Bryan Young's thread on computer backup prompts me to pass on this tale of another modelling forum (yes, I know I should be faithful to MBM, forswearing all others, but temptation is so - tempting!)
Some others here may frequent Model Ship World and have watched this sad episode unfold. For those who don't, MSW is a site that focusses strongly on detailed scale models of, in large part, sailing ships and particularly sailing warships. There is a small and modestly used RC section, but the bulk of the content covers intricate models of craft with complex hull structures and masses of rigging. There are some scratch build logs there developed over several years and covering some of the finest ship modeling in wood you are likely to see.
Or rather, there were. The adminstrators of the site decided a while ago to migrate to a new format for the site (sound familiar?) and did so a short while ago. Just after this, and perhaps coincidentally, they suffered a major hardware crash and lost the entire history of the site. Some of those build logs were works of art in themselves, and nearly all of them offered valuable insight and advice on techniques, tools and the sheer skill and persistence of some great modellers. All gone. Forever. They are rebuilding the site from scratch.
Of course, the obvious question about backup was asked, but like MBM, MSW runs on subscriptions and sponsorship and backups cost money. And hindsight is, of course, a wonderful thing. We had a few issues here when we moved to the new forum but at least we still have all the old stuff for reference and enjoyment. There but for the grace of God and Martin's care go we.