Monday 27 June 2011

Do you ever wonder if your blog will one day dissapear? (And some feedback PLEASE)





I am not supposed to be blogging!  I have a mountain of stuff to get through before I go away on Saturday!  My big DD is home from uni & we have planned ourselves a little trip!!  We have only seen each other for one week in 4 months so I'm sure you'll understand my reasons for being offline & hopefully we'll come home with lots of happy snaps to share right here on the old blog :)

So just remember, I'm not around from Saturday 2nd July until Saturday 9th July so if you don't see or hear me (aka "see me around & about" or "read" me - well that's why!)  I don't usually announce my absence until I'm back (paranoia that "someone out there" will know my house is empty!) but my house is going to be just as full as usual as we have visitors taking our place & everyone else is still gonna be here so no worries!!!
Anyway,as I said I am meant to be scrapping (101 layouts due in by the end of the month - Friday - eeeek!) plus DT work due in while I'm away, plus a secret project that I will share with you some time this week (a collaboration that I don't think I'm at liberty to discuss with you right now but you'll get to know soon enough).

 The reason I AM HERE is because I want to share something simple with you that you may not already know.  HOW TO BACK UP YOUR BLOG.
 
***Skip the rest if you know how to do this & do it regularly but if you have the time let me know if you NEED this type of post or if I am wasting my time sharing the techie stuff.  Seriously...I know I NEEDED it when I first started but since I'm guessing mostly experienced bloggers read my blog maybe it's not necessary & I would hate to bore you - so be honest!  While you're at it share with me which posts you like the most so that I know if I am on the right track - do you care that I share so much detail on my layouts?  Rachael has told me several times that she loves that, but I've never heard if from anyone else IN 3 YEARS & I really would HATE to bore you so I'll quit all the extra deets if I get enough unanimous NOs!!

As the years roll on I am actually trying to make my posts shorter & shorter (except for this one of course!) because I am all too aware of how many blogs are out there & how little time we all have to blog hop!***

                                                                                                                                                               

BLOG DOWNLOADING/BACK-UP INSTRUCTIONS

Firstly, did you know that a shortcut to get into your DASHBOARD is the little blogger icon on the top left? When you are on your blog (the navbar - where it also says Follow/ Share/ Report Abuse/Next Blog) - well it's right there - on the top left so CLICK IT.
Okay, so now you are in your dashboard - Now click SETTINGS (Under your blog name - where it says - New Post - Edit Post - Comments - SETTINGS - Design - Monetize - Stats).  Got it? Okay!

Now - right at the top - under the tabs & the selection bar (aka all the greyed-out stuff)- the VERY FIRST THING YOU WILL SEE says "Import Blog - Export Blog - Delete Blog"

                                   Click EXPORT BLOG.

A pop-up will appear with some writing in & an orange bar that says DOWNLOAD BLOG - CLICK IT - Your download will start & finish very quickly (amazing) THEN go to your downloads by clicking on your start button (bottom left with the windows flag in it) then click COMP in the list that pops up - in the greyed out section on the right) then click on downloads - scroll up until you see it in the list - then click on it to locate your xml (Blogger format) file.

To find your downloads quickly & easily sort them according to DATE - go to VIEW in the selection bar that runs along the top - click on it then select SORT BY - DATE - DESCENDING - for your most recent downloads to appear at the top. If you are like me & like saving stuff to your desktop then also click (under VIEW again) - LARGE ICONS so you get a thumbnail instead of a long description.

Now minimise whatever is on your screen (so that you can see your desktop) & click on the Icon & drag it onto your desktop.  Do this at least once a month (I do it once a week) & delete the previous one on your desktop as soon as you have the current one in place.

Now SAVE TO YOUR EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE ASWELL so you have a copy in 2 locations (or be paranoid like me and save to your second external hard-drive) Yup, I keep a spare one in the boot of my car so that if we have a break-in & the one attached to my PC gets stolen I have a back-up drive - even if you live in a crime-free zone you could have a power-surge that would damage BOTH external hard-drives & your pc simultaneously then you would LOSE EVERYTHING.  

Or you could have a fire!  All far-fetched scenarious perhaps but possible nonetheless & I don't take chances with my photos.  Apart from my family my photos & scrapbook albums are all I care about.  Everything else can go & it would just be a matter of replacing it whereas these things are IRREPLACEABLE.

So go back up your blog NOW!!!
The reason for this OUT OF THE BLUE post is due to the fact that my dear friend Heather Jacob lost her entire blog on Friday - for 3 whole days.  She reported some spam on her blog & next thing it had been obliterated.  Blogger have now restored it, along with their heartfelt apologies, but nonetheless, for 3 whole days she was left wondering if all her hard work had just evaporated in a moment.  

I know that the anguish of that would have taken a year off my life so put your mind at ease & JBU!  
JUST BACK UP.
I must just add that if my blog DID ACTUALLY DISAPPEAR I have no idea how I would use my back-up file to restore it, but I have my IT guy on speed dial so hopefully he could do it LOL!!  

I don't think the back-up would include all the sidebar gadgets & the only way I can think of backing these up would be to screensave them - using your SNIP tool - which you can find in "All Programs" - this wouldn't save the functionality but at least you would remember where everything was so you could get it all back into place :)

My side-bar needs a good clean up so I haven't done this in an age but have every good intention - soon!





22 comments:

Stefanie said...

I must be honest and say that I haven't ever considered what would happen if it disappeared. I'd probably just say "oh well".

I must confess that I do sometimes skim your detailed descriptions of page LO's. I skim so much of what I read now, blogging has made me lazy.
That might explain why/how I missed that I had won the paper pack. Forgive me, pretty please?

Jessy Christopher said...

Well I never really bothered bout my blog missing someday. I know I will be mad but sometimes things happen for reasons rite? But ain't we are glad for ppl like you to remind us. Hehe. Hey go enjoy ur lil trip with ur DD. Update us with photos ok ;)

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

I have done this before....but now after seeing what happened to heather.....i need to do it again....thanks for the reminder :):):) have a fabulous trip! Can't wait to see the pics! :):):):):):):):)

Diana said...

In general I like tips like this as I pick up useful information about all sorts of things from all over.
But I don't care all that much if my blog disappears so I haven't read this particular tip.
When you ask if we read all the details...? I don't, but I don't read details about LOs on anyone else's blog either. I don't read how-tos nor am I interested in techniques, etc. I just want to see the LOs.
And honestly I wonder when I see all your detail shots and explanations (as I do when I see them on other blogs) how much time it must take you to take all those photos and list things out and write all the descriptions!
HOWEVER, that said, I am a firm believer that one must blog for oneself, so do what works for you. Then again, I am not doing the DT thing, so I don't have any audience to be accountable to nor am I trying to up my blog readership numbers, so perhaps my take on it all is not really relevant... .

Jasmine S said...

Thank you thank you for the tip. I did not know you could do such a thing so I will be getting onto this asap.
And P.S. You don't ever bore me. I love a good read....
Have a fab week.

Alia said...

I always enjoy your blog, and you should include whatever YOU want to include on it! :)

Sara said...

Thank you for the fantastic tip! I had never thought about backing up my blog.

Unknown said...

My goodness Helen I had no clue you could back up your blog, thank you so much for this read!

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Thanks for the tips, I really need to do that, I lost all my photos from 3 Europe trips just because I did not back up anything, computers are computers, they will quit on you somedays, they have no feelings for you like we have for them, LOL!
Anyway, I better learn, thanks for taking time to write this, you are wonderful!!! Have a fun trip!!!!

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Oops, I will send you email regarding the stamp cleaner!

nicollelovesscrapbooking.blogspot.com said...

I love reading your blog always full of inspiration! I also love any tips I can get. I am a lover of learning...:)

topkatnz said...

I was interested to know what people were going to say on this one, and I'm glad that there were other comments that echo my thoughts. No, I have never really seriously thought what would happen if my blog disappeared. I'm sure it would not really bother me either. I might just look at it as a sign, and an opportunity to start afresh:)(much like every time we have a shake and I lose stuff!LOL) and, as you yourself pointed out, I know how to download and save things, but it would not magically restore my blog etc. I also confess that I skip through all your layout instructions/details - I just want to see your work(which is developing in leaps and bounds), with no intention to copy. Scrapbookers are an artistic and creative bunch, and generally have no trouble putting their own spin on things. But I do appreciate that others may want the instruction. At the end of the day, this is your blog, and you should do it the way you want:)
I hope you have a ball with Chelsea this weekend:)

Karen Shady said...

so intersting....thanks so much for sharing all these tips Helen... I will definately do this :) scary what happened to Heather...Have a great week

karen x

yyam said...

Thanks for sharing your tips on backing up your blog! :)

I like short posts. I read so many blogs...so unless something catches my attention within the first two lines of a post...like a joke, an anecdote or a cool picture to stop me in my tracks....I will skim the rest of the content for something I can comment on and maybe read the last few lines of a post.

Alison said...

Thanks for the info on backing up Blogs Helen...like you, my pics and scrapbooks, along with any humans and animals present, would be my only great loss if anything happened to the house!
I love your LOs, but must confess I don't always read your tutorials...as others have said, though, there will be people who do read it for the tips and advice. Have a great time with your daughter!
Alison xx

Sharm Nidyanandan said...

owh wow..i didn't know our blogs can be backed-up *LOL*!!! I wud probably cry over my missing blog for a few hrs...and then probably head back to craft table to de-stress hehehehe...but thank you so much for sharing the blogger back up deets!!!! you're a life saver!!..will be sure to try it!! have a great trip with ur DD!! take care!! :)

sandi said...

Wow! Helen thank you for this info. I didn't know you could do this. Keep blogging the way you're blogging...I love it!

Cindy Adkins said...

Hi Helen,
You are a DOLL!!!! THANK YOU FOR this!! I came over from Julie's blog...wow, I can't believe they can disappear!!!
XO
Cindy

Cindy Adkins said...

Oops!!! One more thing...I have a week-long FREE tutorial on blogging all week on my blog...You're welcome to come see...and I have tutorial (really helpful) to go with the classes at the click of a button. So, if you or anyone you know can benefit from these, let me know...I'd be so happy to have you join in if you have the time. xo Cindy
P.S. I'm your newest follower.

Georgia Visacri said...

Helen, this was very helpful, thanks so much and have a great Sunday!
Georgia

Debbie Pamment said...

Thank you sooo much for this information! I was sent here by a friend of a friend after I lost my blog and google account for 12 hours yesterday! Finally with the help of friends I got it back and backing it up is suddenly a priority - LOL. Thanx again!
xXx

~amy~ said...

Helen! Julie Tucker-Wolek shared your link with me...I'm hoping it is okay to share with the Coffee Loving Papercrafters FB page?