Maybe you have noticed that the Fontaine Marketing Blog has been down for a while. It has been because of a terrible database problem. I corrupted my own database. Nice, huh?
It was an honest mistake. I have been using html for years to build websites, but am new to WordPress. I thought I had it all under control. Compared to building a site with code, this is easy, right? WRONG! I learned a very valuable lesson over the past month: always backup your WordPress database before trying to switch things around or get too crazy with the design. In fact, I would recommend backing up your WordPress database at least once a month. Put it on your calendar and set an alarm. You never know what can happen.
To all those out there who left comments on my blog posts, they were lost. I’m sorry! Please know I value your thoughts and comments and hope you will continue to write comments on my posts. Most of the old posts are up, but I had to insert them manually, redoing everything. (fortunately I had written most of them in Word first and saved them) If there is a post you once commented on, please feel free to redo the comment.
To everyone who reads this, learn this valuable lesson: BACKUP YOUR STUFF!!!!!!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I just saw your mention of this on Twitter; I felt kind of sick to my stomach because I’ve been there and it’s not pleasant! The process of backing up a Wordpress database is pretty straightforward. To save your posts and comments, use the Export function under the Tools section in your Dashboard. This saves a file which, if you lose anything here you can just import and will restore everything. It’s not a complete backup, but it’s part of the entire backup process. I’d be happy to help if you need any more information. Since losing an old blog a long time ago, I’ve become a bit of a fanatic when it comes to backing up.
~ mari (@mischief_mari, @wandrmedia on Twitter)
Hi Mari-
Thanks for your comment. I have figured out how to effectively backup my databases now and am like you, a fanatic. I hope that readers of my blog can learn this lesson before they have a problem like we did. It is heartbreaking to loose months of work.
Thanks,
Jennifer
You are so right! I’m an experienced WordPress user, but even so I had a data loss when migrating my blog to my new site earlier this week. It’s easy to get overconfident or hurried and skip that essential step.
It makes a great New Year’s Resolution: back it up regularly!