So our blog has taken a beating lately, from several fronts:
> We haven’t done much posting, and none at all since February (in part because we just didn’t and in part because it didn’t make sense in the middle of all of the rest of what I’ll write)
> It got hacked. A bunch of spam links were added to posts but in a way where the links were hidden. About the time we figured out what was going on, the posts started disappearing.
> We were overloaded in comment spam. This broke the databases that power the blog.
> We were using WAY outdated blogging software. We were bracing ourselves for a nasty upgrade process from WordPress 1.5.x to 2.7.x but were pleasantly surprised at the ease with which we went to 2.6. Still have to get to 2.7, but that should be easy. (Famous last words)
> We thought we wanted to move the blog to pastabroccoli.net/blog. We DID move the blog. Then we changed our minds. Oops. But now we’re back where we should be.
> We welcomed our son, Maxence, into the world on April 6th. No complaints. But thinking about fixing our blog took a back seat for a while. That didn’t stop us from posting photos and videos, though!
But as of right now, 5:15pm Toronto time on April 22nd, we’re in good shape. The blog is where we want it, running current (if not the absolute latest) software, I have enabled a powerful spam blocker, cleared hidden spam from posts and even restored the formerly-hiding posts. Sound like a mouthful? Sorry. But I’ve learned a lot in the process.
So, next steps…
> Finish the upgrade to 2.7.x. Like I say, this should be easy (knock on wood). I just won’t do it until I make another backup that includes this post :)
> Change the look. We have a much different online presence now thanks to Twitter (riam and jft), the blogging I do on blogTO, Facebook and so on. Plus we want to feature photos and videos and our current space to do that is too narrow. Hopefully it won’t be too long before you start noticing some changes, and improved usability.
> Blog about life with Max!! We both have been inspired to write, but it wasn’t really possible in the middle of all this mess. But now there are no more excuses.
So bear with us (mostly me) as we make some changes, and if you find anything that seems weird, wrong or not working, definitely let us know.
