Diving into networking when it is related to web hosting is a little tricker than it might seem. There are a lot of confusing terms and even more confusing explanations of them all. I figured I’d take some of the most often used hosting network terms you might here and try to break them down.

Propagation - It takes 24 to 72 hours for domain name prorogation to take effect. What does that mean? Well this is the time that it takes for the ISPs to update their cached DNS records so that they learn that your new domain (or old changing domain) now points to the new address.

Traceroute - This is a network tool used to determine the route taken from when you type in a domain name till it reaches the web hosting server the web site is hosted on. You can think of this as following the breadcrumbs, and watching how your domain gets resolved to the place it is hosted.

Whois - Whois is the protocol that is used when asking a database to find out the owner of a domain name or an IP address on the Internet.

Ping - This is another networking tool tht use used to test if a particular server address is reachable across the Web. A good example of this would be if your house was a domain and I came knocking at your front door. Now where it comes in handy to ping is to find out how long it takes for you to come answer the door.

DNS - This stands for Domain Name System, and it is the system used to translate Internet domain names to IP numbers.

As you can see, once you break these down and explain them - all the pieces start to fit together in your head and make a little more sense. The important thing to remember is to do some homework when it comes to terms you don’t know in hosting so that you are better informed about what your web host is doing or what your hosting clients might want.

From free file hosting to images and even video, in 2007 we saw a lot of new an innovative ways of sharing your information. So since this is the first year we have seen so many different players in the free hosting game I thought I would divide things up by category and pass out some awards to the best of the best.

Best Free Image or Graphic Host?

Winner! Photobucket - This service isn’t just for the MySpace crowd anymore. Although that is still a main audience of theirs, there is no doubt that Photobucket is gaining major ground when it comes to free image hosting. I would consider it an alternative to Flickr, would you?

Runners up: Flickr, Zooomr, & ImageShack

Best Free File Host?

Winner! Box.net - There are tons of file hosts out there, so what makes Box.net the best? They have the most respectable name in my opinion, and they have been around a while so I do trust them as well. They also have the easiest upgrade path if you want to move beyond your free file hosting space.

Runners up: Megaupload, Rapidshare, & MediaFire

Best Free Video Host?

Winner! YouTube - Google’s powerhouse video sharing service has left just about all the others in the dust. Just like Google is looked at in the search engine world, when it comes to free video hosting or sharing it is hard to compete with YouTube.

Runners up: Revver, Dailymotion, & Veoh

Who are your picks for these categories? If you feel like your favorite was overlooked be sure to let me know about it by leaving a comment or dropping me an e-mail.

Web design is a mysterious art that some can do and not many have mastered. When it comes to a Web hosting web site - people expect to see certain things as customers and if your lacking in these areas it could hurt you down the road. Sure fancy flash and really hot pictures of server racks are nice, but they won’t win you any clients.

Keep it Simple

Some web hosts out there like to fit as much content, flashing banners and overdone graphics on the front page as they can fit. This is not the best way to go. Personally, I like it when web hosts keep it simple.

Give me the Basics

I do not need to know every single detail about every single plan. Here is a basic forumula for what I want to see on your front page:

• Company Name
• Little Information About You
• Plans (Disk Space/Bandwidth at Least)
• Links to Other Pages for More Information

Finding the right balance between hype and helpful details is hard to do. Once you have done it though, I promise your current and potential clients will really thank you.

Sell Yourself in a Few Words

If you doing something great it shouldn’t take that long to convey the message to others. As much as having paragraph after paragraph about how good plan number one is or how great you are in general might look, keeping things short and sweet will go a long way.

Here are a few examples of web hosts who do follow all my rules:

Hostgator.com | Lunarpages.com | HostMonster.com | StartLogic.com

It might take a while before you find the layout or design that is just right for your particular business. The basics you need to remember though are to make sure you are different from the rest, touch base with everything that you cover and don’t be afraid to try something a little different.