• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Web Mechanic fixes what annoys you about your web site or blog.

My WordPress Website Died

June 13, 2009 by Ken Dawes 2 Comments

Yes, even The Web Mechanic can experience problems with WordPress!

Recently I thought my website (this website) was running a little slow… but it wasn’t anything that I was concerning myself about very much. Then yesterday, it slowed to a stop! I would try to access a page and my browser would just sit there trying to load the page. I didn’t think it was me, so I contacted my webhost service folks. They could see that there were a bunch of processes running that were gumming up the works. We both thought it was something spurious but also something to keep an eye on.

The next day I received a couple of “Tweets” telling me I was experiencing problems with WordPress–that my site was acting odd… The front page was fine, but everything else threw up an error page. Not good!

Well, being the Chief Wrench at the The Web Mechanic, it was time to get under the hood! To make a long story short, I discovered that a WordPress plug in was causing the error. The plugin, called “Tweet This” had, I thought, been running fine, but it had been throwing errors for some time I found out. It just hadn’t gotten to the point of taking my site down …until today. I deactivated “Tweet This” and presto! The Web Mechanic is back up and running!

I have used “Tweet This” in a number of my client’s websites without a problem. (I have now gone back to check.) It may be a conflict with a plugin that is on my site and not theirs. Hopefully, the “Tweet This” plugin author will soon be able to correct the problem!

My problem with a plugin highlights a strength and a weakness of WordPress and what you should consider when you experience problems with WordPress.

Because WordPress is both “open source” and modular in nature, plugins can and are made by many, many people. They don’t always get the rigorous testing that a commercial product might. If you add a new plugin to your WordPress, keep track of when you added it and note it anything seems “different” about your site. That information could prevent hours of troubleshooting down the line, should a problem with WordPress arise. The WordPress strength? Because it is robust and modular, once I removed the problem “Tweet This” plugin…

The Web Mechanic was back and working fine…immediately!

Filed Under: WordPress Assistance Tagged With: WordPress Plugin

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vince says

    July 12, 2009 at 6:57 pm

    I just had the same issue. have had this plugin for a couple weeks and it hit today. I had errors showing when any page loaded. Deactivated Tweet This and presto, everything thing is back to normal. I will report it on the plugin home page. I hope it gets fixed because it is a nice addition….

  2. ken says

    July 18, 2009 at 9:33 am

    Hi Vince,
    I have noticed that Tweet This has posted updates to ver. 1.4.1. According to the revision history, these updates add stability as well as support for Facebook and Myspace.

    I have updated and reactivated my Tweet This… So far it’s working fine!

    Ken

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Testimonials

The Web Mechanic not only provided prompt and outstanding service, but also improved the original design of our web site by enhancing our navigational constructs. Sherreen Ogletree
At a time when our chef recipe site traffic was doubling by the month, we had the unfortunate experience of malicious hacking defacements. We were unable to find the bad code inserted in the site and were at our wits end. We found Ken the Web Mechanic via Twitter, and hired him to fix the site. He did a wonderful job making our site secure and safe, was affordable, and easily reachable via email and phone. We highly recommend him for fixing and protecting your Wordpress site, and will use him again in the future without hesitation. Thank you so much Ken! Savory Tv
I put out one tweet on Twitter and there you were! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but your FAR exceeded my expectations. Not only are you fast in responding but you also take the time to explain everything in a very user friendly way. I was never frustrated and you took care of the problem very efficiently. I felt that you are well versed in what I needed for our website to be up and running. you did more than I thought you even would and I so appreciate it! I will definitely be calling on you again! MingCFO and Founder Reiki Fur Babies, LLC
I have been working with Ken for over 10 years and his web support and attention to detail keeps my website organized, material accessible, and ready for all types of web, tablet and mobile device layouts. His skills also make sure my site is protected, ready for my usage spikes, and synced with my ISP to head off any potential issues.

I highly recommend Ken for taking care of your ISP, web material, and website issues.
Dave Beulke
Ken Dawes of The Web Mechanic made complicated changes to my Wordpress site easy by finding the exact plugins, creating the code, and tutoring me on how to modify my page hierarchy in clear terms that even a novice such as myself could understand. He’s a life saver. Alice Shapiro - Poet's Tongue
I used an acquaintance to build my website originally, but was very frustrated with the way the site looked and worked, and received no help at all. I called the Web Mechanic, and two short weeks later, I have a site I can be proud of. My clients appreciate the difference, and Ken’s work has made my site a valuable tool for my business. I highly recommend the Web Mechanic’s services to anyone needing help with a website. Giles Beilby
Ken was a fantastic resource to me in helping convert my website design and content into WordPress in order to allow greater flexibility. He also was very helpful in helping me understand the steps for starting and maintaining a blog as well as other neat things, using widgets that act as plug-ins for WordPress …whenever I have a question, I know he’s there to help me figure it out! Jen Berkley
I had been dreading creating a workable web site for more than a year, and then, thanks to a referral, I found Ken. He took my concept, improved it with my blessing and made it a reality. I love the layout and site design, but I also love the ease of administration. When Ken finished the site, he explained the “inner” workings to me in terms that I could understand, with no web guru jargon, providing simple instructions so that I can maintain my site. I am 100% satisfied and will definitely be on his repeat customer list. I encourage you to talk with Ken if you want a current, attractive website that matches your business model and that is easy to administer. Rebecca Bond
Ken and Casey Dawes successfully migrated our website to WordPress and made it much easier for the less initiated to maintain and made it look exactly the same as the old site. Well done! Rev. Steve Ellis St. John Episcopal Church Rev. Steve Ellis St. John Episcopal Church

Secondary Sidebar

Topics

  • WordPress Assistance
  • WordPress Security
  • WordPress SEO
  • WordPress Tutorial
  • WordPress Wednesday

Do you want to learn how to use WordPress? Do you want to work on your WordPress site or blog and make it do what YOU want it to do and look like YOU want it to?

Digging Into WordPress is the book you'll want! This amazing book has something for everyone! Whether you are just starting out with WordPress or if you are a WordPress pro, you