* * * * *
                                        
                              Saving Private Data
                                        
> We tell ourselves “once on the internet, always on the internet,” like
> maintaining content is a trivial thing. But it isn’t a trivial thing — at
> any time, the company that you rely on to keep your content for free could
> change their policies, or get bought out and change their policies, or
> decide they want to go public and change their policies, or simply go under
> and take your content with them.
> 
> The longevity of data requires more intent than this. My advice is to
> seriously consider migrating to a self-hosted site if you can. If you can’t
> make sure you export your data with some regularity.
> 

Through some oh-so-very “Not Safe For Work” links (unless, of course, you
work in the “adult industry,” in which case, the links are probably sfe) via
Flutterby [1], “Google Takes Back Adult Ban | /Slantist [2]”

If you consider your data important (and I think you should) and you are
using a company to store (or manage) your data, then you must assume it can
go away in an instant [3]. No, really, the Internet is littered with dead
companies that promised to keep your data “safe.” [4] And you should keep you
eye on the ones still alive [5], for there's no guarentee they'll be around
tomorrow.

You might want to peruse The Archive Team [6] while they're still around for
more on this topic. Your data will thank you for it.

[1] http://www.flutterby.com/archives/comments/21105.html
[2] http://slantist.com/google-takes-back-adult-
[3] http://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Why_Back_Up%3F
[4] http://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Deathwatch
[5] http://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Fire_Drill
[6] http://archiveteam.org/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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