Archive | March, 2007

Ads, Girls and Xbox Giveaways – Episode 99

Mar/12 in All Posts, Web Hosting Podcasts

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

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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!

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Darn Those CentOS Hackers

Mar/09 in All Posts

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.

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Quick Tips for Hosting Bliss

Mar/08 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

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!

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Write a Better Press Release

Mar/07 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

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!

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Torrent Tracker Web Hosts

Mar/06 in All Posts, Commentary, Web Hosting Tutorials

I got an E-mail from Phil who wanted to know if I knew of any Web hosts that did torrent tracker Web hosting. Now after asking around, I have to say it was a harder question to answer that I had thought.

Hi Mitch, you have a great podcast but I have a question. I want to start up a torrent tracker but no hosts seem to allow it after I ask. Do you know of any or what should I do? Thanks.

I could not find a one that would allow it. Since so many of the torrent tracker Web sites out there host illegal files – it makes most Web hosts very nervous. They don’t want to be helping folks get illegal stuff – as well as getting their door knocked down by somebody with a copy of the DMCA in their hand.

My suggestion for anybody wanting to host a new torrent tracker and they want to host legal files, make sure you tell the Web host that you will be monitoring the seeds and links that get added to the Web site.

Another problem you might have is when it comes to server limitations. It seems that is another reason many Web hosts do not like to host these types of Web sites. Torrent trackers use up a lot of the CPU and bandwidth once they become popular – so you might want to look at a more dedicated hosting solution if you can afford it.

This way you don’t have to worry about your Web site being taken down for using too many of the server’s resources.

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

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Hosting Bliss and PR Help – Episode 98

Mar/05 in All Posts, Web Hosting Podcasts

The first podcast of year number three of the Web Hosting Show is ready to come at you like a bat out of.. well we will just say a data center. From press release help to aligning your yin with your yang with some quick hosting tips the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 98!
Running Time: 14 minutes | File Size: 6.08 MB

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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

  • Quick Tips for Hosting Bliss and Peace!
  • How Can You Find a Torrent Tracker Host?
  • Need Help Writing a Press Release? I’ll Help!
  • A Domain Name Tool That Looks Up Everything!

Never dull, never boring – the Web hosting industry has tapped me on the shoulder and has told me its secrets. Some of them were interesting and personally I didn’t really need to know what the industry did that one weekend it woke up in a bar on the Jersey shore with a hangover and a lamp shade on its head. This show is all about living and learning though so lets get to it already.

Link of the Week: 60 Reasons Why Web Hosts Suck!

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Hosting Hoopla Update

Mar/03 in All Posts

Yes, you heard it here first – Hosting Hoopla is sporting some brand new old features!

I have been hard at work this morning on Hosting Hoopla adding some old favorites from Hosting Hoopla 1.0 back to the current version of the Web site. You can now read some of my favorite Web hosting news hangouts and hosting blogs.

Old New Features

If you haven’t visited in a while, now would be a good time to bookmark Hosting Hoopla for all your important hosting resources rolled up into one link.

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Best Web Hosting Web Sites

Mar/02 in All Posts, Online Tools, Web Hosting Tutorials

Over the past two years I have had my eyeballs grace many different Web hosting Web sites and services. A regular feature on this show for a long time was even dedicated to a Web hosting site of the week. So after seeing so many good tools and Web sites, I thought I would feature some of my favorites.

Now this is not the best of the best – but they are some of my favorites that I have gone to more than once, and continue to be excellent tools for anybody inside or out of the hosting industry.

DemoWolf Tutorials and DemoDemo.com

Both of these Web sites offer you a great place to purchase flash tutorials for your Web hosting business. They cover just about every control panel out there, so no longer do you have an excuse for your Web hosting customers to be left out in the dark. They are both industry leaders in the flash tutorial marketplace.

DomainTools.com

DomainTools.com is my number one favorite place to do any domain name whois searching, pinging, tracing – you name it and they do it. In my opinion they are the best domain name tool / Web site out there today. Their newest addition, PsychicWhois.com also looks like it will be a winner as well. It allows you to place a whois search box on any Web site out there today.

Ping! Zine and The WHIR

With both of these links, you have the top two hosting magazines in the entire hosting industry. Both places offer great paperback and digital hosting magazines and should both be listed as two of the best out there today.

Check out more hosting related tools and Web sites at HostingHoopla.com!

Have a favorite Web hosting resource I might have left off the list? Drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll be more than happy to check it out. Feel free to leave it as a comment here as well – so that others might enjoy it too!

Related Podcast Link: Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 97!

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Podcasting for 2 Years – Still Going Strong

Mar/01 in All Posts, Backend Stuff, Web Hosting Tutorials

Now it isn’t often that I go toward the “inside baseball” point of view here and talk about the podcast on the podcast. Since this is the big two year birthday though, I thought that most of you would humor me a little ‘bit and allow me to do so.

With the new tag search and media player on the Web Hosting Show’s Web site, you can see that I am still finding things to upgrade and improve on even two years down the road. Creating this podcast and WebHostingShow.com – it always seems like there is something else to do, that is why I like it so much.

While we are on the subject, I’d also like to thank all the Web sites and people out there that have helped support this hosting podcast from – well whenever they started to help. The folks over at FastServers.net are the ones who keep the server up and running. WebHostingChat.com has always been a great help as well.

Thanks also goes out to some of the people I have met and who have given me ideas or inspiration for continuing the podcast each and every week. Ron Dunlap, Amy Armitage, Pinny Cohen, Keith Duncan, and many more have dropped me E-mails or talked to me personally and have contributed to this show’s success in one way or another.

Now there is no way I am going to be able to mention everybody and anybody I have met over the past two years because of this show – but I just wanted to thank each and every one of you right here and right now because without you, this podcast would have never become a success.

As always, this will remain a radio show, podcast, netcast (whatever you want to call it) for the people – so if there is anything you want to see or if you ever feel like I am getting off track, let me know about it! Hopefully the first two years here are only a glimmer of what the Web Hosting Show will become and mean to the hosting industry in the coming years ahead.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 97!

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