Blogging Tips Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: I installed a new plugin on my WordPress blog and now it load. How do I fix it?

Posted on October 10, 2019

Question from Cara G: I installed a new plugin on my my WordPress and now my blog won’t load at all. All I get is an error message.

To make matters worse I can’t even get to the control panel to delete the plugin.

I’m in a panic here. How can I fix this?

Rick’s answer: This is a common issue, Cara. Unfortunately, this happens often. And as you have discovered, when it happens it can cause one to panic.

Luckily, there’s a very easy fix for this issue that almost always works. All you have to do is use an FTP utility to delete the problem plugin from your WordPress installation. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why did my blog start showing the old versions of posts I’ve updated after installing CloudFlare?

Posted on September 30, 2019

Question from Elise: I’m hoping you can help me fix a problem I’m having with my WordPress blog.

My blog pages started loading real slowly a few weeks ago and I read somewhere online that installing CloudFlare on it would speed it up.

Well, I installed CloudFlare and sure enough the pages immediately started loading a LOT faster. Needless to say, I was delighted!

But then I noticed a problem. Whenever I update a post it shows the updated version when I view it on my computer, but it shows the old version (the way it was before I updated it) when I view it on my phone.

I called several friends of mine and asked them if they were seeing the new versions of the posts (I told them what the changes were so they’d know what to look for). Every one of them are seeing the old versions of my updated posts.

I’m the only person that’s seeing the updates, and that’s only when I’m looking at the posts on my computer. I still see the older versions when I use my phone.

Why is this happening, and how can I fix it?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Why you should (almost) always login to WordPress using an ‘Editor’ account

Posted on September 24, 2019

Do you have a blog that’s powered by WordPress? If so, you should know that you have a virtual target on your back.

More blogs run on WordPress than any other blogging platform, and that makes WordPress blogs a preferred target for the hackers of the world.

Unless you’ve taken steps to harden your blog against hacking attacks, it’s fairly easy for a skilled and determined hacker to either guess your WordPress login password or intercept it from the data stream that’s created when you log in to your WordPress Dashboard.

In other words, if you have a WordPress blog, it is constantly at risk of being hacked.

There are several things a hacker can do to damage your blog should he gain access to your WordPress password, but there’s a simple way to prevent him from altering your blog’s theme, plugins and critical blog-wide settings: Always log in using an account that doesn’t have administrator privileges!

This is what I recommend: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I tell when my blog is loading from the new server after I switch hosting companies?

Posted on September 16, 2019

Question from Jay: I have a WordPress blog and it started going down on me at random times a couple of months ago.

I’ve signed up for a better hosting account with a different company and they’ll move the blog to the new server for me at no cost.

I’m planning to put in the request for the move when I get back to the office on Monday, but I’d like to ask you a question in the meantime.

I’ve been told that it could take quite a while for my blog to start loading from the new server after they make the switch. How will I be able to tell when my blog starts loading from the new server instead of the old one?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]