Imagine it: you fall under a bus tomorrow and the next day your solicitor writes to Google requesting that your AdSense cheques are forwarded to your new address in Hades….

Seriously though, we’ve all heard the dire warnings about backing up our blogs, making sure we have recent copies of our files, databases, etc. You never think about what happens your blog though, do you?

With many people making a reasonable extra income from AdSense, it makes sense to ensure your wife/partner/whoever can access your accounts after you’re gone. Forget AdSense, if you have a popular blog, there might even be value in selling it on, which might be helpful to your wife and kids…..

Things To Record

For each site you run, you’ll probably need to write down the following:

Technical Details:

• Content Management Platform: WordPress, Drupal, whatever.
• Username and password details for CMS

Hosting Details:

• Name and URL of host. Also address of hosts administration area.
• Login details for host control panel
• FTP account details (for file backups and uploading)
• Database account details (again for backups)
• Type of hosting: LAMP or ASP.NET?

Monetization Details:

• There may be several advertising programmes in place, especially if your name’s Darren Rowse. Record the following:
• Name and URL of provider: Google AdSense, Feedburner, Amazon Affiliates, etc
• Your username and password to access the account.
• Details of payment information/PayPal accounts used to receive funds.

Hmmm. That’s about all I can think about at the moment. The benefits of recording your account information will allow you to pass on the benefits of your hard work after you’re gone. Hell, they might even pay for your funeral!

Once you’ve recorded all your site details, you’ll be wanting to keep the information somewhere safe:

…put it in a secure location like a safety deposit bank. You might even go so far as to include a list of instructions as to what to do immediately after your death, such as logging into your AdSense account and suspending payments until things get sorted out. Just make sure all the right details are there…

If I’ve missed anything, be sure to let me know!

Found via the ever vigilant Blogging Pro!