• Lunarpages.com – for $4.95 per month, you can get unlimited space and bandwidth!
• FastHosts.com – They are offering free unlimited reseller hosting for a year.
• HostColor.com – Host Color’s “THANKYOU2008″ promotion offers a 25 percent instant rebate on all Web hosting services to its present and prospective customers.
• GoDaddy.com – They are registering domains for only $1.99 with any new, non-domain purchase.  Regular .com registrations are marked down to $9.99.
• HostGator.com – You can get 20% off any order, if you use the coupon code “GREEN”.  On the site it says it was good till Oct. 1, however I just tested it and worked for me.

If your a web host with a special deal or offer going on, please let me know and I would love to get it featured on the Web Hosting Show.  We will all be spending plenty on presents and holiday cheer this year, so if we can get a little discount in our hosting – I do not see the harm in that at all.

Bonus! The fine people at aplus.net have also clued me into some of their great deals they have going on right now.  You can check them out here:  http://www.aplus.net/promos/

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 164!
Running Time: 11 minutes | File Size: 5.20 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:

• Ever heard of JSP? What is it?  What Can it Do for Me?
• 4 More Ways to Search Rapidshare, Megaupload and More!
• Fundraising to Get Cash for Your Next Web Project
• Web Site Monitoring with Site24×7.com

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• Limelight Networks Does Work for the Wii
• UK Web Host Replacing Old Machines
• VeriSign Takes the Role of “Captain Obvious” and Says the Web is Growing

Can you name the man used in this week’s podcast graphic?

Not every web host out there has a multi-million dollar budget to spend on software, so I have come up with a few free alternatives for you to pass around your office next time your searching for the right tool for the job.

Foxit Reader (for PDF viewing) – Out of all the PDF reader programs out there, Foxit gets the job done and is not half as annoying as Adobe is.  If you want a PDF viewer that will not ask that you download updates for 20 other programs you do not have, Foxit is the best.

OpenOffice.org (for word processing, spreadsheets and more) – Microsoft Office is a program I have never really used.  Why?  I have always been a fan of the free alternative, OpenOffice.org.  This bundle of a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing and more might even be better than the expensive Microsoft bundle.

AutoHotkey (for helping with those quick responses) – In my bag of tricks, AutoHotkey is most likely to be the most used one of them all.  Thanks to a little simple script writing I can now type in a few characters instead of a two paragraphed e-mail each time I answer a customer’s question.

Thunderbird (for e-mail management) – I have tried a number of different e-mail clients and Mozilla’s Thunderbird wins out head over heels each and every time.  Manage multiple e-mail accounts and with the add-ons, you can build onto the functionality of the product.

Google Calendar (for dates and appointments) – Can’t tell you what I did for a calendar before Google’s came around because Google was the one who turned me onto using it.  Before Google Calendar I was stuck with ripped off sheets of paper with notes scribbled down.  After Google Calendar, I can quickly click a date, add a note and I’m done.

Now sure, those big web hosts might have the thousands of dollars to spend on programs but the budget web hosts out there have to count their pennies.  If you have any other suggestions feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

Free photo or image web hosts come a dime a dozen these days.  EchoPic.com is another provider that gives you another choice to your image sharing.

They provide image and photo sharing services that make life easy when you need to upload and share files on your web site, blog or social network profile.

You can either upload or enter the image URL and “grab it” to host on EchoPic’s services.  All in all EchoPic isn’t doing anything really different but they are providing a quality free image hosting solution and when it comes down to it – what more could you ask for from your free hosting solution?

Now why shouldn’t you use your web hosting disk space to backup your personal documents and files?  It is your space, right?  Well yes and no.  You see, uploading or downloading large chunks of data to and from your hosting account can often cause the server in question to go a little, how do you say, bonkers?  You have time out issues, connection problems, server resources and a whole truckload of things to worry about.  Not to mention there is no real security there (unless you put it there yourself, and do you trust yourself with being your own security expert?). If these documents are important put them in the hands of somebody who will guarantee you’ll get them backed up right and backed up securely.

If I haven’t won you over yet – I am about to.  There are already services out there that specialize in this type of Online storage.  Web hosting in the traditional sense, from places like BlueFur, Lunarpages or the like are for web sites, scripts and things of that nature.  For personal backup and storage I could recommend going to a place like Amazon S3, Carbonite or Mozy.

I was starting to use Carbonite myself before my PC melted, and from what I saw I liked it a lot.  Definitely better than trying to FTP everything I have up to a web hosting account.

The thing to remember here is to always read your terms of service and acceptable use policy.  Web hosts often spell out what you can and can not do with that hosting account you bought from them in black and white.

Now usually with an offer like this, I would be pretty mad because they are selling a service they can not possibly deliver. There is no such thing as unlimited anything in the web hosting world. Now why has Yahoo still not gotten on my bad side yet? Well, unlike other hosting companies they spell out what “unlimited” really means.

What is the Catch?

First thing first, they prohibit hosting any files that are not linked with your web site your hosting. That is a good thing. With unlimited disk space they spell it out like this:

You can now create as large a site as you like (you won’t face an upper limit, or “ceiling”), but we will place some constraints on how fast you can grow. In other words, you can add as much content as you want, but maybe not all at once. The vast majority of our customers’ sites grow at rates well within our rules, however, and will not be impacted by this constraint.

The explanation for unlimited bandwidth is also along the same terms. The FAQ for that says…

In most cases, if you use our service appropriately, visitors to your web site will be able to download and view as much content from your site as they like. However, in certain circumstances, our server processing power, server memory, or anti-abuse controls could limit downloads from your site.

So I have to give Yahoo’s web hosting division a pat on the back for actually putting it down in writing what unlimited means.

There are some providers out there that have the business plan in place to handle it. They just might be harder to find.

Do You Pay for it in Perks?

Some web hosts will get you in the door with the low prices, and then when it comes to addons or accessories to your shared hosting account they stick you with the true costs of hosting. This can often happen with upgrades for JSP and ASP support and other upgrades some, but not all, will need.

Keep an Eye on How Long Your Signing Up For!

For an example, lets say Dummy Example Web Host is offering you a hosting deal you can not beat. It is $3.50 a month for 500 GB Disk Storage and 5 TB of Bandwidth. Now when you get on the order page you notice that this $3.50 a month price is only good if you sign up for the 10 year hosting plan. To get this, you must pay up-front: $420. Now if you know they are good then you have no worries but if you have no history with the company do you really want to sign up with them for the next decade? Better yet – will they even be around that long?

The one thing you have to remember (and I have said it time and time before) you have to do you homework when it comes to signing up with any web hosting company. Don’t be fooled by the special deal – and find out if they really are the best of the best or just another guy with a server in his basement trying to make a buck.

Do I Blame the Web Hosting Companies? No!

I can not blame the web hosting companies, because they need to compete with the next guy down the street and make money while doing so. Thanks to the fact that we have so much competition out there for the proverbial bottom dollar; almost everybody undercuts and over-provides. The secret of cheap hosting is to find the one that does so the best.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 136!
Running Time: 15 minutes | File Size: 6.80 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

• How can RegisterFly keep registering domain names?
• Tip on how to use Google Calender to organize your hosting mess!
• Mitch’s web hosting new year resolutions!
• Learn how to create a static web site using WordPress!
• What is the price you pay for your cheap hosting plan?
• No midgets and/or fairies were harmed in the production of this podcast!

From coast to coast and over the seven seas the Web Hosting Show is back to broadcasting the feel good web hosting talk, tips and so much more. Little known fact – but in 2007 the show you are listening to right now was downloaded by people in 160 different countries!

From the first time you ever remember seeing commerce in action, you learned that one thing rang true. You want to look for a cheap deal. When it comes to web hosting though, the cheapest deal is not always the best deal to go with. If way pay a lot for something, we feel like we are cheated. That is just human nature.

Now when it comes to web hosting and shopping for web hosting you can toss this rule out the window. No mater if you are paying $200 a month or $2 a month, that does nothing to speak for the quality or service that you are getting.

The Benefits of Low Cost Web Hosting

When it comes to getting rock bottom prices, there are a few things you can look at and be happy about.

• It is not going to hurt your wallet. You can save that cash for other site related expenses.
• Good support – most web hosts realize these hosting packages need a lot of hand holding.
• Loads of “one-click” scripts to install and use from your control panel.

As you can see this type of hosting is aimed at the new kid on the block. If you want to do more advanced things or have more control, a more expensive plan might be the way you need to go.

The Drawbacks of Low Cost Web Hosting

With every positive there is a negative. Here are some of the bad things about going the low price route.

• Server resource usage (RAM and CPU) is often very limited.
• You might find some of the more advanced server needs are not met. (Telnet, SSH, ect)

So before you go out there and go with the cheapest deal, you might want to consider the type of hosting you need before signing on that virtual dotted line with any web host or reseller out there.

You don’t want cheap hosting, you want cheap prices! To find quality hosting companies with cheap prices try our Cheap Hosting Guide.

All that and oh so much more on this edition of the Web Hosting Show podcast.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 119!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 6.17 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

• Tips for Disabling “Index of” File Listings for Folders!
• Free File Hosting (Up to 1GB) With File123.com!
• Positives and Negatives of Cheap Hosting?
• Marketing: Free Layouts Are Traffic Hunters’ Gold!
• Who’s the Fastest Growing Domain Name Register?

Link of the Week: BlueFur.com’s Blog

From free file hosting to tweaks and edits you can make to your own hosting setup, we try to give and teach a little ‘bit of everything here on this show. What good is it to have a web hosting account if you are not using it to its full potential?

When it comes to hosting these days, you really have to pick up a more interesting business model if you want to succeed out there. For folks wanting to start a business – but might not have the capital to put up for advertising and marketing just yet – life can be tuff.

I got an e-mail the other day from Stanley, a Web Hosting Show listener and the guy in charge of All or Nothing hosting. He wanted me to pass the word along to all of you that he would be happy to host free clients, artists, designers, programmers, coders, who are in desperate need for hosting and end up stuck with craptastic free solutions.

What does All or Nothing provide that the crappy hosts might not? He promised e-mail, control panels, MySQL databases, PHP support, ect. Sounds like a good deal for free right? Well I have to ask the million dollar question after this point – where is the catch?

It is ad supported hosting. You live with them making a buck on your web pages – and you get free hosting that is better than your average free web host out there. Not too bad. Also if you can stay active in their forums then you might be able to ditch the ads all together. So that is a nice alternative to have as well.

So if your wallet is empty and you want to setup a new web site, give the folks at All or Nothing Hosting a call and be sure to let them know that it was the Web Hosting Show that sent you there.

GoDaddy Launches Domain Club

It looks like last week the folks over at GoDaddy launched a new domain club for folks that purchase a lot of domains. Now if you find yourself in this boat – good news for you, they are offering a ton of services with this deal. For around $90 a year or so – you get:

• Cheap Domain Names! Yes, Very Cheap!
• Free Domain Parking – With Ads! (so you can rake in some of the green stuff)
• Free Membership to GoDaddy’s Domain Auction Service!
• Discounted Domain Buy Service – Stalk the domains you really want cheaper!

So is this a deal or steal? Well, I would have to say if you find yourself buying a lot of GoDaddy domains through the year, this service is for you. For those of you who maybe purchase one or two and that is it? This might not be your cup of domain name tea.

RegisterFly About to Get Swatted Down

Speaking of domain names, the folks at RegisterFly are about to get swatted down themselves. Here is some inside information I found at the DomainTools.com Blog.

RegisterFly is in chaos right now. We are hearing reports that private registration in the whois, which consumers thought protected them, may do the opposite. Private registrations shields the identity of who owns the domain, which means the only company that can help you if something goes wrong is your registrar.

With this on top of their recent issues with ICANN – can RegisterFly survive? I have a feeling they are heading straight for that big bug zapper in the sky, but I guess time will tell with this one. I just feel sorry for their customers who are the ones being hit hardest with the proverbial fly swatter.

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

The problem? While going through my inbox – I lost his E-mail so I did not get the chance to reply. I am sorry for that – deeply sorry. I will let you know my thoughts though on this matter.

Now, as it is with any Web host shopping that you do, you need to find a Web host that delivers what you want and what you need. With podcasts, you are going to be dealing with a lot of large audio files, so disk space and bandwidth are a big “must have”.

You will also need a place that will support the posting back end that you wish to use. Now I would suggest WordPress myself – but there are a lot of CMS and blogging software suits to choose from out there.

The folks at libsyn.com have been a big force since day one and I would suggest you give them a shot as well. They specialize in podcast hosting and they have been doing it well almost since the whole podcasting revolution started out.

One thing I like that they do is the price model is based on what you need. If you aren’t very popular yet – you don’t pay much. The more you grow in popularity though – the bigger your bills will get.

This gives folks who are not sure about the whole podcasting experience a chance to get their feet wet without putting down too much for a Web hosting account.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 96!

Getting on with a free Web host out there might sound like a cheap way to get a Web site going, but you are going to be paying some prices down the road. Sure, places like Freewebs.com offer nice looking free packages.

What are the advantages of this type of free hosting solution? What are the disadvantages of this type of hosting setup?

The Advantages of Free Web Hosting

• Hey, You Don’t Pay Anything At All
• Most Free Hosts are Built With Beginners in Mind
• Templates and Design Helpers Available

The Disadvantages of Free Web Hosting

• You Have to Put Up With Advertisements
• Usually Have to Use a Crappy Sub Domain
• Low Disk Space and Bandwidth Limits

If you have anymore suggestions for either side of the argument, please leave a comment and join into the conversation.

As you can see, every yin has its yang and every good point has a bad point. I would say if you want to really develop a brand or something that you see yourself contributing to a few years down the road, go with a paid for Web hosting account.

If you are new to hosting and you just want a place to show off to your friends – free might be the way to go.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Episode 94!

No matter who you are or what you do, everybody could use a Web site – right? Well after me preaching about this at least once a year it looks like some people are starting to listen. GoDaddy.com, announced last it now offers Go Daddy Gift Cards. Gift cards can be purchased in any amount from $2 up to $1,000. Customers can have a digital card sent via email to their friends and family. There’s even a premium shipping option for a ready-to-wrap plastic card.

That is at least one company that is getting into the holiday spirit. For the Web hosts out there, this gives you another reason to push some of your better selling services to customers that don’t know what to get their little geek this year. For Web hosting clients, now you have one more option when it comes to buying Christmas presents this year.

Just make sure you don’t go overboard and accidentally buy somebody a data center off of eBay.

+ Check Out the Podcast This Was From! Listen to the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 86!

Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 74!
Running Time: 11 minutes | File Size: 4.98 MB

I am Mitch Keeler, the media rock star of the Web hosting industry and I want to welcome one and all to the number one Web hosting podcast out there today, the Web Hosting Show. This podcast is supported each and every week by the fine folks over at Web Hosting Chat. WebHostingChat.com is your number one place for Web hosting discussions.

Last week I took a little break to recharge my batteries (and reinstall Windows XP) but I am back and ready to take the Web hosting world by storm again. One thing I have noticed over these summer months is it seems like there isn’t as much to talk about as there is in fall or winter. I can promise you though I’ll still seek out the best, it might just take me a little longer to find it.

For those of you who might not know, this podcast take the best the Web hosting industry has to offer, tosses in a few tips and a little charisma and sends you out an informative and fun podcast to listen to each and every week.

You won’t hear me talk about the basic configuration issues for a three year old server, but you will hear about how I think we can all make the Web hosting industry better for everybody. No matter if you are a Web host or a Web hosting client, I promise you will get something out of this audio transmission.

Hosting Headline

This week’s Web Hosting Headline is brought to you by the Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide. Go check them out at WebHostMagazine.com.

DemoWolf Acquires HostingTutorials

Web hosting tutorial developer DemoWolf (demowolf.com) announced on Thursday it has acquired the assets of competitor HostingTutorials (hostingtutorials.biz). As part of the acquisition, former HostingTutorials owner Chris Blunden has joined DemoWolf as a DemoWolf developer, and will assist in developing new support tutorials and demonstrations for the Web hosting industry.

I have to send out my biggest congrats on this deal to DemoWolf, since they are a good friend to this podcast. I told you a little later on in the show, I was going to let you know a few cheap ways of growing your business. This business deal would be the exact opposite. Buying out a competitor will take some dough, but the rewards can be really sweet. Depending on how big of a client base they have, you could double or triple your audience just by spending a little cash.

Hot Topic in Hosting

The Hot Topic in Hosting is sponsored by Top Hosts. Go check them out on the Web at TopHosts.com.

Turn Hosting Clients Into Billboards

I have had a few Web hosts send me questions about how to grow their client base. How do they bring more people in without spending all the profits they have gained. Well, taking the cheap way out will not be easy, but it can be done.

No matter if you have five or fifty customers, you have something to work with. If all of those people are happy customers, they will be more than willing to share the word about your services. The first thing you have to do is make sure your “client base” is a happy one.

After that, you might hand out a few perks for clients and customers that link back to you. Start up a links Web page under your companies Web site, and tell your clients if they link back to you – you will link back to them. Having these Web hosting related links on Web sites that aren’t Web hosting focused will open you up to a few new markets.

You could also exchange links with other Web hosting services around the Internet. There are plenty of forums to post to and directories to join for free.

As far as forums go, after you have made a few posts, they will allow you to link back to your company in your signature. Now this might not seem like much, but remember every link helps! With Web hosting directories, they might seem a little corny, but a lot of future Web hosting clients check these over to find the best deals. Having yourself listed there with all the rest would mean they would see you too.

The big thing I want you to remember is that the world is yours to turn into a billboard about your services.

Web Hosting Site of the Week

The Web Hosting Site of the Week is brought to you by Ping! Zine. Go check them out and subscribe to the free magazine at PingZine.com.

I ran across a resource the other day that I thought would be very helpful for the Web hosts that are out there listening. The Web site is Sky-Click.com and they are offering a “click to call” call center and callback solution.

Here is how they explain the services they provide:

SKY-click offers a solution to manage company, department & collaborator incoming and outgoing calls with NO implementation costs, because everything is already available: Skype, a PC, an Internet connection. SKY-click can help you monitor all your company’s incoming and outgoing calls and provide you with pertinent analytics.

The solution is very simple to use: you set up your company’s departments and associate people to the relevant one. The system will then automatically distribute the calls to the right operator and your co-workers will be able to call anyone outside the company via Skype or SkypeOut.

I know some Web hosts out there are already using Skype for support, so this might make things a little easier to manage. In all honesty though, just about any Web business could use this as a cheaper way of doing “audio” support with your customers and clients.

So check them out at Sky-Click.com and let them know that the Web Hosting Show sent you there.

Final Web Hosting Thoughts

Well that is it for this week’s edition of the Web Hosting Show. If you want to interact with this podcast, it is easy to do.

+ Send me your audio questions or comments!
+ Go post on the Web Hosting Show’s Fan Forums!
+ Send me an E-mail with your thoughts on this week’s show!

Also, if you want to make sure you don’t miss a week’s episode, get our RSS feed and plug it into your syndication method of choice:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/webhostingshow

I am Mitch Keeler, and you have been listening to the Web Hosting Show, the number one Web hosting podcast across the nation and the one and only voice of the Web hosting world.

For more Web Hosting Show fun through the week, make sure you check me out on CoolCast Radio!

Last week I made a mockery of the podcasting world by interviewing myself about Lockergnome’s Guide to Web Hosting. What do you have to say about that segment? I’ll be reading some of the best E-mails I have received on the subject as well as answering some more of your Web hosting problems. Along with free Web hosting, we will be going through the latest Web hosting headlines, my own Web hosting views, the Web hosting Web site of the Week, and answering your toughest Web hosting questions. Make sure you catch it all, this Monday on The Web Hosting Show, the voice of the Web hosting world.