I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve run into substantial technical issues with this site and I’ve been having a difficult time diagnosing and fixing the problems.
I upgraded the blog to the new version of WP last week, and it hasn’t worked quite right since.
The EU forum has completely disappeared, and has apparently been hacked.
I’m so sorry about this. I’m working to try and resolve these issues. If anyone can offer help/advice/IT expertise/a box of tissues, please send my way asap.
-Maria Schneider
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for the update. Some of us have been trying to register on this site in order to enter the “Why We Write” contest but no joy. I wish I could offer help but am completely tech illiterate. Hope you get the issues resolved soon.
As to the contest, have you considered alternatives, such as extending the deadline, or some other way/place to post our essays? Four days left before the contest closes, as it stands now.
Thanks, and good luck with fixing the site!
I can’t offer you any technical help with the sites problems but I CAN offer up some MORAL SUPPORT!!! Good Luck, Keep your chin up, way to go slugger, break a leg….**Laughing**
As I come up with more I will post to keep the moral going….. :-)
Have a wonderful, sunny, happy, delightful DAY!
E. Burks
Hi Maria,
Try the following:
1) In WordPress, disable ALL plugins and see if any/all of the site functionality returns.
1.1) If the site functions normally with all plugins disabled, it’s a question of adding one plugin and reloading the site to see which plugin is affecting your site.
2) If the problems still remain with all plugins disabled, switch to the default (original) WP theme and see if things work correctly. If site functionality does return with the default theme, then you may need to contact the person who built your theme to see if they have a compatibility fix for the latest version of WP.
3) If your site still doesn’t function correctly with plugins disabled and using the default theme, it’s time to look at vBulletin specifically.
What version of vBulletin are you using?
Have you upgraded vBulletin from an earlier version to the version you now have?
Maria, I upgraded to the new WP 2.9, but had to do the manual, full upgrade to get it done. The automatic upgrade did not work for me. My site is operating correctly. After upgrading, WP will update your database. Perhaps your upgrade was not complete.
Brent
@Brent, thanks, I’m going to try to do the manual WP upgrade and see if that helps.
@Mark, I’ll try disabling plugins too. I have a support request in with the VBulletin support team. They detected a security flaw and released a patch this week so I’m wondering if the security hole was exploited. I’ll post an update as soon as I hear anything.
And thanks all for the moral support. Always helpful. :)
Good luck, Maria. Go get those IT misfits!
Thanks for letting us know. I’ve been quite concerned. Unfortunately, I don’t have the technical know-how to actually help, but you can have all the Kleenex and sympathy I can muster!
Lea Tassie
Maria,
I’m so sorry you’re having these problems. I would get in touch with Joel Williams, the “Blog Tech Guy” ASAP. He is a Wordpress expert and has worked on my Thesis blog. You need the “big guns” Maria, and I wouldn’t hesitate to get him (or equivalent) in to get you up and running.
Here’s his contact url:
http://www.blogtechguy.com/contact/
or email him at joel@blogtechguy.com
Hope you’re up soon, we miss you!
They have upgraded the upgrade already as they quickly found out about new bugs. Might be worth getting the new version if none of the above works for you.
Ya! Wordpress is working fine now–thanks to GoDaddy helping me out! Now I have a support request in with VBulletin to help fix the forum and hope that goes as smoothly.
I am so sorry for you, Maria. Not the best way to enjoy the Christmas season. I miss the forum, contest or not. It really tees me off that someone hacked you. Hopefully vBulletin will step up and get it sorted out. Best of luck.
~jon
Hi, Maria. I’m so sorry you’re having this problem, but glad you’re on track to getting it fixed. I can’t tell you how much I miss the forum.
All the best,
Warren
Thanks, Maria. Glad to read about the technical issues — not glad that you are having them, just happy to know that it’s not my computer or connection and relieved that you haven’t restricted me from the site for some reason. Hope you are able to get up and running soon. I’ve been away & miss the interaction.
So sorry to hear you’re going through this. My only suggestion would be to get in touch with MacAllister Stone of Absolute Write. (http://twitter.com/AbsoluteWrite) She seems to know the right IT people to deal with vBulletin issues. Perhaps she can offer insight.
Good luck!
Thanks for letting us know Maria, and I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I hope all is resolved soon – I miss the forums too!
Here’s your tissue, and some hugs.
Keep a cool head and eventually it will all come right again. In the meantime – here’s one person quite content to sit and wait until it does.
Don’t stress – you’re doing a good job and it’s appreciated. :)
Dang Maria, that’s a lump of coal in your stocking. Sorry the site’s all bollixed up, but glad you’ve got a partial victory. Hope everything’s smoothed out soon, and there’s some Happy coming in the New Year.
Bad news. Sorry to hear about your difficulties. I hope you can get this taken care of soon. In the meantime, I’ll be in and out checking on your progress. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait.
Laurel
Not sure if this is of any use, being I’m not much of a techno wizard myself, but… when I first clicked on your forum page, my virus scanning software signaled that it caught and killed a Trojan virus. I never really thought anything else about it, until reading about your problems. Perhaps it’s a virus you have on your computer? If you haven’t already considered this — my heart goes out to you. I’m asking Archangel Michael to help you out. Sometimes you need a little higher assistance.
Maria, what a terrible Christmas present for you. I’m so sorry! Thanks for letting us know. I think everyone had been really worried.
My goodness! I’m sorry to hear about the technical difficulties and especially sorry to hear about the forum disappearing. I hope you get all the issues sorted out soon. Good luck!
Jai
Can’t offer much more than a tissue, Maria, though several members have happily been able to provide much more solid advice.
If you need any menial work done in the meantime, let me know. I can retype stuff, copy files, and click buttons with the best of them.
–John
I’m not a techie but, I am a healer. I will send great healing energy your way along with a box of tissue which I buy by the case. Okay…transmitting energy now.
Hugs to you Maria. You must feel awful. Miss you and hope Santa brought you the support you need… Peace, Linda
I’m so sorry you’re having such hassles, Maria. Sending good wishes and virtual tissues your way.
Thanks for the heads up, Maria. What a shame this should happen at a time the essay contest has generated so much interest. I hope your site hasn’t been hacked, or otherwise tampered with. Much continued success.
Dear Maria,
I was excited to enter this contest after I stumbled upon it earlier this week. Unfortunately, it looks like your forum’s tech problems might prevent me from posting my essay. Is it possible to email the entry to you within the text of the email by the deadline to have it qualify? Of course it could then be posted to the forum after the trouble has passed.
Cordially,
Well, that just bites – as popular parlance has it.
Sorry to read of the hacking, Maria. I was concerned when I noticed the forum was blank and now far more irritated to realize that someone hacked it on you.
Best wishes to you and hopes for a better start to 2010 than the end of 2009 turned out to be. This site and the forum are premier destinations for writers/writing – and you are missed.
The new version of WP completely messed up my site and I had to go back to the previous version. I was either getting only a sidebar to display or a blank white screen.