(Pictured above – Chris Durham Presenting to Local Organization)
Let me begin by stating that most tech support agents (including ours, at Uhuru) know their stuff and exhibit the patience of the job when dealing with occasionally short-tempered users. Let me add further that on some occasions in the past I have had a less-than-pleasant demeanor when seeking the assistance of help-desk operators.
It’s Sod’s Law at its finest. The chances are that you hardly ever need technical support until you have something very important to do with a very tight deadline that could make or break your career in the blogging business. That, of course, is when things always go wrong.
In respects to your blog there are many preventative steps you can take to avoid needing tech support. Here are five steps to help your blog operate stress free.
1. Don’t leave your blog unattended.
If you visit your blog daily or a few times a week you will see the minor updates and be able to make small tweaks thus avoiding the digital apocalypse. It is often when we let the simple things (like actually checking to see if the blog is up-and-running) accumulate so that we have a mountain to climb the next time we need to accomplish a task.
2. Keep track of your hosting and domain billing cycles.
One day you open Safari (IE for you sad folks) and try to access your blog only to find that your blog isn’t loading or an error message is showing. Much like the first rule of tech support; Check if the power is on – verify that your domain and hosting are paid and current.
3. Keep the areas that you’re responsible for up to date.
Make sure your content management system versions are up to date as well as your plug-ins.
4. Have a very strong password.
In this day and age it shouldn’t be a surprise. The easiest way to hack a blog is by brute force and blog owners using weak passwords are the easiest to hack. Read more about passwords in our recent article: Ultimate Password Guide: Are Your Accounts Safe?
5. Invest in upgrading your blog every year.
Yes, it’s true that you as a blogger ultimately manage your web domain. This level of administration is fantastic for creating a strong online presence though it isn’t always optimal for the success and sustainability of your blog. That’s why it’s important to take your blog to the professionals for an annual review or just to make sure everything is up-to-date and working properly. Most relevant sites are upgraded yearly.
Bonus
– Buy a complete service.
– Do your research and take advice.
– Don’t upgrade just before you start a new project.
Keep-in-mind that monthly monitoring does help with many of these items.
Overall, it’s up to you!
One of the nice things about utilizing these preventative strategies is that you don’t have to worry about bigger compounding problems later. If we stop and think about it, perhaps it’s not really that surprising.
What steps do you take to avoid needing tech support?
