How to Backup Your Pages
If you use an online service to host your blog or web site, and none of my step-by-step "how to backup" pages cover your situation, then this page should help you figure out how to make your own backups.
First of all, to be clear, I'm talking about hosted services where you don't need to install or take of the software. You just sign into your account and start creating pages. This is a different approach than if you have a web hosting service or your own web server and you've installed some CMS software. If you've done that, then take a look at how to backup your site and see if I have detailed instructions for your software.
Secondly, if you are using wordpress.com, blogger.com or typepad.com then you're in luck. You don't need to figure it out for yourself; just follow the links to get step-by-step backup instructions.
I suppose this is a page of last resorts. I can't give you detailed instructions, but I can tell you what to look for.
To start, sign into your account and look around the "dashboard" or "administration" areas. You're looking for an option that says "backup" (wouldn't that be easy) or "export" (since that's just a one-time copy of your pages and posts). Often times, these options are under the "Settings" or "Tools" menu.
If you can't find the option by just poking around, then go to the site's help system and search for "backup" or "export". Often times, the site will tell you how to do it because they know this is important.
In fact, even if you find the option on your own, you should check out the documentation. Pay special attention to the caveats and limitations, because most of the time an export or backup will not include all of your content. Templates and images are usually left behind.
Once you've made your first backup, you should make it a habit to repeat the process on a regular basis. If you post once a week, then you should probably make a backup once or twice a month. That way, you'll only loose one or two posts if something happens between backups.
You should include the date in the name of each backup file (for example, "myblog-2010-01-02.xml"). That way, you can easily tell which backups are getting old and can be deleted. Definitely don't save each backup to the same name, because you might need to go back to an older copy. Imagine if you wrote an important post on the 5th, you did a backup on the 10th, and then discovered that post was missing on the 11th. If you always save your backup to the same name, then that post is gone for good. But if you use the date in the name, then you can go back to the backup before the 10th and recover the missing post.
This example also points out why it is important to make backups frequently. If you wait too long, then you could create an important post and accidentally delete it before the next backup. If that happens, then your backup copies will not help at all.
The bottom line is that you need to balance the inconvenience of making backups with the safety of having a copy in case disaster strikes.
I'd like to hear if this was helpful. Please leave a comment and tell me what service you use, and if you were able to make a backup. If I get enough interest in certain services, I can add them to the "how to" for everyone to share.