tetractys

I am new to WordPress, but am convinced that dyslexic Martians are in charge of their documentation. Everything is two degrees off top dead center. The words make sense, but not in context. This applies to just about every interaction I’ve had with WordPress. It’s as if all the words are processed through an Asian thought filter prior to publication (not that there’s anything wrong with that), then mixed randomly with with a Jibberish scrambler with every tenth word shifted to the right in the lexicon. Trying, for example, to activate email posting to a WordPress Blog, you’re told to register a secret POP3 account and given a server IP address (incoming, presumably), then a login name, a password and default category. Then you’re given three “random strings” to use, without being told what for. Username? Password? No other instructions are given. Two of the four fields are obviously to be changed, but nothing is said of the IP addy. What do we do with the random strings? They’re not formatted for login names, but are they default passwords? Should we change the IP? Every page I go to is the same mind-shag. Who writes this stuff? Is WordPress hiring college dropouts from technical 2-year trade schools without a background in technical writing? Are they devoid of user-polling or beta analysis performed by grown-ups? Are they using random word generators? I call on the phone to try and figure out what’s going on and am immersed in a voice-mail choice system that is a screaming joke. Twelve levels deep none of the selections have made sense, so I make random keypresses, ending up talking with patient polite people speaking Venusian. I can’t tell you how many times I politely respond, “I’m sorry, I can tell you’re trying hard, but I haven’t understood a word you’ve said.” One tech told me repeatedly that I am the letter “L.” I had to hang up after another apology due to lack of productivity, and to prevent me from insisting I was more comfortable as an “X” like the 1950s horror movie — having identified at this point with the radioactive mud monster that I felt I’d become while on the phone. Final irony by the way, the following words are showing below the entry box as I write this: “Allowed markup: a blockquote code em strong ul ol li. Put code in between backticks.” That’s fine. I’m not a Leetspeak aficionado, but how about a second string for us unitiated member of the UnterKlasse who could use a simple step-by-step from time to time. Second final irony: I’m now editing a couple of simple typos and the “Post” button is gone. There’s only another “Edit Post” button showing. So I’m in an infinite loop now, with no way to simply post my edit. Way to go WordPress. You’ve made me feel both stoopid and somewhat mentally ill, like I had read the wrapper from a spoiled sandwich meat package.