Hey, I just wanted to let everybody know that we will be moving to a new server soon. While the move is going on - the Web site might be up, it might be down, or it might be up in Canada somewhere. Have no fear though, because with the top notch FastServers.Net crew helping me out - I have no fears about the move. Should be a smooth move.

*Update* - If you are reading this, then it means the move was a success! Next week’s show might be delayed due to propagation time - but have no fear, once I make myself at home here on this new server I will be ready to go back into production!

Now this is an idea I have had for a while that any Web host could make good use of. If they opened it up to the public, then they could make good use out of it as well. I would like to see more Web hosts start up support wikis for problem situations that might come up. Now I am not talking about your standard help site or forums.

I want to see something that both your customers and support staff could update. I could see this setup very easily using a wiki. It would have to be moderated, of course, but it could really connect both the Web host with it’s support staff and it’s users as far as what questions are out there and what needs to be fixed.

If you didn’t want to give you clients full access to this type of system then you could at least setup a place where they could post questions. Not questions that need to be answered as soon as possible. Questions that are more general that might come in handy knowing if a bad situation ever pops up in the future.

As far as I know, there are not any Web hosts that do this just yet - but if you know of one or you are one please, let me know! I would be more than interested to check out your setup and see how you handle your own Web hosting knowledge base.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 86!

Tis the season to be thinking about what you are getting your loved ones. Now will you knit them a sweater with love and care? Probably not - that takes way too much time. I’ve got the perfect stocking stuffer for you to give and I can promise nobody will be looking to return your gift anytime soon. Ready or not, here I come because the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 86!
Running Time: 10 minutes | File Size: 4.15 MB

Howdy there folks, I am your chosen one and media rock star of the Web hosting industry Mitch Keeler, and I want to welcome you to the number one Web hosting podcast out there today - the Web Hosting Show. This is the radio show, podcast, netcast, audio transmission that you need to listen to week in and week out to know how you can make the Web hosting industry work for you.

• Giving the Gift of Web Hosting for the Holidays
• How and Why Web Hosts Should Create a Knowledge Base

So grab your Thanksgiving Day leftovers, grab a loved one and listen to the number one Web hosting podcast across the nation. I can promise you if you are at least not entertained, then you will be informed. If you are not informed, then I can nearly promise you will be entertained. Who knows, maybe even a small selection of you will be both entertained and informed.

Now when it comes to photo hosting, you may be friends with the Flickrs and PhotoBuckets of the world, but every so often it doesn’t hurt to look for alternatives. One alternative that I have been checking out recently is Zoto.com.

They want to be the place you take all your digital photos to.

Now why should they get that honor? Well storing a backup of all your photos Online is a smart thing to do. What if something happens to your computer? Where will all those photos of Uncle Fred riding the unicycle go?

They will be gone for good.

Past the backup aspect of all of this though, they also give you the standard tagging feature that you see everywhere else as well. You can also make nice looking galleries with the templates they provide you and they say that “photo blogging” is a breeze.

So, for the most part, you can see they are doing everything that everybody else is doing. Nothing really sets them apart - but if you are looking for an alternative, Zoto.com might be the place you want your photos to call home.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 85!

What does the Web hosting industry really need? Well how about one more set of Web hosting forums? Now we have Web Hosting Talk and Web Hosting Chat. We have Host Hideout and a plethora of other choices out there for Web hosting message boards.

There is a new dog in the fight though, and it is WHLounge.com.

Now from just looking around for the very first time here, I have to say I love the style. It is very clean and not that cluttered looking. All your usual forum topics are there. They could use some members though - so if you are looking for a fresh new place to talk about Web hosting, give them a shot.

The one piece of advice that I would give the folks behind WHLounge.com is that you don’t want to become the next Web Hosting Talk. Well, let me rephrase that. Sure everybody would like to have the popularity that Web Hosting Talk has, but the egos over there just make it no fun for anybody. Remember to keep things informative, but fun and don’t take yourself too seriously.

There was one quote I really loved to hear though when I was reading about these new set of forums.

“One of our main missions is providing a friendly place where Web hosts and end-users can discuss industry related issues without getting attacked because of newbie questions.”

After hearing that, I can promise you I’ll be signing up as soon as possible.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 85!

Now when it comes to any customer relations in any business out there, you always have the sour apples that think they are more important than everybody else out there in the world. What they don’t realize though is their snarky remarks and bad social skills are not just alienating other people from wanting to talk to them, it is also making the Web host hate them as well.

1. Don’t threaten the Web host with taking your business elsewhere. If you do so, don’t be surprised when the Web host gives you other hosting suggestions. If you are a jerk, they will be more than happy to get rid of you.

2. Don’t try to reach the Web host via every method that they provide. Putting in different support requests to all these different departments is just going to slow down the overall process.

3. Don’t put in 200 help desk ticket on the same subject. Also don’t reply to the same ticket over and over again saying, “Is it fixed yet?”. You’ll have your Web host wanting to reach back behind the seat to slap you around a little ‘bit.

4. Don’t go around to threads on the Web host’s forums and say things like, “Yeah, I remember when that happened - it took them three weeks to get that fixed for me” or other annoying remarks. If your not helping to fix the problem you are only adding to the problem.

5. Don’t contact guys from other departments of the Web hosting company asking for special side offers or deals. If you talk to the guy working in sales, and he says he can’t help you, it is not a secret government conspiracy or plot against you.

Now I know every Web host is suppose to help their clients no matter how much of a jerk they are. It is human nature though to feel hatred towards the people who do these things though, so my best suggestion is to just try to be nice. Treat your Web host the way you would want to be treated.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 85!

It looks like more and more Web hosts are moving towards the new Web 2.0 look as far as Web site design goes.

Web publishing tools provider Freewebs.com announced last week it has completed a series of advancements in its application offerings.

The move continues Freewebs’ progression from a provider of simple and easy site-building tools, to offering a broad platform upon which site and content creators can gain global visibility and traffic.

I have to say I really enjoy the new look and feel of Freewebs.com. The entire Web site just has a much cleaner and easier to manage interface.

Some additional features include the ability to add YouTube video in a single click without leaving the Freewebs page, a simplified site design and convenient import tools that enable users to centralize their online presence without having to recreate content like email contacts, blog entries and profiles from other Web sites.

All and all a very nice experience.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 85!