Essential Tips for Safeguarding Your Work: A Cautionary Tale
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Chapter 1: The Hard Lesson
I learned about the importance of backing up my work the hard way.
Working on a platform that offers a built-in story creator is incredibly beneficial. The ability to log into Medium anytime, from any device, to read, edit, and publish my drafts is something I truly value. However, I recently discovered that this convenience should not be taken for granted.
A platform I used for almost three years, similar to Medium, provided writers with various formatting options, including the ability to add text, images, videos, and even embed Tweets. To my utter shock, I learned that this site would soon be shutting down. I was devastated, as I had been a regular contributor, boasting over 260 articles and nearly 4 million views.
After the initial shock wore off, panic set in. The countless hours I had dedicated to building my journalism career seemed to be disappearing. Fortunately, the website staff implemented a feature allowing writers to generate PDFs of their articles. While I appreciated this, I found that some images were split across pages, and embedded content was often misaligned. Although I was relieved to preserve my work for my portfolio, the process of saving everything to my computer was going to be extremely time-consuming.
"The quick and easy solution"
As I mentioned earlier, having a built-in studio is invaluable, but taking the time to save your work locally right after publishing can save you a great deal of hassle if a platform unexpectedly shuts down.
There are various methods to achieve this. For instance, you can use document software to save your work. Mac users can utilize 'Pages,' while both Mac and Windows users have options like Microsoft Word (paid), Google Docs (free, up to 15GB), and Apache Open Office (also free). Transferring your work only takes a few minutes!
Alternatively, you can right-click on the page and select 'Print as PDF' on both Mac and Windows; however, this might result in a cluttered output if the page contains ads or if images get cropped.
Lastly, you can save each article as a web archive, allowing you to access the webpage even if the website ceases to exist.
Employing any of these strategies to back up your work is highly advisable to prevent the stress of losing your creations if a platform shuts down. Personally, I prefer saving my work as a document, but any method that keeps your content accessible will suffice.
Section 1.1: Important Considerations
While these techniques are effective for preserving your work, it’s crucial to consider where your files are stored. For instance, Google Drive is entirely cloud-based, meaning your files are stored on Google's servers. Should anything happen to these servers, such as a malfunction or disaster, your work could be lost forever. The same applies to Microsoft Word if you use their cloud services.
If you choose to save in the cloud, ensure you also keep a local copy on your computer. In Google Docs, this can be done by pasting your article into a document, navigating to File > Download, and selecting your preferred format.
If your computer lacks sufficient storage for all your work, investing in a reliable external hard drive is wise. Keep it in a safe place to prevent damage. Additionally, consider creating a portfolio website to showcase your work, although this also carries the risk of losing data if not backed up.
It's also advisable to maintain a second backup for extra security in case your computer fails.
Subsection 1.1.1: Final Thoughts
Taking the time to save your work locally is a worthwhile investment. Making it a habit to do so every time you publish can save you significant headaches in the future and simplify the process of sharing your work. If you value your writing, consider backing up your drafts as well!
It took me over an hour to save just 80 of my 266 articles from that other platform, and I regret not having prioritized this earlier. Don’t repeat my mistake—protect your work. You may not be as fortunate as I was.
The first video, "The Definitive Guide to Backing Up Your PC," offers comprehensive strategies for ensuring your data remains secure and accessible.
The second video, "How and Why to Backup Your Data," explains the importance of data backups and provides practical methods to implement them effectively.