Having My Website Hacked
Was the Best Thing That
Could Have Happened to Me

I am Laura Byrne-Cristiano
I’m a WordPress user since January 2006, and this is
the story of lessons learned from a WordPress website
gone viral.
You can find me at @NewYorkerLaura
2

3

So What
Happened?
4

5

6

7
 Sleep
 Money
 Self Esteem
 Lots of intangible things
 BUT I got what I really
needed.

8

Lots of people want to
ride with you in the
limo, but what you
want is someone who
will take the bus with
you when the limo
breaks down.
—Oprah 9

10
 Dime con quién andas, y te diré
quién eres
 Think about who represents
you, and give them specific
parameters. Right person for
the right job
 If it’s not working out, let
them go. You’ll be thankful in
the long run. You can “fire” a
volunteer.
 Success is being grounded and
knowing who you are.
 You are not your perceived online
life. It’s not disingenuous to put a
limited view of yourself out there.
You don’t owe anyone more
personal access
 Do not let others define you loud
voices are frequently just loud

Build Relationships with the Neighbors…even
if you think you don’t want to
11

Websites are like
children. No one
gets to tell you
what you can do
with yours.
—Lisa Hansen
12

13
 You can’t be all things to all
people. Some folks will just not like
you, AND THAT IS OK.
 It’s a big internet, they’ll find a
new place.
 If you offend apologize, make
amends, and state you learned
something new.
 No PUBLIC BATTLES…TRAIN MEET
WRECK!

Price is what you
pay. Value is what
you get.
—Warren Buffet
14

Hire Good Folks
Web hosting
Did you read the
fine print?
Security Plugins
Know what they cover
Maintenance
If you can’t do it hire
someone who can.
15

SECURITY
Admin and
Users
Admin is never, ever,
ever…trust me really
ever…A USER.
Not everyone needs
admin access
Password
Strength
Alpha numeric,
random caps and
symbols. Don’t spell
a word.
Service like LastPass
Diversify Email
Different emails to
control different
things with unique
passwords
16

You should never view your
challenges as a disadvantage…facing
and overcoming adversity is actually
one of your biggest advantages.
—Michelle Obama
17
 Book deal for ultimate guide.
 Cited as the go-to research source by
Academy Award winning director Bill
Condon.
 New career in
*Freelance writer for entertainment
websites
*Emcee for entertainment conventions
*Website content creation
*Social media management

You can find me at
@NewYorkerLaura
18