Last week, I was receiving errors from one of my wordpress blogs whenever it was auto-saving drafts and publishing posts. I figured there must be some errors to my database which resulted from installation of some plugins I had.
I am not fond of too many plugins on my blogs. I hate it when plugins alter or modify the database. But that blog was a smaller blog compared to my other blogs. I didn’t mind the plugins I installed on that particular blog until I received those nasty errors.
I tried to deactivate all the plugins to sort out the issue. I was right. The problem came for a certain plugin. After re-activating all plugins except the plugin in question, I asked myself, “What if a problem came around which resulted in deletion or database error, would I have had a back up for my blog posts?”. The answer came as a resounding, “no”.
Why should I have a backup?
The cow recently posted about always having a backup. He even recommended a plugin created especially for that purpose. What’s the point? The point is you may lose all your data and blog posts in a number of situations I listed below:
- Your host vanishes into thin air - Sad but true, some web hosts just start packing up without even informing their clients
- You accidentally delete your files - Yep, it happens to me too.
- Your blog gets hacked - It’s sad but true. There are a few people who regard hacking or destroying other people’s hard work fun.
I am sure there a lot more things that can happen. Believe me, you’ll be glad you have a back up.
What to back up?
There may be a long list for most people, but I have only my websites to back up since my computer is automatically being backed-up in our office. Here are a few things you might consider backing up.
- Freelance portfolio
- Client contact details
- Personal files
I hope now that having a back up will be second nature to me. I will have no one to blame if I lose my data. I will be responsible.
Do you have a back up? If none, I suggest you create one now.