So you think updating your blog means adding a new post? Well, you are only sort of accurate when you say this. Updating a blog through the regular addition of new posts is essential
Today I updated the theme I use on Reason Creek. Why? Because a new version became available. How? More on that later… in tomorrow’s post. I also updated my version of WordPress to the latest release. More on that tomorrow as well. I added a site map page too as it became much easier to do with the theme update I installed. These are probably the most important updates from a security perspective, and with WordPress that is very important! WordPress is hackable and you want to keep up to date with the most recent versions. You will significantly lower your risk by keeping your software up to date.
And while I was at it, I double checked Akismet. If you run a WordPress blog and do not know about Akismet, you are seriously under-informed about spam control! Plugins and widgets were up to date, mainly because I try to use very few of them, and am very careful about snippets and bits of code from who knows where that I incorporate into my website. Much more on this too… manana. Anyway, when I opened Akismet’s spam folder, I found posts by regular contributors in it that I had to manually add to my pending posts file and then authorize. While this may be cumbersome it maintains the integrity and helps with the security of my blog. The thing I have as yet to do today that I need to do to do is a weekly update is to ban some of the IP addresses that sent me spam. More on that too!
And I need to talk a bit about the different types of sitemaps and what you need for Google to fully index your site if you are not on a Google controlled platform such as Blogger blogs on Blogspot or on Google sites. And I really ought to tell you a bit about Google Webmaster Tools.
This could turn into a series of articles.
I”m totally naive in the area. I’m not on wordpress so do you know off hand if these are issues that apply to Blogger?? Thanks for a response if you have one….
Sandra and Kathy both are asking about blogger blogs hosted on blogspot.com. Blogspot is a Google-owned property so you have tons of money and power behind your hosting company. For the type of security problems I was writing about today, you are pretty safe. There are other concerns on that platform for which you might want to develop a backup strategy. I can address those tomorrow. I actually have several blogs on blogspot that I moved to a self-hosted WordPress platform. I will write something about why I moved away from blogspot very soon even if I cannot get it worked in to tomorrow’s post.