What happens when you take all the best clips that have taken place in 2005? I think you have the best of the best, don’t you? Flashback are always fun and the Web Hosting Show, podcast 43 and the last hosting podcast for 2005 is now on the air.
Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 43!
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Hello and welcome to the Web Hosting Show, the one and only voice of the Web hosting world. This show is supported each and every week by the fine folks over at Web Hosting Chat. Web Hosting Chat is your number one place for Web hosting discussions. I am your humble host, Mitch Keeler.
Hard to believe that 2005 is almost gone. It’s been a big year for the Web hosting world and an even bigger year for me. I wrote my first book on and about the Web hosting industry. I landed my first few writing jobs for a few actual paperback magazines, and my biggest project of the year, the Web Hosting Show has been a real success since day one.
Since it is the day after Christmas, and not much else is going on I thought I’d put together for you some of my favorite segments I’ve done in 2005. I guess you could call this episode the best of the Web Hosting Show. Well, the best in my opinion at least.
AJAX Whois Tool
It seems like a lot of folks were happy with the domain name tool I featured on last week’s show, so I figured I’d go ahead and feature another one I found. This one goes into the Ajax/Web 2.0 category as well.
You can find it at ajaxwhois.com. What is it? Why it is another domain name lookup tool. Just type in the domain name you want, and it will do a real time search. The thing this one has over last week’s pick, is it isn’t limited to just .net or .com names.
The fun doesn’t stop there. You can also set it to do Whois searches on the fly. Just type in the domain name you want to find more information about. Another free, new and innovative domain name tool for you to use! Once again, I recommend you at least give it a shot at ajaxwhois.com.
From Podcast 38 – Read the Show Notes!
Young Web Hosters Get Bad Press
For the most part, if you have been around the Web hosting world you have heard about the Web hosting companies out there that are run by a younger generation. There are actually some teenagers out there running Web hosting businesses. Now there are two sides of this story, and I feel like only one side is getting attention.
There have been a lot of bad things said about Web hosting with somebody who is not out of high school yet. Some people say they are unexperienced. Other people say that they are not safe. While some of these worries are true, here on the Web Hosting Show I want to give everybody the benefit of the doubt.
If doing Web hosting with somebody who is still in their teens makes you a little nervous, then that is fine. Go with a bigger and more experienced company. I for one am happy to see these kids getting in on things. It goes to show me that the next generation of Web hosting gurus are going to be even more experienced and savvy in their later years.
Now true, it would be nice if Web hosts had to tell you before if they are under aged or not. I am afraid there just is not a governing power out there big enough to do that just yet. If you are under twenty and running a Web hosting business, I want to tell you something. Don’t fear your age! Tell folks about it. That way you have nothing to fear and nobody can say that your are being dishonest right from the start. Could some of these younger generation Web hosters give the old guys a run for their money? Maybe one of these days, somebody will.
From Podcast 34 – Read the Show Notes!
Can You Buy Web Hosting for Life?
You can pay $299 for a lifetime of Web hosting. Anytime I hear a Web hosting company selling “Web hosting for life” it always alarms me a little. No mater who the company is and no mater who you are, you have to remember one simple rule. Even if everything works and everything is legit, you are not buying Web hosting for your lifetime. You are buying Web hosting for the company’s lifetime.
The Web hosting company making the offer this time around is Brinkster. To give them credit, it sounds like they are doing everything right and by the book. Here is one thing I found in the terms of service though that was interesting:
This offer is only available for new accounts. The term shall be for either the lifetime of the individual or sixty (60) years, whichever length of time is shorter. Corporate entities, trusts, and organizations may not participate in this offer. If such a party signs up for this promotion, this offer will be null and void without any refund or credit due by Brinkster.
Who uses a Web host that long though? I mean, sure we are all searching for the Web host that is right for us, but getting yourself tied up with a Web hosting account for life might not be the right way to go. In my opinion, you should sign up for the shortest time period possible (usually by the month) and after a year or so, if you are still happy with that Web host, then go ahead and sign up for a longer contracted period.
The folks at Brinkster are free to come onto the show and try to sell me on the idea, but right now I can’t say I’d jump in on it with both feet unless you were sure you were going to be happy with Brinkster’s hosting quality.
From Podcast 32 – Read the Show Notes!
Web Hosting Forum Wars
A thread like this always pops up every few months and it always seems to get a lot of attention on Web hosting forums. It seems like people like to pick on the folks at Web Hosting Talk a lot. This thread comes from the Web Hosting Chat forums, which I can say has nothing against the folks at Web Hosting Talk. It just seems like they are a good lightning rod when it comes to people complaining about how Web Hosting Talk runs. To folks that want to say the Web hosting world is boring, this argument proves the fact that it is anything but boring.
Now who is right and who is wrong? As a member of Web Hosting Talk, Web Hosting Chat and just about any other Web hosting forums out there I can say that I have always been treated the same at just about all the forums I have ever been to. Finding the right set of forums is like finding the right pair of pants. Not every pair of pants fits you just right, but once you find the right pair.. you’ll never want to change clothes again.
From Podcast 22 – Read the Show Notes!
Atari 2600 Web Server
I ran across this story over at digg.com and just couldn’t give up on mentioning it on the show. I’m a big fan of the Atari 2600, it was my first gaming machine. I have to admit though, the thought never crossed my mind to try to turn it into a Web server. I think I have that very “Star Raider” controller they talk about in the article as well. Nice to see that old Atari box still being useful even after all these years.
From Podcast 10 – Read the Show Notes!
Final Web Hosting Thoughts
Well, that is it for this week’s show! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or ideas make sure you send them to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com. Next Monday will bring in a new year and a brand new episode of the Web Hosting Show. I want to take a few minutes to thank each and every one of you for listening week in and week out. Without you folks, there wouldn’t be a Web Hosting Show. I’d also like to thank all my Web Hosting Show supporters as well.
I’m Mitch Keeler and you have been listening to the Web Hosting Show, the number one Web hosting podcast in all the land and the one and only voice of the Web hosting world.
