This courtesy message is brought you by the same person who coined the phrase “Klingons sparkle on the inside.” I’ve never conducted an autopsy to find that particular detail out, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be curious. And please, no need to get upset, for I am a lover of all things Star Trek for its possibility and wonderment. If I had my choice, I would set every politician down and make them watch the original, then Star Trek the Next Generation, then the movies, and circle back to the remaining spin-off series — IN ORDER and PERPETUITY. Perhaps then we could get funding for science, space programs, and the like!
End public service message and mini-rant of a teeny, tiny size.
ANYHOO, back to the point of this post, which is this: ARCHIVE YOUR DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH. I have learned, over and over again, how easy it is to lose years of work with the erasure of a button or technological snafu. While the internet and your digital footprint is for-ever and ever and ever, your writing may not be. I’ve written for Sony, and recently learned that they killed their blog which, in turn, killed my links to samples I was quite proud of. I also penned a few articles for Game Politics back in the day, which morphed under the arm of the Entertainment Consumer’s Association, and the stars-only-know where the hell my original articles went. (This is my fault, to be sure.)
But it’s not just guest articles I’m referring to. FOR THE LOVE OF CYBERTRON, BACK UP YOUR WEBSITE ON A REGULAR BASIS. You never know when a server could go down, when your site could be hacked, or when lightning strikes your server. (I don’t think lightning strikes hackers, by the way. They probably have armor of indeterminate size.) You spend a *lot* of time writing things down online, when it goes? That’s a lot of words and energy and time that could disappear in less time than it takes to retweet a link.
This is also part of the reason why I advocate the need for your own domain that YOU control with your OWN content on it. You cannot, unless you’re Mark Zuckerberg, control/back up Facebook. Twitter, Reddit, forums, etc. These are the flotsam and jetsam online. This is why I seriously feel that a domain you own is in your best interests, because your time is valuable and, if you’re a creative, your content even more so.
That doesn’t mean other sites like Tumblr, Blogger, Twitter, Pinterest, and the like aren’t worth exploring or leveraging. A multi-pronged approach typically works best when providing content online, after all. All I’m saying, is that if you do put quantities and volumes of content on other domains — find a way to digitally archive it. SERIOUSLY. If you’re a writer, remember your articles “could” be used for portfolio purposes or you can republish/re-purpose elsewhere pending the terms of your digital publication contract, too.
In conclusion, you have nothing to lose when you publish online — but your words, pictures, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. Digital archives are crucial to the survival of publishing on the internet. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
- Mood: I mini-ranted! Probably should have channeled that into my writing. Oh well. How’d I do? Dramatic enough or not enough Prospero?
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Is coffee supposed to glow? Seriously, folks. I think it’s radioactive today.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I was good, I was good, I was good.
In My Ears: My She-Ra power playlist
Game Last Played: Tetris
Movie Last Viewed: The Raven
Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press