Under the Rainbow: I want more

Out of here

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:16:31 GMT

"We have got to talk"

"Do we? Shoot, I am all ears"

"Well, you know, I have been with you for over an year and you have been a constant companion all along"

"Why is this sounding a little er... emotional?"

"No no, listen me out. I have expected a lot from you and you have done your best to please me"

"Wait a minute, this sounds so much like you so long post"

"Will you cut it out and just listen to me? I am trying to be serious here"

"(giggle) Oops! you are 'forcing' yourself to be serious. I better be. Ok ok, don't frown now, go ahead"

"I have to go"

"Go? Go where? Oh yeah right, your anniversary is here. It is that time of the year when you take a break and roam the country side. Cool, go for it. Come back and tell me and your readers how it was. Your Kerala travelogue is still one of your top read posts, you know"

"Yeah, I know that. And thanks for the wishes. But I am saying something different. I have taken a new blog space. I am heading there"

"What? Are you kidding? Tell me you are kidding."

"Actually, I wish I was. But no, I am not. You know, I had this space on blogger for a long while."

"Yeah, and you also cribbed about my flaws and compared me with my competitors. Hey, is that what you are trying to tell me?"

"Kinda... yes. You know I get bored too soon and need a change. I want more freedom in terms of what I publish and when, the layout, the colours, everything"

"(Almost pleading) I told you, I am working on it, right? Didn't that customer support lady mail you the same thing? My boss has acknowledged your complaints/requests, alright? It takes time to implement. You've gotta understand, you are in the same industry too"

"I know. I know. Again, it has been more than a year and nothing has happened"

"So, thats it? We stop walking to together now and take different turns? Rather, you take a different turn and follow the (making faces) 'light'"

"Hey, stop being so senti ok? You have earned so much because of me, what with your banner ads and all."

"Come on, I am providing a service, I need money to sustain too. And somebody has to pay for it. I can't keep providing server space and publishing features. And those support personnel on whose shoulders you frequently cry on, they take salary every month. (Getting angry) And you don't pay for those. Understand?"

"(Eyes down. Feeling sorry) I do."

"Ha Ha. And you know what? You may be able to copy the posts there but you don't get the comments"

"Yes, that is something I'll miss"

"Thats all you are going to miss? What about me?"

"Yeah, you too. But lets make this deal. I am going to keep you alive. I might even publish my pictures here. I'll keep coming back from time to time."

"And then?"

"And then, if you get better, I'll come back to you. Hey, may be I can maintain two spaces. Big deal!"

"Ha ha, yeah, thats stupid, if you don't already realise"

"Thats right too. But you understand right?"

"Do I have a choice? Atleast, I know what your expectations are. I'll try working on it. I do hope you come back"

"I do too" I say and part ways with a warm hug and what seemed like a never-ending hand shake.

Good-byes are really tough and some are not forever. I really hope this one falls into the category. Anyways, so, the news of the day is, I have moved to blogger. You can read my posts at http://shilpaprabhu.blogspot.com. Looking forward to meeting you and chatting with you there.

Under the Rainbow

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:05:27 GMT

Hello and welcome to my refurbished space I now call "Under the Rainbow - Bright and moist, fresh, multi-hued". You ask why? Because Shilpa Prabhu is no name for a space. That’s my name, I have wanted to do this for a long time and now I have done it. And the image you see above was done by me (Ahem!) using Microsoft Expression Design. Looks cool, doesn't it? Absolutely no plagiarism.

The problem though is I can't use this as a banner because Live Spaces doesn't allow me to hide the Title and Tag (right on top) and if I have it below that, it doesn't make sense. Repetition, you know. I wonder when MS will read my earlier post and provide me the features. I like many features here but the restrictions they impose is annoying.

Why the name? Well, because I really love the feeling when there is a rainbow in the sky. As the caption mentions, it is sunny, bright and moist around. That’s usually how my writings are (I think) - clear and sensitive. The atmosphere is really light and fresh around which is how I have tried to keep this space. And multi-hued because this space is not about anything specific, it covers a lot of topics - some serious, others whacky. And I am eternal optimist; I'd like to believe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I have made few changes to the site too. I have removed the guest book and added a chat box. This is for the convenience of all those who do not have a MSN ID. Yeah, I know, it is pretty mean of Microsoft to expect every one have a MSN ID to comment here. I am losing out on comments. So, please feel free to type in comments and compliments there. Also, I have added a moodget for the My Mood Today section and removed the custom HTML I'd update regularly. I thought the smileys were pretty cool. But somehow, I seem to be having problems viewing the smiley. If this doesn't work out, I might get back to the old one or remove it altogether. Don't know as of now.

I'd love to hear from you. Do write back on this chat box in the left pane.

Live Spaces, yeh dil maange more

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:29:37 GMT

I have been on Live Spaces for more than a year and been blogging for close to a year. I like Spaces better than any other blogging site because this is a one stop shop. You can load your pictures here, share files, add friends and write blogs besides sharing blog, music and book links. This works for me best because anyone who wants to know whats happening with me just has to visit my space. They dont need a hundred links.

Now, I am getting bored. I mean, the same layout, the same colours, the same font. I really want to jazz up my space a bit. I want to make it funky, just for a change. It looks very formal and drab now (even if you can use majenta and purple). I want more flexibility. Here are a list of features I'd like.

First of all, there should be more layout options that just single double and triple columns. It would be great if we can switch between column and row layout.
I should be able to control the width and spacing of the webparts in my space. The left column is really too narrow and the pictures I have posted cannot be seen clearly on the main page. Also, the central/right column seems too wide. Suppose I want to post a picture or embed a video there and it is smaller in size, it looks awkward. Ofcourse, you can resize the object but then you lose the resolution.
The colours are really so dull. Yeah, you can go to the Advanced tab and change those to suit your taste but can't we have some colour effects like gradient? Also, when I use Advanced tab, I really cannot change all colours. For eg: in the Photos module, the selected album has some dark and ugly colour and I did not select it. I do not even know how to change it.
Why should the guest book be the same colour as other modules? I mean, different colours/highlighting attracts readers attention.
The fonts are also the same old ones. I know that we can change the font of the blog content to Segoe or Garamond by editing the blog. So, if IE and HTML support it, why can't I select the same for the space? Also, I need more options in terms of sizing. Extra Small, Normal, Large are not sufficient. Why can't we specify numbers in points?
I have added some custom HTML modules to my blog. When I edit the content in these, it shows in Live Messenger that my space is updated. However, when I select more information on the ID, it shows the latest information from the conventional module (provided by Live Spaces). I agree, this is a tough one to accomplish as the content is not in a certain format but atleast the name of the module can be displayed in more information in the Live messenger.
When I hide a custom module, it gets deleted/removed. Everytime, I want to show it, I need to create it from scratch and alter the layout.
There should be a module about the latest activity by visitors in my space. Eg: comments, messages, friend invite accepts, etc. This again generates interest for the reader.
In the Archive module, under every month, the title of the blogs written in that month should be displayed. The user should be able to expand and collapse the tree. If not, atleast a number indicating the number of blogs written in that month should displayed.
Also, we should be able to tag our blogs with keywords. It is just simpler if someone is searching using a search engine.
Why is there a limit on the number of blogs that can be displayed in the main page? Why should it always be a multiple of 5 and a maximum of 25? Although it is reasonable, there may be reasons (like length or scrollability) why I want to display only 3 or 7 blogs.
When I choose to display, lets say, 5 blogs on the home page, the page is very lengthy and involves a lot of scroll. We must have an option to display the whole story for some blogs and only blog summary for others. This way, the page scroll will be reduces.
I should have to option of displaying all friends or only friends who have accepted my invitation. I might not want to display friends whom I have invited. Also, there must be different view like icons, list, etc.
I really do not like the top bar with advertisements. I mean, if it is my space, how come someone else is advertising there. We should have an option to not display those advertisements. Instead, the place may be used to display some customised image.
Just like Live Writer and Photo Gallery, there must be some client tools that aid in the customization of the space. Doing everything in the browser is slow and time consuming.

I am not sure who the right people are who'd consider these suggestions. I did not find any 'Contact Us' on the Spaces home page. So, if you are reading this and know someone who can influence a change, please pass it on.