1. Backup your current WordPress website files. To do that, go to Tools > Export. Save the file to your hard drive.

2. Backup your current WordPress database.

To do that, get the free plugin, WP-DB-Backup. You’ll get that by going to Plugins > Add New and enter the plugin name in the Search form. Or, you can go to the WP-DB-Backup homepage, download the zip file, and upload it to your website in Plugins > Add New > Upload.

Then, create your backup file with that plugin (see directions at the homepage linked above) and save it to your hard drive.

3. Backup your theme files. Open your FTP program and download everything in wp-content > themes > Branford Magazine (or whatever your theme is called). Save that on your hard drive. (You probably won’t use this. It’s just a “worst case” backup. I like to take every measure possible to be sure everything turns out okay.)

I generally recommend backing up your image files, too. They’re in wp-content > uploads You’ll copy every file (and subfile) in the folders with a year name (2008, 2009, etc.).

4. Remove WordPress from your website. Some hosting services will do that automatically. (At HostGator, you’ll go into Fantastico > WordPress and click “Delete” next to the domain name where that WordPress site was hosted.)

If your hosting service doesn’t have a delete option, use your FTP program to delete everything in your WordPress files.

5. Download a copy of WordPress 2.9.2. You’ll find that at http://wordpress.org/wordpress-2.9.2.zip

Unzip it on your hard drive using any free unzipping software. (Your computer probably has a program to do this, already.)

6. Install WordPress 2.9.2 manually.

(At the time of this writing, HostGator is still auto-installing WP 2.9.2., so a manual installation isn’t necessary. Check your hosting service’s WordPress options before going to the trouble of a manual installation.)

You can follow the directions in any of my books, or follow the “Famous 5-Minute Installation” instructions at http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress

(That may seem a little scary the first time. Don’t worry. Any mistakes can be fixed, easily. After that, if you ever have to install WordPress again, it’ll be simple.)

7. Upload your copy of Branford Magazine. (If you’re starting from scratch, you can still get the free files at my Branford Magazine Archives.) You’ll do this via FTP, placing your Branford files in your new wp-content > themes folder.

8. Import your old articles, images, comments, etc.

9. Check your site to be sure it looks okay, and take a break. You’ve accomplished your goal!

If your site doesn’t look right, some of your files may have been lost or changed in the process. Follow the Troubleshooting steps, below.

Troubleshooting

If the whole site looks weird, delete your Branford Magazine files (via FTP) and reinstall them.

If it still looks weird, repeat the entire process starting with Step 4, above. (Yes, download a new copy of WP 2.9.2, just in case the first download was interrupted at the server.)

The problem probably started when you were FTP-ing your new WordPress installation.

If your entire site still looks hinky**, contact your hosting service in case they know what’s going on. They’ll have the best advice.

If your homepage categories aren’t right, the numbers probably changed. That’s normal. Follow the steps in my book: Find the Category numbers (for additional help see my video, Branford Magazine Homepage Categories), and enter them in Appearances > Editor > Main Index Template (index.php), in the appropriate locations.

If the problem includes your Lead Article (the big article at the top of the page), you’ll correct that category number in two spots in Appearances > Editor > ui.tabs.php. That’s illustrated in my book.

If your links or images are broken, you may need to manually locate the broken links and fix them.

For broken graphics, you’ll upload the missing files from your hard drive. (This is why I generally recommend saving all those wp-content > uploads files.)

To find broken links and images quickly, you can use a free WP plugin, Broken Link Checker. (Generally, to reduce site load time, I deactivate that plugin after I’ve used it during the installation.)

If something else is broken, the problem was probably in the installation. I’d go back to square one and start over. A second full installation usually fixes whatever-it-is. If it doesn’t, contact your hosting service for help.

Note: After doing this, ignore the “Update to WordPress 3.0 now” messages. Unless WordPress comes out with a patch for the problem affecting Branford and several other themes, updating means breaking your theme.

As long as you keep programs like Secure WordPress running, you’ll be relatively okay. However, if your site is a target for hackers, sooner or later you’ll need to switch to a more current theme.

* If you didn’t upgrade to WordPress 3.0 and you’d like to continue using Branford Magazine… go for it! Just be sure you’re using (and keep updated) the Secure WordPress plugin, to patch the most likely security issues, as they emerge.

** Hinky=weird, funky, or strange. It’s an NCIS (TV show) reference.

When WordPress 3.0 came out, I thought everything was okay.

It turns out that the right column Category names vanish from the homepage. (That’s what’s going on, on my homepage.)

I’m researching the issue, but — as you know — I have just enough code expertise to be dangerous.  My role has been to provide support for people who, like me, aren’t technically minded.

Update: So far, code guys are telling me this isn’t fixable with the weird code in Branford Magazine.  Unfortunately, I don’t expect Michael Oeser, the creator of Branford Magazine, to tell us anything except “buy my Pro version.” (I do not recommend that version, unless you’re an even bigger fan of Branford Magazine than I am, and willing to take a chance on it.)

Short-term, I’m switching to Mimbo 3.0 for most of my websites.  Mimbo is the theme that supplies about 90% of the code to Branford Magazine, and — trying Mimbo 3.0 behind the scenes — it appears to work fine with WP 3.0.

For years, Mimbo users have been using my book to customize their websites, too.  So, a lot of the Mimbo theme will look familiar to you.

While I sort this out — if I can — my theme-related books are not for sale.

I’m not sure what to recommend for current Branford Magazine theme users.  If you don’t update, the WP 3.0 description mentions no security updates (v. WP 2.9.2).   So, I think you’re okay to leave your site “as is.”

However, if you do update, your right-column category names may vanish.

Thank heavens, there are plenty of good alternatives, some even better than Branford Magazine… depending on your priorities, of course.

I’ve enjoyed using Branford Magazine theme, but — since it drew so heavily from someone else’s code — it probably had a limited shelf life from the start.

You don’t have to stop using Branford Magazine… not yet, anyway.

Meanwhile, it helps to remember: The one and only constant, online, is change!

I haven’t tried this code.  It was suggested by Mats Stadin (of Stugun Pike Fishing, Sweden) as a possible fix.  I’m fairly sure he’s working with a newer edition of Branford Magazine.

And — of course — you’ll want to change a few things to fit your own website’s topics.

Though this is a “beta” concept rather than a proven answer to the question, it’s a starting point if you’re in a trial-and-error mood and want to expand your Branford Magazine homepage options.

(Remember, always save a copy of your working version of your homepage theme template, before making any changes.  Then, if it doesn’t work out, you can paste the earlier, working version back into your Appearance > Editor screen.)

This code may also inspire customizations in related themes, such as Mimbo.

<!–ORIGINAL CODE –>

// “Featured articles” module begins
query_posts(“showposts=$1;&

(I’m pretty sure this works with newer editions of Branford Magazine.)

Click on the image to see his screenshot, full size.

The code to change is in ui.tabs.cs, in your Appearances > Editor panel.

You know what I mean… strange pharmaceuticals, porn sites, and so on.

The problem is, it’s a nuisance to edit the comment to remove the link.  Often, we just delete the comment altogether.

Well, there’s a free WordPress plugin to handle that issue with one click.  It’s called Delink Comment Author.

Once that plugin is installed, your comment options will include “delink” so you can click to delink, click to approve, and move on to the next great comment at your website.

As more sleazy websites are using more clever software to leave real-looking comments — and get backlinks in the process — this plugin makes a webmaster’s job easy.

We don’t have to decide whether or not it’s a “real” comment.  If it looks good, it gets approved… without its link, and without the risk of being associated with a “bad neighborhood.”

So, you can continue to use the current (third) edition of Sites that Soar. The dashboard differences are so minor, you may not even notice them.

Note: Sites that Soar! is available as an instant download (ebook) at SitesThatSoar.com, and as a published (printed) book at Amazon.com.

I’ve also slightly rewritten the book under a new title, Branford Magazine User’s Manual, because so many people aren’t sure what “Sites that Soar!” means.  However… it’s basically the same book; I’m just trying to reach a broader audience.

I’m still using Branford Magazine 2.0, modified slightly. It still works fine at all of my websites.  There’s no reason to wrestle with one of the newer, more confusing versions of Branford Magazine.

In fact, I tested Branford Magazine 4.2, just to see if it really was an improvement.  In my opinion, it’s not.  (See my article, Broken Branford Magazine theme?)

You can always download the older, more stable versions of Branford Magazine theme — including my modified version — at my websites.  Just look for the “Free Downloads” tab on the homepage.

http://www.SitesThatSoar.com/wordpress/

http://BranfordMagazine.com/

]]> http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/wordpress-2-9-2-works-fine/feed/ 2 http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/e-junkie-review-2/ http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/e-junkie-review-2/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:35:25 +0000 Ais http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/?p=379 Many people ask me about E-junkie.com, and if it’s worthwhile.

I’ve been using E-junkie for more than two years now, and I’m still delighted with them.  They handle all of my digital products for me, and they’re the most reliable company I’ve worked with.

In addition, they’re still the least expensive option I’ve seen for file storage and digital product fulfillment.  Currently, I pay $5 a month for their services.  That’s all.  No commissions.  No surprise charges.  No hidden fees!

Unlike Clickbank, E-junkie doesn’t charge me a per-sale commission or anything like that.

The only reason I stopped using E-Junkie for my Sites that Soar affiliate program is because I’m busy launching a publishing company.  I discontinued all of my affiliate programs, for now.   (The exception is Clickbank, and that’s because  — though it’s fairly expensive –  it requires zero time and attention from me.)

I’m still happily using E-junkie for all of my digital product sales and file storage.

E-junkie stores my files, handles my sales and pays me immediately via PayPal, and it keeps track of my customer lists, in case I need to send update notices or announcements.

If I was selling CDs or DVDs — which I plan to do, in the future — E-junkie would even interact directly with my CD fulfillment service.  Orders could be placed and products created & shipped, and I don’t have to do anything.

If and when I resume my affiliate programs, E-junkie does everything except issue the monthly payments.  However, even that can be managed with one click (via PayPal) for the entire set of payments, using the specialized list format that E-Junkie provides for this purpose.

At any point during the month, my affiliates can see how well they’re doing at their own E-junkie page.  In addition, E-junkie creates and maintains a list of my affiliates so I can send them messages and updates, as well.

They have options for physical products, too.   So, I could create an affiliate program for tee-shirts or posters or artwork… or anything that I’m making on my own.

E-junkie is designed for smaller businesses.  So, if you’re doing tens of thousands of dollars in business, monthly, they may not offer all of the features you need.  (Ask them.  They’re nice people and may create what you need.)

For a home-based business like mine, E-junkie is perfect.  I tried several other programs, and they either cost too much or they had too many problems… or both.

I put my products at E-junkie and I don’t have to think about them again.  Delivery is reliable.  I’m paid instantly. The whole thing costs my $5 per month.

My customers are happy, and so am I.

Here’s what it says on the E-junkie website:

E-junkie provides shopping cart and buy now buttons to let you sell downloads and tangible goods on your website, eBay, MySpace, Google Base, CraigsList and other websites using PayPal Standard, PayPal Pro, Google Checkout, Authorize.Net, TrialPay, ClickBank and 2CheckOut. For merchants selling downloads, we automate and secure the digital delivery of files and codes. If you are selling tangible goods, we automate the shipping calculation and inventory management. Our shopping cart has a built in sales tax, VAT, packaging and shipping cost calculator. You can sell ebooks, sell mp3 tracks and albums, sell software, icons, fonts, artwork, phone cards, event tickets, cds, posters, books, t-shirts and almost everything else you want to sell. E-junkie has no transaction limit, no bandwidth limit, no setup fee and no transaction fee.

Their website may not be as polished as Clickbank and similar services. However, E-junkie doesn’t charge the same fees as Clickbank… not even close!

And, I’ve had only excellent results with E-junkie.  No complaints at all!  (And, since I’m very picky, that’s saying a lot.)

I highly recommend E-junkie.  I am an affiliate for them, but I’d recommend them to anyone (and everyone) anyway.

Click the button below and see what they offer.  I think you’ll be impressed.

You’ll probably be relieved at how easy it is:

• no programming is needed
• no complicated shopping cart software (it’s just a normal link)
• there are no start-up fees, and
• you can even try it for a week, free, to see if you like it.

(After that, the basic plan — which is plenty for me, even with about 20 digital products and affiliate programs when I used them — is $5/month… period.)

Privacy Policy for our website

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email using our Contact form, linked from our homepage.

At our website, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by our website and how it is used.

Log Files

Like many  — perhaps most –  other Web sites, our website makes use of log files. That’s partly for security, so we can identify any problems before they occur.  The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Our website does not use cookies.

Advertising

This website is partially funded through our generous sponsors and advertisers. We use as little advertising as we can, and — when it’s necessary — only to cover our hosting and maintenance expenses. We avoid advertising programs  with any privacy risks.  In fact, we avoid advertising, period.

DoubleClick DART Cookie

.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our website.

.:: Google’s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to our website and other sites on the Internet.

.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL – http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Ads that may appear at our website

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners may include Google Adsense, Commission Junction, Clickbank, Amazon, and other resources that offer useful products or links that seem to interest our website visitors.  (If we see a lack of interest, we discontinue the program.)

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on our website send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs.   That’s used, in part, to identify which country you’re from, and which languages your ads could appear in.

Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

Our website has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. However, we urge you to disable cookies on your computer if this is a concern for you. That’s controlled in your browser, usually in the Options tab related to privacy, security, or general settings.

Or, you can regularly use a free program such as SpyBot or AdAware by Lavasoft.  They can safely clean old tracking cookies off your computer in a matter of minutes.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

Our website’s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.

Here are links that can help you, if you want to reconfigure your browser.  If the links aren’t current, use the search form at the respective site and look for “cookies.”

Firefox – Internet Explorer – Opera

In general, it’s good to have a privacy policy, anyway.  Here’s the easiest way to add one to your Branford Magazine website.

1. Visit SERPrank.com to auto-generate your privacy policy.  It’s easy… check the appropriate boxes, add your domain name and — presto! — you’ll have a privacy policy to copy-and-paste.

2. Copy that text and paste it into the “Visual” tab as a new Post or Page at your website.

If it’s a Page and your pages are listed somewhere on all of your webpages, your work is finished.  Otherwise, here are some options.

2a. Add the URL of your privacy policy page or post in your list of links in the sidebar… if you have a list of links in your sidebar.

2b. Or, add the URL of your privacy policy in your footer.  That’s what I’ve done for most of my websites.

First, to go your WordPress dashboard and click on Appearance > Editor.  There, click on “Footer” in the right column of that page.  Your footer.php will open in the center panel.

Add the URL of your privacy policy anywhere in the footer text.  You’ll make it a link with code that looks like this <a href=”XXX”>Privacy policy</a>, where “XXX” is your privacy policy URL.

You can see how I’ve done this in the screenshot, below.  (Click on the image to see it larger.) I add the privacy policy link immediately after the theme credits.

2c. Finally, save the footer.php file, and return to your usual work on your website.

Your Appearance > Editor screen will look a little different.  It includes line numbers on the left.  That can make it easier to go back and tweak a line, without having to scan code to find it.

Also, if you add an “a href” link in your Editor screen, the program adds the opening and closing quotation marks automatically.

Some plugins may not be updated for 2.8 yet.  If you have any problems with them, you can either Deactivate them (in Plugins, on your WP dashboard) or delete them via FTP.  (I did the latter for the Limit Login Attempts plugin, if it locked me out.  But, that only happened on a few sites.)

So, go ahead and update to WordPress 2.8.

—

Also, here’s what I said when WordPress 2.7.1 launched:

If you’ve worried about updating from WordPress 2.7 to WordPress 2.7.1, you can relax.

In general, the changes in 2.7.1 are behind-the-scenes and affect minor code issues.  The biggest change you may notice is that most plugins work again, now.  (Chances are, you didn’t have a problem with your plugins, so you won’t even notice this.)

Your dashboard will look the same as before.  Everything should work the same or better.

So, it’s safe to upgrade to WordPress 2.7.1 if you were using WordPress 2.7.

(If you hadn’t upgraded to WordPress 2.7 yet, the new dashboard looks very different.  If you upgrade to 2.7 and you’re very confused about the changes, the new edition of my book covers the biggest changes.)

On my websites, I’ve upgraded to WordPress 2.7.1, and I can’t see any differences between that and WordPress 2.7.  Life is good!