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Increasing WordPress xml size

Just a quick post on how to increase the size of the WordPress xml file used in a restore. This is done via Tools > Import and the maximum xml size for a WordPress xml restore is around 2MB. So how to increase the maximum WordPress xml file size?

It’s quite easy but took a few goes to get it right – so here’s a cheat sheet to make it easier fo you.

1) Create a text file with your favourite simple text editor – Notepad ++ for the PC and TextWrangler for the Mac are my free favourites. Save it as php.ini

2) Add the following text:

upload_max_filesize = 20M
post_max_size = 10M

3) The 10M refers to to the maximum size you can post – make it bigger if you need to.

3) FTP the php.ini file to the root of your WordPress installation (so it sits alongside wp-config.php).

4) That’s it – the php.ini should have changed the upload WordPress XML size and it should now be increased to 10MB.

5) Here’s the SSH instructions for the php.ini

6) Import WordPress XML file as per normal

Hope it helped!

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Site migration

Site migration in progress – DNS just updated

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MGF Freestyle for Sale

MG MGF 1.8 Freestyle Special Edition 01/51 metallic black with full black leather, only 19,500 miles fsh and all MOTs immaculate vehicle with only 1 owner from new. Alloy wheels, abs, pas, remote alarm/central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors radio/cd player, must be seen. 12 month MOT.

Full full details please visit Car Butler

MGF Freestyle for sale
MGF Freestyle for sale, 19,500 genuine miles

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Dilbert & the Miliband Bros

Funny, I didn’t realise Scott Adams took such a keen interest in British politics – an uncanny resemblance to Ed Miliband, or is it his brother, wotshisname Miliband?

Dilbert.com

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Sold: Titanium Racing Bike Maurizio Classico 55cm 9.4 kg

For sale on eBay: Titanium Carbon Racing Bike Maurizio Classico 55cm 9.4 kg
[nggallery id=1]

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gardenfurnitureworld.com customer feedback

Garden Furniture World / gardenfurnitureworld.com Customer Feedback

Experienced a nightmare of e-commerce of late when I tried the simple task of buying some garden furniture online. All I wanted was a 5 piece Teak patio set of 4 chairs and a table. I was however,  caught out by 3 elements, successful Google PPC, consequent good user experience and architecture and finally the most stupid of my mistakes, getting caught out by the upsell temptation.

Skip rant

If you want to skip my rant and see my recommendations, please nip to the end of the post.

Garden Furniture World, puts the wooden into service
To begin with all looked ok – on a Wednesday afternoon I called gardenfurnitureworld.com to find out the deadline for nextday orders was told noon and placed my order at twenty past ten the next day. Friday morning I received an SMS telling me that delivery would be between 9 am and 6 pm. These suck, but I was for once able to work from home that day (wfh is another story, laters).

At 9.30, 1st upsell item arrives (a garden firepit). 12.30 four cushions arrive. I ask the driver where the table & chairs are and was told he didn’t know, but probably on the supliers own van. as the other upsell item had arrived by separate courier, this seemed plausible.

Of course the table and chairs did not arrive and so at 5 pm I follow the instructions on the SMS and call the couriers. They say they’ve delivered at 12.30 and I ask where my furniture is. Of course the couriers no nothing of this as they’ve only been given the cushions. They call Garden Furniture World for me and are told that was all that was ordered. The couriers advise me to call the suppliers and the ‘sub-optimal e-commerce experience begins (ok I say begins, by now I’ve sat in all day waiting for the goods to arrive and all that).

After several attempts I reach Garden Furniture World’s customer service who say they haven’t any details of the table and chairs going out and are not sure when they’ll be delivered. I ask for someone to get back to me. No one does, office closes at 6 pm.

I send an e-mail asking where my goods are, not really expecting a reply until Monday. However one arrives on Saturday saying the good will arrive Monday. I ping one back via iPhone saying this is no good, I’ll be at work and they should have arrived Friday. A few hours later another e-mail arrives telling me that orders needed to be placed before 10 am for next day delivery.

By now I’m more than a bit cheesed off. It’s 30 degrees C in London and a chance to relax in a chair in my garden would be just the ticket. But hey ho, I have to wait until Monday to sort it out. On Monday I ring Garden Furniture World and tell them how fed up I am. On this I’m told that delivery will be today, sometime between now and 6 pm. Utterly rubbish delivery times, as I’m out at work.

So, I request a full refund, including carriage and ask for someone senior to get back to me. i also use Whois to find out who owns http://www.gardenfurnitureworld.com/ and see that it’s owned by http://www.worldstores.co.uk/ From Whois I see and e-mail for a certain Joe. now Joe is listed as a director here http://www.worldstores.co.uk/feedback.php so I pop him an e-mail too joe@worldstores.co.uk

Quite soon after a lady called Hayley calls me. I explain what’s happened and that unless I can get delivery by 9.30 am this week then I’d really like to cancel the whole lot. I explain that a neighbour might be able to take delivery today but it’s pretty hit and miss. Hayley says she’ll get back to me.

A short while later I do indeed get a call. Hayley then tells me that the delivery for today is not after all my table and chairs, but a maintenance kit for looking after them. I ask for a full refund – this is agreed, but I’ve still got to sort this out with the courier myself  (potentially another day waiting in). The table and chairs it now turns out, aren’t even in stock, let alone on their way to me.

What gets me irritated though is now a notionally professional e-commerce outfit can have such an awful logistics back-up. Their process was quite prepared to make me wait in for 2 whole days for 4 cushions and a wood maintenance kit, but not the actual main items I’d ordered – the actual chairs and table. If I’d have resisted the upsell and not been took in by the IA and UX I’d have at least had accurate information – gardenfurnitureworld.com couldn’t delivery my wooden garden furniture of a table and 4 chairs.

Where http://www.worldstores.co.uk fail and how to fix it

1) Accurate stock levels shown on their website. Synch up database with suppliers.

2) Track the entire order in 1 system. Get some decent dba guys in.

3) Use some sort of e-mail notification system. Track process of entire order and send e-mails for each step. Order received, goods ready, goods despatched, ETA.

4) Poorly informed sales staff. Train staff in sales to provide accurate info on deadlines & delivery.

5) Poorly informed customer service staff. Firstly employ more of them and let them have access to the entire order process data. Next train them to provide accurate information to the customer.

In sum rubbish service. Now got to someone who can deliver and work out how to be in to collect the goods. Worst of it is, I’ll be driving past WorldStores HQ @ 70 London Road, Twickenham on my way home later. Maybe I should print this off for Joe and Richard to read and post it through their letter box, as they’ve clearly got some way to go before they successfully enter the digital world…

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Employee Engagement – Dilbert’s view

Employee engagement, the Dilbert way…

Dilbert.com

Made me laugh anyway!

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The Garden Shed

Exciting times for social media. Launches of a Collabatory from the Dachis Group. Unveiling of an Open Hangar at Altimeter.

When this blog first started I called it the Garden Shed. Maybe it’s time to start up a global garden shed for like-minded souls. Only criteria for entry is shared by a handful of contacts I know online… 😉

Image: carpe diem

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D’Oh!!! Comments – Open!

D’oh, unbeknown to me the Discussion settings on this blog had been set to ‘Require Login’. I’ve now deselected this so all comments welcome. Well OK, all nice comments welcome! 😉

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Commute down the Thames (2)

Possible ways to commute to work and avoid the traffic jams. Another novel way to commute down the Thames.