Website Down

Upgrading servers is a necessary part of maintaining a website, but it can be a headache for website owners. Yesterday, our local hosting provider upgraded the server that hosts our website, which caused our site to be down for much of the day. In this blog post, we'll discuss the experience of working on the website during the upgrade, how we managed to get the site back up and running, and the last-minute checks we're doing to ensure everything is working smoothly.

What Happened?

On April 7, our hosting provider informed us that they would be upgrading the server that hosts our website. This upgrade was necessary to improve the performance and security of our website.

The upgrade was scheduled to take place during the early morning hours of May 3. However, there were some unforeseen complications that caused the upgrade to take longer than expected. As a result, the website was down for much of May 3.

The Experience of Working on the Website During the Upgrade

When we first realized that our website was down due to the server upgrade, we were initially frustrated. We knew that we had visitors who were trying to access our site, and we didn't want them to be greeted with an error message. However, we were also sympathetic to our hosting provider's need to upgrade their infrastructure. We knew that the upgrade was necessary to improve the performance and security of our site.

As we worked to bring the site back up, we encountered a few hiccups. Some of our files had been moved to a new location on the server, which caused some of our pages to break. We also had to update some of our plugins to ensure that they were compatible with the new server configuration. However, we were able to quickly address these issues and get the site back up and running.

Last-Minute Checks

Now that the site is back up and running, we're doing some last-minute checks to ensure that everything is working smoothly. We're testing all of the site's functionality, including forms, links, and e-commerce functionality. We're also monitoring the site's performance to ensure that it's running quickly and efficiently.

We're also taking this opportunity to review our disaster recovery plan. While we were able to quickly address the issues we encountered during the upgrade, we want to make sure that we're better prepared for any future disruptions. We're reviewing our backup procedures and testing our ability to quickly restore the site from a backup in the event of a major outage.

Conclusion

Upgrading servers is a necessary part of maintaining a website, but it can be a stressful experience for website owners. However, with the right approach, it's possible to navigate these upgrades with minimal disruption to your site's visitors. By working closely with your hosting provider, testing your site's functionality, and reviewing your disaster recovery plan, you can ensure that your site stays up and running even during the most challenging times.

Setting Blog Goals for 2023

Introduction

Setting goals for your blog in the upcoming year is an important part of ensuring success. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand on an existing blog, having a plan in place will help you stay organized and motivated. Here are a few tips for setting blog goals for 2023.

Keyword Research

Doing keyword research is a crucial first step when planning your blog goals. Finding relevant, high-traffic keywords can help you focus on topics that will be more likely to bring readers to your blog. Additionally, researching keywords can help you create content that will rank higher in search engine results.

Develop a Content Strategy

Creating a content strategy is essential when setting blog goals. You should make a plan for how often you will post, what topics you will cover, and how you will promote your content. Developing a content strategy can help you stay organized and keep your blog on track.

Increase Engagement

Engaging with your readers is an important part of running a successful blog. Make sure to respond to comments, answer questions, and engage in conversations with your readers. Increasing engagement can help build relationships with your readers and create a loyal following.

Conclusion

Setting blog goals for 2023 is essential for ensuring success. Doing keyword research, developing a content strategy, and increasing engagement are all key steps to achieving your blog goals. With the right plan in place, you can create a successful blog that will bring readers in the upcoming year.

Updated Content Topics for the fall blog posts

Greetings to all! With the fall season approaching, we wanted to let you know about a few changes to our blog content schedule.

Here's the schedule since September 1st:

• Sunday - Open Content - Anything Goes!
• Monday - Media Monday - Usually this is an entry to the YouTube Channel. Currently, the content has been focused on the scam calls that I get.
• Tuesday - PDF - This is when I'll feature something new in my collection. I'll update the homepage with an image from the PDF blog post entry.
• Wednesday - QA - General information on software testing.
• Thursday - Gluten-Free - My 11-year old daughter has some great tips on finding gluten-free things in New England.
• Friday - Macintosh - Tips and Tricks on using the Macintosh computer.
• Saturday - Internet - Fun things around the Internet space.

I plan to post content by 11pm EST times on most days.

This schedule should stay the same through Halloween.

Blog Update

Just a quick post....

I recently moved and am just getting situated with getting things back up to normal. It's been a lot of work, but it's finally starting to feel like home.

Here are some of the ways that I've found that help make moving easier:

• Make a list of everything you need to do before and after you move. This will help keep you organized and on track.
• Label all your boxes with what room they should go in at your new house/apartment. This will save time when it comes time to unpack.
• Create a system for organizing your new space once you've moved in. Whether it's using color-coded bins or simply creating specific areas for each type of item, this will help keep everything tidy and easy to find."

I hope to be back to a normal Blog post topic schedule in the next couple of day.

2022 Blog Plan

Welcome to 2022!

Tomorrow marks the 6 years of consecutive blogging. It's hard to believe that I have been blogging nonstop for that long. ( Check out the first post that I started with - UFO Quadcopter Stuck in Tree )

Here is the content lineup through February 2022. I have been working on better content planning for these topics.

2022 Blog Topics

Sunday - Open topic anything goes. You may find Business topics are the most popular topics.

Monday - Media Monday. I'll post more video clips from my personal VHS collection. Expect to see more classic Internet Ads and moments from the 1990s.

Tuesday - QA Fail. Some interesting fail things that I have encountered. Most of the content will make you think - how did that pas Qa?

Wednesday - Apple Motion tips and tricks. Interesting things that I discover in Apple Motion. Every once in a while there will be posts featuring an Apple Motion template.

Thursday - Classic Macintosh Topics. I'll reach into my collection in the basement and recall the good old days of using the Macintosh. Maybe I'll boot up the old Macintosh Plus.

Friday - Macintosh Friday. Interesting tips and tricks on popular hardware and software. I am always looking for ways to get better use of the software that I use every day.

Saturday - Internet Tools. Interesting Internet tools that I find. Many of the feature sites are free

Thoughts For Blogging in 2022

More Creativity - I am looking forward to more creative posts. I plan to use various graphic tools to add more appropriate graphics.

Better Planning - I also plan on the blog content a few days early so that I can put more value in the blog post. In the past, I would come up with the topic on the day the blog post was written.

Video Posts - In a few posts, I'll switch it up and add video instead of graphics. Just looking at doing something different.

Best of Blogs for GoPro, Tech and Framingham

Thursdays in 2021, the topics ranged from GoPro to Tech Tools, Framingham and Classic Mac.

Top Six Thursday Post of 2021

Here are the Thursday blog post that was the most popular in 2021:

GoPro Labs (GoPro) (January 14, 2021) - GoPro Labs is where you get to try out the latest and greatest firmware for your GoPro. This shouldn't be used for production capture footage.

GoPro Pool Pole Mount (GoPro) (March 11, 2021) - Learn how I was able to create a mount for a pool pole. These poles are very long and great for when you want to create Timelapse footage from high above.

WD MyPassport Wireless drive (Tech Tools) (June 24, 2021) - This blog post covers my bad experience with the 500GB WD MyPassport drive. The physical drive isn't damaged and someday I'll put some effort to recover the files on the drive.

Framingham Dog Park (Framingham) (August 12, 2021) - In 2022, the City of Framingham will open its first dog park. This blog post has some general information about new the park.

Crispus Attucks Bridge (Framingham) (September 2, 2021) - General information on the Crispus Attucks Bridge. One interesting thing to note - the marker is slowly being chipped away. I wonder if someone is intentionally doing that.

Street Signs of Framingham (Framingham) (September 23, 2021) - Did you know that Framingham has street signs of all the seasons? This blog post shows where you can find them. Something fun for the kids on a rainy day?

What's next for 2022?

Classic Mac will return in January 2022. I'll have enough content for the next couple of months. Maybe Framingham will return in the Spring of 2022.

Best of Wednesday Post

During Wednesday's in 2021 I switch topics several times. I started the year off with Affinity Designer, in April I changed to jQuery, then QA/ In the Summer I focused on Gluten Free topics. In November it was Camera Tips and finally Keyboard Maestro.

These are the blog posts that got the most activity.

D Ellis Sugarloaf (Gluten Free) (August 18, 2021) - My daughter went here this past summer. She had a good time with her friends. She liked that she was able to eat a gluten free meal at a popular restaurant at Sugarloaf mountain.

Gluten Free Oreos (Gluten Free) (July 28, 2021) - This is my daughter's favorite snack. At one time we had about 6 boxes on the snack shelf. Nabisco did a great job with making the gluten-free Oreos taste like the regular Oreos.

If you haven't tried the Gluten Free Oreos you should check them out! They are delicious and you can't taste the difference.

Kanes Donuts (Gluten Free) (July 14, 2021) - This is the go-to place in Boston for Gluten Free donuts. Not only do they offer the best-tasting donuts but they have a huge variety.

While Kane's Donuts is a local chain, there isn't any near our house. So when we go into Boston - early in the morning - we have to stop at Kane's and get her a few treats.

Automation (QA) (June 9, 2021) - What is the value of Automation for the QA team? In this post, I describe the purpose of automation and how it fits into the workflow.

This is an interesting read on the "great debate" on what value automation has not only on the deliverables by the QA team but also to the project.

Aperture Priority (Camera) (November 10, 2021) - Basic learning on the Aperture setting on most DSLR cameras. The post gave information on what situations you would be concerned about the Aperture.

This was part of a camera series where. I was doing a deep dive with the dial options in a DSLR camera.

Popcorn Oil (Popcorn) (May 19, 2021) - During the month of May, I was in search of how to make the best popcorn at home. This particular post was about the best oil to use in a plug-in popcorn popper. Click on the popcorn link to see all the popcorn posts.

May Blog Plans

This is the final week of another successful A to Z April Challenge. Next weekend I'll post my retrospective on how the challenge went.

I have been thinking of May Blog topics. I have decided to do a bit of a change-up. Here's the tentative lineup for May.

• Sunday - Open Topic Sunday
• Monday - Media Monday
• Tuesday - Final Cut Pro
• Wednesday - Popcorn
• Thursday - Tech Tools
• Friday - Macintosh
• Saturday - Internet

New in May 2021

I have decided to introduce two new topics in May - Tech Tools and Popcorn. I am excited to add these to the weekly blog topics.

Tech Tools - This will cover anything technology. Most of the tech topics have been a focus on Apple technology. The Tech Tools blog posts will be centered on general technology. This can be from smart switches to flashlights.

Popcorn - I really enjoy popcorn and for the past year, I have been experimenting with different ways to make popcorn. The blog post will focus on things that I have found that work the best.

Future Topics

If there are any blog topics that you would like to see, let me know by sending me an email. You can also reach me via various social media accounts.

2021 Blogging Schedule

Here's is the plan for 2021 Blogging. One of the biggest changes is that the year will start off with no Boston Blog. This is because I haven't been into the city for a while to get updated pictures and content ideas.

Perhaps sometime in 2021 I'll get back into Boston and bring back the Boston blog content - as I know it's a very popular topic.

General Plan for Now

I am committed to keeping this schedule at least through January.

Ideas

If you have any content that you would like to contribute, feel free to contribute via the Feeback form.

domainsetupmain.com

Today I got a strange feedback comment from a form on this website. This is the email that I got:

Right away I knew this couldn't be true - after all, why did they use the website feedback form for communication.

domainsetupmain.com

The above links won't work. Apparently, the website was taken down. When I viewed the information, it was telling me all about the price but nothing about the services. They wanted the credit card information quicker than they are telling you why they needed it.

At first I thought it was an SEO scam, trying to get people to sign up for simple SEO placement.

Turns out the site was just scamming people out of their money.

Remember!

If you get similar emails like the one above. It's a scam. Always check your domain registration to find out if it's expiring soon.

Oh, I didn't actually click on the link. I figured the "t=" was just tracking my click. I viewed the site with a different "t=" number and a different domain.