Can't Speak Geek

Translating the Geek Speak in simpler terms

From the Desk

A new look and a new home

We finally have a redesign!!! A big thanks to Daryl Jones at Splattered Ink for the new logo and bitmoji.

Also, Can’t Speak Geek has a new home. We have officially moved over to Pantheon for hosting. We are in love with the multi-dev environment that Pantheon offers. With them offering 10 multi-dev environments, it makes it fantastic to work on separate things on separate dev instances. This way no one is bumping into one another. 

One last thing, be on the lookout for some fun things to come! One of them is that we will be showcasing awesome WordPressers from around the globe. If you are interested in becoming showcased please see our Wonderful WordPresser interview.

Lock It Up

Untitled design (2)Information security means a lot to me on many different levels. Unfortunately, nothing is completely hack-proof. First and foremost, I like any other internet user do not want any of my private information to get in the hands of anyone it is not supposed to. I do all the normalcy of running an antivirus on my PC’s and my Mac, I have up a decent firewall, and watch what sites I visit. Also for personal internet security, I do not use any duplicate passwords. The best thing to do is use a password keeper apps like KeePass, LastPass or OnePassword.

With what I do in my professional life, privacy and security are big business. Internet security, more importantly WordPress site security is a very passionate subject for me. When there is a WordPress site that has been hacked, I come in and clean the site up. It is cheaper to take the necessary steps to keep your site secure than to have someone come in and clean it. Weather using WordPress to aid in the design of your website or building it straight from code, the developer must add security to their site or information can get out and the uglies can get in. Now adding too many security plugins can be an issue as well. Too many plugins will not play well with each other and then you will be locked out of your site.

Privacy and security need to be important and on the top of the list because no one wants to deal with the aftermath. In personal issues it involves changing all your financial information, login information, and anything else you put on the web. Professionally, it can be the biggest headache one has ever had. It can take hours and dollars to fix a broken site. One of the best things to do is have a backup. Backup your files, your information, your computer. Backup everything. I have my photos and music in 3 separate locations so I never have to worry about losing any of them. Here is where a cloud based service like Bitcasa or Dropbox work for you. Also, keep your information hidden. Use a service to keep your passwords. Writing them in a file is much more easier to retrieve. When using a public network be more aware of what sites you are visiting and what information you are putting out. Update your services, passwords, plugins, and everything else on a regular basis. It is good to change you password every 3 months.

What do you do if your desktop or laptop gets hacked?

This happens all the time. Viruses and worms find their way into your desktop or laptop.  First and foremost, always keep some sort of antivirus up to date on your unit. If your box does get something on it, typical virus removal is not the cheapest service in the world, but it is easily done. Find a company you can trust, and get the viruses off your PC.

What do you do if your site gets hacked?

Finally if you are hacked, it is not the end of the world. While it does take time and sometimes money to get back to normal, you will get there. If ever in that situation, take a deep breath and tackle it. If you have a website that you feel has been hacked, come see me over at WP Security Lock and we can get you taken care of.

The Presentation Prank

Everyone has that one friend who you pick on back and forth and prank each other. That is one of the great things of having close friends.
I definitely have that one friend who will update your Facebook status to “I smell funny” anytime I leave my phone, laptop, or iPad unattended. Well, mine has a few upcoming speaking engagements and webinars happening. Instead of sleeping the other night, my brain was on overdrive thinking of fabulous things I could text while he is speaking just to break his concentration. It is a great thing that Mac has the pop ups of your text messages. DISCLAIMER: I WOULD NEVER ACTUALLY DO THIS TO HIM! For one, the repercussions of what he would do at my next presentation would be in epic proportions. Here are just some of the texts that could be sent.  

  • Hi Chris!
  • You smell funny.
  • Didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?
  • I like beer. Do you like beer.
  • I think you have something in your nose.
  • Did you not check your nose before hand?
  • You should always check before you talk.
  • Bears. Bears will kill you.
  • Is it time for pie?
  • Whatever you do, don’t look down.
  • Did you see that?
  • Are you sure your right?
  • Lies! It is all lies!
  • “Thank you for being a friend…”
  • This one time at band camp…
  • I think the guy beside me just cut the cheese.
  • Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?
  • Blah, blah blah
  • I have to tinkle.
  • “This is the song that doesn’t end. Yes it goes on and on my friends” 

Seriously, if you are interested in listening to a great speaker talk about WordPress Security, check out his next webinar 30+ Ways to Secure Your WP Site: A Walk-Through of the New iThemes Security Plugin. You will not be disappointed. I already have my spot reserved and you should to! This post was made in all fun purposes. I in no way condone anyone to actually do this. Especially do not give me credit for it.

2019 Edit: Also remember to turn off the notifications to your AppleWatch or the friend mentioned above will send 44 texts in 4 minutes once he realizes your notifications are still on.