Podcast 3 - Deal With Negative Feedback
Negative feedback, we have all dealt with it from time to time. No mater if you are a Web host or a Web hosting client you need to know the right way to deal with the fools out there who might have something bad to say about you. Listen as I rip a new one into a few folks who do not like the Web Hosting Show.
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As for the rest of the show, it is more of the same! Your latest Web hosting headlines, a few more opinions from deep within my own mind, as well as the answers to some of your toughest Web hosting questions.
“How to Deal With Negative Feedback” Episode Transcript
Hello and welcome to show number three of the Web Hosting Show, the voice of the Web hosting world. The Web Hosting Show is sponsored in part by Web Hosting Chat, your number one place for Web hosting discussions. Who am I? Why, I am your geeky guru, technical support and humble host, Mitch Keeler. It is hard to believe I have been doing this show for three weeks now, seems like only yesterday we started on this little audio journey through the Web hosting world together. Hopefully I’ll be around for a very long time.
Want to know how you can get on the show? Just send me your questions, comments or complaints about this show or the Web hosting world to mitch@mitchkeeler.com. I’ll be going through them one by one and picking out the best of the best to get answered right here on the Web Hosting Show.
Just in case you haven’t visited the Web Hosting Show Web site in a while, I have three new additions that I am sure you will all love.
The first is the new design of the Web Hosting Show Web site. Apparently I am the only person really fond of the color green. Things have been changed around though to hopefully give off more of a professional look to the Web Hosting Show’s Online presence.
The second addition is the “How to Listen” page. From there I explain the many different ways you can tune into the show every Monday. You can listen to it from the Web site itself, set your RSS reader to the RSS feed, or you download it and take it with you on your portable mp3 player. I know in the Web hosting circles, the idea of podcasting hasn’t really caught on and a lot of folks are a little confused by it. Hopefully this page will be able to shed a little light on the subject for those of you still in the dark about syndication or podcasting.
The third improvement is the addition of the Web Hosting Show’s own forums! Thanks to the kind folks at Web Hosting Chat we now have a place for all the fans of the Web Hosting Show to meet up and talk about the show. Make sure you register over at Web Hosting Chat, check it out and say hi to some of your fellow listeners.
I did an article over on my Mitchelaneous Web site about how this show was produced, as well as how I put everything together each week. If there are any people out there who have said in the past two weeks, “Damn I could do a better job than this guy is doing!” then go right ahead! With a little pocket change and a few connections you can go a long way.
Web Hosting Headlines
Now it is time for everybody’s favorite part of the show, Hosting Headlines. The Web hosting headlines are provided by the Web Host Industry Review. If you want to read more about any of the stories I have covered here, be sure to check the transcript for today’s show.
H-Realms Hosting, announced on Monday its significant growth and revamped image. The number of clients has dramatically increased by 66 percent while churn rates have decreased by 50 percent. In an effort to support the customer service demands of this considerable growth, H-Realms Hosting has increased its support staff by 400 percent.
Wow, 400 percent? A lot of people who have not sat in the support chair over look it as an easy job to do. I can speak from experience that there is nothing “easy” about giving Web hosting support. Some of these people behind the servers and support do so for 12 to 18 hours a day with little or no break time in sight. Let me tell you, you make those bathroom breaks quick when you have 6 or 7 folks popping up on your screen wanting to ask you about something. I remember back when I was doing Web hosting support, I didn’t take many meal breaks. Instead I’d just snack on a bowel of cereal instead. Frosted Mini-Weats and coffee till my shift was over for the day. It’s hard work, but hey.. somebody has to make sure your Web site stays up, 24/7, 365!
Web hosting provider Host Color said on Wednesday that it has begun offering each customer of its Max or Mega hosting packages a coupon that gives them a 40 percent discount for Web site design services.
With the discount, a customer can purchase a professionally designed Web site for $295. Host Color’s designers will build the site, while the customer chooses a design topic, color scheme and Web site structure, and provides the contact information and other site content. The discount is valid for 90 days after the purchase of a Max of Mega Web hosting package. Host Color says the Web design service can be paid for in three installments.
I’m sure what Host Color is offering here is a really great deal. Anybody who is interested should take part. However, if you want to save yourself a few hundred bucks then how about learning HTML, CSS, and other design elements on your own? There are many great resources out there for folks wanting to know more about the Web design world. If you don’t want to take the time to learn, then there are also many great designers out there that will do the work for you for possibly a lower fee than Host Color is talking about here.
I’m one who doesn’t like to keep all his eggs in one basket. I buy Web hosting from one company, and a domain name from another. This way if something goes wrong with one company, or I decide I don’t like their services, I only have one thing to change. As far as good Web designers out there, one comes to mind. Go check out AlterCube.com for an example of a good Web site designer.
According to reports, an investigation into the hijacking of the domain name of New York-based ISP Panix, launched on January 18 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, has yet to make its findings public.
ICANN rules state that when a registrar sends a transfer request to a registry operator, if the name is not on “LOCK,” the registry operator must send an email confirmation to the losing and gaining registrars. It is not known whether that occurred in this case. Panix has made no comments regarding the hijacking.
It is not known if ICANN’s new rule was the source of the problem here, but brought up this change in ICANN’s rules a few months ago on Lockergnome. If you ask my opinion, it is a stupid rule. If you don’t want your domain name to possibly be hijacked go to your domain name register and make sure your domain names are set to be “locked”. If you have any questions on how to do this with your domain name register, ask them as they will more than willing to help you out with this.
Web Hosting Commentary and Thoughts
Now it is time to sit back, grab a loved one and listen to some of my own views about the Web hosting world. My Web Hosting commentary is brought to you by me, Mitch Keeler. If you want to learn more about my background in the Web hosting business, check out my official Web site at MitchKeeler.com.
I usually wait till the end of the show to tackle some E-mails and feedback I’ve received about the show. Well as some of you saw me tease earlier this week on the Web Hosting Show Web site, I’m ready to do a little ranting. What will I be ranting about today? Negative feedback.
First, let me touch upon a few “negative” things that have been said about this show. The first was somebody who apparently thinks the one and the only voice of the Web hosting world needs a little vocal training. He then later goes on to say, “Hey, it just sucks.” The second bit of negativity came from a different person saying, they loved the show and the whole idea of the show, we just need to get a new host.
I am not going anywhere. The Web Hosting Show is my proverbial child, and shall host it as long as it is under my control. As far as the other comments go, from the tone of their messages I have a feeling they weren’t trying to help. Unfortunately in the times we live in today some moronic people like to just rain on other people’s parades. Why? Could it be jealousy of seeing others succeed? Could it be the shrinking of their testicular area? Who knows really.
From Web hosts all the way down to their Web hosting clients, everybody has gotten a little negative feedback every once in a while. You shouldn’t hide it though. Many people feel that they should delete any negative comments or complaints to keep their image clean. What you should do though is display it with your other comments and tackle their problems head on. If your a good enough Web host or whatever it is you do, then you should be able to shoot them down where they stand.
Just remember that people know when your doing a good job. So far I’ve received probably 20 good responses for every negative one. I’d say so far, so good for the Web Hosting Show.
There are a lot of Web hosting forums out there. Heck this show is sponsored by one of the best, Web Hosting Chat. However, I am not going to bash all others just because I happen to be sponsored by one of the best in the business.
A few Web hosting forums that come to me off the top of my head are Web Hosting Chat, Web Hosting Talk, BrowseHosts Forums, and Host Hideout. They are not the only Web hosting forums around there. There are many to choose from.
Also they are not just for Web hosts to sit around and talk about Web hosting. Yes, that is a lot of what is going on in these forums. However, there are a lot of folks just interested in how the Web hosting world works as well. Many people get on these forums to check out their Web hosts and to see what other reviews others have posted about them.
I guess the point I am trying to get across is that Web hosting forums aren’t just for Web hosts anymore. They are for anybody and everybody to become a part of. If I might be so blunt, they are some of the best forums in general I have ever joined. Plus it isn’t like making a few friends in the Web hosting business is going to hurt you either.
Once you become a member you shouldn’t be running around and acting like you are the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Instead learn the tone of each of the forums, and make sure you read any rules or regulations they might have for posting. Also, don’t be a moron. Nobody likes the guy who just sits around and complains about this or that in the Web hosting world. Instead see what you can do to become a useful member of the Web hosting forums.
Web Hosting Web Site of the Week
This week’s Web hosting Web Site of the Week is Ping! Zine. Ping! Zine is a wonderful and free Web hosting magazine that anybody can sign up for. Within the pages are a lot of good Web hosting articles, conversations and information. If you want to subscribe, all you need to do is visit their Web site. Did I mention that it is totally free? If you are a Web host, a Web hosting worker, or just somebody who wants to know more about the world of Web hosting it is worth checking out.
Also, I might mention that I’ll have articles in the next two editions of the magazine. That isn’t the reason it was picked this week though. It really is a good Web hosting resource that I believe everybody and their grandmother can enjoy.
Web Hosting Questions and Answers
Now I’d like to open up the old mail bag to answer some of your Web hosting questions and to look at your comments. Remember, if you’d like for me to answer your toughest Web hosting questions or any comments, suggestions, feedback or thoughts send me an E-mail to mitch@mitchkeeler.com.
Just to show you how far this show has reached in it’s first two weeks, I recently received an E-mail all the way from Sweden.
Hi, Listened to your saved show, it was fun, keep it up! Your listener footprint now reaches deep into the northern woods of Sweden 
Many Regards,
Danny
Thank you Danny for letting me know how far this show is really reaching. That is one of the advantages to doing this show Online though, anybody from around the world can tune in and give me their thoughts.
Mark, from no real apparent location, since he didn’t give me one wants to know more about shopping for a good Web host.
Mitch,
I really liked last week’s show. Could you tell me a good place to shop for Web hosting? I have seen lots of places and lots of good offers. I just don’t know who to go with.
Mark
Mark, there are a lot of Web hosting companies out there so I could see how it might be hard to choose. Thankfully there are places like BrowseHosts and Find My Hosting that will take all the hard work out of searching for a good Web host. As long as you know what you need from your Web hosting account, you should be able to narrow the search down from hundreds to just a few. After that I’d contact each one on one and see which one you feel most comfortable with.
I’ve had several people E-mail me to ask which podcasts out there do I listen to personally. I guess since I am doing the Web Hosting Show, people must expect I subscribe to dozens to get inspiration, right? Well, not exactly. There are so far only two shows I have found worth listening to.
The first is the Chris Pirillo Show, hosted by (who would have guessed?) Chris Pirillo. Another great show is Changing Media, hosted by some of my fellow Lockergnome writers Matt and Brandon. I’ll be sure to link to both of these shows in the transcript for this episode of the Web Hosting Show so you too can try them out.
Larry, via Hotmail, thinks that I use the word “however” way too often.
Loved the shows so far. You use the word however too many times per show. Stop it.
Larry
Well Larry I would love to stop using the word however, however I feel like it is the best word to use. Many could say I use it too much, however I feel like I use it just enough. This is my opinion, however you are free to express your opinion anytime. Heck, any of you are free to express your opinion! Be sure to keep sending me your Web hosting questions, and I’ll keep answering them one by one.
Last Web Hosting Thoughts
Before I close out the show for the day, I wanted to mention that The Web Hosting Show has been added to PodcastAlley.com. To get to our profile, click the PodcastAlley.com link on any of the Web Hosting Show’s Web pages. From there, leave us a few comments and be sure to vote for the show. The only way this show can keep kicking the rear of the Web hosting world is if people are listening to the show. Let the world know that you too love the Web Hosting Show.
Do you like listening to the Web Hosting Show? Then please link back to the show, blog about it, post a link on your Web site or forums. In these early days of podcasting this show needs all the help you can give it to stay alive. So please, spread the word. I have a few surprises in the works for the next few weeks so keep listening and please tell a few friends about the Web Hosting Show.
Well that is it for this week’s edition of the Web Hosting Show. How did I do? Was it as good for you, as it was for me? Let me know by leaving your comments, sending me an E-mail or by visiting the Web Hosting Show’s forums. Next week we will be doing more of the same. I am Mitch Keeler, and you have been listening to the Web Hosting Show, the voice of the Web hosting world.
Credits for the Web Hosting Show:
Audio File Web Hosting by Web Hosting Chat
Web Hosting Headlines by The Web Host Industry Review
Introduction and Exit Music by Dezyne Records
Announcer Introduction by Meka
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