When 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

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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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!

When 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!

Now 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!

Some 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!

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

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