State Of Search: Recommended WordPress Backup Plugins For 2013

Not sure if I’ll do this which much regularity, but I keep forgetting when and where I’m featured on other websites. I’m looking to compile a list, but at the moment it’s quite barren, so before I build up said list, I’m going to start linking to posts featuring me as a talking head, or commenting on something.

Meh, it’s content!

I’m not featured in many places, so I think this’ll be fairly easy to keep updated.

Anyway, the first one is being featured on State of Search (a blog I regularly read, and one of a small handful of SEO blogs I actually bother with) talking about my recommendations for the 6 Top WordPress Backup Plugins of 2013.

I was featured along with Michael Wester, Bastian Grimm, Dan McGuire, Carla Marshall and Dean Cruddace, and for the record, I recommended WP-DB Backup for a Free Plugin (which I must admit is more out of habit, I really should check out BackWPup recommended by a couple of people), and Vaultpress if you can afford it.

Thanks to Jackie Hole for featuring me!

Goal for January: Dry-ish-athlon

It seems that along with my blog, a good friend of mine John Wilson has also started a blog. I’d like to take credit as the inspirational thought leader muthaluvva that I am, but I can’t. In John’s first blog post, he talks briefly about 2012 and what he achieved, and he achieved a fair bit!

However interestingly he is also setting goals for the year, resolutions that are likely to be forgotten, oh no, he’s setting goals for the month. The first one, detailed in his post, is to complete the Dryathlon, which is giving up the sauce for 30 days for cancer research.

Brilliant! I thought.

As such, I’m also jumping on the monthly challenge bandwagon. My Goals for 2013 are still valid, but each month I will set myself a challenge, at the end of the month I’ll review to see if the challenge is a failure or a success.

Hell, it’s content for this site, and it’ll make my life more interesting. Even Matt Cutts recommends it.

It also marks the first time I’ve listened to what Matt Cutts has said and implemented it since June 2007.

As such, my goal for January is to drink less.

No, I’m not doing the Dryathlon. I’ve failed already: TNA are in Manchester at the end of January and have kind of promised a couple of my mates that we’ll have a few beers before the show, so that’s a no-goer, but hopefully before that Friday, I’ll have drank very little.

Incidentally, rather than just “drink less”, I’m instead going to set a target. I did a bit of research on the NHS website on the amount of alcohol each drink contained, as well as the recommended alcohol intake for a man in a week, and then decided to scrap the figures, and instead go for this goal:-

I will drink a maximum of 10 pints (or the alcoholic equivalent – 20 units) in January

I’m tracking my drinks using a Google Doc I’ve put together for the month, you can see it here. Providing I don’t drink 10 pints in one session, I should be able to remember what I’ve drunk where and update accordingly. I’ve also identified two things to target.

  • Go See More Movies – The pub is pretty much the de-facto thing to do when bored, but here’s the thing – I’ve started recently going to movies instead when I’m bored. Largely due to the fact most people who know me know that I’ve got glaring gaps in my movie knowledge, I’ve decided to put it right. Hell, January I was planning only going to see The Hobbit, but can do more films.
  • Not take the TNA in Manchester Day Off – In truth, the only two stumbling blocks I can forsee are at the end of the month, which is the aforementioned TNA UK Tour and Colwyn Bay are playing Brackley Town the day after. Both of those will be relatively boozy. As such, I’m going to avoid taking the whole day off for TNA in Manchester, but instead opting for half a day off. This reduces the drinking time, plus also creates a journey from town to my house and back again. The hope is then to meet my compatriots a little bit later on in the day, probably not even in the pub, so we can enjoy the show relatively clear headed (I’m not used to drinking at wrestling, largely being a performer, so it’s no big deal).

Providing I can do those two things, I should be fine.

I’m also imposing a forfeit (if I fail) as well as a reward (if I succeed). They will be announced on the challenge completion. Wish me luck!

Also, you can follow John Boy’s descent into soberity madness on Twitter, and you can donate to Cancer Research to support him on Justgiving.

Goals of 2013

So another year over, and – surprise surprise – I kept my New Years Resolution! Wasn’t too tricky to be honest, but the “Less Weight, More Dates” resolution was – as of the time of writing (which is before the Christmas Break) – kept. The latter especially I broke emphatically **smiles shyly**.

2012 was a big year for me (shy smile aside), I changed jobs moving from Manual Link Building to 3 Door Digital, released WP Email Capture Premium (finally) and grew in ways I never thought I would. I also ticked off a life goal (go to the Olympic Games), and went to two gigs (a lot for me!).

Onto 2013. A year of change methinks, where I think I’ll finally grow up. I am not setting resolutions, but rather goals for the year. Here are four that I’ve thought of that – if I haven’t achieved any of these by December 2013, I’ll be disappointed.

Start Speaking

This is a fairly big one for me. Recently, I’ve noticed I’ve become a bit of a go-to guy when it comes to WordPress. I’d love to do some sort of talk somewhere. I’ve a few ideas of talks I want to do, and also half-pitched to Alex an idea for Sascon (which may or may not happen). However, one thing I’m thinking of targeting is WordCamp this year, which is an unconference. I’m not too familiar with the concept of unconferences, but what I am lead to believe is that you simply put your name down on the list to speak, and they will fit you in somewhere.

I have an idea for a talk at WordCamp, so I will try and prepare something.

Blog More

This is where this site comes in. I think I could probably count on two hands how many blog posts I wrote in 2012. I used to be so proficient, blogging almost every day. Last year I dropped off the face of the earth, it is something I wish to correct in 2013.

The main blog will be this one, but will be open for guest posts on other places. Let me know if you want me to write something and what you would like me to write about.

Of course, I’ll also keep blogging occasionally on the 3 Door Digital Blog, Blogging Dojo, WP Email Capture and You’re Supposed To Be At Home.

Please remind me on the last one if I haven’t got the Hinckley United post up on the last one by the time you read this, then call me names in the comments.

Save More Cash

Away from the internet, I’d like to start saving a bit more. When I moved jobs my savings did take a wee bit of a hit, but I should be able to build them back up again, but it’s taking longer than I thought (damn Christmas! Damn Nexus 7!).

I was told by somebody to have one goal in your life that is seemingly “unachievable”, as they are often achieved. One of my seemingly unachievable life goals is to never ever have a mortgage. My plan is to save up a figure in my head in a instant access savings account, split that figure in half, and put half into something that is a bit higher interest that I can’t touch.

I do spend a ridiculous amount of money at times, so can easily cut down. Sandwiches for work and less fruit machines (yeah not sure why I play fruities, started in University, never really stopped) are two of the ways. Hell I’ve a nickname of being a mingebag, I may as well become one.

Start a Pension

Yes, this is more to appease the parents rather than me, but it did shock me that out of all 5 of my immediate family, I don’t have any retirement savings. I have talked about it, but I didn’t get around to setting up.

Yeah it’s dull, but I don’t want to be poor when I’m old.

And I don’t want to be old.

Anyway, those are my goals in 2013. Hopefully with them being in writing I’m more likely to keep them!

Hello World. Again

Let’s try again, shall we?

For those who have known me for a fair amount of time will know how I got into this online marketing malarkey was via blogging. During university I used to write a fair bit, blogging usually once per day. That dropped when I started work, and instead I was down to one a week. I relaunched this blog a couple of years ago with the thoughts of writing something thoughtful, and insightful, once a week. “Piece of piss”, I thought.

Wrong.

Yeah, the issue was mainly that Author+, followed by WP Email Capture got in the way. The latter of which has been pretty successful for me. As such, writing to you lot, just – well – wasn’t profitable.

Sorry.

But now it’s calmed down, and I’ve thought long and hard about starting this up again. I’m on a mission to kind of restructure what I do outside of work on this big bad thing called the internet. I’m a geek, so most nights after work I’m usually found doing some cooky shit on the internet. Or playing Words With Friends, one of the two.

Or in the pub. One of the three.

The plan is to reduce the amount of sites I am managing or require an epic amount of managing and content creation (blogs, mainly), and build up small sites for stuff that interests me. Blogging Dojo is getting the MyBlogGuest Plugin on it so I can get some guest posts on there. You’re Supposed To Be At Home is being left dormant bar the odd game here and there I go to that is actually new. Retro Garden…well…not sure about that, any offers?

It’s not necessarily to make me a millionaire, more to just try make sites of stuff that interests me. Small, self standing sites similar to Tweets2CSV. I’ve a couple of ideas of sites I’m thinking of running.

This site, along with Winwar (a site that is being both culled and rebuilt), is where you’ll hear about them first. Winwar is becoming a bit of a portfolio for all these new sites. Not wanting to brag but that site looks bloody amazing in development.

Of course, this site isn’t just about my sites, I’m also posting rants and thoughts about anything. I’m feeling I need to get my name a bit out there again. If that means I become a “thought leader” (shudder), then so be it. Please don’t call me a thought leader.

So yeah, that’s the redesign, the reboot, and why I’m doing it. It’s a place for me to share my thoughts whenever I feel the need to. I hope you like it.

Mum Wants a Nice Lunch – The WP Email Capture Challenge

So, in case you have been living under a rock or insanely busy with work (actually probably the latter, it is a Monday morning), I’ve launched WP Email Capture Premium. WP Email Capture Premium is a feature rich, professional version of my 50,000+ downloaded plugin – WP Email Capture.

I’m not going to bore people with the details of the plugin (you can read them here), but rest assured I’m absolutely delighted to get the plugin launched this morning. Feedback from all who have seen it has been positive, so I’m chuffed to bits.

Anyway, I’ve set myself a little challenge for myself, and I need your help!

I’m hoping to get my first sale before lunchtime (Midday GMT) today. Of course, if you would find the plugin useful then feel free to purchase it, but I’d appreciate as many shares of this blog post as possible – Say Hi To WP Email Capture Premium – with the hashtag #mumwantsanicelunch.

The prize? Well I’m not going to suggest a “Money Can’t Buy” prize that isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, but instead I will take my mum out for lunch. She gets a nice lunch, the skinflint in me gets £20 poorer and I know that my plugin sells.

Anyway, will be back in the afternoon with how the project goes.

Update: We did it! Mum got a nice lunch 🙂