I was wondering, if I were to keep my story on the web, to have access to it whenever and wherever I chose, under a URL so convoluted no one could possibly guess it, would that constitute publishing?
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 2240) on :
Having a convoluted URL doesn't protect it by itself. If it is open to the public (not password protected) and can be found (ie, any links anywhere that lead to it or open for searchbots to find), then yes, it's publishing.
For it to not be published, you have to prevent the searchbots from finding it and/or password protect it so only a limited number of people can see it.
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
Okay, thanks. Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
If you wanted access to your story on a twenty-four / seven basis, why not just print out a copy?
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
Don't misunderstand: I have a hard copy. I just want a place where pages can't blow away in the wind, or go missing, or be corrupted, where I can read from any computer, with or without a disk or CD that I might accidentally break.
Now that I found a site, however (I can't believe I remembered my Xanga.com password; it's been almost two years ), I'm hesitant to post anything. That creeping paranoia is rearing its ugly head, I suppose.
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
Gee. I would never EVER think of a computer as being a fail-safe storage device. I print out hard copies so the story doesn't get lost. Having been through hard drive failure more than once would make me leery of putting too much trust in electronic storage as a permanent archival method!
Posted by JmariC (Member # 2698) on :
Gmail.
It's free, it's private and it's accessable from anywhere you have internet on almost any browser.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Really, most of the free webmails will work just as well if you're storing text.
Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
Good idea, cv.
On a slightly different note, but one that has been brought up--
Do not suppose that information stored electronically is archival. CDs DO NOT last forever. The information stored on them degrades. To be certain you've protected it you should store your information about every two to three years on new disks.
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
You're right, Survivor.
I wonder why I didn't think of that.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 2240) on :
Yup. And if you live in a humid environment, fungus can eat the CD/DVD in less time than that.
I live in the tropics. I've seen the funky fungal growth.
Posted by Lord Darkstorm (Member # 1610) on :
What about a usb drive? Being cheap and mostly reliable, they could serve as a nice portable backup.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I was just expanding on JmariC's idea. It's weird to get the credit, though of course it was the first thing I considered as well.
Posted by JmariC (Member # 2698) on :
Ha! I thought I was invisible. '-)
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 2240) on :
Regular backups are a must. If you want to be paranoid, which translates to safe, then make sure you keep at least some of your backups off-site (somewhere other than where you live, and preferably in a different city or state), and test your backups regularly.
[This message has been edited by rickfisher (edited September 19, 2005).]
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
This is rather interesting. I thought we were all inaudible.
But apparently not.
Posted by JmariC (Member # 2698) on :
I bet you can hear this :P
Posted by Ahavah (Member # 2599) on :
Now that I finally have my own computer, I keep backups on it and on CDs. But until recently, I had to use library computers. I've been keeping copies of stories and resumes in my email and hidden pages on my website for years so I could access it from any computer.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I heard a disk write when I loaded the page...does that count?
), I'm hesitant to post anything. That creeping paranoia is rearing its ugly head, I suppose. 
