ninjaBlog Setup

In this post I’ll cover how to get your blog upgraded to version 2.7 using the Instant Upgrade plugin. If you site was setup by Ninja Blog Setup, then Instant Upgrade was installed when we setup your site.

The Risks When Upgrading

There are always risks when upgrading your blog, especially a major upgrade. The worst case scenario is that you would need to completely roll back to the older version and restore your database from a BACKUP.

Minor problems that could be faced are plugins that are not compatible, errors in your theme, or general brokenness in the admin area.

At the bottom of this post, I’ll give you some pointers for where to get help for these problems (unfortunately Ninja Blog Setup is only a blog installation service, and we do not provide support of any kind).

Step 1. Getting Started

One plugin that I know is not compatible with WordPress 2.7 and needs to be disabled before you upgrade is called “Plug Installer”

You’ll need to go to the Plugins page on the dashboard and de-activate it. We usually do de-activate it at the end of our install process, but go and make sure just to be safe, you can also delete it, once it has been de-activated, as you won’t be using it again.

Once you have de-activated the “Plug Installer” plugin, then continue from here.

Step 2. Cover Your Butt – Backup!

Using the backup plugin installed under Manage / Plugins, go and take a backup (make sure the checkboxes for all the tables are selected) and download the backup to your computer. Once it has finished go to the location you saved the file and verify that it exists.

Once you have created a backup and verified that it is safely on your computer, then continue from here.

Step 3. Perform the Upgrade

This video covers how to actually use the Instant Upgrade plugin to upgrade to version 2.7 of WordPress.

Click the Image or here to watch the video.

If you get any errors, skip this part and read on down below for where to get some help and debug the problems.

Once the upgrade has completed and everything looks cool, check out my video tour of the new WordPress 2.7 admin area and new features to find out what’s not.

(Step 4. Disaster Strikes & Everything Went Wrong)

Deep breath…

Every blog that Ninja Blog Setup has installed has been sending a backup to your primary email once a week since it was setup, so even if your were extremely crazy and didn’t heed my warning to take one before you began, you should still have a fairly recent one that you can use to restore your site.

Getting Help

Theme is broken or not displaying correctly – Contact the author of of the theme, usually there is a link to them in the admin area under “Theme” and then  it will be the top theme, since it is the currently active one.

Plugins causing error or not functioning correctly – this is common during major version upgrades. The only thing you can do really is to disable the plugin(s) and wait for the plugin creator to come out with a new version to fix the issues. You can also search for alternatives, since most popular plugins have at least 2 or 3 competitors.

Errors Everywhere or Error Script on The Page – here you have 3 options:

1. Free support on the WordPress support forums. Step one is to search for your error, chances are very high that someone else already had the same problem. If you don’t find it then post a CLEAR discription of your error, and a link to your site, and generally some friendly person will help you out.
2. Hire a WordPress Pro. Visit the WordPress pro’s page and follow the steps to send a email requesting help and asking for bids to troubleshoot and fix the problem. You’ll usually receive a lot of emails from great people willing to help for a very reasonable fee.
3. Hire Joel. Joel offer a blog help desk and can help you fix anything for a fee.

Hope this helps and that your upgrade goes smoothly. I think you’ll find WordPress 2.7 is well worth the time as the many new features will save you time and make blogging more fun!

This video is an overview of the dashboard area of WordPress version 2.7.

I’ve also demonstrated what I think is the best new feature of WP 2.7 and that is the ability to search for, and install new Plugins from right inside the WordPress dashboard.

A word of caution however – don’t get a case of “Pluginitis.” Just because it is easy, don’t install 300 plugins. If your blog is brand new, sure try them out, but once your blog gets more established, in general the fewer plugins the better, as it will just slow your blog down and open up potential errors and security problems to have too many plugins installed.

Click the image or here for a video tour of the WordPress 2.7 Dashboard

Here are a couple other resources for getting to know the new WordPress a little better:

1. WordPress 2.7 Upgrade Tips by Lorelle
2. 2.7 the official release video on Ma.tt
3. First Look At WordPress 2.7 on Weblogs Tools

I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about all the changes and the new look of WordPress 2.7, but overall I think if you spend some time getting to know it, you’ll find that there are a lot of major improvements.

The only thing that seems like an obvious oversight is to be able to install new themes automatically the way you can with the plugins (fingers crossed for this one in the near future).

When I came across Ninja Blog Setup I was very impressed with the three-way-win business model – the hosting company gets a new customer, Ninja Blog Setup gets an affiliate commission for providing the new customer, and best of all you get your blog setup for free.

While I was only expecting a basic setup of a Wordpress blog, Jon from Ninja Blog Setup provided much more.

I had a slight hiccup signing up with the hosting service which with Jon’s advice I was able to resolve very quickly. And then in almost no time at all Jon had the blog setup and ready to go. But it didn’t end there – Jon then sent a very comprehensive and excellent email explaining the steps to make my blog uniquely mine.

This email was probably the best part as it gave me the resources to pick my theme, tune the plugins, register my sitemap with Google, and everything else to own and run my blog. I am thoroughly enjoying blogging and have Jon and Ninja Blog Setup to thank for getting me to this point so quickly and smoothly.

Thanks again for your help Jon.

Brendon

www.unexpectedidea.com

You did a great job setting up my website. Due to theme changes, I have a
couple of issues that I created and need to correct, but overall I love my
website.

As a tech-challenged website newbie, I had no idea how to go about setting up a
site. You had everything up and running within 24 hours. It has been a blast
adding content and trying to settle in at my new home.

I have several ideas for a couple of sites and will contact you very soon.

Thanks again for everything.

Edie : www.eldercarecafe.net

As a student of the Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind mentoring program, setting up a Wordpress blog was one of the first action points. Having dabbled with Typepad in a previous blog-life the technical side of creating a blog didn’t terrify me, but rather sucked the hours from my day as I basically learnt as I went along. However, the old adage “jack of all trades, master of none” rings very true with techie stuff and this time around I chose to follow Yaro’s advice on outsourcing where possible, and signed up with Ninja Blog Setup (personally recommended by Yaro) to do the set up.

Within 24 hours of signing up…and my blog was done! Ninja Blog Setup truly made the process hassle-free from the start and I got a super-quick response to a query I had too. I would highly recommend this service – even for the seasoned blogger - as it has been a true timesaver for me.

Thank you Ninja for a great service!

Here’s a testimonial from a recent blog we setup:

When I decided to start a blog, I had no idea where to begin. From deciding on a host and arranging the
set-up, Ninja Blog Setup came highly recommended.

Thanks to Ninja, I was up and running in 24 hours. With great service and videos to address the common problems, Ninja Blog Setup eliminated the fear of technology when starting a blog.

Now I have something that is functional and well suited not only to my taste but to my brand. Thanks Ninja!

Laura Major
sablelitreviews.com

Laura’s site looks fantastic already, amazing for a brand new blog, so check it out.

Dear Ninja Blog,

I didn’t know the first thing about setting up a blog and was completely overwhelmed until I found you. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for what you did.I went from having nothing to posting within 24 hours. My gratitude is beyond words and I’m totally in love with my blog. You even went the extra mile for me when we ran in to an issue with DreamHost. You could have let me fend for myself and deal with it on my own, but instead, you went to bat for me and handled all the
“technical” correspondence I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.

You’re just one of those people who truly cares and my blog wouldn’t “be” without you so thank you…you are truly amazing!

Visit: Shineyourheart.com

I am happy to make my first post in this blog in gratitude to Ninja Blog Setup service.

I found about Ninja when I searched for Word Press Installation Service in Google. I have signed for a hosting package with BlueHost through Ninja Blog Setup. As a token of appreciation, this blog was set up in less than 24 hours with 50 popular themes and several important plugins.

Without their support, I would not have seen this blog. I am very happy with their service and I thank them sincerely.

Visit “The Shelters” and welcome Malathi to the Blogosphere!

Another testimonial from a very cool blog that I was proud to setup:

I just wanted to send a message to thank you for an awesome set-up. All I wanted to do was write and post and you made that possible. Coming from a non-technical background you made it easy to understand and I am learning more everyday. I will definitely be recommending your service to every one I know.

Thanks to Darrel for the kind words…be sure and check out the blog: Single Mom Sports Tips

Well actually I usually setup about 5 blogs a week, but only a certain number send in a testimonial.

Here’s how Sherrie described her experience with Ninja Blog Setup:

This is not my first blog setup, but it was certainly the easiest and most complete I’ve experienced. Jon took care of all those techie things I don’t understand – and he did it quickly and inexpensively. Not only that, he was gracious when I thought things were messed up that weren’t! Possibly the best money I’ve ever spent on the internet!

Even though they are new, she has packed both sites with useful information already. I’m seriously impressed. Check out Sherrie’s blogs:

Million Dollar Follow Up

Burnout To Blastoff

[btw. For blog setup orders, the first blog setup is free with sign-up for hosting from our links, and I'll do a second blog setup for only an additional $30]