I am currently experiencing an ongoing problem with this website.
It doesn’t stop me posting but it takes a bit longer because when I try to login and post copy I frequently get the message, ‘Whoops, something went wrong’.
In addition I occasionally get the message, ‘500 Internal Server Error’.
This also happens when I am not logged in and I am curious if readers are experiencing the same issues.
It’s overcome easily enough. You just have to refresh the page and most of the time that reboots it, although edits have to be done again which is a nuisance if I haven’t copied them.
I’ve made Squarespace (the New York-based company that manages and hosts the site) aware of the problem (it’s not the first time this has happened), but although they replied within 24 hours I sense no urgency to fix it.
The reason, I suspect, is that this blog uses Squarespace 5, software that was originally released in 2008, and fixing problems with it is no longer a priority.
Squarespace 5 was superseded in 2012 by Squarespace 6, then Squarespace 7.0, and, more recently, Squarespace 7.1.
Users like me have been encouraged to upgrade, and I would but I'm nervous in case I lose 18 years of blog posts in the process.
That’s because it’s not as simple as upgrading the software. This is how Squarespace describes the process:
1. Start a Squarespace 7.0 trial.
2. Import your Squarespace 5 content.
3. Update the site to Squarespace 7.1.
4. Set up, style, and add to your site. You may need to recreate content that didn't import automatically.
5. Upgrade your Squarespace 7.1 site to active billing.
6. Move your custom domain.
7. Cancel Squarespace 5 billing.
One thing that concerns me is the warning, 'You may need to recreate content that didn't import automatically', because that could be quite a big job that I simply don't have time for.
I am fairly certain too that if I were to try and switch the blog to Squarespace 7.0 myself I will inevitably press the wrong key and thousands of posts will disappear into the ether, never to be seen again.
Likewise many of the images that have been uploaded since this version of the blog was launched in 2011.
To be fair to Squarespace, I’ve been very happy with the platform, which is normally very easy to use. (I’m sure it’s only a matter of practise and familiarity, but whenever I’ve tried WordPress I've found it far less intuitive.)
Anyway, if you are experiencing the same gremlins as me when you visit this blog, do let me know.
I can live with it for now if I'm the only person inconvenienced, but if it's a wider problem then I need to get it fixed, or switch to Squarespace 7.0, or 7.1, sooner rather than later.