever the hell the term is on the latest social media forum. I am bombarded, and it’s all I can do to read my google reader for my friend’s blogs, tweet my latest post, and blog on my own site. Isn’t that enough? I can’t possibly keep up with it all – is there a name for this kind of overwhelm caused by social media? If anyone can tell me, you can, because you have such a knack for turn of phrase. Please help, my friend! 

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Web Fatigue. I get it every week or so. Too much information!!!! We’re at war with the web. I’m with you about FB. I rarely venture there. I find many social media sites to be a waste of time. When my eyes cross and I start babbling,it’s time to power down.

      I recently read an article about organizing online info, bookmarks, email, etc. but I can’t find it. Talk about irony. When I do locate it, I’ll send it your way.

      Reply
  9. THE SNEE

    I’m late chiming in here, but….ME TOO! I lost friends, maybe even some family, and my Google+ is a minus. Speaking of textotard (hee, hee, I like technotard) is this the symbol for sad face? 🙁 

    I stick with the same thing, for the same reason that Jayne does. I don’t dare mess with the HTML because I could make an even bigger mess of things. That being said, I did contact Google and Typepad regarding the sidebar logo issue and apparently I need much more html to make it work. I’ll email you the link if I have the chance so you can play around with it if you dare. I haven’t dared yet, since I’m struggling as you know with time management issues.

    Thanks for the laugh Lauren!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Ha! > “ME TOO! I lost friends, maybe even some family and my Google+ is a minus.”

      Please email me the link. In WordPress, there’s a plugin for Google+. Just click and activate. I thought, Hey, this is mindless, perfect for me. But dang it, the sucker wouldn’t work. I think I’m html intolerant.

      Ah, the time management oxymoron. My greatest nemesis.

      Reply
  10. Comedy Plus

    Well since I’ve never cared about Google Friend connect then I’m not missing out on anything.  I’m sorry that this is no longer available to you.  I’m sure you’ll figure it out though.

    Have a terrific day.  🙂

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      You were smart not to use Friend Connect. It’s scary that one company could have so much influence on our lives. Just kidding, Google. I don’t want any Google botsters visiting my blog in the middle of the night.

      Reply
  11. Katherine Murray

    HA HA!  Technotard… LOVE IT!!!!  Funny, I started reading this and ran to check my own blog… I didn’t know if I even HAD that or not! SAD!  Guess I am a technotard too.  I didn’t… so I can’t help! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Thanks Katherine.

      In this new technological world, we don’t have the luxury of choice. If you choose not to educate yourself in the ways of the Google, you retro glide back to the dark ages of the 80s and get left behind. Or, you hire a geek.

      Reply
  12. Ivy

    I love the term technotard! Lol. I’m totally gonna use that! So much is changing in this social media world. I work in social media 24/7 professionally, it’s even hard for me to keep up with! Don’t beat yourself up about it all. Instead, just take a deep breath and learn one thing at a time. 

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Ivy,

      I’m so sorry. I just realized I never responded to this. I had a wild week. Last night, my writer’s group on earth had a presentation at the library with local musicians and singers. I’ve been working on my piece all week and helping the group with preparations. The evening went well.

      Thanks for your advice. I do tend to beat myself up about everything. I’ll try to remember to breathe every once in a while, which may be the reason for my bluish complexion.

      Reply
  13. Linzi Higgins

    I just literally stumbled upon this blog and can I just say, I’m *this* far down (ie not very) in the posts and I’m IN LOVE with this place already haha! TECHNOTARDS! Oh, and the HTML coding up there had just somehow morphed is all… “&amp” is actually “&” in HTML jargon and so on 😛

    Reply
      1. Linzi Higgins

        My pleasure! I’ve just noticed that the bit I was trying to explain doesn’t make sense as the browser automatically changed the HTML coding to display the ‘&’ symbol haha! Yeeaaah, I look like a dork now ^_^

        Reply
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