Archive | April, 2007

The Best in Server Monitoring – Episode 105

Apr/30 in All Posts, Interviews, Web Hosting Podcasts

Server UptimeWhen it comes to watching your server, who do you trust? I’ve got the founder of the Wormly uptime monitoring service on today’s show to talk about it.

Also tune in for some Web development help, a Firefox extension that will knock your socks off and the regular ol’ Web Hosting Show antics. The Web Hosting Show, episode 105 is on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 105!
Running Time: 15 minutes | File Size: 6.83 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.

  • An Interview with Julien Szemere of Wormly.com!
  • Five Web Development Tools of the Trade!
  • Lori – a Firefox Extension for Hosting Gurus!
  • A Link to Resize your Web Site to Any Size at All!
  • Wild and Wacky Web Hosting Edu-tainment!

Always an innovator and never a duplicator the Web Hosting Show is back on the air again and I am happy to hear you have joined us yet again for another trip down the confusing crooked road we call the Web hosting industry. I can’t promise to make it all work for you – but week after week, I try my best job at trying to explain it, one overly hyped feature at a time.

Link of the Week: Ping! Zine Magazine, Movie Makers?

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Help Promote WebHostingShow.com

Apr/28 in All Posts

Want to help promote the Web Hosting Show? All you need to do is grab this animated headline reader and post it on your own Web site, blog, MySpace or any other place where you can post and edit custom HTML.

The Web Hosting Show

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Need more subscription options? Check out the Web Hosting Show’s subscription Web page for more subscrition buttons than you can shake a stick at!

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Should You Post Customer Testimonials?

Apr/27 in All Posts, Commentary, Web Hosting Tutorials

Since the start of the Web hosting industry when caveman number one was telling caveman number two he had unlimited disk space, we have wanted feedback from that caveman so his words might inspire others to sign up. One thing that getting customers is not is so easy a caveman could do it.

Most Web hosts (and other Online businesses and Web sites as well) would do well to have a customer testimonial Web page added to their Web site.

How do you do it?

Go ask your customers after signing up if they will give a little review of your services and send it your way. You don’t need to make this process more complicated than it has to be. Now once you start getting a few of them rolling in – create a special Web page on your Web site for them.

For a short example of one go check out my testimonial Web page on MitchKeeler.com. Your more than free to add to it as well, just shoot me over your thoughts about me and your name/business (don’t forget your link too).

Now you have a place for people to see real reviews of your real services, no matter what you do. This would be helpful for Web hosts, for bloggers, for any type of service around the Web. You can even try to get creative with it as well.

I know FastServers.net has started putting up video testimonials of their services.

There is no reason you have to get that fancy, but I have to say it does look interesting. You could also take audio testimonials as well, maybe package them together as a podcast so people could download a bunch of reviews of your services, listen to them when it is convent – and then sign up.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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Watching Referrals and Changing Content

Apr/26 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

Server StatsWhen you are slaving away at your Web site, sometimes it is hard to figure out which section of your Web site is the most popular and which bring you in the most hits.

Now actual help on content writing is something I am not going to cover here – that is a sweet science that will have to be saved for another day.

What I want to talk to you about is learning how to watch where your links are coming from and what’s popular to decide on which direction your Web site should go in the future.

For an example, lets say you are running a blog and you write about a whole bunch of tech related material. Now after watching your Web site stats for a while you start to notice that your articles you wrote about Google Reader are really starting to pick up in popularity. It is bringing in a lot of people via the search engines and the blogosphere just loves that post to death.

What would you do? Now I wouldn’t stop writing about other things and focus on creating a Google Reader blog by itself. What that does tell you though is that there is a demand for that kind of post. You might experiment and write a couple of more, maybe one a week to see if you can keep getting those folks interested in that one topic coming back for more.

Most Web site statistics packages will let you know which Web pages or posts are the most popular. Learn to read that information, take into consideration how long it is popular and decide if you should post more or less about that topic in the future.

There is no basic ten step program to success here – so if that is what you are looking for you’ll never get it. You have to learn to watch trends and what your visitors want and enjoy if you want to becoming a success Online. You don’t give people what they want, they will go elsewhere to get it.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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Get Ping! Zine on the Cheap!

Apr/25 in All Posts, Backend Stuff, Web Hosting Tutorials

DealsNow I have made it no secret that Ping! Zine is one of my favorite magazines on and about the Web hosting industry. I have even done a few articles for them in the past as well, and I fully enjoy the staff there and their writings. So when Keith, the editor over there asked if I would like to partake in an exchange that would help you guys (the loyal Web Hosting Show audience) get a special deal – I couldn’t turn him down.

Ping! Zine has recently moved over from being a free publication for the Web hosting industry to a paid one. The price really is not all that bad. You can pay $24.95 for 8 issues of the magazine to be delivered right to your doorstep.

Need something a little better? Now, if you have never subscribed to Ping! Zine and you want to get it for free all you need to do is enter this coupon code during your checkout process.

WHS011907

Now who says I can’t find some darn good deals for you folks? For more information make sure that you check out our special Web page for this at webhostingshow.com/pingzine. Feel free to pass the word along about this free subscription deal, just make sure that you let them know it was the Web Hosting Show that got them the great offer.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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A Web Host’s Most Asked Questions

Apr/24 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

QuestionSome might say that a Web host’s most feared nightmare is a customer with a list of 50 or more questions they want to have answered in under 15 minutes or less.

I have been in that situation myself, and I know it is a pain the butt to tackle. It is the duty of a hosting guru to explain these things though, and that is what I continue to do today.

Which one is better – Windows hosting or Linux hosting?

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you are new to Web sites and Web hosting (or if you just like it better) I would say go with Linux. Windows still can not compete with Linux as far as the number of services out there for you to use and the support for things you would want to do with your hosting account. Maybe someday – but not yet.

Should I backup my Web site or does my Web host do that for me?

Well, chances are your Web host will do that for you – but you can never be too safe. I would say at least backup one a month to make sure you do not loose any important files or pages on your Web site. Some of the data we are uploading is very valuable and it is too much of a pain to have to try to recreate it all again.

If I am a Web host, should I go out of my way to take PayPal payments for Web hosting?

Yes! PayPal is something that nearly everybody has and most people feel safer using it to pay for good than putting in their credit card information.

How long is the average wait time for a new Web hosting account to be setup?

Well it will change from Web host to Web host – but I would say a fair estimate would be within 24 hours of you signing up with them.

My hosting costs a month are pretty low. Is that a bad thing?

Not at all. Every Web host out there is trying to “lowball” the next by offering a bigger and better deal for even less money. Try to do your best to research the company before signing on the dotted line and you should be ok in most cases.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 104!

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Driving Content by Popularity – Episode 104

Apr/23 in All Posts, Web Hosting Podcasts

There is no doubt in my mind that a Web site does best when it listens to its users.

You have to learn how to roll with the punches and figure out which areas of your Web site are the best and the worst. If your a little confused, keep your pants on – because on this very podcast I am going to teach you how to put your ear to the ground and figure out what your visitors want. Episode 104 of the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 104!
Running Time: 15 minutes | File Size: 6.99 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.

  • How to Get Visitor Feedback and Reviews
  • Get the Ping! Zine Magazine for Free!
  • Our Last in the Series of Hosting FAQs!
  • Learn to Change Content Due to Popularity!
  • Best Solution for Hosting a Video Server!

The mic is on, the headset is ready and I’ve had about ten cups of coffee. What does that mean? I am in full “ready to podcast” mode! From Tom Green to more of your hosting questions we have a lot of topics to cover on today’s hosting broadcast so why wait? Lets go ahead and get this geeky hosting party started.

Link of the Week: Sliqua Enterprise Hosting

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WHT Redesign and Get Your cPanel Training

Apr/20 in All Posts, Hosting News, Web Hosting Tutorials

Hosting NewsTime to open that proverbial Web hosting newspaper to see what all the hosting gurus around the world are talking about. I use a very complicated measurement of buzz to find the most important stories of the week. It involves lottery balls, midgets and other scientific stuff. Now that I have done all the heavy lifting, I can share with you the spoils of my hard work.

Web Hosting Talk Redesigned – One of the most popular set of forums on hosting has been given a new look. If you haven’t navigated your way towards WebHostingTalk.com recently, you really should give it a look. It has a cleaner feeling to it, doesn’t feel as cluttered as it used to be. They have also added a news section, where they are putting stories taken from the WHIR in there. Looks like they might be trying to develop more “portal-like” features to keep people staying there and to bring new people into the fold. All in all, I give it two freaky thumbs up.

cPanel Training Seminar 2007 – Panel will be hosting their second annual Training Seminar in beautiful Houston, Texas on May 30 – June 1, 2007. Last year’s seminar was a success with their partners, and direct customers learning in depth technical details about cPanel software and facilitating open dialog between technical support representatives and developers from cPanel. For more information about the event, check out cPanel’s Web site at cPanel.net.

Geek Certified Goes Up for Sale – This is a story that could go three ways. It could end in a really good result, a really bad result or no real change at all. One of the more popular “host certification” Web sites, GeekCertified.com is going up for sale. I’d buy it, but last time I checked I don’t have much venture capital cash laying around the Web Hosting Show headquarters. It should be a good resource for whoever gets to add it to their portfolio.

Have hosting or Web development news you’d like to share with the masses? Let me give the midgets and lottery balls a break and send ‘em my way to mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 103!

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Questions for a Hosting Guru

Apr/19 in All Posts, Web Hosting Tutorials, Web Hosting Tutorials

FAQWhat if you had your own personal Web hosting guru that you could lock up under your house and ask questions to whenever you needed to? Well I can’t promise I’ll live in your basement but I will answer some of your most frequently asked hosting questions.

What can I do if I want to host my Web site on a server that has no adult material on it? I don’t want to share a server with some pervert.

The first thing you can do is get over it. There is hardly any way you are going to know who your neighbors are on a server, and neither will the outside world. Your safe!

Do all Web hosts support Ruby on Rails (RoR)?

A lot do, but I don’t think it is an industry standard just yet. PHP and MySQL are easy to find, but you might have to ask if Ruby on Rails is available on the plan or as an upgrade to the hosting plan.

Are there any Web hosts out there that will deliver me a custom Web hosting plan?

I am sure there might be, but I do not know of any right off hand. Most Web hosts will allow for a few upgrades here or there, but for the most part you will be locked into the plan you have or the plan that is packaged over or under the one you have – depending on if you want to upgrade or downgrade.

What is the best forum software out there today?

I like Vanilla and SMF. Two good options and I am pretty sure both are totally free.

I plan on hosting videos on my Web site. Should I go with hosting the files myself or putting them up some place like YouTube?

The best way to go would be to go with the “YouTube” option. There are a lot of video hosting solutions out there to go with – and it will give you more exposure outside of your own little empire of Web sites. Also you don’t have to worry about the huge disk space and bandwidth limitations either.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 103!

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Thats Really Hosted? – Badgers!

Apr/18 in All Posts, Hosting News, Web Hosting Tutorials

Now this is a ‘bit of a new segment idea I figured I would try launching this week to see how popular or not popular you might make it. There are a lot of goofy and silly things out there hosted Online, and every so often I figured it might be my duty to highlight them for you. What is the first “Thats Really Hosted?” spotlight Web site?

Badgers! Badgers! Badgers!

That’s right, BadgerBadgerBadger.com gets the honor of being the first entry into this hall of oddly hosted material. If you haven’t checked it out before, you really should. It is mind-numbingly addictive. After stumbling across it, I played it for my three year old niece and she couldn’t get enough of it. After it went through the second or third loop I kind of felt like I might be making brain melt from the badgerness of it all, so I had to turn it off.

It is addictive as well. After hearing it once, the rest of the day you are going to have “Badger, badger, badger…” going through your head till you watch it again. You will wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, run to the computer and watch it again. You will start missing out on family time around the TV so you can sneak back to your office and watch it over and over again.

Badgers Everywhere!
You might even miss recording a week’s worth of hosting podcast because of.. well, that hasn’t ever happened before of course, but it could. So point your browser in the direction of BadgerBadgerBadger.com and when you do make sure you let them know that the Web Hosting Show sent you there.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 103!

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