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Website Updates

Posted on February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 By Tom 4 Comments on Website Updates
Miscellaneous

Over the weekend I made some changes to the website, which I hope will improve the reading experience for everyone. About a year ago I had a hack attack on the site. I was able to get things mostly restored, but there were still some issues.

Comments were the biggest problem. Visitors weren’t able to leave comments and would get an error message. That has now been fixed. you can now leave comments. These are moderated, so I don’t let just anything go live. I missed the interaction with readers, who often provide additional insight and information. I’m glad that’s back.

I’ve changed the theme. I may keep tweaking it until I get what I like, but for the time being this will do. I’ve added some additional navigation tools to the right sidebar.

Back in the ancient history of this site I had absolutely no storage space. There was room enough for the code and text, but not for the number of photos I tend to post. I got a Flickr account mainly so that I could post photos to this blog. With this most recent update to the website I will now be hosting most of my photos locally. This gives me some flexibility to created galleries and different layouts, as well as facilitating my writing process.

I’m still going to upload photos to Flickr. I think it’s a much better option than Instagram (which I absolutely hate) and other social media options. I have over 75,000 images there, so why stop now? However, this does divorce the website from Flickr, so if something should happen to it, then I can continue to write content here.

May be an image of wading bird and nature

Storing the photos locally also improves my photography portfolio page. I’ve tried several different gallery plugins to bring things over from Flickr, but they all seem to stop working after awhile. I’m hoping this is a more long-term solution.

Apart from the navigation stuff, most of the changes are on the back-end. Users won’t notice too many differences, but it makes things easier for me. That means more content for you guys. Hope you enjoy.

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4 thoughts on “Website Updates”

  1. David Fridy says:
    February 15, 2021 at 7:34 pm

    Tom,
    Glad you are back posting again. I have followed your site since I found little Earl Martin on your site years ago.
    Related to abandoned cemeteries, have you visited Fishdam Cemetery just East of Carlisle, SC?
    Best,
    David F

    Reply
    1. Tom says:
      February 15, 2021 at 8:58 pm

      Hi David! After last year’s hack I got the website back online, but it was kind of like putting a tarp over a leaking roof. During this pandemic I just didn’t have motivation to get it done, but seeing comments like yours makes me glad to get back to it.

      I have not visited Fishdam, but I have been to Carlisle. I’ll try to get back out that way.

      Reply
  2. Daniel Brinneman says:
    February 16, 2021 at 7:32 am

    Yay! I can finally leave a comment. I tried many times and got that error. WordPress and Jetpack combined have a good mix of gallery choices, even without Jetpack, WordPress has a nice gallery within the block editor. You can embed FineArtAmerica if you pay the premium. Use a compression plugin to make all your image sizes smaller and keep best resolution, saves on storage space. Don’t use the same password everywhere even on the connecting database and WordPress password. Generate salt for your wp-config file. Don’t use admin as a username. Don’t use something simple or easy to remember. Use an external password manager like LastPass or 1Password.

    Reply
  3. Faye Pepper says:
    February 16, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I’m so glad I’ll be able to comment now. I have tried in the past, but . . . I enjoy reading your posts. Look forward to seeing more in the future.

    Reply

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