Off and on since I have been blogging I have wondered if I should back up my blog. I think of it especially when Blogger has a glitch (which thankfully hasn't happened in a while).
I sent out an email to several blogger friends about how to do a back up, and I was surprised at the answers, most of which were like me {clueless}. A simple quest ended up with a lot of input, so I will just list all the answers I received (over 13!):
Sorry, I'm about as tech retarded as it's possible to be.....LOL. Must be something out there somewhere that tells how.
I am ignoring the whole concept...
Sorry no I have no idea. I'm sure there is a way to do it though.
I have no idea---but if you find out something, please let me know.
No, I had not even heard of it.
Didn't know I was suppose to. Oh gosh, another thing to think about.
It's something I've never actually thought much about.
I’m just going to trust Google to back up their servers (and my blog) and not worry about backing things up here.
A few brave souls have actually backed up their blogs and shared their expertise:
I use Scrapbook...it's a Firefox add on.
I actually just use Blurb to slurp my blog into book format. The software is free, you can then either print a book from them or save the file.
Blogger Export - This just backs up the posts (not the photos, comments, etc.)
To get a full working *local* copy of your blog on your computer, check out a website grabber program called HTTrack.
I used an external hard drive - it ended up in two parts: (1) text and (2) visual. I wonder how they are to match themselves up with each other if it comes to that?
Firefox - using the Monthly Drop Down Menu
Probably the reason I started thinking about this again was seeing this ad:
Blog2Print Auto Save - We'll email you a PDF of your blog every month, or every quarter - your choice. Just tell us when to start, and we'll handle the rest. You'll have a copy to keep always. (for a fee of course)
I decided to try some of the ideas I received on one of my small blogs:
Blogger Export took about a minute - just blog posts, no pictures, but would do if nothing else works.
Blurb (blog-to-book software) - took about 5 minutes - have used this before, words and pictures, each post on a separate page, a viable option whether you want to print a book or just keep it on your hard drive.
HTTrack took maybe 10 minutes - very impressive. Free software download that makes a mirror of the website, it opens up offline and looks just like the internet site. Everything seems to work except the comments.
There are probably more options out there, any input is welcome. Thanks for all the email responses, folks! I didn't put names (because I didn't ask permission first) but you know who you are!
Of course whichever backup plan is used, the location of the backup copy is something to think about - if stored on your computer it might crash, or if stored on external memory your house might catch fire. But I think if the house was on fire, a blog backup would be the least of my worries!
Over 13 responses to my question, sounds like a Thursday 13!
