When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
Ugh, you guys are not going to believe what happened to me last week. Let’s just say my track record with “taking chances” isn’t exactly stellar. Remember that time I thought I could totally pull off that DIY haircut? Yeah, still recovering from that one. Well, I went and did it again, but this time, instead of looking like a sheepdog attacked my head, I nuked my entire online presence.
So, I got this bright idea, right? My WordPress site was feeling a little… stale. You know how it is. You see all these cool new themes out there, and you think, “Hey, why not? A little refresh never hurt anyone.” Famous last words, people. Famous last words.
I found this theme that looked amazing. Sleek, modern, everything I thought my site needed. I clicked “install,” feeling all tech-savvy and ready for a website makeover. And then… nothing. Just a big, fat white screen of death. My heart sank faster than a stone in a well. I tried everything – refreshing, logging in again, yelling at my computer (don’t judge). Nada.
Turns out, this “amazing” theme was about as compatible with my existing setup as oil and water. And in the process of trying to install it, it somehow managed to corrupt… well, everything. My posts, my pages, all the customizations I’d painstakingly done over the past year – poof! Gone. Vanished into the digital ether.
I won’t lie, I panicked. Like, full-blown, pacing-around-the-house, muttering-to-myself panic. It felt like all that hard work had just been for nothing. But after a brief pity party (and maybe a few too many cups of coffee), I knew I had to do something.
So, I rolled up my sleeves and started from scratch. Thankfully, I had some backups (lesson learned: backup EVERYTHING, people!), but they weren’t the most recent. So, rebuilding my site has been a long, slow process. It’s back up now, which is a huge relief, but it’s not the same. Not yet. I’m still piecing things back together, tweaking settings, re-uploading content. It feels like I’m constantly saying, “Oh yeah, I gotta fix that.”
Let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson. Big, flashy changes? Maybe not my forte. For now, I’m sticking with what I know works. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll hire a professional next time I get the urge to shake things up online. My sanity (and my website) will thank me for it.
Anyone else have any tech disaster stories? Misery loves company, right? Let me know in the comments!
Comments
15 responses to “Picking Up the Pieces After a WordPress Disaster”
OMG….it was a disaster for you ,I can imagine how it feels after a lot of hard work!
I also don’t have backups. That’s my stupid fault!!
My commiserations over the stress you suffered Eric. I empathize with such a disaster. A few years back, I walked the 132 Kilometre Cape to Cape Trail. Upon returning to “base camp” after completing the journey, I used the facilities and was mortified to discover after flushing, my phone had fallen into the toilet. The rice trick failed. It became so hot to the touch I feared the battery would ignite. My life’s record lived in that phone, including the pics from that remarkable trek I finished. Your panic, anger, sense of loss and despair also ran through me. Cheers. Stephanie
Thanks for the cautionary tale. I have often thought about this and am now glad I resisted. WP can be a cruel mistress.
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very good
Happened with me last week, lost 2 months worth of work.
Eric, I can imagine the shock. My layout has not changed in a hundred years! Wow! But you risked it! Congratulations on your courage.
Good
I’m going through very similar. I thought I was grown and tried to get “fancy” yes, backup everything
I had this type of issue with buying a new laptop & transferring the files. I find Microsoft so annoying. Password, pin, key this that & the other. Charging for what once was free, what’s that all about? Money of course wins over customer service. So yes, fears and frustration, sheer panic & spending hours looking at a screen are a downside, but the up is when it works it’s usually better. And perseverance can win, eventually! Thank you for an easy to read & entertaining piece.
I feel your pain, as I’ve been down that path numerous times. Sometimes I have to ask myself if I would ever learn my lesson or am I simply too adventurous.