Cloning A Blog
You’ve probably heard about cloning a blog and maybe wondered how to do it or exactly what a cloned blog was.
I’ve been using Jason Fladlien’s WpTwin since it first came out for cloning and backing up my blogs and blogs for clients. At first the blogs I would clone and move were fairly simple. I liked Jason’s software and it seemed to be doing a good job. The few times I ran into problems they had a support system that responded never less than 24 hours…. usually within 12 hours.
One thing I found with any software or plugin that claims to backup your WordPress Blog, you had better do some traditional backups. I don’t mean one backup, I mean go to cpanel and backup everything. Use the export/import feature of WordPress and at least download your posts. I even installed a couple of plugins that automatically backed up the database and some that backed up the rest of the blog, themes and plugins.
In other words, I didn’t want to get caught with my pants down. Sure, the salespage for these magical cloning plugins and software promise the world…. but you better bet your pants that the first time you don’t check to make sure it will work on your particular site and you just jump into cloning and moving a blog…… it will puke all over you and you lost your blog….. or better yet, a customers blog.
To stay safe, this is what I do when it comes to cloning a blog.
Since both WpTwin and Backup Creator require new WordPress installations I’ll create a new WordPress installation on a new domain in a new directory …..something like wwww.newblog.com/test where ‘test’ is the directory that I will then install a new instance of WordPress …this is where I will move the clone to.
So…. next I’ll go through the process of cloning with WPTwin and will then try to install it in the new directory. You’d be surprised how many times it hasn’t worked. I would spend days messing around with support, deleting plugins, themes etc only to find out WPtwin just would not work.
Now that said, I will still highly recommend WPtwin for cloning blogs. But…..
Next I bring in the big guns and use Robert Planks Backup Creator. I was partial to WPtwin but after using Backup Creator I’m getting ready to dump my favorite cloner.
I had some pre-configured blogs that I purchased and installed. WPtwin would not clone them, Backup Creator came in and said, “Move over little guy” let me do the heavy lifting. Anyway, BackupCreator went to work, cloned and moved the blog in a couple of minutes.
Of course you will want to test Backup Creator just like WPtwin. Set up a dummy directory with a new WordPress installation and see if the new clone will take before you do anything to your primary blog. Never do anything to the primary blog (blog you want to clone) until you’re sure one of these gizmos will work. If you don’t and it gets screwed up or lost forever then you’re an idiot and you deserve the heartache 
I see people promoting both of these programs. Lot of guys are selling premade blogs and include the wptwin files for easy installation…. they usually work just fine. Plank’s Backup Creator came a little latter on the scene and works differently….. in fact, different enough that I didn’t even want to figure out how to use it except when I got in a jam with WPtwin. As time goes on I’ve began to favor Backup Creator….. although there are extras you can buy, Robert usually keeps his products up to date and his support has always been excellent.
I have one big blog and I wanted to make sure that cloning blog would be perfect.
It’s been around for 10 years or so, can’t say how long its been as a WordPress blog but I converted and changed things around. there are 1000′s of posts and I tried to clone it with WPtwin. No dice. Contacted support and screwed around for days. Finally fired up Backup Creator, it took a little while to clone everything, I then attempted to move it to another domain, plus I moved it into a directory of that domain. Backup Creator worked perfectly! All links worked, plugins worked …..I couldn’t of asked for more.
If you were to ask me what I would recommend. I would tell you to get both. You might want to use Backup Creator for heavy lifting. They have some funky rules for using BC for client sites, I think you have to buy another license….. all this license crap is bullshit. If you want to move client sites, say you’re doing offline marketing sites, WPTwin would do the job easily and you don’t have to purchase any extra licenses or crap.
A good carpenter has many saws in his toolbox. A good website developer needs to keep his/her toolbox full so don’t be afraid to add these to gems to your toolbox for cloning a blog for backup or moving.
Click Here to get Robert Plank’s Backup Creator
Cloning A Blog
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Can’t describe the wonderful feeling on finding that it’s possible with either of these program to totally screw up the original site, let alone clone it successfully.. I can already do that.
Recently transferred a WP site and no matter what you do the database will never get together with the rest of the blog. It’s like getting on a plane and flying to Chicago and finding your luggage went to China. Then China claims they no longer have it but give you some info how you might track it down in Australia or Fiji.
We can send a woman halfway to the moon, but we still can’t clone a wordpress website. Kinda depressing.
Anyhow, I’ve decided to order Backup Creator. I don’t see any indication that it is restricted in it’s use. Looks like it’s purpose includes working with client websites.
I think I can relate to your situation. Unfortunately all things don’t work all the time. Before I try any “easy” solution I will export the xml file from the wordpress dashboard to my computer and I’ll backup and download my database. At least I have the pieces to put things back together.
Glad to see you grabbed Backup Creator, it was the only one that worked on a blog I had that was messed up….. the guys over there in support were wonderful. They just came out with version 2. Don’t be afraid to contact support if you run into problems.
Good luck
Scott