originally from my bearblog.dev site (unpublished) / September 5th, 2026: I wrote this over on Bear while testing it out. I can be wishy washy at times and think it really came across in this text (cringing a tiny bit). The sentiment about the dudebros stands.
Having your own little corner of the internet is such a difficult task to execute. The social media overlords don't hide the fact that they control miniscule details of your experience on their platforms, reserving the right to inject your feed with the most heinous things possible. I want a sense of community, but not with the risk of my day being ruined every time I log on. Website building, blogging, coding, hosting, etc. - these things have never been friendly to people without much technical know-how (or the money required to make up for it).
I recently tried out Mataroa and was won over thanks to its premium plan costing less than every other blogging platform out there. I began to transfer my domain to Porkbun (ex-Google-Domains-Squarespace customer), ready to commit the moment it was done. I eagerly input my payment information and... a "processing error" notification appeared. Every time I tried. The card was working just fine elsewhere.
Something probably happened on the backend (and I have sent over an email for support), but until I get an answer and things get resolved, I am choosing to be whimsical - and look at this situation as divine intervention. We're not meant to be. "Does it look like I want your money?" Stripe (the antagonist) says as he throws the card out and slams the door shut. Such indignity. This is on par with the vibes I get from it, being a company connected to Thiel, Musk and all those VC firms/dudebros.
I am once more a bachelor looking for blogging platform suitors that are simple and affordable. Maybe Bear will be the one (I see you, Purchasing Power Parity support). Can't wait to start properly blogging about things other than blogging platforms.