Backup those blogs

I posted this on my design site, but thought some of you might want to see it as well…

Family events. Photos. Memories. All gone with one click.

Unfortunately it is very easy to accidentally delete your blog and lose all your precious memories. In the last few months I have had two clients accidentally delete their Blogger blogs and have had to restart from scratch 🙁 It is so sad and I feel terrible when things like this happen… especially because there is nothing that can be done aside from hoping Google will restore the old blog.

Whether you are using Blogger or WordPress.org, it is very important that you make backups of your blog.

Blogger:

Blogger just added an Import/ Export feature that makes backing up your blog posts and comments as easy as one click.

To export your blog in Blogger, simply click Export Blog from the Settings | Basic tab.

Finally, click the Export Blog button. You blog will be stored as a Blogger export file (.xml) file which can be kept as a backup on your hard drive or imported into another blog.

Note: Exported blogs are not deleted from your dashboard or Blogger.com

NEVER hit Delete Blog unless you are sure you no longer want your blog and want to lose all your old blog posts.

I would recommend backing up your blog every week or two depending on how often you post. Also be sure to backup those custom Blogger template designs as well (I always keep a backup of the designs that I do, but it is still good practice to make a backup for yourself as well, especially if you make any changes)

WordPress.org:

If you are using WordPress, backing up your blog is as simple as installing a Database Backup plugin. I use and recommend WP-DBManager and install it on all WordPress blogs hosted on my site.

WP-DBManager allows you to schedule automatic backups of your WordPress database (including all your posts and comments) and have them stored online or emailed to you. Every week I get a new backup file emailed to me and it is easy to keep the backups current just in case.

In 2009, make a point to backup your blog posts.

If you need help exporting your blogs, installing backup plugins or would like me to automatically backup and store your blog for you, just send me an email and I’d be happy to help.