Has it ever happened to you? You log on to your blog only to find some sort of error on the page where your beautiful creation should be? If you’re on a cheap web host, and let’s face, a great many of us are, then you will want to take precautions to back your blog up. There will be nothing worse than facing the day when you experience data loss and your host is very apologetic, but can’t do anything to help you.

If you haven’t thought about blog backup, then start thinking about it now with these easy pointers, because if you aren’t backed up then you could lose out on some serious money:

• Plugins are your friend: There are a number of plugins designed for Wordpress that specifically deal with backing up your blog. Use these plugins, as they often allow you to work without having to use a PHPMyAdmin. The Wordpress Database Backup plugin is easy to use. Just install it like any other plugin and then use it via the “Manage” tab on your dashboard. This will back up your posts, comments, categories, and so on, but it won’t back up your pictures and themes.
• Backup everything: Most hosting services have an option that allows you to back up all your files. If you’re using cPanel then it’s simply a case of hitting “Backup” and waiting for the file. Once you’ve got the file on your server, you’ll be needing an FTP client.
• FTP: FTP clients are incredibly useful tools that allow you to move the files of websites you have access to. With an FTP client you can move files between your hard drive and your website. I use the open source FTP client Filezilla. It’s easy to use. Once you have it installed, fire it up and enter:
• Address: yourblog.com
• User: the name you use to access your domain
• Password: the domain password
• Port: enter “21”
• Now you can access your backup file and drop it into your hard drive. An FTP client is also useful if your host does not provide you with some sort of control panel.
• Backing up using PHPMyAdmin: When you access PHPMyAdmin you ought to check if any of your databases have overhead, or else they might stop working. If any of them have overhead then select the appropriate check boxes before selecting “Repair table” from the dropdown menu. That’s one problem taken care of.
• Click this, check that: To backup a database, click “Export”. Highlight the “WP” files and check “Add DROP TABLE” and “Complete inserts”. Then check “Save as file” and “None” for compression. Click “Go” and save away. Easy. Some blogs have problems running the Wordpress Database Backup plugin, so you may have to use PHPMyAdmin.

So… back up, back up and back up.

Tags: Bloggers starting by Angel
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Today I learned a valuable lesson. I wrote and published a blog post, editing it on the fly, when my wireless Internet cut out. It was extremely annoying because I was yet to edit in the links on the post I had just written. I also hadn’t fully read through what I had written, and some of my points were unclear. A reader picked up on these and now I feel foolish. I had to make corrections at my local net café.

Don’t hit “Publish” until you are 100% happy with your post

Editing posts after they’re written is bad form and I need to stop doing that. Part of the reason I do it is because I find myself in a bit of a rush to post some days, what with work and all. From now on I will not publish anything until the post is up to the standard I want it at. I’d advise other bloggers to do the same, although I’m sure most people do already.

Tags: Bloggers starting by Angel
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There are hot debates ripping through the internet about whether outbound links on a blog should open in a new window or the same window. It’s a decision that every blogger has to make and then stick to. It’s only a minor detail, but it can be enough to annoy loyal readers and dissuade them from returning to your blog.

Darren from Pro Blogger said that he keeps his links opening in the same window.

My personal preference as a web surfer is that if I want to see a link in a new window (or tab - I’m a big tabbed browser fan) I’ll open it in one (and I do - regularly). I find it incredibly annoying when a new window opens up without me asking for it to. I have enough windows open on my desktop at any one time without needing more!

Initially I decided that I would have all external links open in a new window because it keeps people on your site, but from reading the dozens of comments on Pro Blogger, there are lots of people who find this annoying. In the end, 54% of people said links should open in a new window, and 46% said they should open in the same window.

I personally prefer all external links to open in a new tab, but there is a strong argument that readers of a blog should be given the opportunity to choose. Desi had this to say about the matter:

As you probably figured out by now, I’m not for opening new windows. By doing so it’s disrespectful to the user. If the user wants to open a new window then he or she will, but for the most part open external links to the same window.

I’ve now decided to let my readers choose and all external links will be made to open in the same window. I hope it doesn’t drive too many people away from this blog before it gets up and running.

Tags: Bloggers starting by Angel
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