I cringe somewhat for bringing this up, because I don’t want it to sound like this blog is turning into a WordPress Basics blog, but… considering concerns voiced about the preservation of content in comments from my post “What’s the future look like for your blogged labors of love?“, I thought it might be a good idea to remind folks that WordPress has a few features that might be of value (and, in the long-run, help keep one’s sanity)… such as with the “Export” feature found in your Dashboard. By doing this, you can create an XML file of the whole shebang… blog posts, comments, tags, etc. You can find details here. If you’re saying, “Oh, I knew that was there.” Yep, so did I… but I don’t know the last time I made a full export, so time for me to get to work on that. Guilty as charged…
Incidentally, to my friends on Blogger… yes, you can move your blog and it’s content to WordPress (hint, hint < grin >). YES, I am trying to convert you! I’m sorry, but I admit that I have a WordPress bias, and am frustrated I can’t do with the Blogger blogs that I follow, what I can with WordPress blogs… especially while I’m mobile. If you’re curious about that, I’m sure Blogger has a way to export data as well… and after you do that, check-out the Import feature of WordPress.com. Of course, the downside is… you’ve created a following to a particular site address. Not to worry, build it… and they will follow. 🙂
On a similar note, I’ve got a post coming, eventually, about accessibility of content. We put stuff here, but do readers just follow the ebbs and flows? Essentially, while tags and categories continue to be the gangly index feature (I don’t think it can even be considered an index) in reading for the Web (and there’s much that merits discussion with this), there’s a problem, and I’m thinking… auto-populated index, via the tags creation feature. Admittedly, it’s just a dream. Plausible? I think so. Developers? Anyone… ? Maybe it’s falling back to the habits we have from a print on paper lifestyle… nahhhh… I think it doesn’t have to be THAT type of index. Structurally, maybe. Functionally, no. Where this is going… I have no idea. As of now, it’s me thinking out loud.
Yes, this is (primarily) a Civil War blog… but are we concerned about keeping what we’ve created? Gee, what do you think? Duhhhh… absolutely…
Incidentally, yes… a Southern Unionist post is in the works, and is next at bat… if something else doesn’t distract me in the meantime.
Cenantua's Blog 
kevlvn
December 7, 2012
Hi Robert,
I started off with Blogger, then moved to TypePad, and finally WordPress. I’ve been on WordPress for about 4 years now and it is clearly the superior platform both in terms of usability and especially because of the community that constantly works on improvement. The only issue that you didn’t bring up, which is worth considering is the difference between the free .com and WordPress.org. They are essentially the same, but in the case of the latter you download the program to a server. Of course, you need to pay for a server and domain name, but they are very cheap and the benefit is that you have much more control over content. You actually own your content as opposed to having WordPress host it. There is some comfort in that.
Robert Moore
December 7, 2012
Thanks, Kevin. Aren’t there various plug-ins that one can use for WP.org as well? Do you use many of these, and if so, which ones do you find of value?
kevlvn
December 7, 2012
That is one of the benefits of downloading WordPress, but they must be used with caution. Essentially what you are doing is adding functionality to your site through third parties. The challenge is making sure that plugins are updated as WordPress itself is updated. This can result in errors. The other issue is that the more plugins you use the slower your site will load, which in my view is the most important part of a blog’s regular maintenance. It’s the fastest way to turn away a potential reader. Plugins currently used:
1. Akismet for spam
2. Contact Form (self-explanatory)
3. Subscribe to Comments (again, self-explanatory)
4. Socialize (sharing buttons)
Robert Moore
December 7, 2012
Thanks again. I thought I saw one plug-in that worked for archiving a blog. I didn’t look too hard, however, since it was .org.
Bummer
December 7, 2012
For a new blogger like Bummer WordPress was a god send. Mrs. Bummer tutored the old guy and in no time the site was up and running(or walking) in no time. Heard that the site is at least presentable and all that’s needed now are posts that are worthy. Studying Bummer’s favorite blogs on a daily basis makes the whole adventure worthwhile.
Thanks guys,
Bummer
Robert Moore
December 7, 2012
Thanks for taking that initial step of trying-out the technology, and entering the blogosphere.
Brett S. - The Siege of Petersburg Online
December 7, 2012
Robert,
I do quite a bit to make sure my stuff is never truly gone. I subscribe to my own email feed and have them sent to a specific email address whose sole purpose is to archive my posts. I regularly export my database and always keep three copies on hand. In addition, I keep a backup copy of what’s on my server on my hard drive. I started with Movable Type, found its problems with spammers to be cringe-worthy, fired up WordPress (on my own paid for server) in 2007, and never looked back.
Robert Moore
December 7, 2012
Wow, Brett, you really do a lot to make sure you don’t lose stuff. I really need to be more proactive in the effort. I’ve saved in XML before, but I really didn’t think I wanted to print-out posts, but in retrospect, it might be worthwhile to have one copy. WordPress rules… no doubt. Thanks for commenting.
Harry Smeltzer
December 9, 2012
Another WordPress user here, for many reasons. One is the “page” feature, which allows me to use the platform to present Bull Run content in an easily organizable and searchable way that no other blogging software I’ve found can offer. I do export a backup copy periodically, but really have no idea how that will help me in the case of a catastrophe. And I’m on WordPress.com. I’ve never seen the advantage to going .org, since .com does everything I need: it’s free, I like the presentation, it’s free, I have sharing and subscription buttons, I have akismet for spam, it’s free, and I get all the updates automatically (though it’s a bit frustrating as you know because they are foisted on us with little or no warning and usually have bugs that need working out), and it’s free. Did I mention it’s free?
Robert Moore
December 9, 2012
True in all respects. Thanks, Harry!