I think one of the major problems is that WordPress has made it too easy to run your own site. So easy, in fact, that we sometimes forget that were actually running our own sites. Not that Im complaining about how easy it is, but it can present some problems.

Honestly, how often to you back up your database? Really? Dont lie.

How many of the core developers blogs are you subscribed to?

If youre running your own site, then youre responsible for it. Thats just the simple truth of the matter.

Here are some useful tips for running your own site

First and foremost, make regular database backups of your blog:

WordPress backups
Backing up your database
WP DB Backup plugin

Run a local install of WordPress on your computer. Yes, even Average Joe should do this to test plugins and themes before using them on a live site (alternately, you can run a test install in a subdirectory of your site):

Setting up Xampp and WordPress

Make sure you test plugins with the beta releases and release candidates WordPress puts out on your local install and/or your live test site.

If a plugin or theme doesnt work with a new version, try contacting the author to see if therell be a fix for the latest version of WP. Or, at least let them know theres an issue. Maybe theyre not even aware of it.

Another useful tip might be to check out a plugin or theme authors site before using their stuff. Some people might not be that dedicated to their work, which is perfectly fine, but as a user, you might want some assurance. Check out what theyve done and how involved they are within the WordPress community. Maybe that plugin author made a simple plugin and never made plans to update the plugin at all.

Some tips for plugin and theme authors

Any plugin or theme author worth his salt should have a local setup running the latest WordPress version. You can use the tutorial on setting up WordPress with Xampp. Its quite simple.

Familiarize yourself with WordPress Trac. Thats all the documentation youll ever need on seeing where changes are made to the core WordPress code.

Use Subversion with WordPress. You can easily pull the latest development version of WordPress onto your computer. Ptah Dunbar also has a good article on using Subversion. I personally use Tortoise SVN to both track changes within my themes and plugins and to keep my version of WordPress current on my computer.

Finally, set up support forums for your plugins or themes. bbPress is extremely simple to set up. Its a lot easier to quickly find bugs if you have a community surrounding your work. Trust me, theyll let you know if somethings broken.