Aaron Donohoe

Don’t mine any interuptions over the next day or two on the blog, I’m just moving things about and ‘improving’ (mainly breaking and shoddily repairing) them.

Have to sort out, install and also modify some plugins and mods, also I’m trying on some new themes (I like to constantly change the look!), as you may have noticed that I’ve had to resort to the default Wordpress theme after the old one started making things go all slow (dunno why).

I also have to do something to the wp-grins plugin, for some astranged reason it won’t allow me to insert emoticons into my blog posts, it will work okay with the comments box perfect so I think it just needs some gentle persuasion. If I was half the coder I’d make one..but alas I’m a phoney (and I can’t be arsed, using other peoples work is SO much easier!).

Keep on Truckin’.

I’ve been pretty busy these last few days, between booking flights, moving cars, and just getting the head down studying, and such as these things go, I haven’t been able to get the blog firing on all cylinders just yet.

I’m presently gathering updated versions of all modifications, and now the theme is in place I can now commence with the installation of any plugins - I always install & configure the theme first, incase of file edits.

I’ve dropped some of the heavier plugins, in favour for their lighter counterparts, which will hopefully lighten the server loads and make the blog load that bit faster.

As it is popular around the blogosphere, I thought it should compile a list of installed and proposed plugins:

• StatPress
• Reply-To
• WP-Grins
• Sociable
• Askimet
• FlickrRSS
• cForms
• Clean Archives
• WP Super Cache
• Easy Gravatars
• Feedburner

I’ve kept them to a minimum, I don’t want the blog to be laden, heavy and feature loaded. Most of my traffic is organic, I want users to get onto it immediatly and not have to wait a long time for the blog to load. Another solution was moving to Spiral Hosting - Ireland’s fastest host (guys were a great help with any queries and problems I had).

I’ve also to transfer over the contents of my uploads folder, I never brought them over from 365’s servers. I’ll get them online ASAP. But as far as I can predict there will be no foreseeable interuptions to the blog in the coming months. I’m doing the graft now so I don’t have to do anything when I’m burying the head into the books!

Whilst I have been indoors due to the floodings in Dublin I have been improving the blog slightly:

• Plugins - adding, removing, upgrading, ‘improving’ (breaking)
• Style - I’ve modified the style slightly, fixing some errors and making more personal
• Categories - I’ve laid down base categories and divided all categories into sub-categories. Makes everything more tidy!
• Removals - I’ve removed any unused, or unnecessary plugins, themes, and files.
• Updated About Me & Contact Me Pages

I’ve intentions on the following:

• Re-upload the uploads folder *DONE*
• Install:
  • Gravatars on Comments *DONE*
  • Various plugins to secure my ACP *DONE*
  • Writing various time delayed posts for when I’m away *DONE*
  • Related Posts *DONE*
  • XML Sitemaps *DONE*
  • Whatever else takes my fancy over at the Plugin Directory
• New Background image *DONE*
• Code Random Header Image Script to Variate Header Image

It’s better to be doing something productive whilst I can do feck all at home. Nothing on telly bar Top Gear repeats…that I’ve already seen!

The obervent amongst you would have noticed that the blog has been offline for the past few days - basically we were subject to a hack effort which resulted in the blog being taken offline by the Datacentre (and they never bothered to notify me neither!).

So basically the hacker proceeded to upload malicious files onto the server, mainly phishing related - I noticed this a few days prior to being taken offline on one of my other websites hosted on the server and brought it to the notification of the server administrators - I thought they might beef up security, ban some IP’s, or do something. No, that costs money, and all the administrator is interest in is profit - letting his clients go way down the list of his priorities isn’t going to get him far! Remember what the doormouse said - feed your head (whatever that means).

I’ve been too busy lately to be dealing with the middle men who haven’t a clue what’s going on - the server admin hires anyone any 12 year old with access to a computer and basic English as a Support Rep! I’ve sent around 15 emails to various support reps, the datacentre, as well as the server administrator - none of the above have responded! That’s charming isn’t it? I pay THEM to host my websites and for the apparent 24/7 live support and 99.5% guaranteed uptime. Hmm there are countless times when my websites have been offline and the ‘live support’ is set to BUSY.

I think I will be hosting on Irish soil from now on - afterall support is only a phonecall away, and you’re talking to someone who knows what they’re on about. It’s a little more expensive but I think from here on in it’s worth the investment. I’m presently on an emergency hosting account which I have on Hosting365 until I get around to sorting out some permanent hosting - will get onto a few sites to see what deals there are

Until then please bear with me whilst I get the backup online. I’m having difficulty uploading the database at the moment as my internet is patchy to say the least and has been for the past two days - will be moving to Digiweb soon *hopefully*. IBB is doing my head in, every so often it gets stroppy and refuses to connect or will suddenly crash. And the Vodafone Mobile B/B isn’t much better neither - so Digiweb seems like a good alternative (a neighbour moved to them recently and is happy with them).

To top it all my car has cost me a fortune on parts - have’nt time to fit them neither. Have to send the cylinder head off to a specialist to get it refaced and ported before refitting with a new head gasket, and manifold. Fitting an alarm system I got off eBay has been a nightmare as it’s not earthing properly meaning it won’t arm! And a few bits and pieces I bought off eBay (mainly tools) have yet to arrive despite being ordered from the UK 14 days ago - and my paying for premium postage!

Roll on August 19th - off to Spain for a week of relaxation…

I’d just like to point out, that this post is my personal opinion and experience and doesn’t reflect whatsoever on FireStats - just a disclaimer so the nice people at FireStats don’t go taking my house for my bad mouthing of them

Anyway, I’ve taken the decision to uninstall FireStats from my blogs, I’ve taken this decision after encountering numerous problems with the plugin, mainly with the load it puts on my database and subsequently my website.

Other errors included fatal errors resulting in having to reinstall the plugin - my idea of a stats plugin is it records information over a long period and emits graphs etc… However, it isn’t that effective when you’ve to often reinstall the bloody thing!

It also doesn’t record some visits, I’ve checked this out by logging on to the blog on a friends computer and upon returning home it hadn’t logged the visit - where it logs most actions from my IP and certainly others, it often fails to record some.

I’ve decided to resort back to the ol’ reliable Google Analytics - I’ve found over the time period it has performed well, as I’ve kept it active as I have with FireStats.

Don’t go flaming me saying I should have installed the latest version etc…, well infact I have tried the latest version as well as the BETA version and found them both to have the same problems. Don’t get me wrong, FireStats is a great concept, just needs to fix those bugs, and until then I’ll be sticking with Google Analytics!

In the past I had a Twitter account, but I never seen the usefulness of it and thought that it was one of those fly-by-night setups, like most of the blog addons these days! Although, with myself planning to be away alot during the coming summer I would like to keep you updated on what I’m doing and when.

So the thought arose of Twitter as a quick update system, with mobile blogging in the process - although I wouldn’t really fancy seeing my phone bill afterwards… Email blogging perhaps? This may be the only solution, as I don’t want to log into my ACP on a strange computer - I’ve had a forum hacked from some dodgy fecker getting into the ACP from a strange computer which I was using.

Anyways, feel free to join me on Twitter - add me, respond, do whatever. I’m new to it, so I haven’t picked up anything more than posting using a Firefox plugin and from SMS message on my phone… :ponder:

On a final note, I’m nearly finished my exams. All has gone fairly well until today, had Irish and Accounting on Tuesday - both fairly easy exams, although the higher level Trading, Profit and Loss account tripped me up a bit. Irish went okay, I have some Irish anyway so it made it that bit easier. And then the dreaded higher level French - Did ‘okay’ in the verbs (all tenses), crap in Diary Entry, not great in Letter, and ‘okay’ on two Reading comprehensions.

But I’m putting all that behind me for History and Business tomorrow - my final two exams, and probably my two best subjects. All that’s on the History is two essays out of seven choices and Business is mainly communication and trade disputes/laws :thumbsup:

I’ve taken the executive decision of moving all of my blogging over to here, why? Well I feel having a personal domain name (hence, Aaron Donohoe (dot) Com) could help my online presence dramatically. The reason madringo.com never took off - beside the fact I never was that bothered with it, was that the name was often misspelt - and the main factor for that was that it meant nothing really!

The only problem I can see with this domain is the common error in the name Donohoe - the various variations being Donohoe, Donahue, Donoghue, etc… - maybe it would be a wise move to invest in those names later on…

The official move wont take place until sometime later in the month. As I’ve to secure a few bits and pieces, such as a new server, and some further plugins have to be configured and not forgetting I’ve to allow present advertisers on madringo.com to get their monies worth.

So come Mid-June, madringo.com will be completely inactive. And redirected to here, but it will be open from the move until then to facilitate and passing traffic etc…

Any opinions on the move? Wise or Wrong choice?

Well feck all progress has been made in obtaining a database dump from my old host. Apparently, the server owner has frozen all account actions, so nobody can get nothing from the server. Needless to say, I’m not the only one in this situation, I’ve paid my fees in full and in advance, and so have friends of mine who are also setup on this guys servers - although they backup their blogs bi-weekly…unlike me!

On the brightside, only my blog was the only website I forgot to backup. My client websites were backed up the day prior to the server suspension. So they’re on this server happy as Larry as there aren’t many changes to interface, nor to nameservers - I sorted everything under cover of darkness!

I’m presently in talks to secure a VPS server for a couple months, until everything quietens down. As I don’t offer hosting anymore, I’m only hosting clients whom I manage their websites, blogs and forums. But if this VPS comes through I may consider entering the field of hosting again to make some extra income during the summer - if I don’t seek employment!

Whoever said blogging wasn’t stressful?

I’ve temporarily setup base camp over here, on my alter ego domain! As after some disputes between my hosting provider and the server owner for madringo.com, everything was lost when my hosting provider had his services ‘discontinued’, without warning to any of his reseller account holders (me).

So basically, the blog I spent nearly three years updating, running and using as my vent on life’s fury’s is provisionally lost and forgotten! Needless to say, “one is not pleased!”. Everything may be lost if this dispute cannot be resolved, or if I cannot obtain a backup. I’m not bothered about my hosted sites, as they’re backed up, but as usual I forgot get a backup of my blog at the time, so it’s partially my fault the blog was lost!

Not to worry, if worst comes to worst, I’ll simply move over to my alternative hosting - where this and a few other of my websites are hosted. It’s reliable and I don’t think it will collapse in on itself…

…well infact I do! Approximately two weeks ago, I was interviewed alongside other leaving cert bloggers to give my opinion on a number of leaving cert study-help related websites and services. I was contacted and interviewed by Gráinne Faller, a journalist for the Irish Times. Below is a scan (a bad one, my copy of the Times was passed around…alot!) of my ‘piece’. The name is slightly misspelt - a common mistake with the many variations of Donohoe, Donohue, Donahue, Donoghue, etc…

As well as myself, other bloggers were interviewed such as our good friend Mark Walsh and Kevin Holler.

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