Danger Danger Danger
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There is danger everywhere on the internet. We must be vigilant all the time. How do I know this??? Unfortunately through personal experience.
I was the victim of an email phishing scheme and I got caught…big time!
I got what I thought was a legitimate email from Hostgator which hosts all my blogs. It turned out to be a phishing email and I gave them my username and password. Within a few hours all my blogs were being re-directed to a Russian site that was either spreading a virus or some other trash. My virus program caught it before it harmed my computer.
Once I figured out what was going on I called Hostgator and they went through each of my blogs and removed all the malicious code. A great big thanks to Hostgator!!! They were all over it in a flash!!
So now all my blogs are safe and happy…and my blood pressure is once again normal.
The day after all this happened I got an email from my bank asking me to confirm my account information. Being paranoid I called my bank and discovered that the email was a phishing scheme! Imagine if I had answered that one…I’d be broke now!
So the moral of the story is to be very very careful when giving out personal information on the internet. If you have any question about an email you received contact whoever supposedly sent it and verify that it is from them. It may take some extra time but it will save you more time and perhaps money in the long run!
So go forth upon the internet and be careful…be very very careful!
Blog Setup & The Post Slug
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One problem that you may encounter is that your post title may be too long and you don’t want a correspondingly long file name. So what are you to do? Simple…change the post slug!
The slug is what you would like your post to be called. The option to change this is right under the post title box.
Spam Protection You Have to Have It!
By · CommentsI’ve been racking my brain to come up with a topic for a blog post. Then I get this SPAM comment on a blog I use solely for trying out new plugins, new themes and learning more about CSS coding. So the blog has absolutely nothing of value for anyone to read.
This is part of the comment I got:
“I’ve been following your posts for a couple of weeks now and I gotta say that your older articles don’t offer as much insight as the newer articles. Your writing is constantly improving!”
A very nice compliment for sure….until you read the actual posts she is referring to.
Here is the older one:
“Practice blog post Practice blog post
Practice blog post Practice blog post…”
Here is the latest one:
“Practice Post #2 Practice Post #2 Practice Post #2 Practice Post #2
Practice Post #2 Practice Post #2 Practice Post #2…”
I guess it might be an improvement…not really sure.
NOTE TO SPAMMERS: At least read the post before you try and push your links on people.
I point this out first to provide a little humor and second to highlight the importance of spam protection.
WordPress has a great spam filter called Akismet. It caught this comment and identified it as spam. So far is has caught over 1000 spam comments since I started The Blog Builder Guy.
If you have a WordPress blog I highly recommend that you install the Akismet plugin.
If The Blog Builder Guy did your blog setup then you have nothing to worry about as I automatically install Aksimet on every blog I build.
So make sure it is installed on your blog and worry no more about spam!
Great Content is Essential for Your Blog
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The first question that most bloggers ask is, “What do I want to write about?”. WRONG! Successful bloggers ask, “What do my readers want to read about, what will get and keep their attention?” Once you answer that question you can begin to write.
Interesting and engaging content helps to establish you as an expert in your field. If people see you as a trusted source you will become their “go to” person when they need help. And if people like what you have to say they will recommend you to their friends! Not only is that good for establishing relationships but it is good for your bottom line.
When writing your content always be sure to include your keywords somewhere in the post. Make sure that you don’t over use them, 2 or 3 at most. Otherwise Google may think that your are keyword stuffing.
Make sure that your keywords fit into the flow of your post. They must fit logically and grammatically. Don’t just throw them in there so you have some keywords in the post.
It is also a good idea to bold one of them and maybe underline or italicize another one. This will help Google (and the other search engines) notice them.
Good quality content with the proper use of your keywords will help move your blog higher up in the search engine ranking.
And what business doesn’t want that?
The Blog Builder Guy also wrote a post about finding content to write about. You can read that here. Where Do I Get Stuff to Write About?
Mixing Personal Beliefs and Business
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photo credit: gabriel amadeus
The question I pose is this….should a blogger post about their personal beliefs such as politics and religion etc. on their
business blog? Or should the expression of personal beliefs be kept separate from business?
Granted our personal belief system affects the way we do business. Personal values such as honesty and our work ethic obviously carry over into every aspect of our lives.
But as a customer do you really care that a business owner is of a particular religious faith or political party? Or are you more concerned about getting a quality product or service at a fair price? As a business owner do you really care that a customer is a member of a particular religious organization? Or are you more concerned with being treated respectfully and getting paid for the value you provide?
As a business owner do you want to run the risk of losing business because a potential customer doesn’t like your political beliefs?
Speaking as a business owner I feel that my personal beliefs are just that…personal. We have a storefront and I certainly do not express my world views to people that come in. They didn’t come in the store hear me spout off about what I think. They are in the store to do business and get their needs met. And I certainly don’t care about a their politics or religion. Be respectful and pay me…that’s what I care about.
I use my blog in the same manner. You don’t come to The Blog Builder Guy to learn what I think of the nation’s economic situation, you come here to learn about blogging and how it can benefit you. If I thought people cared about what I think, I’d have a personal blog where I could bore them with my views on the world’s problems.
This is a hot topic around here and I’d like to know what your thoughts are.
Is Your Blog Safe?
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You’ve spent hours writing your content, you’ve got the perfect template, the plugins and widgets are configured to your liking. It’s your baby and you love it. But is it protected? What happens if you hit the wrong key and your blog blows up!! Not that I’ve ever done that….nope not me!
Do you have a backup system in place for your blog?
If The Blog Builder Guy did your blog setup then you don’t have to worry because I install a backup system on every blog I build.
The one I use and recommend is WP-DBManger. You can find the plugin at WP-DBManger. It is easy to configure and you can set the backup schedule to your liking:
- Once Hourly
- Twice Daily
- Once Daily
- Once Weekly
You can also choose where to send the backup:
- Save to server
- Download to your computer
- Email backup to:
My hosting company, HostGator, also has a backup system that is easy to use. I use their backup system as extra protection being that it only takes a couple of minutes to use it. And you can have the backup sent to your email if you wish.
I highly recommend that you install a backup system for your WordPress blog. You don’t want all your hard work to disappear into the internet dead zone!
If you have any questions or need some help give me a shout!
