BLUEMOMENT

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After all the work and expense to upgrade the platformYotBlog runson it looks as though there are still unresolved security issues. The new owners of Bloghoster, Splashpress Media, seem to be completely unprepared to support the software, so it is with regret that I announced our intention to close YotBlog down later in the year. This decision will be reviewed if any security fixes become available, or if there are any updates to the platform.

In the meantime - if you haven't backed up your site you should. Previously I recommended HTTrack Copier, but a lot of you had issues with this. I have just been trialling an open source solution called GetLeft. It is a bit quirky, but seems to do the job with very little fuss.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/getleftdown/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT . Nope . . . same troubles as with HTTrack - tried to grab the whole site, haven't worked out how to stop it yet but there must be a way.

Hello Nick,
Crystal ball gazing time...
Have you any update on the impending demise or otherwise ? i would hate to type in loads and then discover it gone!
How does Yotblog compare to a standard blogspot or freewebs blog? Or let me put that another way if you were starting a blog where would you place it?

thanks

Tony

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Hi Tony,

Splashpress Media say there is a new version of Bloghoster coming out shortly, so I am waiting to see if it is any good, if it is a free upgrade and if it is easy to upgrade from the current version. I wouldn't put too much effort into your Yotblog right at the moment if I was you.

If I was starting a blog now I would probably use Wordpress , but you need to be a bit techy to do that. If I was going to run another blog hosting site I would be sure to use Open Source software as this is more reliable in terms of continuity. (There is a multi-user version of Wordpress now).

Blogspot is OK though - I keep a very infrequently updated corporate blog at http://webcraftuk.blogspot.com/ which is very easy to use.

(BTW, If anyone is using Wordpress and wants a custom template designed I have a nifty piece of software that can do that pretty quickly - drop me a line if you are interested)

Hi Nick

Thanks for the pointer. I will give Wordpress a trial just to see how it compares to the webs option.

Regards

Tony

Hi Nick,

I have spent a little while on wordpress putting a blog together, thankds to the suggestion you gave some time back. Wordpress does seem to be a much friendlier product with good online support.

http://nigheandonn2.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to be a cleaner end product than what one gets with WEBS - same raw data different platform.

http://nighean-donn.webs.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hope I'm not treading on your toes here - would be interested in any comments or pointers you might have. You mentioned in a previous post about a custumised template?

All the best

Tony

Hi Guys

Ive been using wordpress for about a year now, first attempt at building a blog, plenty of templates to choose from.
Havnt a clue how it all works, i just bumble through on a trial and error basis and seem to get there in the end.
It wanted to upgrade to a newer model and asked me to back up the site prior to the upgrade, looked into it and it was right over my head, didn't have a clue what it all meant, so didn't back up, still seems to be working ok, I think i work it on a wing and a prayer


oops sorry just realised this thread is a year old, didnt look at the year just the month, to early in the morning for me

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Wordpress has come on in leaps and bounds; it is now much easier to use and has a lot of extra functionality.

It is very important to keep Wordpress (or indeed any content managment system) up to date as hackers constantly push the boundaries of these scripts trying to find and exploit weaknesses. Wordpress is very easy to update - it notifies you in the control panel and it is essentially a one-click process, but you do need to have your FTP user name and password. The upgrade process will run like clockwork 99% of the time, but for the other 1% you should always make sure you have a recent back-up.

There is a free plug-in that allows you to back up the database and have the backup file emailed to you. You will still need to back up the actual files via FTP though, and you will probably need a pro to restore the site - but at least it will be possible. There is also a pay-for plug-in called BackupBuddy which will automatically back up both your database and your files and make it really easy to reinstall your site if something happens or to move it to a new server. This costs $45 (£29) for the individual (up to 2 sites) license, which needs to be renewed annually to receive upgrades to the plug-in.

I've given up on the idea of reinstating YotBlog as a Wordpress multi-user system as I don't have the time and can't see any way of making it commercial. It will disappear completely some time in 2011. However, I decided after the release of version 3.0 that Wordpress is now mature enough and useful enough to be happy recommending it and creating Wordpress-based sites for clients. I intend to shortly purchase the developer license for BackupBuddy and will be installing it on all our clients' Wordpress sites, as a simple backup solution is esssential.

Webcraft can now offer bespoke Wordpress sites with custom template design and configuration, or just hosting and support for £125 per annum including domain registration if required, installation, help getting started, a manual and a copy of BackupBuddy.

If anyone with an existing Yotblog would like me to convert it manually - with all posts and images but not comments - into a Wordpress blog then I will do that free of charge whatever the size of your blog provided you take out a Wordpress hosting contract at £125 per annum with Webcraft. You can always leg it with your backup to a cheaper provider after a year if you want to.

I'm also happy to offer free help and advice for existing Wordpress users like Lord McD, either on the forum or by PM or email.

Excellant Nick very helpfull will look into the plugins, and see what i can make of them....

Your a gentleman thanks

Dougie