How I got my blogs back
Posted by: Roy in Personal, Reflections, blog, internet, links, reactions, sources, thought & opinions, tags: fake sites, hacked blogs, offending codes, scam, the struggling blogger, time bomb, trojanTwo weeks ago, I was very much depressed. Because this blog, together with 4 of my other blogs, seemed to be hacked.
They won’t load, but instead would just show blank screen, with the message “Redirecting” to some sites (which I can’t remember) at the status bar below.
I didn’t know what to do. I am close to clueless when it comes to HTMLs and techie matters. I asked my friends who knew technical stuffs, and yet even them can’t find any errors in my blogs’ source codes.
The blogs would even load just fine on some of my friends’ computers, while some would also get the same blank screen.
At some point, I think I was even cursing. Why waste such talents in destroying others’ joy?
The blogs which were affected were: this blog, Roysville, Sugar Coated World, Womenagerie, and More Than Just Copy-Paste.
Holly suggested I check and see what do these blogs have in common that is not with the other blogs. I can’t think of any (although it turned out, there was. Which I will tell later).
Gem suggested I try changing my blogs’ themes. Kelvin’s blog was also hacked a few days before I experienced mine, and he was able to solve it by changing his theme. So Gem wants to see if we have the same problem.
I changed all the blogs’ theme, and yet nothing’s change. The blogs are still redirecting… except for Sugar Coated World, which is hosted in Blogger.com by the way.
So I was able to get back one blog, and yet the others, which are all Wordpress blogs are still “infected.”
I was desperate. Thinking of completely abandoning the blogs completely… until I received Eric’s email.
His email contains the message, “I’ve heard from some bloggers who have the PayingPost/Blog Advertising Store widget in their blogs also experienced redirecting. After removing the widget, their blogs were ‘free’ from the redirection. Remove any PayingPost/Blog Advertising Store widget from your blogs.”
PayingPost was the former name of Blog Advertising Store, and I am signed up to this site. I don’t have widgets in my blogs, but I do have the required codes installed, and they are all present in my affected blogs.
Why I didn’t think about it when Holly suggested to find the “common denominator” still beats me until now.
In Sugar Coated World, the whole HTML changes when you change theme. That’s why it was already fine when I removed my old theme. But for my Wordpress blogs, the PayingPost codes were installed in the plug-ins instead of the main HTML, hence no matter how many times I changed theme, I get the same result.
So I immediately seeked the offending codes and remove them. Put on the original blog themes back, and everything was fine… finally!
This is a rather long post, I know. I apologize, but I do not want to miss any detail.
To think, I was following up on PayingPost for not paying me my earnings due, but instead of getting any reply, it sets it “time bomb” on.
Coincidence? I don’t know. Maybe some bloggers with the same experience may want to share.
And yes, thanks to all my Power50 friends for seeing me through this one.You guys rock! 
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Yaiks! It was paying post that did this! I’d surely refer this post anyone who encountered the same problem - so that they could resolve their problems sooner!
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I can only watch your progress from the sidelines, Roy. As far as HTML and coding is concerned, it’s a safe bet we’re both outside the classroom when the teacher taught it.
@Gem
Yup! never got a clue, until I tried Eric’s suggestion. Good thing he got some feedback
@Jan
yes we are… or maybe they thought it during recess
Naku paying post pala ang salarin! Thanks for sharing para mainform yung iba about that code. Tweeted!
thanks bro!
He he he, same here Jan, Absent. he he he….now you can exhale Roy, and thank God for these blessings.
I was having a flu when I received your email regarding your problem that’s why I was not able to reply sooner.
I had the time to look on it only when I got back from the hospital. Good thing I stumbled on some bloggers reporting the same problem.
good to see your sites are all in good health now ‘pre.
Awesome, Roy! I’m so glad you were able to get your problem sorted out! Isn’t it wonderful when the sun finally peeks back at you through the clouds? Congratulations! I agree that the Power 50 folks are super-helpful Superbrains. Wahoo!
So glad your blogs are out of the trouble now. It makes me think twice before I attempt to install any widgets or codes from third party sites. It’s wonderful how P50 members jumped in and helped as much as they could. ^^ What a relief!
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
I am SO glad that we were, collectively, able to help you solve this nasty little problem, Roy - and that it wasn’t a worse problem, when all was said and done. I may be a math dodo, but I do remember my 5th grade math teacher teaching me to find the common denominator!
That’s one thing - beyond simple addition and subtraction - that I’ve been able to use to solve real life problems. You’re going to be one of the tech gurus, like it or not, before you know it. Thanks for sharing this - I know a number of people will benefit from it.
@Jena
you can say that again…
@Eric
I knew you would reply immediately if you weren’t having problems ‘pre. I’m just glad you came at the right time
@Heather
Yeah! I really felt glad when I finally got my blogs back, it’s like recovering my children from an abductor
@Ching Ya
Thanks! Yes, we should always be cautious when we install widgets and plug-ins in our blogs… even from the supposed-to-be legitimate sources
@Holly
haha! I’ll be the tech guru who always cry
I do hope people find this post useful. as it is, PayingPost still owes me
Paying post was the culprit pala. Glad that you were able to get your blog back.
Natawa naman ako dun sa comment mong maybe html were taught during recess, hehe.
hahaha… kasi wala sa curriculum e, kaya baka remedial lang kapag recess
Hi Roy. Your experience here really made me wary whenever codes are required to be inserted to validate one’s blog ownership. I wonder what went wrong at their end that have caused this mess.
I also realized something with this experience Janette, that not all websites offering income opportunities are real. They could be Trojan horses
That’s strange, I saw your last two comments Janette, and I approved them. I wonder they didn’t show up in my blogs?
This isn’t the first time it happened to me though.
Anyway, the new year’s post is coming up, don’t know how soon (or how late). I already got one in my REFLECTIONS
I don’t know if the next one will be here or in the Dot Com version
as for PayingPost, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I tried to reach them twice before the “redirection” thing happened on my sites.
I have reached (and exceeded) their minimum $100 payout requirement since November, and up to now I haven’t received anything from them, nor did they reply to my two inquiries.
[...] my surprised when I found out what was causing the problems in my blogs — it were those codes from PayingPost/BlogAdvertisingStore that I was asked to embed in my [...]