If you’re subscribed to my blog you’ve probably noticed its been 2 or 3 weeks since my last post.
I’m sorry about that. Truth is I’ve been bogged down with a lot of work lately. My wife has an e-commerce site where she makes and sells jewelry. Can you guess who the webmaster is for her site? 
Also, part of what makes WP Blog Host so much more of a web host for bloggers than other hosts is the fact WP Blog Host has a resident WordPress blogger on staff here to assist their blogging customers. I bet you can guess who that person is, too.
It can be a lot of work at times, but I’m very pleased to see some of our customers realizing the importance of locking down their WordPress installation and adding a blanket of security to it. In my personal opinion, that is money very well spent. About 2 weeks ago, one of our blog security customers sent me this email (I removed his blog address for privacy):
“Look what someone tried. Fortunately, my user name isn’t admin, my table prefix isn’t wp, and I have WordPress Firewall! 2/3 of those things are your doing–thanks!”
WordPress Firewall has detected and blocked a potential attack!
Web Page: customer-blog.com/blog/index.php?cat=%2527+UNION+SELECT+……(666,CHAR…,user_pass,…..,
666,CHAR(58))+FROM+9xek3pd_users+…..(goes on from here)Warning: URL may contain dangerous content!
Offending IP: 200.106.145.82 [ Get IP location ]Offending Parameter: cat=%2527+UNION+SELECT+……(666,CHAR…,user_pass,…..,
666,CHAR(58))+FROM+9xek3pd_users+…..(goes on from here)This may be a “SQL Injection Attack.”
The …. and (goes on from here) are parts of the string I edited out. I see no need to teach mischievous jerks code which could crack a WordPress blog.
Since we’re on the topic of WordPress security, I’d like to showcase a new blog I’ve been enjoying reading lately. It’s called Perishable Press and is authored by Jeff Starr. He has an excellent post where he gives us a nice set of .htaccess rules we can paste directly into our root .htaccess file which will block hack attempts like the one above.
Back to where I’ve been. My issue has been time management. The funny thing is Barbara just wrote a post which seemed to speak directly at me. It’s about doing everything in life you need to do all the while still having the need to maintain a blog. If you’re new at blogging, time management will most definitely be an issue.
Fortunately, Alex Fayle chimed in down in the comment section and left a link to an article he wrote about time management.
I think his method is a sound method and I’ve already put it into action. So we’ll see how it goes.
So where’s John going to be today?
Teaching my son how to ride a bike!
Now it’s your turn. Has everyday life and work schedules been tugging at your arm and keeping you away from your blog?
June 17th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Hi John,
How did the bike riding lesson go?
Me? I’ve been busy with our business and all that self employment entails. I did manage to take some time off and go for a drive with my husband and enjoy the local sites. That was nice.
Thank you for the link to my post. As you know, I truly appreciate it. Time management is key to blogging. It’s also important to remember, the blog waits while we live our real life. Enjoy!
Barbara Swaffordb´s last blog ..An Oldie, But A Goodie
June 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Hi John – I’ve had health issues this year so I’ve had to take a lot of time out from blogging. I went from writing every day to doing about half a dozen posts in half a year. But I’m getting back to normal again this week.
At one time, I would have been worried about traffic going down etc but I’ve realised in the past that it’s best not to worry about things like that.
Time management and blogging is difficult. And I find that it’s best to limit the time we spend on some strategies, such as social networking and commenting on other blogs.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
@Barbara – He’s 3 and still learning. Let’s just say my hands did most the pedaling hehehe. But these are great times with my 2 little boys.
@Cath – Hi Cath, I’m glad to see you getting back into the swing of things. I truly hope everything is ok. You’ve built a wonderful community on your blog and as we have seen, even in the absence of writing for an extended period of time, your community is there when you come back.
June 18th, 2009 at 6:27 am
I’m a single stay at home mom with two kids so time management is a HUGE issue. It’s even worse now that the weather is nice because the kids want to spend every second outside. Blogging on a notepad isn’t very efficient so I try to get up ridiculously early and do as much as I can before they wake up.
I’ve also unsubscribed to a bunch of RSS feeds and newsletters which helps cut down on distraction. I have my goal for each day, so I focus, write my brains out, and then I can play with the kids without feeling guilty that I didn’t get all my blogging crap done.
I’m not usually into daily affirmations or anything like that, but reading a few inspiring quotes each morning seems to help get my poop in a group.
Cassie´s last blog ..Can You Write? Make Money In 5 Days!
June 18th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
@Cassie – “poop in ground”, ok, I love that quote! hehe
Yes I have two kids as well and I do most my blogging from home – it’s a challenge at times as I’m sure you know.
Every once in a while I also visit my RSS reader and clean it out some. There’s so much out there I want to read and share with but I really don’t have the time.
December 6th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Not at all for me. I do have a regular work online. So I guess it is an advantage. My blog articles are just a few types away hehehe. But seriously, sometimes we really need to stay away from other people so that they will miss us. And when we come back, they will be glad we are still alive.
Rian´s last blog ..Friendster Has a New Look – Log on to Your Account
December 6th, 2009 at 10:36 am
That’s a good point, Rian. People do miss us and then are happy to see us back when we come back, aren’t they?
Like you, I live on my computer and in my Inbox. But sometimes, and I’m talking a week here and there, I just need to let my mind rest. Blogging is a lot of work!