Ask and You Shall Receive

2009 October 5
tags: , ,
by Grace Boyle

Remember how I have trouble asking for help?

On Sunday I was playing around on my blog, writing a few posts and going along with my October goals by updating and adding a few plugins. I went to add the Feedburner Feedsmith plugin and boom, warning messages attack my blog header (so it’s live for all to see). As I panic I quickly delete the plugin, warning message is still live and then I can’t access my WordPress admin.

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I’m sitting in a room with a couple of my girlfriends. A few are intently studying the other is working on a project for a non-profit she’s starting up. None of them blog or can even begin to fathom what just happened.

I began to feel uncomfortable that I didn’t know how to fix the problem. I feel very alone. I’m solution based but soon realize as I troubleshoot in the forums that even Googling my problem isn’t going to work. I’m stuck. I’m not even sure who I could call. It’s a Sunday afternoon. So I tweet for help. The next best way, right?

Within one minute, along comes Ken Dawes. He doesn’t know me, we’re not even following each other on Twitter and he offers his assistance. I see that he’s a Web Mechanic and specializes in WordPress. Quickly, we begin to email back and forth discussing exactly what happened, he offers solutions. I am still pulling my hair out because I’m not sure I’m geeky enough to fix the problem without actually causing more damage. Finally, Ken mentions another plugin that could be causing the problem. Because I like to be self-sufficient I tried again with Ken’s advice and delete another few plugins through my FTP client and boom, I fixed it. The warning message is gone.

I literally jump up in relief. My girlfriends stare at me (they were supportive but told me to call  ‘the webmaster’ for help).

Sometimes, we just have to trust. Trust in ourselves and the support of others. Sometimes strangers even, like Ken. His support, ideas, reaching out and sending troubleshoot links to me kept me sane. Although this problem was trivial (in the grand scheme of things) it was the first real live problem that I had no idea how to fix. And no, I don’t have a ‘webmaster’ or ‘tech guy’ to call.

Lesson learned: Don’t panic. Ask for help. Be creatively cautious. Understand the problem is part of the process. Then if you need help with your blog or web problems, contact Ken Dawes. Seriously. Thank you, Ken. I always say, it’s the little things that count.

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  • frankiedesoto

    Twitter is more than a micro blog, it's a source of collective intelligence and collaboratiom. Also, always test out one pligin at at a time. Depnding on the themes you get, certain plugins may not work for it. Trial and error

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Frankie Thank you. I learned the hard way, but there's always a first time for everything. Although it was frustrating, I knew that it's part of the technical process. That's exactly what happened…one plugin at a time I started to remove, but I found the two that were malfunctioning. Thanks for your thoughts!

  • http://modite.com/blog Rebecca

    I mess with my blog all the time, and I know exactly what you're talking about! It's the worst feeling when something messes up… and I always think, Oh, I've done it this time! I usually panic and furtively try to fix it while hoping no one visits my blog during that time. And usually, I can fix it. But if not, I have a web designer friend who has helped me in a moment of extreme panic as well. I wonder if it's because a blog is so important to it's owner that we feel this way…

  • http://www.lifeaftercollege.org jennyblake

    What an awesome story – I'm so glad you got help and got it fixed so quickly! Like you and Rebecca, I too, have had my moments of SHEER TOTAL AND UTTER PANIC. (Although it sounds like you both were much more calm during yours). Due to my own button-clicking stupidity, I once deleted my whole blog. All of it. Gone. Thank goodness the Dreamhost support guys were so helpful – and great to know that help is only a tweet away (as it was for you). Finally, mad props to Ken for being out there and so willing to help others!

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rebecca I think it was good for me to experience a malfunction. I deal with malfunctions all the time at work from a technical support issue, but when it's just me and I have no one to go to it's so nerve racking. It's good to hear everyone else's experience. In the end, there's always someone out there who has been there, done that and is willing to help.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Jenny Well I didn't say this, but I basically started to cry and I think my girlfriends around me kept me calm because they didn't understand what was really going on. “Oh, just call the webmaster.” Haha!

    You know what's interesting was that it was a WordPress problem, so I wasn't sure if I could call my hosting company and that's where I started to get confused. I didn't even know how to diagnose and fix it. It's just really intense because as I explained to my girlfriends, “It's my blog. I own it. I run it. There's no one else who makes these decisions.” So it makes it so real. I'm glad to hear we've all been down this path before :)

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  • http://socialmediarockstar.com Brett Borders

    Asking for help is hard for me too. I have a subconscious belief that I 'should be able to handle whatever i get into' – even when that's totally not true. One hard thing for me is asking for help promoting my own stuff. It's the part of the social media / professional ladder climbing “hustle” that I wish I could avoid – but there seems to be no way around it.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Brett When it comes to ourselves it is hard to do things we could readily do for other people. In the end, asking for others to promote your stuff or asking for help when you really need both can be extremely beneficial. I like people that aren't afraid to ask for help but also balance the giving act to others.

  • http://socialmediarockstar.com Brett Borders

    Asking for help is hard for me too. I have a subconscious belief that I 'should be able to handle whatever i get into' – even when that's totally not true. One hard thing for me is asking for help promoting my own stuff. It's the part of the social media / professional ladder climbing “hustle” that I wish I could avoid – but there seems to be no way around it.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Brett When it comes to ourselves it is hard to do things we could readily do for other people. In the end, asking for others to promote your stuff or asking for help when you really need both can be extremely beneficial. I like people that aren't afraid to ask for help but also balance the giving act to others.

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