MvManila

Real Questions:

1. How do I know you won’t screw up my Manila blog or hijack my site after I give you the login info?

So many ways to answer that. Sure I could write a post on your site for, I don’t know, kiddie porn or some sort of terrorist thing. No too bright on my part since you know my name and where I live (Boise Idaho). The authorities would have no problem finding me.

It’s really bad business practice to write to the existing Manila blog. I don’t even like logging into it with a browser because of the chance I could screw up something. The scripts (version 2.7) are there for you to look at and you’ll not find an XML-RPC write. Read only. I only need that login info for a few hours, so you can change it after that if your worried.

Since you pay me after the job is done, if I screw up, you won’t pay me and you can rip me on your blog.

I only have my reputation and screwing up your Manila blog, by malice or incompetence is going to cost me blog friends, and any future business.

2. I’m not sure I care that much about my history. I might want it. but not if it’s big deal.

<grin>A perfect client!;lt/grin> Every conversions has Huh? moments that I have to solve, things that can’t be converted or things I’ve never seen Manila do. If you don’t care very much about them, I won’t either (unless it’s fun for me to do so). Those conversions can be very fast. It’ll take longer to do the email negotiations than the conversion.

If you’re unsure, try running the 2.7 scripts yourself. It’s not that difficult.

Mostly Made Up FAQ’s

1. Do you install WordPress, MySql and PHP?

Not lightly or cheaply. I might do WordPress, because it’s easy on a Linux/Apache/MySql/PHP set up. If your missing one of those, the effort is way beyond a Manila to WordPress conversion. I’ll do it but the price climbs fast.

2. Do you support me after the conversion?

I’ll certainly support debugging any conversion artifacts that weren’t known before the new site went live. I’ve even emailed clients a year later and pointed out some minor stuff that the newer scripts would have converted and might be a problem at their new site.

Most of the post conversion issues are really WordPress Theme/CSS issues or how WordPress differs from Manila. I support those like a blog friend – “try this” or “who knows”.

We could negotiate something different but be warned I try really hard not to get into CSS and PHP mods. And I don’t touch Microsoft servers, life’s to short for that and we are all on a budget.

3. Is there anything else you won’t do?

Yes, but you can ask anyway.

4. Will you ever write GUI versions of the script that regular people can run?

Highly unlikely. I shudder to think. Life is short and that is not where I want to go.

5. This isn’t a blog, it’s a lame FAQ to sell your service. Don’t you have a real blog?

werehosed.mvmanila.com Used to be Manila. Then Movable Type. Then WordPress on several different hosting services with different domain names. I know a bit about the conversion issues.