When it comes to getting eyeballs or new clients to your Web hosting company or any Web site out there at all it seems like everything under the sun has been tried once. If you haven’t gotten good results with other ad services I have one I want you to try. Did you know that StumbleUpon offers advertising services?

For those of you who might not know what StumbleUpon is all about, it is a service that allows users to view Web sites that are based on a similar interest randomly. You can think of it as channel surfing and Web browsing mixed together. It is a great way to find Web sites that you might have missed if you only pay attention to the popular stuff out there today.

Well with StumbleUpon Ads, you get to pay a little money to target your Web site towards people looking for that type of content. I recently started an ad campaign via WebHostingShow.com on StumbleUpon and I have gotten promising results. Of course the more you pay in, the more visitors you will be getting. My bar is set a little low right now for testing purposes - but I could see myself using this down the road to bring in new listeners to the podcast here.

They give you some statistical information as well, like how many people have voted up or voted down your Web site link and how many people have viewed it for each day of your campaign.

So if you are look for a new way to bring in new visitors, I would definitely give StumbleUpon Ads a shot. For Web hosts - this could lead to some new sales and some new eyeballs on your Web site. Don’t let that fool you though. I could see just about any Web site out there getting a boost in visitors from this Online tool.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 99!

Is Go Daddy searching for yet another Go Daddy girl? The WHIR is reporting the Go Daddy announced on Friday it has discovered a new girl to add to the company’s roster of spokesmodels at Daytona’s Bike Week celebration in Daytona, Florida.

Lara Haworth is her name and it will be interesting to see what Go Daddy actually does with her. Will any of the other Go Daddy girls be getting the boot?

Speaking of GoDaddy, they seem to be more than happy to help RegisterFly customers swarm over to their services. They are providing a special transfer program for RegisterFly customers who want to move their domains over to Go Daddy. If you want to take them up on the offer, go visit:

https://www.godaddy.com/registerfly

Looks like Go Daddy is the only register out there that is smart enough to see this as a chance to grab some new customers. Two hosting thumbs up to the Go Daddy marketing team for that one.

Quick Hosting News Links for the Week

Microsoft Committed to Web Hosting - Microsoft held a “Hosting Day” on March 1st, in Toronto, Canada - no blue screens of death were seen at the event.

Web.com, Awarded 20th Patent - Atlanta-based Web.com, Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark office awarded the company its twentieth patent. This follows patent number nineteen, the toaster in a server idea, which gained much praise from morning shift system admins from around the world.

Theme Stock Launches, Web Designers Weep - Web design destination, BoxedArt.com, has launched a sister site that has a library of professionally designed skins for Content Management Systems. ThemeStock.com hopes to give the folks at Template Monster a run for their pre-designed money.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 99!

Now it is not very often that I find Firefox extensions that Web hosting professionals and enthusiasts can get behind and get excited about. That is why I was so excited to see ServStats sent to me by person who both listens to this show and reads my Firefox blog - FirefoxFacts.com.

So what does ServStats do? Here is what the developer of the extension has to say via the Mozilla Add-ons Web site:

ServStats is a Firefox extension that lets users share statistics about web server connectivity and diagnose network failures. When a network failure occurs, ServStats automatically conducts diagnostic tests and infers the most likely cause of failure.

Now while this might not help you figure out internal server issues to your own network, it is a nice start to something that could be used to really see the inside details on how some servers do when compared with others. Also just by checking the extension you can see the number of times other people have attempted to connect to a server, the average latency and rate of failure for that server, and more.

ServStats is part of the Knowledge Plane research project at MIT. If you want to learn more about the project behind this extension you can do so at their official Web site servestats.mozdev.org.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 99!

Girls, games and marketing - if this Web Hosting Show episode hasn’t gotten you at least a little excited about the fun you have in store for you, I don’t think anything will. From big boobed advertising ploys to getting yourself a free Xbox 360 just for reviewing your Web host you can see there is a lot in store for this episode of the Web Hosting Show.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 99!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 5.81 MB

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

• Is There a New Go Daddy Girl?
• RegisterFly Customers Get Help from a Competitor!
• Use StumbleUpon as a Marketing Tool?
• Win Yourself a Xbox 360 by Reviewing Your Web Host!

New Feature! Record and Send your Questions, Feedback and Segments via Odeo!

Hello, I am not the one with the big knockers - we will get to those later. What I can give you right now is the promise that you are now tuned in to the best hosting tools you could ever find. This podcast delivers a little ‘bit for both Web hosts and Web hosting clients. A little odd, but always informative - the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Link of the Week: The Best Hosting Bloggers!

Now I guess this could be considered your entertainment from the Web hosting industry this week.

Sure, inside of the Web hosting business you get asked questions that are considered by people “in the know” as pretty lame and stupid. We all do our best to inform and educate those people the best that we can though.

The thing that bothers me is when stupid people pretend that they are smart. That is when somebody can get into some real trouble.

+ Link to the YouTube video for the RSS readers out there!

The important thing to remember is to always do your homework before you start calling people out.

To read more about this funny situation, check out the Lunartics blog. That is the first place I found this excellent story.

When it comes to managing your digital empire on the Web I see people falling into the same traps over and over again. I figured I would hit upon three of the biggest dangers you can find yourself in when dealing with the Web hosting world - so that you, me and the dog down the street can keep from having trouble.

Backup Your Web Site

You should always backup is advice that we all hear from time to time, but we don’t often listen to this advice. Backing up can sometimes be a time waster and you would rather be doing other things that are a little more interesting. Sure, I can see that argument. Think of backing up as insurance on your proverbial mobile home on the Web. If a tornado comes tumbling towards you - you want to be ready don’t you?

Don’t Let Your Domain Name Registration Run Out

This is another pitfall that I see a lot of people run into. Always keep up to date on when your domain name registration runs out. Usually with places like GoDaddy - they will send you at least one E-mail giving you a 60 day or 30 day warning. Other than that though, it is up to you to keep up with this stuff. If you are really worried you won’t remember sign your domain up for a longer period of time. Register for five or ten year periods so you don’t have to worry about this headache any longer.

Keep Up to Date With Web Site Scripts

Just this past week WordPress was bitten by a nasty security issue. If you don’t keep up to date with what content management systems you use or scripts you run, you might run into trouble. If the script or service you have running on your hosting account has any sort of blog or E-mail updates - make sure that you sign up for them. Sometimes the quicker you get these updates installed, the less likely you will run into any problems in the future.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 98!

The Web hosting industry is probably more “press release driven” than any other business out there today. Everybody and their grandmother is putting out a press release for this, that or the other. Maybe you launched a new plan.

Maybe you wanted to announce your new service. No matter what the reason is, the fact of the mater is - is that you will need a press release written.

Now I have seen a lot of them while combing through the Web hosting news and I have to say some are good and others stink. Here are a few tips from me to you on how you can make your press releases a little better.

#1 - Tell Me What You Did and Who You Are

The most important part of a press release is the actual announcement, so make sure you put that before you start rambling about who you are. Sell me on the idea first, and then tell me how to find it.

#2 - Give Me A Quote About Why It Is Special

Quotes from somebody important in your company are always good to have. It makes it feel much more personal than just a three or four paragraph story about your new features.

#3 - Let Me Know Where To Go To Get More Information

You always have to remember to close out the press release with letting people know your name and how to reach you for more information. Just posting that you are John from That Hosting Company ain’t going to cut the cake. Give details and quick details on you, your company and contact information.

#4 - Write A Headline That Gets To The Point

Writing the headline should be first, right? Wrong! Your headline should come last, so you know what you have written before you give it a name. Make sure you sell the service first - rather than your company name. The general public doesn’t care who you are for the most part, but they will want to know after you tell them about your big new idea.

What if you suck at writing press releases?

Now if all else fails, and you still find your press releases lacking in the excitement department, you could always hire a firm to write them for you. One of the most widely used and best known is PressAdvance.com. It might cost a little money but it will get that monkey off of your back so you can concentrate on other things.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 98!