Archive for WordPress Help
Backing Up WordPress – The BackupBuddy Plugin
Posted by: | CommentsFinally, there is a quick, easy and inexpensive option for backing up AND restoring WordPress blogs. Most of us are REALLY bad about backing up our sites. I for one have suffered in the past from the “I’ll take care of that next week” syndrome. I learned my lesson well. You GOTTA backup your WordPress sites!
There are a jillion things that can go wrong with a WordPress install. Fortunately, WP is a very solid product and rarely malfunctions. But we all know about Murphy’s Law.
I installed the BackupBuddy plugin from iThemes.com. Rarely do I download a WP plugin, install it, and begin using it without one hitch…and without reading one bit of documentation! BackupBuddy is super easy to install and begin using…that’s the kind of software I like!!
Before I suggest any product (I am an affiliate now for BackupBuddy), I have to use it myself AND approve of it 100%!
I use BackupBuddy to backup all my WordPress sites now. It not only backups up your entire WordPress blog – posts, pages, settings, plugins, themes, pictures, video, EVERYTHING – It also backs up the entire database too! What a deal!
The backup of everything is put into a single zip file. It is stored on the server automatically or you can have it set to be mailed to you. You can also simply download it via FTP to your desktop (which I suggest).
The restore process is a quick and easy, 5 click process. The zip file is a mirror image of your WordPress site and its database. The restore process creates an exact duplicate copy of the original site in just a few minutes. I tested this process on a test site. I had a test WP blog which was working. I installed BackupBuddy and took a full backup. Then I went into my FTP program and deleted some files at random…scary huh! I checked the site in my browser; I of course had broken it. The site would not load at all.
I went through the simple restore process and had the site working just like new in a few minutes.
Honestly, I sleep a whole lot better at night knowing BackupBuddy has me covered in case of disaster some day.
Video #1:
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Video #2:
My Favorite WordPress Themes
Posted by: | CommentsAre you looking for a way to create a nice looking site? A blog is one choice you have. You can install a free WordPress blog right into your hosting account for free. Plus, there are thousands of themes you can choose from which are free. It is possible to create a cool looking website which costs you nothing but the hosting and domain expenses.
But it’s not all peaches and cream for anyone who has gone this route like I have many times. The problems with the free themes are that they don’t always work as they should. Worse yet, some of them have bugs in them which you don’t always discover right away. More than once I have installed a blog and found a cool looking theme, put a LOT of work into getting the “look” just how I wanted, and then up pops a bug. Most of these free themes do not come with much support. If you are lucky, the developer might have a blog where you can leave a comment…but in most cases you are on your own.
This Video Shows How Easy an iTheme Is To Use:
Another issue for those of us who are not good with PHP is how difficult it is to add things to the side bar, header or footer areas. It can be very frustrating fumbling with trial and error while inserting images, ads, and such.
Here’s what I suggest. For your core sites…the ones you intend to market heavily and focus much effort on…don’t go the “cheap” route. Purchased themes are the only way to go in these cases. Themes for sale have been tested extensively. You KNOW they will work and you KNOW you’ll have support for them. Plus, they almost always look better than the free ones!
And here’s another HUGE benefit. Many of the free ones have an added configuration tool which installs automatically into the WordPress control panel. This configuration tool alone is worth every penny you pay for the theme. These tools make it ever so easy to change the banner image, change the page layout, add links or images to the sidebar and footer, etc.
If you ever buy a theme with these features, you’ll never go back to the free ones!
One company I have used and suggest highly is iThemes. They have cool looking styles and great support. There are other great ones too, but I have experience with iThemes and feel comfortable suggesting them.
By the way, this site is created with a theme from iThemes!
Oh, and if you like my twitter icon at the top left of this page, you can download your own from their site for free!
Here’s their site:
