It’s almost here! Are you prepared? The next Mercury Retrograde occurs July 7th and lasts through the 31st; and if you believe in the phenomenon, then you know that this astrological phase can have an adverse effect on communications, technology, and travel. While there is no real science to support the superstition, keep in mind that when Instagram and Facebook went down in March, wreaking havoc everywhere, that event took place smack-dab in the middle of Mercury Retrograde. Coincidence? Perhaps. But it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So, mark your calendars and apply our advice. Here are some tips from our very own team that you can use to protect yourself during Mercury Retrograde.
Back Up All the Things
“Backups are a critical component to your digital life. We all know the importance of backing up computers, phones, and especially photos and videos, but many people don’t realize the importance of backing up their website. Sure, the hosting company should have a backup in place, but for the majority of businesses, there is no guarantee in writing that a backup has to exist. It is your responsibility to make sure you have a proper backup of your entire website, including all source files, media, and your database. Having your own scheduled backups will give you the peace of mind that no matter what happens to your website, you’re covered!”
Rely on Maintainn
“Never worry about your WordPress website again. From design and development, to hosting, security and updates. Maintainn has you covered, even during Mercury Retrograde.”
Stay on Your Toes and Rest
“Make sure all devices are charged. Download any movies you may want to watch in case of internet outages. Have a back-up plan like tethering or a coffee shop, if you work from home and your internet goes down. Breathe. And get some extra rest.”
Don’t Jump to Conclusions
“It’s so easy to misconstrue communication when it takes place over platforms like chat or email. The writer might have been busy or distracted when communicating. The information may be too complicated to convey easily over text. You’re own personal feeling and emotions may be adding context that isn’t really there. If you feel in any way a conversation isn’t going well in a text-based conversation, pick up the phone and have a chat! Save yourself the confusion, personal bias and time by taking the conversation off the computer.”
Don’t Launch Your Website on a Friday
“Basically launching a website (or a significant change/feature) on a Friday is a bad idea because you may not have time to fix a problem that slipped through, but it’s especially bad during Mercury Retrograde. Your staff has, at best, eight hours to make sure that everything with the release is 100%, but we all know that you’re not doing it first thing Friday morning. So, chances are that you’ll have less than a half day to make sure everything goes smoothly; and then there’s still a chance that something will be missed. Bugs discovered over the weekend likely won’t get addressed in earnest until Monday morning. It may seem weird to some, but at WebDevStudios, we’d rather have more visitors and traffic (as well as more people in the office) when a website is released, so we immediately know if there’s a problem.”
Test All the Things on a Staging Site
“When times become challenging, it’s best to reduce complexity in order to achieve success. Testing updates on your staging site reduces your chances of experiencing problems updating your live site. You can rest at ease knowing your site is up-to-date and secure!”
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