navigating through 'existential crises'
I am far from being tech savvy. So it came as no surprise to me that eventually I outgrew my shared host (psst I know @onlinebiz will tell me that it was probably due to the misconfiguration of my cache) but seriously, I could no longer manage my mediocre blogs, on their shared server anymore. So, be it as it may, I had to move on to bigger and better things…I took my four blogs to a *cough* dedicated server.
Why? Well for my love of blogging of course!
My site went down several times last weekend and was suspended 3 times in two days! Even after I followed every perfect detail on how to configure my cache program, my blog still failed to satisfy my web host Gods. So what is there for an internet-addicted-blogger to do? I had to pack my sh*t, and get out! Since my blog was suspended…I was already laying out on the street, still getting hits to my blog and all while my ass was hanging out there with everything I owned, shoved into a great ole’ hefty garbage bag.
I arrived on the doorstep of my new web host and I was told that I had this big room and all this space and can make as much mess as I wanted to provided of course, my rent was paid on time. Sounded fair enough for me. That was until I started to move my stuff into the farthest reaches of the server-verse. First, I had to find my room and the way my luck has been as of late, I had to move to the tallest building…down the furthest hallway–to a dedicated server in Chicago. I arrived at this lonely, spacious and dusty room. I am now on a dedicated server so I decided to get busy and start combining three of my blogs into one…slowly, but surely…I would soon have a navigational and optimized piece-of-heaven on earth!
Reality check #1 when things seem too good to be true…it probably is.
Home sweet home! I got all nice and comfy, the computer was the first thing I set up of course. Even though Alistair and I rested on a box near the window (yes, my computer’s name is Alistair), I had my mug of coffee ready, my browser opened…getting ready to write for the FamousBlogger/ComLuv contest and wtf? No website. Worse yet…no internet.
Reality check #2 remember to change your DNS so that they point to your new web host servers before you try to access your site.
So here I am in my fuzzy slippers, mug of coffee in one hand and Alistair tucked under my arm running in the early morning hours trying to find a Wifi connection. While sitting on the curb in delirium because I could not access my web page, I frantically pecked at the keyboard to enter the proper DNS links, for the domain name transfer…so I waited…and realized…
Reality check #3 these things take time.
I realized that I should not expect my blog to be up and running 10 or 30 minutes after the migration process. I had another good 24-72 hours worth of wait time. So it would have been better if I had planned ahead. I forgot to back up my most recent blog posts…so I lost about a week worth of draft posts. So, remember to back up your site prior to confirming your site’s transfer. It does not help to wait until after the data is in the transfer process.
Reality check #4 just because you keep refreshing your web browser does not necessarily help your site to just ‘pop-up!’
Life can still be plausible outside of the internet. So remember to go out, visit friends and family. Avoid even looking at a computer! Go to a movie. Read a book…trust me, you will be glad that you did.
Reality check #5 be sure to cross all of your ‘T’s’ and dot the ‘I’s’
Be sure when your site is up and running again to check all your forms, posts, comments, plug-ins…the works! Some of the same things I used on my last server did not fair well with the new one. Do right by your blog and ensure its success by optimizing and doing those critical data checks. Check you site from different browsers and from different computers. I know I did not include all the in’s and out’s of my blogs transfer, believe me, I was in crises mode–migration transfer does not have to be stressful at all, provided you take the necessary steps on how to proceed with your website migration process.
In summary, I am referencing ‘How to prepare, plan and execute a Website Migration‘ by nextsteph.com:
Most importantly, patience. A lot of it.
AIDY©2010
Source
Cockerl, S. (2006 April 17). How to prepare, plan an execute a website migration. Retrieved July 10, 2010 from nextsteph.com http://nextsteph.com/stephblog/web-design/how-to-prepare-plan-and-execute-a-website-migration.shtml
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I am thinking of changing hosts over the next month and these are the things which worries me slightly.
Are there any hosts that helps in the transfer of website files?
I assume they may charge extra. I am considering Bluehost, but which host do you use? Thanks.
Ata recently posted..Considerations For Purchasing Riding Mower Tires
Hello Ata,
I am using SingleHop currently and I could not be happier with their services. I have a link in ‘green’ there on the bottom of my blog, in the footer section. They handled everything, and I mean everything! Just don’t make the same mistakes I made in the transfer process: be sure you back up all your data first! Even if you forget, SingleHop can an will do it for you. Just let them know! Overall, my migration was a breeze, now that I realize what all had to take place.
Thank you for the comment love <3
If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me! Let me know how it goes for you!
AIDY recently posted..The Rage in Placid Lake 2003
I hate migrations. I recently moved to Hostgator, still shared, because of issues with my last host and used Hostgator’s transfer services. In the future, I plan on using them for all my migration needs. We had so many issues, I would never been able to figure what I did wrong. I am a tech guy, but I am not a database guy. I hate migrations almost as much as my last web host…
element321 recently posted..External Comment Systems May Not Be the Best Option for a Blog Owner
I have a better understanding of the migration process since I been through it as well. I have no tech sense so it is good to read brilliant tips from writers like you! I never knew exactly where I went wrong as well and never got a specific answer regarding that as well. Thanks for stopping by!
AIDY recently posted..‘The World is Too Much With Us’ by William Wordsworth