Since it does feel like that “best of the best” time with the Web Hosting Show’s two year birthday coming soon - I figured this might be a good time to look at what is out there with the control panels we all use on a daily basis in the Web hosting world.

Which are the best of the best? Well it took me a while, but I think I have narrowed down the list to three. The top three control panels in all of the Web hosting world.

cPanel

The folks at the cPanel Web site say, “cPanel is designed for the end users of your system and allows them to control everything from adding an removing E-mail accounts to administering MySQL databases.” The fact of the matter is though that they do that and so much more. Most often used on Redhat Linux based systems, cPanel provides support for over ten different flavors of Linux. There is no Windows or OSX versions yet however.

The interface is clean, with more options and features than you could shake a stick at. It is easy to see why they are the number one control panel used today. They do have several competitors though, chomping at the bit to take their space on the top of the mountain.

Plesk

Plesk is available for both Linux and Windows Web hosting servers. This alone gives them a little advantage over cPanel. Their interface looks much like Windows XP. You have all the soft colors and big icons that you would ever need. I have to give them credit though, because it does look great.

They have all the basic features that cPanel has as well. Good stuff indeed.

Helm

Now we have seen a lot of different Linux only control panels, but what about a Windows only one? That is one thing that Helm provides to the end consumer. There are many customer features to go on and on about, but how does it feel once you get on the inside?

It has the standard pretty interface, nothing new there. These control panels are built to be used over and over, so they have to be easy on the eyes. One thing that did get my attention is the ability to see your billing information inside the control panel. That is very nice indeed.

Agree? Disagree? Give me your thoughts - leave a comment and let me know your opinions and other choices for your own dream team of Web hosting control panels.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 96!

When it comes to picking the right control panel for your Web hosting business or for your Web site back end - what should you look for? I have my top three favorites picked out and ready to share.

Also tune in to hear about GoDaddy’s deal with Revision3, how to find a good podcast host and our free Web hosting account winner! The Web Hosting Show is on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 96!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 5.98 MB

Here are just a few topics that we discussed on this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

• Next Week the Web Hosting Show Turns Two!
• What Are the Top Three Control Panels Out There?
• You Should Be Looking for What in a Podcast Web Host?
• GoDaddy’s Advertising Deal with Revision3 - Interesting or Not?

Can you feel it? Can you feel the excitement? We are only outside of a week - seven days away from the Web Hosting Show’s big two year anniversary and I can not wait for it to happen. Over the past two years I’ve had midgets, I’ve had hosting news, I’ve had interviews with the top industry professionals and I’ve helped out the common Joe and Jane on the street.

Link of the Week: Is Your Mission Critical?

After the Web site redesign some people asked me, “Where did the subscription links go? and I am ready to let you know. I really got tired of the 100 icons on the sidebar look - so I moved them all over to one Web page. Here is the place you need to find ‘em all:

+ The Web Hosting Show Subscription Links

If you have any that you would like to see there, please let me know. I would be more than happy to get them added on the Web page. Just one more way to help you get the latest episodes of the greatest Web hosting podcast out there today.

If all else fails and you are still lost, just click that little orange icon in the upper-right hand corner of WebHostingShow.com.

Bonus: Embed the Web Hosting Show Flash Player on YOUR Web Site!

Well with all of this talk about the Web Hosting Show about to begin it’s third year of bringing audio content to the Web hosting industry - I figured it was about time to give the Web Hosting Show’s Web site a new look and theme. Yes, we are saying goodbye to year two and hello to year three with an entire new design on WebHostingShow.com.

If you still see a few new things creeping up, don’t mind me - I am just putting the finishing touches on the layout. I do have to say though that this one is so far my favorite of all the “looks” the Web Hosting Show has had. I guess you could say this might be the replacement for the podcast this week since I am a little short on time and will have a big busy week next week. (Got to go to jury duty Monday morning)

So let me know what you think, and if there is anything you would like to see added - please be my guest and suggest. This Web site is as much yours as it is mine, so if you want to see something here please let me know. Opinions, suggestions, ideas and complaints are always welcome.

This is a question I get asked a lot, should folks collocate their hosting servers or have them all in one spot. Now both have their advantages and disadvantages, so I’m not going to tackle every single argument you might here for one side or the other right here, right now.

First, for those of you who might not know what collocation is, let us put a definition with the word. Collocation is the placement of hosting servers in more than one location. Another good way to explain it would be to call it a service whereby a company that owns a server houses it in another company’s data center due to the greater security, stronger backbone or other technological reasons.

I am a big fan of collocation, so here is my most defining argument on why you should be a fan of it as well.

The advantage of having your servers more spread out is that if a natural disaster hits, or something else really bad it will not kill your entire network. Say you have data centers located in the north, south, east and west of the United States. If you southern data center goes out - that is only one forth of your business that is effected.

Disagree with me? I would love to hear more reasons for this and against it. Drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and let me know which side of the fence you are on.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 95!

The Web Hosting Show supporters just keep on giving! Check this offer out, and if you are interested - shoot me over an E-mail and I will be more than happy to hook you up as supplies last!

All you have to do is send an E-mail to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and let me know what you like about the Web Hosting Show. That is it!

On behalf of the Hostlegal team, I would like to congratulate you on your second year of pod casting the Web Hosting Show. I have been a Web Hosting Show listener since May 2005 and have enjoyed each and every show. I highly recommend your show to people who are interested in webhosting. As you know, there’s even a Web Hosting Show banner ad on the Hostlegal’s home page!

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Better act fast! I don’t know how long I will have these on hand. If I run out, I’ll be sure to post here and let you know.

Thank you Hostlegal.com!

I noticed a thread about this very topic not too long ago on WebHostingChat.com. The poster wanted to know if anybody thought that the world Web hosting would die. Now most people might read that and think the guy was crazy, bonkers, nuts even. If you look at it with an open mind though you have to at least thing that it might happen.

What if the phrase Web hosting was replaced by another term? What would that term be? Now I am not exactly the best forecaster of the future, but what if we started to refer to Web hosting as “Online storage”? Would it mean the same thing to you and me?

I think no matter what you call it, Web hosting is still going to confuse people. When I walk up to a guy or gal on the street and tell them I am in the Web hosting business, I usually get them scratching their heads and saying, “hu?” at me. No new words or candy coating is going to help that.

It is even worse if you tell people that you work “Online”. When that term comes out of your mouth it seems like folks automatically assume that you either spam people or work in the adult industry. Sometimes your lucky and you get that confused aunt or uncle that think you do both.

People just want to know how to get a Web site and us folks inside of the hosting industry are going to have to live with that. We might not be celebrities or high-class socialites, but we will continue to keep the Web running.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 95!