Was life better before the internet?

Sigh.  I thought I'd found my new reader...heading into the twilight of Google Reader, I sampled two or three and finally landed at the Old Reader.  It had some glitches but, hey, it was ok.  I could read the blogs right there.  I could skip the ones I'd already read.  I was happy.

But apparently it was too much of a good thing.  Too many folks signed up and, in trying to make it work, it all fell apart.  The site owners got it working again, but decided life is too short to deal with such things (who can blame them?) and they're going private.

Basically, they've decided to take it back to the small level of users they had before the Google influx.

Which means my account won't make the cut.

Looks like I'm back to bloglovin'...which I don't love...but at least looks to be as permanent as these things can possibly be.

This comes on the heels of  the winds of change over at Stitchers Guild.  I haven't been hanging out there too much lately...data base migration and all...but that community also looks to be a victim of its own success.   

Which all makes me wonder if all this connection is really feasible; really...how much longer can we expect all this open space to be free?  Folks labor long and deal with all kinds of life inconvenience for really very little return...while those of us who use their services barely even know their names.   We might send them some money from time to time, and we cheerfully thank them for their expertise, but I can't fault any one who's been sacrificing family time, personal time, sleep and finances to keep the site up who finally says, 'It's just not worth the hassle anymore.'

I didn't miss a reader before I had one; now I'm griping that I don't like the reader I seem to be stuck with.

First world problems, eh?

Don't misunderstand me...I love the connections I've made via the internet and the incredible inspiration that has come from the blogs I read and the contributors to the sites I frequent...or at least, frequent when I get a chance to frequent. ;-)  But it comes at a cost. 

And maybe, just maybe, the cost is higher than any of us is willing to admit.

Just sorta thinking out loud here....