Guess what happens when you cross a tech-UNsavvy person with, err, tech?! Yea, badly structured question, I know, but that is NOT the main point.
Being the stats-obsessed blogger that I was (note the past tense), I tried to install a statistics plugin that could do almost everything that “Blog Stat” in Wordpress.com could. And being very good at following instructions, I did the step-by-step installation according to the attached “Read Me” file. Including modifying the config.php file, which is a prohibited area, at least for people like me.
I clicked SAVE and happily thought that I could now spy on my readers monitor from which corner angle country did my readers come, who referred them here, which were the most-read posts etc.
Bad move.
My template started to act in a very strange way I cannot describe it now. I made more modifications but the more I modified, the more new problems I encountered. I combed through the WordPress website but found nothing that could help me. Maybe I wasn’t looking at the correct corners. Or maybe I didn’t know what I was looking for *sigh*
I left Master Jason some messages over Y! Messenger, and I also left him my username and password, hoping he could help me check my blog the moment he got online. Then I went to bed. But I tossed and turned in bed for so many times I thought maybe I should beep Master Jason to see if he could help me with it. He said he was away but he was willing to help me look into it. So sweet of him.
So this afternoon I met him in Y! Messenger and he asked me what I did to my blog. I forgot what I told him but it was something to the effect of “installing some plugin - erased the database - got a new set of username and password” and then I told him I edited the config.php file. And he was like, “OF ALL THINGS YOU GO TOUCH THAT” and I was like “OMG.”
Anyway, to cut a long story short, Master Jason helped me reset my WordPress database, hence I have officially lost my previous couple of posts AND COMMENTS. I am not so saddened over the lost of those little posts because I could re-write them if I wanted to. But those comments left by my readers, yes, you, are very precious to me :(( *sob*
And I have decided NOT to re-write those posts that I accidentally erased. Maybe they were meant to be erased anyway. Maybe that incident will serve as a reminder to me to NOT mess with files that I am not familiar with. I am lucky to have only lost 4 posts instead of 40 or 400 *shrugs*
A note to other tech-UNsavvy people like me: NEVER EVER edit anything in those .css or .php files if you do not know how they function. Sometimes the computers are too dumb to understand what we actually want.
If you think this post might benefit other bloggers:
Well, you only did one thing wrongly from my point of view. You did not do any backup.
It’s a good way for tech-unsavvy people to learn by doing stuff themselves. So bravo for your courage in editing those files. After all, you can’t always depend on others, right?
Just remember to do a full backup next time.
pelf: Yea, I must remember to back my stuff up.. BTW, how do I do this ar..? *blushes*
good one la! i shall be the “first” to leave a note on yr revived blog then! =)
pelf: YaY! BTW, whatever happened to your own blog ah..?
I got your offline messages at 11.30PM, but everything seems fine to me as 6.30AM.
If you want to know your blog’s state, your own server has a few stats program and Awstats is very good and reliable already.
If all thing fails, put in Google Analytic or something else rather than using plugins to do the job.
I do agree with Andrew, one of the responsibility of having own server is to do backup every week, better if you can it everyday.
You can mess with the .css files, thats the template file. But what you messed was the wordpress’s system file. For example, you are messing your Windows XP’s system file. Get the idea?
pelf: Yes, I understand now..
Anyway, it looks fine to me. SMS me if you need anything.
pelf: Thanks heaps :))
If you need a volunteer system administrator, I gladly volunteer meself. But I can’t promise that subliminal messages of how great Barney the Lovable Purple Dinosaur wont get inserted into every single post you make. LoL
pelf: One of the first signs that one is really REALLY bad at something is when somebody else volunteers to do it.. *sniff* Thanks, I will contact you if I need your help
hi there! nice new blog you got here - very nice
pelf: Thanks.. :))
btw, where’s that meme you tagged me with?
pelf: I erased it *winks* Accidentally.. Anyway, it was a “Ten life’s simple pleasures” tag
Wah, what happen? Another plugin you should install is the back up plugin. And periodically back up your blog. Ok, maybe wordpress comes with a back up facility built in, I don’t know
I use statcounter.com for my web stat. I don’t have to edit anything other than the theme file, so it’s quite safe to use. Nice theme btw.
pelf: Thanks, thanks :))
At least you learned something new! That is tech-savvy already.
pelf: Aww.. Thanks for the kind words :))
dun worry lar, i always screw up my blog. just lucky that so far nothing THAT bad happened yet.
man-man lai…sure sooner or later will be expert wan. 
pelf: Become an expert? Hhahaha, yeah, I think it will be later than sooner :))
I am saved! No tags !!
i saw a few nice pics of you - but didnot get to read the details.
Sorry to hear u were bombed by the tech.
pelf: Maybe I REALLY should not post my pictures on my blog.. Maybe it was an “indication”… Hhehehe..