My previous WordPress backup plugin broke when WordPress version 3.o was released. I tried a few different options and finally settled on Automatic WordPress Backup, which is a plugin that backs up your WordPress database, themes. plugins and htaccess files.

Here’s why its really good!

It backs up to Amazon S3, in the cloud data storage. This is great because it’s very unlikely that Amazon will lose the data! Yes, you have to register an account at Amazon, but it’s free and the storage cost is really tiny, I mean, 20 cents a month tiny and I’ve got a big one (website).

If you’ve ever lost valuable data you know that backups are:

A) Tedious and really dull

B) Vital to your continued well being

Therefore, a few cents a month is nothing and the process is seamless.

It exports the database; a lot of backup plugins just backup the WordPress files, but thats only half of the WordPress installation. You need to have a dump of the database too if you are going to retrieve your valuable posts, pages etc. Automatic WordPress Backup does the job nicely.

It also backs up themes and uploaded content; some plugins just export the database. AWB does the database, as an SQL export and the themes, plugin files and uploaded content. So it covers everything you need to be able to restore you whole wordpress installation, which is what you want.

It allows you to schedule backups; daily, weekly or monthly backups can be set, so you can cover your options if your a daily poster or just one-in-a-while kind of poster.

I’m using AWB on many of my blogs and am setting it up for clients too.

You can download the plugin at Automatic WordPress Backup.

Go here to sign up for an Amazon Web Services account.

I had to download a software update recently and got the following message from the software vendor, who are one of the largets providers of professional software tools in the world.

I don’t know about you, but this really pisses me off. I don’t really understand why companies have to use spam filters at all? Are they worried that their customers might be offended if they have to even look at spam or aknowledge its existence?

The problem is spam filters are generally a big pain in the butt! Very expensive to buy, install, configure and maintain and for what? So your Average Joe Whiner doesn’t have to see any spam? Well, thats probably ok but I know for a fact that the very same AJW is the first person to get on the phone when an eagerly awaited email has not been recieved. Er, sorry Joe, it looks like it was eaten by the spam filter. The the crap hits the fan all over again.

I’ve got the perfect spam filtering solution. It’s called Microsoft Oulook junk mail folder. Here’s how it works;

1. Email comes into my outlook mail client
2. Any email with an address that is not ‘whitelisted’ by me goes into junk mail
3. All other email goes into my inbox
4. A couple times a day I scan my junk mail subject lines, look at any that might be wanted
5. Any that are wanted i move to my inbox
6. If necessary I whitelist the senders email address or domain
7. The rest I delete
8. This takes me no more than 30 seconds a day

A customer of mine was backing up their server data onto a ZIP 750MB. The disk started to fill up. They had outgrown the simple zip solution and needed more space to backup.

I priced an Iomega REV solution, which with 5 disks would have cost about $600. WOW! That didn’t seem like a very good option for my client. So I thought about it a decided we could get away with a removable external USB hard drive to backup on. The cost, about $100.

The only problem with this scenario is that the disk external hard drive would not be taken off site each evening. If the office burned down, all the data would go with it. Not a good scenario.

Then the clients accountant said to me ‘why don’t you buy 2 usb external drives and swap them every night? That’s what we do…’.

So we got 2 usb external hard drives, which are 40GB, do not need an external power supply and can be plugnplayed on just about any computer with a USB port. Total cost $200.

I wish I’d thought of that before I went and bought another REV drive! Ah well.

I backup all my data every night onto an Iomega REV drive. I bought my 1st REV drive just over a year or so ago. The 1st one burnt out within a month and it was replaced by Iomega.

I used the drive every day and it worked well, though sometimes the disk would stick in the drive and I’d have to use a paper clip to remove the disk. There is a tiny hole in the front of the drive and you push the paper clip in the hole and out pops the disk. Seems like Iomega new this would be needed.

About 2 months ago, the disk jammed as I pushed it in and, without going into the details, completely buggered the drive. Now the good news. It was out of warranty! So, I bought a new drive, plus an extended 3 year warranty for about 60 bucks! Total cost to me about $450.

So, whats the point of this story? Let me explain…