Backing it up!

Social Media Blackout 2019

Written by: Johnna Masterson
​Owner of Inspired and Organized

Today's social media failure was a big reminder of the importance of having all of your data backed up. A lot of Facebook and Instagram users clicked on their apps like every other day, only to be surprised with error messages and empty pages. Some users could message and read posts, while others were completely locked out. I was part of the latter group, and quite literally thought my Instagram page was disabled, for some reason I wasn't aware of. When you invest so much energy and so. many. hours. you kind of freak out when it just disappears!

It got me thinking. Had I backed up my data? Had I lost everything? 

Thankfully, following a few simple steps can leave you feeling stress free, even in the event of a technology or internet failure. 

Steps to take today, to save your sanity tomorrow 

STEP 1:  Download a copy of your Facebook and Instagram Data

In Facebook, this can be found by clicking on your "Settings" tab. From settings, scroll down and find the "Download Your Information" tab. 

You can choose to download everything - from friend's lists to everything you've have ever saved, or you can pick and choose what categories are most important to you. My top 5 are my photos, friend's list, posts, messages and profile information. This will give you a copy of anything you may need to access or restore, in the event your  profile is unaccessible or accidentally deleted.

For Instagram it is a similar process. You click on your "Settings" tab, then find "Privacy and Security". Scroll down to "Download Data", and click the blue tab at the bottom labeled "Request Download". It will ask you for your password, and then notify you that your request has been accepted. It may take up to 48 hours to receive your link, but once you do, you will have a copy of what you've shared on Instagram for safe keeping. 

STEP 2: Back up your photos and files on your laptop or PC

For this part, you can choose an external hard drive, or one of the many of the cloud based options out there. I recommend one of each. This way if one fails, you will have one more level of protection. I have had great luck with Seagate and WD externals. There are some great options that are portable and pretty rugged. And if you are on the go, or have a million children like I do, those are some pretty attractive features! Choosing a cloud service is a more personal choice, and I suggest you do a little research on a few, and make your choice based on what features appeal to you, and what sort of data you are trying to backup. 

When loading your backup, try organizing your files and photos the best you can. Label folders, so they can be easily found within the backup, and delete as may doubles as you can. Organizing now will save you many headaches in the future. 

STEP 3: Upload all of your photos to Chatbooks

Even with a double backup, you run the risk of losing your photos. It's a hard thing to think about, and a very remote possibility, but you should take steps to protect these precious memories. I personally love the Chatbooks line of products for this! You can set it up to automatically fetch all of your photos off of your social media pages, Google photos, or even off of the camera roll on your phone. Once you reach 60 photos, a book is complete and shipped to you for only $10 for the 6x6 softcover option. You can upgrade to a hardcover for an extra $5. Every book is separated by date, and has the captions included. You can review and edit every book before it is printed, can cancel anytime, and will always receive free shipping. There are optional fun things to add like Designer Covers and Bonus Prints too! They take up little space on your shelf, and are such a wonderful way to enjoy your photos in print form, without causing a bunch of clutter. 

Followers of Inspired and Organized can get their first book FREE by visiting the link below or entering this code!

INSPIREDANDORGANIZED-CKAW 

http://invite.chatbooks.com/inspiredandorganized502​ 
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STEP 4: Make a hard copy of any important files

Even if you do all of these things, there is a remote possibility that they too will fail. Be sure to print out any important files that would be difficult, or impossible, to replace. Store these in a safe location, and know that you now have three levels of protection. 

Once you have taken these steps, you can feel confident that even if we face another day like today? You won't have a single thing to worry about, because you will know that your information, photos and files are SAFE and accessible to you anytime! 

Please let me know below if you have any questions, or how these ideas are working out for you. Thanks for reading!


~Johnna