Dear guys and my blogger friends!
Had to write this urgent post today to discuss the recent problems we’ve been encountering here on our blogosphere…
As you may have noticed these days so many good blogs have gone missing, and when you try to reach your usual favorite blog buddies, the search hits zero result.
I know many blogs that were gone had nothing to do with spam, or had any weird content… Those blogs were beyond awesome and trustworthy, yet they simply randomly disappeared.
Hope they will be back!
I’m sure now everybody is highly concerned with backing up their blogs content and pray the problem blows over.
I myself open my site each morning, holding my breath and give a sigh of relief when I see it’s still here.
Although I also had my share of frustration lately. It started with happy events though.
For the whole past week each day in a row I’ve been receiving awards and nominations, and as a rule, to each award, you must also nominate many people and pass them the note with a link to your blog.
So that the guys know where to come back in order to pick their award and a badge.
So I sent many comments to my blogging friends, notifying them about their nominations and linking back at me.
Then I found out that all my recent comments have been thrown into your spam folders. A few blogger notified me about that and helped me trace the problem.
(I suspect some dark powers got seriously annoyed with my bragging and thought ‘There you go witch, have some bitter-sweet to it’ ;) )
So now I’m basically concerned with two main things here:
1. How can I have my comments avoid being thrown into a spam section?? If anyone had a similar problem and resolved it, please share an advice.
2. And along the way I’d also appreciate a tip on how to save myself a heart attack in case my blog goes missing. In other words, how are you backing up your content? Any specific plugins?
I know nothing in “bblaflg-bla-dfjghkhdp-bla-grfrgtwpl-bla” etc. technical explanations :D
Well, please do check my previous two posts concerning the awards, I nominated many people there and would love them to know about it and come pick their awards!
Since I can’t get through to reach some of you so far. Hope this technical issues will get resolved soon.
As a conclusion, weird to say it, but do check your junk folders, I’m sure you’ll discover many lost and suspended comments there from your blogger friends that intended to send no spam to you.
I myself find a lot of friends’ comments and relevant pingbacks being thrown into my bulk folder and have to unspam them manually in order to post and reply those.
Please, dear Word Press, save us and let us blog in peace! Blogging should be a happy rewarding experience.
Dear guys, I’ll resume acknowledging my awards here next week, there are still many more to post! ;)
Because if I keep nominating people and spreading the awards a while longer now, I’ll be soon off to writing a dear-diary by hand, it looks…
Cheers! And stay blogging! <3
Dear Sofia, please check out our today’s comments on my blog as I just answered to you concerning this problem.
Arlen
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 6:37 pmArlen: I did, thank you so much for the valuable tips!
I’ll check from all sides to find what may be the case
Also contacted support admin today, let’s see..
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 6:40 pmEverything will be OK! I’ll help if you need! Have a nice evening!
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 6:45 pmIf you are backing up your blog content, plz give me some tips how you do it, there seem to be many plugins and i get a bit lost.
write me to my email: sofsiberia at gmail dot com
Thank you so much for support, Arlen!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 6:55 pmEnter Tools in Dashboard, then find export, read the info and donwload en XML file.
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 6:57 pmOh wow! That’s like the easiest backup tip i’ve got by now!:)
Will sure do that! Endless thanks, Arlen!! Will write if i succeeded ))
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:01 pmYou are welcome
Your blog content must be not more than 15 MB to donwload the file in XML format and for uploading it in other places.
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 7:04 pmOh, mine is 107 MB )) Yeah, will see what i can do :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:13 pmNo, 107 MB is yur whole content, but wwhen you start to donwload it in XML format you’ll see that it is comressed and reach up to 5-6 MB.
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 7:14 pmIt downloaded, looks like 1 page document on a screen with many weird symbols and words, should be like that? :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:17 pmYes saved in downloads now, as a compressed doc that opens in internet browser and carries that weird information :)) Should be it i guess??
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:19 pmYes, you do not need to open the file, you just upload it (import with the same Tools) when you, for example, create a new blog. All your content has been saved!
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 7:20 pmYaay! Really?! ))
Well, thank you tons, Arlen!! Just saved me from anxiety! :)
This info will be useful to many more bloggers!
I really appreciate your wonderful support! Many many hugs!!!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:23 pmYou are welcome. I hope this info will help others too! That is why I wrote it here, in your blog not via E-mail.
BWT, your this comment I just found in my spam again: “Ok thanks a lot for the tips, Arlen!
I’m really trying to identify what’s the problem..
Wrote an angry post about it today )
By the way, are you backing up your blog content somehow?
This is something i need to learn these days urgently, i believe ))”
I think that this problem must be solved as it will one day harm your blog! Be careful and not moderate suspicious comments.
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 7:27 pmWill now take all the precautions and trace the source of the problem with my comments..
Warmest thanks, Arlen!!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:29 pmYou are welcome! Take care!
Posted by Arlen Shahverdyan | 10/01/2013, 7:31 pmThank you soo much! You too!
We’ll talk!:)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 7:33 pmThanks to both of you for this invaluable information. I was cutting and pasting all my posts into a huge Word document. haha.
Posted by Kozo | 10/01/2013, 10:17 pmSo did i! :D then Arlen came as a savior and gave valuable advices! :)
I backed everything up now and waiting what will happen next ))
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 10:36 pmPlease do not be distraught and lose faith in WP. I’m sure this “trial” period will blow over. Apparently, according to WordPress’ own forums, bloggers complain all the time about these very issues you’ve brought up. WP decides to change their SPAM filters – with the best of intentions – to spare bloggers from dealing with annoying SPAM messages, comments and affiliate link advertising. While I applaud their efforts and intentions, unfortunately this is the case of “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” Many innocent blogs and messages routinely get snared in this trap unjustifiably and automatically labeled as spam. This causes unnecessary chaos and confusion for a week or so until WP straightens the situation out on their end. Sadly, more tweaking of their filters cause another round of errors and another set of bloggers get affected by their “traps”.
The bigger lesson here is we all have to work together to solve problems, without blaming or condemning the “system”. WordPress is not the “enemy” or “bad”, they just need supportive constructive feedback from their patrons. I am working actively with WP staff and offering my suggestions to help improve their platform and filters. After all, the goal is to blog with the strongest and best platform for communication, for mutual connection. To manifest this, we need to send positive vibes and thoughts of a positive outcome for everyone at WP.
DO NOT play into fear about losing your blog, this lowers your consciousness as you start to “judge” the “bad” situation. There are no good or bad, these are relative concepts, and labeling never fixed anything… only leads to unproductive conflict. When I examine deeper, external events such that I consider “evil” or “bad” is really just a reflection of my inner struggles/ demons that are triggered by that something “external”. So I consciously, immediately step back from my dualistic mind and accept the situation for what it is… an opportunity for change. Once I change my internal outlook and start identifying/ viewing the problem objectively. Solutions come very easily because I’ve stopped focusing on the problem. Everything is exactly the way it is. We can choose how to perceive it and act according to our level of consciousness.
This reminds me of an old Arab proverb, “Always trust in God, but tie up your camel !”
http://www.joyfuldays.com/trust-in-god-but-tie-up-your-camel/
Thank you sofia for a well written post! :D
Posted by 1EarthUnited | 10/01/2013, 11:35 pmI’m deeply in love with Word Press and keep my loyalty and faith in them throughout these dark blogging timed as well ;)
Sent my warm thoughts to support admins as well today, just nice to hear the words of reassurance back from them :)
Naa WP rocks, i know they have to fix a couple of tech issues now and things will be back to normal.
We’ll keep rocking&blogging!;)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 10/01/2013, 11:56 pmI have nominated you for an award on my site! You can see it here: Maxima
Posted by Maxima | 11/01/2013, 5:55 pmOk dear, thanks a lot! Yaay:) I got your mails also! Will post the award these days! And thank you for that beautiful rose! Hugs :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 11/01/2013, 6:49 pmSorry you had this problem, it should get fixed soon. Also a good reminder to check the spam folder and actually take time and look at who is in there because not all are actual spam and those that are can be spotted right away, that’s where I found you and I am very glad I verified to myself if you we’re actually spam or a malfunction. You are a great blogger!
Posted by Grndma Chris | 12/01/2013, 12:10 pmGrndma Chris:
Oh thank you so much, Chris, for your kind words! :)) I’m very happy you stopped by and we got to know each other!
I’m going to come by, visit these days! You have a lot of interesting posts to read!
My best regards!:)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 12/01/2013, 8:51 pmI back up each post–okay, most posts–manually–saving how it looks to the enduser in a Word doc (animations don’t animate, but design stays put…ish) I also save it as an HTML file from the code view in WP Dashboard. That is the most important back up I think, because literally, all that would need to be done to restore a lost post, is to copy and paste the saved HTML into the code view of any HTML editor, and voila! Your page–and all design elements–are intact. I used to major in computer graphic design and so know a little about HTML. Let me know if I can help. :)
Posted by Charron's Chatter | 14/01/2013, 12:45 amCHARRON, you are precious!! :)
I wad thinking about this html stuff too. I’ll take a look now and will ask you if i don’t get smart in there (which is probable) ;)
Thank you soo much for a great tip!!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 2:06 pmJust like you, I would collapse if my blog just up and disappeared one day! All those words and work! I’m backing up everything right now, thanks for bringing this up!
Posted by Melissa (Just Enough Sugar) | 14/01/2013, 2:19 amTO MELISSA:
You are welcome, Melissa! :) Blog safely! :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 2:08 pmHI Sofia,,, if you can read this, that means my comment doesn’t go to spam, hehe. :-) Yes, you are right. All of your comments went to my spam, but I have already restored them as I regularly double check my spam folders just in case great comments as yours went there. So yeah, no worries about that. But I do hope in the future your comments go to the right place. Any news from the WP people yet?
Ah, and also I would like to thank you for your recent follow to my blog. I hope my poems and short stories do not disappoint. Thank you again, many blessings and much love to you. :-)
Subhan Zein
Posted by Subhan Zein | 14/01/2013, 8:53 amTO SUBHAN:
When i started blogging, i used to talk with support admin via mail every other day, that one was very friendly ))
So this time i addressed him with this issue, but my guy was gone and someone else replied instead of him, this one was formal)) and just said that they will take a look at it and get back to me. So i’m anticipating :)
I love your blog!! Will get back reading and commenting normally soon, i hope! :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 2:02 pmHi Sofia, I know, that happens all the time, so I hope it does get sorted out soon. And thank you once again for showing interest in my blog. If you like, you may want to consider subscribing through email so you do not miss the posts. I only post 1-2 per week, so I hope they won’t inundate your inbox. Current WP subscription only allows new posts displayed in the Reader section, which means only those doing email subscription are regularly updated. If you are interested, I would be more than happy to send you a brief instruction for email subscription. Just let me know. Thank you, many blessings and much love to you. :-)
Posted by Subhan Zein | 14/01/2013, 2:32 pmTO SUBHAN:
Sure! I’ll definitely subscribe :) Will Like you on Facebook as well! Wanted to do that all before, but got distracted these days with all these technical issues :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 3:30 pmHello Sofia,
Thank you for that. Here’s the brief instruction:
In your dashboard, go to your ‘Reader’ and click “Edit Following’. Then wait for a minute or two until you could find the blogs you are following. Keep scrolling down until you find my blog address.
On the right side of it, you’ll find a feature: “Get new posts by email”. You could either click “Instantly”, “Daily” or “Weekly”, anything that perfectly suits you. Problem solved. :-) Hope that helps. And with the technical issue, yeah I had that earlier, different case though. Take care, hope this is sorted out promptly. My prayers are for you..
Posted by Subhan Zein | 14/01/2013, 3:57 pmOk great, Subhan, thank you so much! Done! :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 4:50 pmSofia, have you got any news on the technical issues? Some improvement?
Posted by Subhan Zein | 15/01/2013, 12:08 pmSUBHAN:
Ah not yet :) And ever here in my comment section it’s weird, all people’s comments come in line and all my comments to them come in a connected line in the end..
So i have to write a name of a person to whom i’m replying here ))
I’m still waiting for a reply from WP admin!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 15/01/2013, 12:32 pmHmmm. Sorry to hear that. In Australia we have a reference number in which all cases are given number for further identification. The number identifies the case, the name of the person who takes care of the case, when it happens. This is very useful for record-keeping, and that’s how we solve technical issues promptly here. Perhaps WP’s technical system is new that this record-keeping is missing from their priorities. Looking at the fact that there are so many changes with WP and the technical failures experienced by other bloggers there’s a good chance this is the case. What you do is a good idea, so keep recording all the details, so they don’t have to ask you further details and you do not have to fill another gap.
My best wishes are with you. :-)
Posted by Subhan Zein | 15/01/2013, 12:38 pmSUBHAN:
That’s a great advice! Anyway, i’m keeping optimistic, i just have a feeling this stuff will get resolved soon :)
The most important thing is that i learned how to backup now and is prepared for everything haha :))
Posted by sofiasiberia | 15/01/2013, 1:02 pmThanks for posting this incredibly helpful article and the proceeding comments. I have my XML file safely backed up and am feeling much better :)
It had been scary seeing people disappear! Hopefully things will get better and spreading this info will save other bloggers from losing their work :)
Thanks for sharing Sofia! Peace :)
Rohan.
Posted by rohan7things | 14/01/2013, 9:55 amTO ROHAN:
I’m really happy to know it helped many people! Thanks to our friend Arlen and his useful tips!:)
I hope no one will have a sad experience losing a blog content and so, again!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 1:57 pmIt’s funny because your comment on my post was one of the ones that got put in spam! Weird, huh? Anyway, thank you for following my blog. You have a great one here and you’re so beautiful!
Posted by Lily | 14/01/2013, 9:04 pmTO LILY:
Ahh i knew it went into spam when i didn’t see it appear in your comments line.. I really hope they fix this problem soon.
Anyway, good that you found my comment! And happy you came in touch :)
I loved your posts, will be visiting! :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 9:53 pmMy blog is still here, and I invite you to drop by!
Posted by TheGirl | 14/01/2013, 9:30 pmTO THEGIRL:
Sure! :) Thanks for the invite! :) Will give a visit now :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 14/01/2013, 9:54 pmI am honored that you are following my blog. I hope you will find something that I write that will interest you. Blessings~David
Posted by The Commonzense of Saint James | 15/01/2013, 12:40 pmTO DAVID:
I’m glad you visited! :) Will take a look at your blog in minutes, it looks interesting! Thanks so much for stopping by :)
Posted by sofiasiberia | 15/01/2013, 12:59 pmUgh! I know. A lot of your comments got thrown into my Spam too! No idea why! Some didn’t even have link & I don’t have many restrictions. & Worst of all, your recent posts have disappeared from my Reader & I’m still following you!
I got worried & thought my dear friend had disappeared & then after doing some navigating, I saw you had 2 new posts. I really hope they fix these bugs soon. :(
Posted by DaydreamsinWonderland | 15/01/2013, 9:20 pmI know! :/ I keep contacting WP support team on a regular basis though ))
But in spite of everything, my stats are still high (surprisingly!) THANKS TO MY ALL DEAR FRIENDS that keep interest and keep coming back for my new posts and bring along a new company of wonderful people on my site!
Thank you dear! And love you all!
Posted by sofiasiberia | 15/01/2013, 9:40 pmWe love you too. :) I hope they’re working on it but I’m pretty sure they are.
Posted by DaydreamsinWonderland | 15/01/2013, 11:18 pm<3
Posted by sofiasiberia | 15/01/2013, 11:48 pmThanks, Sofia…off to do some blog work now. yay.
Posted by Sunshine | 16/01/2013, 5:46 amHi Sofia nice post thanks for sharing such a good information
Posted by Steven Mark | 09/04/2013, 1:53 pmHi! Thank you, Steven! Happy you liked it! :)
Posted by Sofia Siberia | 09/04/2013, 5:57 pm