Blogging & Social Media

We Now Resume Our Regularly Scheduled Blogcast

blog_comics_4.jpg

If you’ve been wondering where An American in Lima has been for the past month — I’m pleased to say the site’s back and running fine. I didn’t know how much I loved blogging until a temporary software glitch prevented me from doing so.

A number of emails and queries built up in my in-box over the last 30 days while I was trying to fix my blog. If you sent me a contact form and I haven’t gotten back to you yet: My apologies. I will be answering messages over the next two weeks. Thanks for your patience.

What sent this site into hibernation was a bug in a recent version of WordPress software that I installed in late March. I update my blogging software regularly but something in WordPress version 2.7 made it impossible for search engines to find any of my posts. All of the URLs that I had created over the last year suddenly were broken, much to my (and readers’) frustration.

I spent weeks on WordPress forums, posting questions and driving the programming experts there crazy as none of their suggestions could actually solve things on my end.

As a random last resort, I upgraded again to an even newer version of WordPress, and for a reason that no experienced person can tell me, that new install turned everything back to normal again.

I don’t know who the Patron Saint of Blogging is, but my thanks to him or her. It’s good to be back.

I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.

6 Comments

  • Margaret

    Great news! I discovered your site while you were off in WordPress limbo and am glad you’re back on track… I’m looking forward to reading more about your insights and experiences in Peru.

  • Angela

    Barbara; I was wondering as I tried to view your site the other day….glad you are okay and doing well.

  • Pico

    WOW! Does it mean I can shoot WordPress questions to you if I am in a pickle?

    Talking about technology, did you hear the one from previous Peruvian president Toledo? Apparently he said knew how to use a computer, but since he always portrayed himself as a nationalist, he said used a ‘cuy’ instead of a mouse.

    Have a nice weekend.

    Saludos

  • Barb

    Thanks, guys, it’s nice to be back […hugs…]

    Stu, thanks for trying to help me with the .htaccess file. That things wasn’t the problem, it turned out. It was the version of WP, which had a bug in it.

    Pico, you can throw any WP questions my way, but I feel totally humbled by the technology and why it’s working now, I don’t know. I should have done a “passan el cuy” with it.

    LOL re Toledo. I can’t believe he said that.

  • Pico

    Barb,

    Can I shoot you an offline message? It is about WordPress and multilingual setups and maybe you have some ideas.

    Saludos