Nothing can be so frustrating as losing a file. It was one of my favorite essays written specifically for the Facebook crowd. Facebook had erased it. I could not locate the original. It was gone. Or so it seemed ….

Lost

Nothing can be so frustrating as losing a file. Here it is, you have spent hours composing an article, updating a research paper, or fine-tuning an image, only to discover it is now gone. Rest assured, it happens to everybody. Even yours truly, the IT specialist who developed backup strategies and recovery techniques, who could even recover deleted files, lost a file or two.

Such was my disappointment when I discovered that Facebook had ended its Notes feature. It was some time back, possibly 2014. I had started to experiment with writing on the Internet. My website was not in existence at the time. So it was I discovered that I could write my thoughts on Facebook. How convenient. I wrote this article called “Circle of Friends,” an essay that reflected on what a “friend” was in the world of Facebook, whether that connected with reality, and the difficulty of keeping track of all our friends. Got some positive feedback.

A couple of years back, I created on my website The Facebook Safe Space. Here I would gather the string of articles I had written on issues specifically pointed towards life on the Facebook platform. My first thought was to transfer “Circle of Friends” to the website. To my disappointment, the article had vanished! All the articles had vanished.¹ To further my grief, I could not locate the original. My “Circle of Friends” had faded into the ether.

Found

Now, being retired, I have time on my hands, time to pursue those chores that never seemed to fit into my schedule when I worked eight to five. One of those chores has been to clean up my Google Drive. I rarely use it, but I noticed it had collected numerous files over the years. So it is I have now scheduled a monthly visit to the Google Drive, pick a directory and review its contents. I delete files I no longer need and re-integrate the rest onto my computer. That has worked well, transforming what appears on the surface an impossible task to something that is doable. Alas, it will take a while.

How delighted I was when I opened a folder titled “Publications”, under which was a folder titled “Final.” Inside that folder were about a half dozen documents which I immediately recognized. They were all from around 2017 and they were all currently posted on my website. All except one. There it was, my little golden gem, the long lost “Circle of Friends.”

There is a story that Jesus told about a woman and a lost coin. If you wonder what the kingdom of heaven is like, it is like that of the woman’s joy when she found the lost coin.² If Jesus were walking the streets of Columbia today, he would have told the story of the lost computer file. I have lost count of people who lost important information, frantically going through every bit of space on their computers and servers seeking lost documents. And just like the woman, some were able to release a deep sigh of relief when they were found. Such was my joy.

In the old days, we would lose such a pearl by burying it in a stack of papers, or folding it and placing it inside a book, or simply placing it into the wrong file folder. Today, we lose our thoughts in a digital jungle. In the old days, we could rediscover what was lost by diligently thumbing through folders and stacks, using our hands and our eyes. But the age of the computer has made things much more complicated. Which computer is it on? Has it ever been backed up? Maybe it is on one of a dozen thumbdrives I have in my drawer. Which one of several cloud-based storage sites could it be on? Is it on my Smartphone? Or, as in this case, did it get lost because it was posted on Facebook or LinkedIn?

Many have experienced amazing discoveries of long lost journals and notes of their parents or ancestors. They are going through a library of dusty volumes, open a book and a piece of paper falls out. It is brown and brittle and you carefully open it. Here you discover a letter written by your great-great-grandfather while serving in the Union army during the Civil War. These experiences happen because there is a physical piece of paper that is hidden, waiting to be discovered.

We can’t say the same for digital journals, letters and records. So many memories are lost.

Hence, how fortunate I was to find my missing file. But after I pass away, what will be the fate of those thoughts and photos? Will they be forever lost?

Solutions

Even I learn a lesson from this.

First and foremost – don’t put your original and only copy of what you write on a social media platform!
Keep the original on your computer
Backup your files routinely
Keep backups in a second site. In the event your house burns down, the backups won’t be burned with it.
Develop a transition plan when you inevitably cease to exist.

What about cloud-based storage solutions?

I know many people who use cloud-based platforms to keep their original files. While not recommended for personal use, it is a practical solution if you find yourself using multiple devices from diverse locations. It is why I use the Google Drive. I find the Google Drive a simple solution that does not degrade performance, while enabling me to share documents on any of my two computers, tablet and smartphone. But I do that only for selected documents and only temporarily.

Many have discovered that corporate policies require you to keep official documents on a cloud-based storage site. Such was the world I worked in for thirteen years. You were not permitted to store business-related documents on a local computer unless it was necessary to complete your work (such as scientists doing field work for the US Forest Service). This guaranteed that files were never lost. It also took the security burden away from the user. If a laptop was lost, it was inconvenient, but not a five alarm fire.

Cloud-based solutions are something worth exploring for individuals. But keep in mind that they may eventually cost you something. Photos and videos are now pervasive and they can take up a ton of space. The second thing to keep in mind is that you need to document where you store your information and how it is organized. A USB drive is convenient, but easily misplaced. You can store things on your Google Drive, and simply forget you put it there. Or, heaven forbid, you allow a cloud storage subscription to expire!

Personal Solutions

Alas, the best solutions are often the cheapest and the simplest.

The USB Drive

I used a USB drive for years. Remarkable little things, they seem to have an unbelievable capacity to store files. A rather hefty USB drive may set you back $50. I always had one attached to my computer that held all my backed up files, and a second copy tucked away in a safe.

Stand-alone Hard Drives

I find it interesting how people forget that these things still exist. I find them at garage sales or on on-line marketplaces all the time. I use a Western Digital unit. Plug it in, set up your account, and you are off to the races. You can access it using your browser, or you can use your file navigator (Explorer, for you Windows users). Even comes with a phone app.

I back up my computer’s files to this WD unit on a regular basis. In the event my computer storage device goes down, I have the files backed up onto another device. The unit is part of my home network. At this point we are talking about $150 or more. But, as I said above, I find these things for sale and I am currently experimenting with a unit that was actually given away! (Thinking about developing a juke box).

Backup the Stand-Alone Storage Devices

The WD unit has a pair of USB ports and has a very simple backup utility. I back up files onto the USB drive periodically.

Store the USB drives in a safe location

In the old days, I kept backups in our safe deposit box at the bank. But that got to be pretty spendy. Since then, I keep them in a fire-proof safe. To be safer, keep your backups in another building altogether.

Document Where You Keep Your Files

Being 100% on top of your game with backups may not amount to much if you die and no one knows where you put your files. Make sure this information is documented somewhere and printed out. I keep my information with the will. Granted, my descendants may not care one whiff about what I wrote, but they may have a rude awakening when they discover a bevy of legal documents are somewhere on one of my computers – and they just sold the equipment at an estate auction!

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Journey of the Missing File