Back up your website!! (and thirty gratefuls!)

skip to the gratefuls

Last night, I had something else to check on my site, and I decided it was about time I upgraded my blog software to the latest version. It’s only a few clicks in the management software of my site, and in about five minutes, it was all ready. I pulled up my site to make sure everything had made the transition okay.

And it welcomed me to my new WordPress blog.

Um, what?? This isn’t new. It’s nearly five years old. And when I visited the blog, it was a fresh, blank WordPress site.

Almost five years of posts, memories, pictures, ponderings—gone. I was a little distraught.

Miraculously, my web host keeps backups. I called their 24/7 tech support and in less than an hour from the initial implosion, the site was completely functional again. If you saw a “Hello World” post from me this morning, that’s why—and that’s why it’s not here now. Thank heavens! And Bluehost!

(I’ll be doing updates manually from now on. 😀 )

How can you avoid this panic? Back up your website regularly!

How to backup a WordPress blog

In WordPress, scroll down to Tools on the left-side menu. Select Backup.

The default information WordPress backs up is listed in the left column. If you have more information for plugins and their settings, you can select those from the list in the right column:

Scroll down to see the options: you can have it save the file to your server if you’re on your own host, download it to your computer, or send it to an email account you specify.

But! You can also set it up to automatically email a backup to you regularly:

Remember to check that email address! I have mine set up to mark it as read automatically. But because these files can be pretty big, you might want to delete older ones.

How to backup a Blogger blog

Blogger makes it easy to back up a blog.

To back up the content (posts, etc.), see Clarissa Draper’s instructions here. Four easy steps! (Summary: Settings > Basic > Export blog — Download blog — Save file. See Clarissa’s post for step-by-step with pictures.)

To back up the design and layout, see the (also) four (easy!) step instructions in Rachael Harrie’s post. (Summary: Design > Edit HTML — Download full template — Save file. Again, see Rachael’s post for step-by-step with pictures.)

---

And catching up on gratitude:
Wednesday:

1. I actually do like Rebecca’s bangs. Love, even!
2. Rachel getting more and more courageous at walking.
3. Hayden riding bikes with the neighbor boys. (Can I tell you how cute I think this is?!)
4. Neighbors we trust (and love).
5. The DVR (sad but true).
6. Forgiving myself/not pushing myself (all the way) into burnout.
7. Hayden’s creative buildings with blocks.
8. Cool new software available free for my site.
9. Not having to go grocery shopping.
10. Getting everyone out of pajamas, away from screens, and spending time together.

Thursday:

1. A new “smile chart” for encouraging good behaviors, mostly for Hayden
2. Yoga when I just don’t feel like aerobics.
3. WEBSITE BACKUPS!!! (Nothing to do with #8 above.)
4. Tech support at Bluehost.
5. Rebecca’s favorite movie and her imagination play with Monsters Inc.
6. Not having to clip Rebecca’s hair back.
7. Online “chatting” with “old” friends 😉 and jokes about “punctuation” 😉
8. Writing something totally fun!
9. An editing job I really feel good about!
10. Sending something to critique partners.

And today:

1. Aunt Jasmine!
2. Fun times with friends
3. Homemade pizza (made by my friend)
4. Our friend who takes Hayden out for fun
5. Homemade cookies (made by Hayden and ^ friend)
6. Rachel’s excitedly tackling her daddy
7. Rachel’s favorite (only?) word: HeyDAH! (Hayden; Hi, Dad; Hi there; Here it is)
8. For the first time in 43 months, I am neither pregnant nor nursing!
9. Ryan doesn’t work on Fridays
10. My aerobics show

What are you grateful for today?