Let’s talk about anything bookish!
I have been blogging on and off since 2007 but I started book blogging about three years ago and I’m not looking back. I have been thinking of changing my blog a few times but for one reason or another, I keep coming back to book blogging and the book community in general. I guess you could say that I have found my niche.
Of course, I’m not one of the popular bloggers and my blog is among the thousands out there already, but I like to think that I have a few loyal visitors (THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH) and because of you, this blog will keep chugging along. Hopefully!
Now, to the point of this post. I have learned a lot since I ventured into blogging and started sharing my thoughts online. And although my old blogs are now defunct (after the database got deleted…it was a sad, sad day for me), I have managed to keep the things I learned.
Part 1 of the things that I learned is about the back-end of blogging and managing my blog as someone who is not an expert on the management side of blogging.
Back-up, back-up, BACK-UP!
I can’t say it enough but please, remember to BACK-UP ALL YOUR BLOG FILES! This is me talking to my past self. I ALWAYS forget my own advice and I do suffer a lot for it. After the disaster of having my first blog deleted, I still haven’t learned. Fast forward to 7 years, and apparently, I still haven’t learned!
This blog has probably been revived and restored more times than I can count and almost all the time, I keep telling myself to back-up. And I never do. TYPICAL ME!
On this end, I use a free plugin (paid also available) called UpdraftPlus that automatically creates a back-up for all my blog files and stores it to Google Drive (there are other options but I chose Google Drive). It is really easy to set-up, too!
I also back-up my database via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). It is pretty easy to do so since it only requires a click of the mouse, but this I have to do manually. By that I mean that I HAVE to remember to do this regularly. Case in point: I got hacked on 10/29. LUCKILY, I had backed up my files 3 DAYS BEFORE! WHEW! So I basically didn’t lose A LOT, except a couple of hours figuring out what was wrong and a couple of blog posts.
Another thing that I learned to do is to download the XML file of your blog from the WordPress dashboard option (Tools > Export). If you do this, you will be saving your Posts, Pages, Templates, Blogroll, Feedback (if you use this), and Media.
Malware management
I admit that I am too cheap to pay for a malware/antivirus service for my blog so when my blog first got hacked last year, I learned how to fix it myself really quick. It has been a journey and I have successfully fixed all events so far (fingers crossed). This meant that I had to learn how to look for the infected code and delete them from the PHP files on my blog’s ftp (back-end part of the blog that you normally don’t see).
And because I am self-hosted and I manage my blog by myself, I have no one else to lean on than myself. Mind you, I am a nurse and this is NOT the type of virus I am trained to heal (eh, I couldn’t resist!). So far, all attempts have been fixable, or at least, I am able to restore it to a previous working version (see above).
I also found a free plugin that scans and deletes malware scripts/code on your blog called Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall. It has been pretty accurate so far and I have had no problems with it.
I also use the Sucuri free site scanner. Ashley at Nose Graze (affiliate link) recommended Sucuri to me last year as a good antivirus site to use for malware management but I wasn’t willing to pay for the service. Their free site scanner does help with scanning files and shows you the directory where the malware is coming from. Plus, it tells you if you are blacklisted and which service has black listed you.
Google Webmasters
I also learned how to use Google Webmasters tools. Now, I haven’t really delved deep into the other tools here but I have learned how to request a site review when your blog gets flagged and is blacklisted. This is a list that you WON’T want your blog to be on honestly (see above). If your blog gets hacked, you get flagged by Google really fast. Since I personally use Chrome as my browser, it immediately shows the red screen of hackerdom, which basically means that the screen becomes red and a warning pops up letting the visitor know that your blog is infected. Chrome is really quick to flag you as opposed to Internet Explorer.
Anyway, once your blog is clear of the malware and other malicious codes, you can ask Google to review your blog and take down the red screen of doooom. The great thing about this is that it usually takes less than 24 hours for them to fix it. Yay!
Antivirus like McAffee, Norton, AVG etc, also add you to their blacklist, but they aren’t as fast as Google. I have asked for a review to Norton (my antivirus) once.
Password Protection
One thing I have learned is to create a really long and complex password AND also to change this password periodically, especially is someone hacks you. Make your password something long and complicated with special characters in between normal words.
For example, my password is a sentence with special characters in between words. I also use capital letters and numbers to make it even more complicated.
The risk though is that you might forget your password (I have done this multiple times already haha) and honestly, I hate coming up with another sentence to replace the previous one.
Have you any experience of having your blog hacked? What did you do?
Have you learned anything through blogging? Share them below!
This is good stuff, Zeeee! I’m pretty terrible at this kinda thing, thankfully my co-blogger Kim is usually on the ball with the backing up stuff and general running the blog. I’d be screwed without her haha.
Great tips!
Cyn @ Book Munchies recently posted…Spotlight & Giveaway: Pre-order Breath of Fire
Thank you, Cyn! 🙂 I don’t have a co-blogger and I suck at following my own advice! hahaha 😀
I’m so glad that Blogger doesn’t have the hacking issues that wordpress seems to have. Goodness but that would not be fun to deal with 🙁
anna @ herding cats & burning soup recently posted…Crafting with Kitties– Christmas Ornament Wreath
It’s no fun Anna! 🙁 I used to have Blogger but I do love the freedom that I have with WordPress.
I have been so lucky that my site hasn’t be hacked. I use UpDrafts to and you are, right, it is SOOO easy to set up. 🙂
Terri M. recently posted…6th Annual Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway
Yup! I use it and it’s very easy to set-up! SAVED me all the pain after I installed it! 🙂
Sounds like you’ve had some major issues over the years. This is all fabulous advice that we all need to keep in mind!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…A NaNoWriMo Update
Thank you, Nicole! I still have no idea why I am being targeted by these crazies!
Sometimes I’m happy that I have Blogger and not self-hosted… though Blogger is so simplistic. But simplistic is good for me, at this point in my life. 😀 Backing up data is a life lesson for everyone, not just bloggers! Save often, and back up often! *runs to back up blog*
Great post, Zeee!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Alyssa Susanna (The Eater of Books!) recently posted…November 2016 New Release Giveaway!
Thanks, Alyssa! REALLY, REALLY back-up your stuff! 🙂
Oooh this is some scary stuff! I once made the mistake of not backing up, and lost every customization- that I had paid for, too, mind you- and had to redo it ALL. I had backed up my stuff BEFORE I got my pretty little makeover, and then something happened, and BOOM, bye it went. Now, I tell myself I should back up all the time… but as you can imagine, I forget more often than not. This is a great cautionary tale of why I NEED to though. Hacking is so scary too- probably one of my biggest fears! I am going to try out some of these, thanks so much for the tips!!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Bookish Self Care
Your welcome, Shannon! I have learned a lot..ehemmm but it seems like backing up is really something that I never learn to do! haha
But yeah, I have been sort of attacked multiple times already. And again, I am too cheap to hire someone to monitor and remove everything for me. 🙂
I always mean to back my blog up, but I never do. I guess I always assumed that blogs getting deleted was some sort of urban myth. Do you know of any back-up plug-ins that would work for a Blogger blog?
Rain @ Ivyclad Ideas recently posted…Let’s Try Something New – NaNo Liveblog
Hello Rain! Thank you for leaving a comment. Unfortunately, blogger blogs don’t use plugins so there are no plugins for it. But I think there are alternative ways on saving a back-up of your posts. I think blogger has an export option which you can save on your desktop. I’m a little rusty with blogger since it’s been years since I used that platform. 🙂
Eek, getting hacked is my worst nightmare! I’m still learning things about being self-hosted. Like I wouldn’t even know where to look if I had been hacked. Do you have any how-to articles that helped you get through it?
My ‘Core’ files keep saying they’ve been altered, so I keep resetting them to the original state but no matter what I do the popup tells me they’ve been amended. I have no idea what to do about it or if that’s a problem. I haven’t touched any of the core files either etc… I don’t know where I should even start looking to gain this knowledge o_o
Jordon @ Simply Adrift recently posted…The Different Sciences in Sci Fi
Yup it is a pain getting hacked!! I usually just google for the issue I have when there is an issue. The wordpress boards have a lot of stuff/tips there. and there are also blogs but I usually just google and visit the blog to see if that answers my question.
I’ve also never had a pop-up that says my core files have been altered so I’m not really sure. You could try googling “core files altered” to see if that gives answers. 🙂