Copying a WordPress site to another location

wp-duplicator-wp

I had a few articles in mind for this month but looks like I run out of time. This article is actually something that was rather complex but has been made very simple thanks to a WordPress plug-in. I want to back up and restore my WordPress site to another host with a different URL. For example, if I wanted to build a site on one server and then transfer it to another. It would normally require a lot of database update queries if the URL changed. The Duplicator WP

Dodgy WordPress new user registrations

Site Registration

Over the last 6 months or so, I’ve been getting a few new user registrations on my WordPress blog every day or so. When I got a few on the same day, I got suspicious. So, I checked them out and found they were all suspicious. The username caught my attention as I thought, “Why would anyone add numbers to their name when they don’t need to”. It’s not like I have a lot of users and all names have gone. I figured that they must have been automated. I

Switching from HTTP to HTTPS in WordPress

WordPress-https-logo

This short article goes through the simple steps to move your WordPress website from HTTP to HTTPS yourself without using plug-ins or other tools. With the increased pressure from internet browser manufacturers to move content to a secure web, the switch is important for those wanting a higher search ranking or performing any action other than basic information. There’s no magic involved in this move and I don’t go into details of all the things that you can do, I just show you how to get your website up and

EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

gdpr

I’ve been meaning to write for a while from the perspective of website owners and operators about the new European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force May 25, 2018. This is following my previous post “What effect does the GDPR have on my website” in which I looked at cookies. I’ve seen articles pointing out the highlights of GDPR just rewriting the articles using different language so I’ll try not to do that. I will keep it brief, using simple language and where possible will

Chrome will show ‘Not Secure’ warning for HTTP forms

Chrome Not Secure Warning

Google have started emailing webmasters to let them know about their plan for all web traffic to be delivered through an encrypted channel. This means delivering all web pages via HTTPS rather than HTTP. They are modifying their Google Chrome browser and have already made some changes earlier in the year. If a form delivered by standard text (HTTP) has a credit card or password field then Chrome already flags up in the address bar that it is ‘NOT SECURE’. The next step comes in October 2017 with the release

My experience using the Duolingo German language course

duolingo_logo

When I added a websites section to my blog I always intended to showcase sites that I found interesting or useful. Today, I would like to walk through a website called Duolingo that helps language students keep their skills fresh. The site can be found at https://www.duolingo.com/ or on a mobile device using the respective application store. Four months ago, I thought I would see if I could learn a language from scratch just by using the Duolingo website and mobile app. In the past, I have learned a little

What effect does the GDPR have on my website

cookies-law

Today, I was contacted by a friend who was worried about gathering data on her blog and the effects that the future European data protect act (DPA) would have on this. As I was writing my response I thought that would be good to share on my blog so here it is. I take it you are referring to the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that will come into force in 2018 over-riding the UK’s own Data Protection Act. If the UK has not quit the EU

Technology blog moves to WordPress

Wordpress Logo Stacked RGB 620 x 400

Welcome to WordPress! After 3 years of developing and operating my own content management system (CMS), I have finally switched over to WordPress for my Pat Howe Technology Blog. Part of the reason for this was to make it easier to maintain but the main reason was to take advantage of all the great plug-ins available. I’m still in the process of converting three years’ worth of posts but I’m over 90% of the way through and couldn’t wait any longer to launch it. I didn’t go with a front

What do I need to do to get a company web presence?

Domain Hosting

As the New Year gets underway, I have been contacted quite a few times by people who are interested in domain names, email addresses and websites but they don’t know where to start. Perhaps a lot of people are starting new businesses in 2016 or maybe those running new businesses have realised that they need a web presence to compete regardless of the industry. What is a domain name? Why do I need hosting? What do I need to do to set up a company email address or a website?

Latest news and website work from My Web Minder

Recent Website Work

When if first started this site I had intended to write some updates about the work going on at Pat Howe Web Solutions which now trades as My Web Minder. However, after two years I still haven’t provided any news in that respect but I’m not going to list out all the work completed in the last two years as I want to make this short. Apart from registering domain names for people/businesses or setting up email/web hosting accounts, we’ve been adding bits and pieces or making changes to a