Archive for the ‘Blog Maintenance’ Category

Hello all,

I wrote here about upgrading to wordpress 2.8.   And if you follow my directions, you will be able to log out and log back into your blog no problem.  However, if you leave the plugins active, you will likely not be allowed back into your blog once you log out.  You will need to erase/rename the offending plugin from your wp-includes/plugins directory.

***There is a conflict with the Google Analytics plugin that we provide to most blogs when we install them.

To resolve this conflict:

1. Please deactivate this plugin
2. Install “Google Analytics for WordPress” by Joost DeValk.  It is compatible with 2.8 and Joost has been a part of the WordPress community for as long as I have, and I trust him to keep this plugin up to date.
3. These plugins are completely FREE, so if you desire, you can donate a cup of coffee here.

If this is the plugin you currently have, then be sure to upgrade to the latest version before you upgrade your blog.  And then, if you haven’t already, you too may want to make a small donation.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming…. (What? I do SO have regular programming.) to bring you…. WordPress 2.8.  The biggest upgrade in this version is the widget area and more cool goodies for our sidebars!!  Dont forget to check out the warnings in the Save the Sidebars article series!! I haven`t done my research on the new features yet but when I do, I`ll be sure to update the blog with the news!

And YES – please DO upgrade your WordPress to 2.8 with the CLICK of a button!  How cool is that? If you haven`t yet upgraded to 2.7 then you won`t be able to do the automatic upgrade, yet. For $20 we`ll put you on WordPress 2.8 and then you`ll never have to pay for an upgrade again!

The deets:

1. Go to your `settings`panel and find `WP DB Backup`and be sure that you have the latest backup on your computer, or emailed to you.
2. Go to your plugins panel and select all plugins
3. From `Bulk Actions`deactivate all.
4. Click on the `Please Update Now`in the admin bar in your admin panels.
5. That`s it!!

Cheers my friends,
Cathy

Q:  Why is my sidebar swinging below my content?

A:  9 times out of 10, it is the same reason: there is an unclosed division within an html/text widget.  Hang in there with me, I intend to explain this in English, I promise.

The Problem:

Your browser thinks that your sidebar belongs with the main content area.  If you look closely, you’ll notice that the sidebar is NOT under the left hand sidebar (if you have one) or under the footer, or any other area.  The sidebar is under the main content area.  It thinks it belongs there.

The Cause:

One possible cause is that in the process of editing your sidebar content, you put an instruction in there that you didn’t really mean to.

The Fix: Save the Sidebar!

Over the next week, I’m going to go through the causes of this problem, in layman’s terms.  The concepts apply across the board for all websites written with html and stylesheets.  However, the particulars of fixing it, will be specific to WordPress’s administration panels and user-friendly buttons.

Important Note: If this doesn’t apply to you yet awesome!  Bookmark these tutorials and go on your bloggy way.    However, this happens to all of us at one time or another (unless you don’t edit your sidebars ever).