Now I do not plug my other projects very often, however I think this is an important enough update to share with the rest of my fans (even my wonderful podcast subscribers)!  I just finished up with a brand new redesign of my layout over at Mitchelaneous.com – and I would love your feedback on it.

What is Mitchelaneous?  It is my personal blog, with tutorials helping with tech tips, web development and geeky entertainment.  Pretty much everything else I want to post about is posted here, that does not fit under the web hosting category of WebHostingShow.com and the Mozilla category or FirefoxFacts.com.  

Here are a few of the popular posts to check out too:

• Best of the Free Zombie Flash Games
• Free Mega Man Desktop Icons
• Garfield Without Garfield is Funnier
• 9 WordPress Alternatives
• Get More from Google Calendar

As you can see, I go all over the place with this blog.  For the most part though, I try to keep the madness focused on helping you get more out of what you want to do, and provide you with the best advice I can on a number of different topics.  From wallpaper downloads, to free custom desktop icons, to the best of the video game world.  There is something for everybody’s inner-geek to enjoy.

How can you subscribe for free?

You can also get updates via e-mail of new posts, or from your favorite feed reader:

Subscribe in a Reader! | Subscribe to Mitchelaneous by E-mail

You can also just copy and paste this into your feed reader of choice too:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/mitchelaneous

Go check it out at Mitchelaneous.com and let me know what you think!

Need to take a screen shot of a web site to show off to somebody?  By far, one of my favorite programs to take screenshots is WebShot.  It is almost the perfect screenshot and web page thumbnail generator utility.  How do you use it?  You put the web site address you want to get the capture of in the URL text box, and then hit the button labeled, “Start”.

Diving deeper into the download you can also set it up to capture multiple URLs, a specific size image, edit the default browser sizes and more.  For most people the free version should get the job done – however if you want even more features you might look into getting the personal or server edition.

To pick it up, or get more help on how to use it – go visit WebSiteScreenshots.com.

The service really does a great job a breaking down the parts of your web site down into bricks.  You kind shift and move the bricks around, make make your web site look the way you want.  The designs to choose from are great too, and you can customize them to suit your needs.

Along with hosting, and design – they also provide you with real time visitor analytics and stats about all of your pages.  That way you can work on marketing yourself better too.

Squarespace Tour Video from Squarespace on Vimeo.

At $8 a month, the service really has a lot going for it, if you are looking for a mix of hosting, plus a quality content management system.  Try them out for free, at Squarespace.com.

This is one complaint out of many I hope to give worked on this next week or so.  As you can see on WebHostingShow.com I have things divided up into:

• Backend Stuff
• Beginner Help
• Commentary
• Downloads
• Free Hosting
• Hosting News
• Online Tools
• Shopping Advice
• Web Design
• Web Hosting Tutorials

If you have any other suggestions for the podcast or the podcast web site, please feel free to let me know.

1. Don’t overuse or “spam” the meta keywords or description with content that is not related to what is on your actual page.

2. Contact other webmasters that deliver content much like your own and get them to link back to you. The social aspect of Web popularity can not be forgotten about. Chances are if somebody like something you do – they will link to it to share with others.

3. Make sure your title tag changes depending on the page you are viewing.

4. Make good use of your headlines, and keep them in order. Your main headline should be h1, then go to h2, and then to h3. Also toss a couple (one or two) keywords in your headlines.

5. Use common sense. If you hear about an awesome SEO tip online somewhere, and it sounds kind of fishy – don’t do it. I’ve never met anybody who made it to the top of Google and said it was all thanks to his free 101 SEO dirty tricks handbook he bought of a page that looks like it was designed in 1995.

6. Create a XML sitemap and learn to keep it updated. Many content management systems offer plugins for creating them too. The best one for WordPress is Google XML Sitemaps.

7. Use relevant keywords in the content of your web page, but do not go overboard. If you try to go over the top with the keyword usage – you are often labeled by the search engines as a “keyword stuffer” and that can hurt more than help in the long run.

8. Use Google’s webmaster tools and also submit yourself to Yahoo’s site explorer. Both offer ways to submit and watch your status in those two search engines.

9. Keep tabs on the search for your web site’s name. I often search for “web hosting show” just to keep tabs on who else is showing up for that search phrase.

10. Get use out of title tags for links and anchor text for images. Use them to describe where they go and what they are though.

Be patient, your search engine rankings are not going to change in a day. As long as you are delivering good content that is relevant to your topic of choice the search engines should love you.

In their pitch from the front page, that do make it sound worth looking into deeper for sure:

Webnode brings you a brand new innovative way of creating and editing advanced websites by just using a web browser. The system is very easy to use and is fully interactive. Real-time fast editing as you see it in the browser. By using Drag-and-Drop from the toolbar you can add new content such as polls, forums, articles, catalogues, widgets such as PayPal and much more.

Here are only a few of the many features they provide:

• Real Time Editing
• Drag and Drop Technology
• Gadgets and Widgets
• 40+ Design Templates
• Polls, FAQ’s, RSS, and Webmail

So where is the catch? I have yet to find one yet – but to monitize the service, I can bet they will be adding down the road higher disk space and bandwidth limits for a fee or other services to get you to fork over your cash. If your low on cash and want to build yourself a simple/yet pretty web site, Webnode is worth checking into.

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.

You can now take it for a test drive over at WPThemesFree.com so there is no reason for you not to give it a shot and check it out. I also need your help making sure we get a few good votes over there as well. Under “Rate” on the WPThemesFree.com web site, if you like it – make sure you give us a five WordPress “W’s” out of five.

Simpblue is a simple (and blue!) theme free for anybody to use. Only thing I ask is that you keep my designer credit in tact. Other than that, have fun with it – and if you do end up using it in one way, shape or form drop me an e-mail and let me know.

+ Download Simpblue Theme for WordPress! (.zip)

To keep things simple, I thought I’d break this up into two topics. There are the things that web hosts need to do and then you have the things I’d like to see web hosts do as far as their web site layouts go.

Layout Tips Web Hosts Must Do

• Comparison Between Web Hosting Plans
• A History of Your Company and Details About Your Server Locations
• Reviews of Your Web Hosting from Your Clients

Layout Tips Web Hosts Could Do

• Better Support Pages (Maybe Use a CMS like Joomla or WordPress)
• Notifications (via RSS) of Recent Changes, Downtime or Upgrades
• Easy Way to Access Support from the Front Page

All in all hopefully once a web host is done with their web site they can say it stands out from the rest and doesn’t look like “just another template”. Web hosts, if your looking for something different you can do – just try mixing things up a little ‘bit. Look at the competition and don’t do what they are doing. Individuality is an important key to running a web hosting business because without that your just another generic choice to the consumer.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 127!
Running Time: 12 minutes | File Size: 5.28 MB

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

• Moving Day for One of My Projects!
• Gmail Increases Space for Free and Paid Accounts!
• What Does Your Web Host’s Web Site Need?
• Is DivShare the Free Hosting King of Kings?
• Online Generators for All Your Design Needs!

I’m back from the web hosting support trenches to give you my weekly report on all things web hosting and web development related. Join me in the mess hall and we’ll do the web hosting two step one more time.

This is a new one I just found out about – and I am more than happy to share it with all of you.

DavidAirey.com is the blog of – you guessed it – David Airey, an Edinburgh graphic designer. He caught my eye after linking back to my story about taboo topics in hosting from last week’s episode.

Here are a few of his past articles that I think you’ll find more than interesting:

• How I Improved my Alexa Rank
• 6 Tips to Improve Your Blog Articles
• What’s Your Logo Worth?
• 5 Important Design Aspects of Any Web Site or Blog

Have another Web site, blog or resource that I should be keeping my eye on? Let me know about it.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 110!

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 110!
Running Time: 26 minutes | File Size: 11.6 MB

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

• George Roberts Interview on HostingCon 2007
• A New Digg Clone for Hosting Deals
• New Segment – Social Review of Globat Web Hosting
• Web Development Resource Review – DavidAirey.com
• My Thoughts on Hosting Reviews and This Podcast

Do we have any web developers in the house? How about web hosts? web hosting customers? If you have raised your hand at least once in the last five second I want you to stick around because this podcast is just for you.

Now for the rest of you – you might want to hang out for a while as well, because each and every week on this show I do my best to help make you into one (or make you a better one) of those three selections as well.

Link of the Week: Build Your Own Server!

Seven Ad Design Tips to Learn From and Try Out

1. Decide if you want to keep it serious or make it a little zany. Serious ads hold a lot of respect, but funny or creative ads might lead to more clicks.

2. If your not a well known name inside of the business that you are advertising to, include your domain name on your ad somewhere so at least if the people don’t click on your ad they now have that domain in the back of their head.

3. Try something different. Most Web hosting ads have a picture with a server on it and the world “unlimited” plastered all over it. You could go down that route, but try something new as well.

4. Experiment with four or five different ads and see how they do. You might even want to try more than that if you have the cash to do so. This way you can see which one works best.

5. Talk to and target your audience. If you are running and ad on a Web development forum for a Web hosting company, you could focus the user on the fact that after they learn the basics, they can come to you for the hosting. Now the only hard part is to figure out a way to put that into a 160 x 600 ad space.

6. Put up some text link ads as well and try them out. Graphical ads are highly ignored these days because people are used to them and tune them out on Web pages. Text link ads give you yet another alternative and space to try to capture somebody’s attention.

7. Don’t ask me to punch a monkey, midget, baby, Paris Hilton or George Bush.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 107!

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?

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!

Some people can get really fanatical when it comes to this topic but I am going to call it right down the middle and let you know why both can be good for you.

Why Should You Design With Tables and Classic Code in Mind?

Many people that got started coding Web pages when the Web was still young learned to do it with tables. For that reason alone, some people don’t want to change because designing with tables is what they know. Once you know the table basics, it is pretty easy to jot down some HTML and make a pretty basic layout.

The problem is that can be very limiting when you want to do certain things that tables just can not do. When you want things in an exact spot or you want to change around some font sizes or colors. Then we get in a little ‘bit of trouble.

Why Should You Design With CSS in Mind?

There is no secret that CSS does have its advantages. For one, it makes changing between layouts a breeze. All you need to do is edit one external CSS file, and you can go from having a blue background to a red one without touching any other file on your server.

You have much more control as well over the layout. Just change a few lines here or there and you have your navigation bar move from the left to the right.

Who Wins This Battle of Designing Ways?

I might make a few people mad, but in my mind CSS wins hands down. It allows you to write much cleaner looking code for your Web sites and is just more efficient in the long run. For those of you scared to make the transition over you can mix some old school elements with CSS as well.

I have several Web sites that have a basic table backbone and then everything else is designed with CSS. Which side of the fence are you on? If you have an argument for or against either side – leave it in the comments because I’d love to hear it.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 101!

If you still see a few new things creeping up, don’t mind me – I am just putting the finishing touches on the layout. I do have to say though that this one is so far my favorite of all the “looks” the Web Hosting Show has had. I guess you could say this might be the replacement for the podcast this week since I am a little short on time and will have a big busy week next week. (Got to go to jury duty Monday morning)

So let me know what you think, and if there is anything you would like to see added – please be my guest and suggest. This Web site is as much yours as it is mine, so if you want to see something here please let me know. Opinions, suggestions, ideas and complaints are always welcome.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 92!
Running Time: 15 minutes | File Size: 7.75 MB

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

• Flaming Sticks of Web Hosting Fury!
• A New Hosting Speed Tool by the Folks at HostGator.com
• Web Hosting Account Types – Covering the Basics
• “All Nude” Edition of the Web Hosting Show – Coming Soon?
• WebHostMagazine.com’s New Layout and Design
• Earthquakes, Leprechauns and Web Hosting News
• The Horrible Ice Storm of 2007

Usually when people start talking about disk space, bandwidth and Web hosting ninety percent of the world falls fast asleep. Well, I see it as my job to wake these people up and give you something worth listening to. Web hosting doesn’t have to be boring.

Personally I think it is all in the delivery. If you read boring sources, the sources are going to bore you. Here on the Web Hosting Show – I have a do not bore the listener policy.

Link of the Week: WebHostingTalk.com Forum Premium Membership – Deal or Steal?

Thats right, Screech has entered the world of Web hosting. God save us all, the apocalypse Web hosting world must be upon us.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 82!
Running Time: 10 minutes | File Size: 4.68 MB

Hello and welcome to the number one Web hosting podcast out there today, the Web Hosting Show. I am voted nine times out of ten to be your favorite Web hosting personality, Mitch Keeler. As with every week before, the bandwidth for this podcast is provided by WebHostingChat.com – so give them a visit and give them thanks.

Now last week when I touched on free Web hosting solutions a little ‘bit – some folks were a little disappointed because I didn’t mention more. Well this week I did a little digging and found you two interesting free file hosts.

• MediaFire
• ThumbQ

Now where MediaFire is a great all around file hosting service, ThumbQ seems to focus more on photo hosting. So go ahead, check them both out and if you have other suggestions to share, make sure you send them to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

Web Hosting News and Views

Screech Enters the World of Web Hosting

Now this one might not be news to you, but it sure was news to me when I found out about it last week. It looks like Globat.com has signed Dustin Diamond on as a spokesman for their hosting services.

With the success of the hugely popular sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” Dustin Diamond became well-known for his much-loved character of Samuel “Screech” Powers, the series’ resident nerd. So when it came time for Globat.com to choose a celebrity spokesperson, it was only natural that Dustin Diamond came to mind.

I don’t know if this is more funny or sad. After my public duel with the WHIR last week, I had better not say it is funny.

This just goes to show you that even Web hosts will sink to new lows when it comes to getting attention and publicity for themselves. Dustin Diamond’s most recent publicity stunt had to do with releasing a sex tape to help his public image. Yeah, Globat really picked a winner this time around.

Web Hosting Tip of the Week

There is no secret that we all like getting something for nothing. Getting something for a cheaper price than you expected though is not that bad either. Not too many people out there know there are a plethora of Online coupons for Web hosting. Next time you sign up or re-sign up with a Web host, it might be something you consider.

For Web Hosts:
Now for Web hosts, I think it would be a great idea to put in a few coupons into your system. It gives people another reason to sign up with you and use your services. Most if not all billing systems used these days inside of the Web hosting industry have a way of doing this, so jump to it.

For Web Hosting Clients:
For the Web hosting clients and users out there, finding these coupons are not that hard. If your Web host doesn’t make them publicly known via the Web site, then you can always turn to the search engines. Go to Google and type in your Web host’s name and then “cheap deals” or “coupons”. Take what you find back to the Web host, and see what type of deal you can get.

Coupons are nothing new to the world, but I don’t think enough people keep in mind that Web hosts have a number of coupons available as well. If any Web hosts out there listening have some they would like to share – go ahead and feel free to post them in the comments section of today’s show.

Today is your one day pass for some free advertising here on WebHostingShow.com.

Web Design Help and Tips

Well for this week’s Web hosting site of the week, I figured I would give you a ‘bit of a bonus. You have all been good little server administrators, right? What some people do not realize, is this podcast is about much more than just Web hosting. I try to cover the entire Web development business. In the spirit of that, here are some of my favorite design resources.

Open Source Web Design

Have a great idea for a Web site, but you don’t have a layout for it yet? OSWD.org is a great place to visit to either pickup a layout or get inspiration for one. There are hundreds of layouts to choose from here. If you get a create streak in you and create your own, you can upload it as well for others to use.

VisiBone Webmaster’s Color Lab

Now that you have a layout, you want to customize it a little more and change some of the colors. Well out of all the Web sites out there that list HTML color codes, VisiBone’s is my favorite. The color wheel they show might be a little simple for some, but it gets the job done.

All CSS Properties Listed Alphabetically

Alright your layout is in order, the colors are just right – what is missing? Well for example, lets say you want to change a few things about the layout. This list of CSS properties gives you what you need. Nobody can memorize all these different tags! This is your one stop CSS cheat sheet.

Have a few good resources that I might have missed? Make sure you leave a comment on the show notes, so that myself and your many fellow readers can check them out as well.

Related Links:
Top CSS Tips
4 Design and CSS Resources

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:

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.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 53!

Running Time: 16 minutes | File Size: 3.58 MB

Hello I am the Web hosting industry’s media rock star, Mitch Keeler, and welcome to the Web Hosting Show, the one and only voice of the Web hosting world. This show is supported each and every week by the fine folks over at Web Hosting Chat. Web Hosting Chat is your number one place for Web hosting discussions.

I got an audio message left for me last week from Mike, who wanted to know how working as a contributor for Lockergnome has helped me. So has it? I would say so. Honestly, it has opened doors I probably wouldn’t have had access to before. I’ve been able to meet people I probably wouldn’t have talked to before. Overall I’d say it has helped build my reputation Online.

Have something you want to tell me one on one? Just send me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com with all your feedback, thoughts, suggestions and comments and I’ll be sure to get back with you as soon as possible.

Web Hosting Headlines

The latest Web hosting news from around the globe is brought to you by the Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide. Do you have some Web hosting news to share? Make sure you send it to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

HostCONCEPT.com Slashes Price Of Reseller Packages To Bone

As part of plans to secure an even stronger foothold in the Web hosting market, reseller-focused hosting provider HostConcept.com has slashed the price of its reseller packages, becoming one of market’s leading Web hosting provider that offers the lowest priced reseller packages.

Mitch’s Take: I might be in the market for a reseller hosting plan pretty soon, so it is nice to see some of the prices going down. Reseller accounts don’t have to be resold. They make excellent places to manage multiple Web hosting accounts.

Domain Snapping Companies Outgrowing GoDaddy.com

The Panamanian company DomainCar has joined the small elite of companies in the world with more than 1 million domain names, growing faster than GoDaddy.com over the last 6 months.

Mitch’s Take: I don’t know if I really like the business model of DomainCar and other companies like it. They earn money from the huge amount of traffic generated by their large portfolio of domain names. It seems like it might be a growing trend.

The Planet Acquires Fourth Data Center

The Planet(SM) today announced it has acquired 72,000 square feet of additional data center space in Dallas. The initial phase includes 30,000 square feet of finished Tier 1 data center and support space. The new facility has more than $14 million in data center improvements with future capacity for 36,000 servers.

Mitch’s Take: As time goes by, it seems like The Planet is growing faster. There must be a lot of demand for the services they provide. Another reason why they get good marks from me, is they are also from Texas. You know what they say about Texas, everything is bigger and better here.

Hosting Tips and Tricks

All of my hosting tips and tricks are brought to you by my blog, Mitchelaneous. Do you have a Web hosting tip or trick to share? If you do, send it to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

I have two good resources for you this week as far as the tips department goes. The first is my new favorite FTP client, FileZilla. I’ve been using this to manage all my FTP uploads and downloads for a while now, and I have to say it is the best free solution out there in the market today. The best thing about it is it is totally free!

For the second tip, I want to point you in the direction of Favicon from Pics. This Online service allows you to upload any image, and have it turned into a favicon for you. What’s a favicon? Well it is that little icon next to the URL in your browser. Each Web site has a different one, and this is a chance to get yours for free.

So there you have it, two free resources in one segment. Does it get any better than that?

Mitch’s Hosting Talking Points

You pick the topics and I talk about them. All of my Web hosting thoughts, views and ideas are brought to you by Data Center Talk. Do you have a topic you’d like to hear me discuss? Just drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

Learning Fun Things in Forums

If you at least browse through some of the Web hosting forums out there every once in a while, you are bound to pick up some interesting ‘bits of information. I’m not as active as I used to be in the forums out there, but I still try to pay attention to the conversations.

The first thing I found that I want to share with you is from Web Hosting Chat. Somebody was looking for a Web site that would allow them to “ping a specified server from a range of geographic locations”. What was the solution? HostingSpeeds.com, a resource I actually hadn’t heard of before. They have a plethora of speed testing and pinging services available, so if you haven’t seen it before, I recommend you give them a shot.

The second thread that got my attention was from the BrowseHosts.com Forums. What is listed here? It is a pretty full list of all the different Web hosting control panels out there along with the URLs for their Web sites. There are both free and paid solutions listed, so I recommend also check this link out as well.

So there you have it, you never know what you might learn while browsing the Web hosting forums. Need a list of forums to check out? Visit the Web Hosting Show’s resources Web page.

Web Hosting 101

Web hosting 101 is brought to you by Banners World. Do you have any basic information about Web hosting to share? Are you a beginner with a question to ask? Let me know at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

Need a good place to read about design and layout tips? One of my favorite resources is A List Apart. From the Web site, they say, “A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on techniques and benefits of designing with web standards”.

Just spend some time searching around and I can promise you, you will like what you find. I would say this place is “the” best design resource out there today.

Web Host of the Week

I belive in giving credit where credit is due. The Web Hosting Show Web Host of the Week is brought to you by BrowseHosts.com. Do you know a Web host that deserves some time in the spotlight? Send me a link at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

The Web host of the week this week is HostCONCEPT.com. That’s right, the hosting company from our first hosting headline this week.

Conceptualized in February 2000 by a group of veteran Internet consultants, WebMinds Internet Consultants began its operation as a privately funded and debt-free Internet consulting company that has been profitable since its inception, and operates fully within its own budget to assure a proper growth rate.

In late 2001, the company went through a major business restructuring and made the transition to providing Internet services, which led to the formation of HostCONCEPT in early 2002.

Earlier I told you about their reseller plans, so this time around lets have a look at the virtual plans they offer. The One Professional plan comes with 3 GB of disk space, 30 GB of monthly bandwidth and the ability to host up to 5 Web sites. What does the price tag say? $5.95 per month is what you’ll be paying.

So go and visit HostCONCEPT.com and when you let them know that the Web Hosting Show sent you there.

Final Web Hosting Thoughts

That is it for this edition of the Web Hosting Show. Did I forget something? Do you have something to say?

Visit our Web Hosting Show Fan Forums

Next week we will be doing more of the same! I am Mitch Keeler and you have been listening to the number one Web hosting podcast across the nation and the one and only voice of the Web hosting world, the Web Hosting Show.

For more technology podcasts, be sure to check out TechPodcasts.com! To hear more of the Web Hosting Show through the week, check me on Cool Cast Radio.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Podcast 44!

Running Time: 21 minutes | File Size: 4.69 MB

Hello I am the mother loved, and doctor approved hosting guru of choice, Mitch Keeler. Welcome to the Web Hosting Show, the one and only voice of the Web hosting world. This show is supported each and every week by the fine folks over at Web Hosting Chat. Web Hosting Chat is your number one place for Web hosting discussions.

Since we are going through the whole end of 2005, start of 2006 thing I thought I’d let you know how many of you are actually out there week after week. With this show’s one year anniversary coming next month, I am proud to say that there are around/about 400 or so of you downloading this show and listening every week. Many thanks to you all, and hopefully 2006 will see those numbers double at least.

For that person who might be number 401 and isn’t too sure about what is going on, let me tell you what this show is all about. I am here to bring you the best the Web hosting industry has to offer. We have news, we have help, I’d even hire a few guys wearing funny hats if it would make you happy. This show’s message since day one and going through 2006 is to make the Web hosting world less intimidating. I want to make it into something everybody can enjoy and get use out of.

Want to get my attention? Just shoot me over and E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com with all your feedback, thoughts, suggestions and comments and I’ll be sure to address them either offline or right here on this very podcast.

Web Hosting Headlines

The Web hosting news and headlines are brought to you by Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide. The Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide is the place to go to get all the latest Web hosting news from around the globe.

BrowseHosts Offers Advertising Bonus, Celebrates Network Growth Milestone

BrowseHosts.com, an interactive pay-per-click web hosting directory and community forum, announced today that it is offering new advertisers a $15 bonus on pay-per-click listings. The company is also celebrating a milestone on its network of showing more than 1 million pay-per-click listing impressions each month.

Mitch’s Take: BrowseHosts offers a great service out there to the Web hosting world. I can say from experience that Pinny and the gang know what they are doing, and you can see some real results by signing up either as an advertiser with them or as an ad displayer. They don’t give you the punch the monkey win an iPod junk. They give you real links back to real Web hosting companies. If your interested, sign up today!

Interland Completes Acquisition Of Web.com Assets

Interland, a leading provider of websites and online services for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced that it has completed its asset acquisition from Web Internet, LLC (Web.com) and Web Service Company Inc. Included in the assets are the domain name Web.com, web hosting business comprised of approximately 9,000 subscribers, accredited registrar business and trademark rights.

Mitch’s Take: Interland paid $4.8 million in cash for all of this stuff, and I just hope that they really do something with it. Sure, a domain name can take you a long way, but you also need some content and services worth sticking around for once that deal is done.

Web Host 1 and 1 Upgrades Hosting Plans

Web hosting provider 1 and 1 Internet announced on Monday that it would again increase the standards features of its Web hosting packages while maintaining current price points. The move, part of a valu-added campaign kicked off in September, comes just weeks after the company upgraded the same plans, again without a corresponding increase in prices.

Mitch’s Take: 1 and 1 really does seem to be picking up steam in the world of Web hosting. I think in the past few weeks they might have even broken GoDaddy’s record of the number of times I’ve mentioned them on this show. You can’t go wrong when you offer your customers a better deal, so my two freaky thumbs up this week go up for 1 and 1.

Do you have some Web hosting news? Make sure you send it to mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll try to get it on the next episode of the Web Hosting Show.

Web Hosting Tip of the Week

Every so often you just need a quick nugget of Web hosting knowledge. The Web hosting tip of the week is brought to you by Mitchelaneous. Mitchelaneous is my own tech news and views Web site, where I tell you what I think about some of the new things coming out of the technology world.

I have two resources for you this week that could fit into the design category. Some of these URLs might be a little long and confusing so make sure you check out the show notes for this episode of the Web Hosting Show to get more information.

The first is FamFamFam.com’s Silk Icons. Now we have all dealt with that layout where we just couldn’t find or create the right icons or graphics we had in mind. That is where this Web site comes into play. They have 700 icons that you can use for free. Deals just don’t get any better than that.

The second resource for all you designers out there is a list I found of some of the best free stock photo galleries there are Online. This once again plays into the whole needing something but can’t find it category. There are dozens of Web sites listed, so inside one of them you should be able to find that graphic of a server you have always dreamed of finding.

Do you have a Web hosting tip you’d like to share? Make sure you send it to mitch@mitchkeeler.com and who knows? It could be included on the very next edition of the Web Hosting Show.

Web Hosting Deals and Steals

The Web Hosting Show’s Hosting Deals and Steals are brought to you each and every week by AllHostingDeals.com. AllHostingDeals.com is your number one place to find Web hosting offers too good to be true.

Instead of sharing with you a deal I found this week, I thought I would let you know how to find one of your own.

One of the best places to search for deals Online is FindMyHost.com. They are a trusted name inside the Web hosting industry and they have a wide selection of Web hosts to choose from.

Another resource to check out would be Web Host Magazine and Buyers Guide’s Host Search. While we are on the subject of trusted Web hosting resources, they don’t get much better than WHM. With this tool you also have more options as to what you want exactly in a Web hosting account.

The last resource I want to share with you today is FindMyHosting.com. Even though they won’t return my E-mails, I have to say they are my favorite “deal searching” resource Online. The reason I like them so much is they take that extra step to act as a moderator in conflicts between Web hosts and Web hosting clients.

Have a Web hosting deal or offer that is too good to be true? E-mail me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll tell the folks about it on the next Web Hosting Show podcast.

Mitch’s Hosting Talking Points

All of my Web hosting thoughts, views and ideas are brought to you by Data Center Talk. Data Center Talk is the best set of forums on the Earth about the world of Web hosting data centers.

2006 Web Hosting Resolutions

Well it is that time of the year again, the time that we all start making lists of habits we are going to stop or making predictions about what will happen in the year to come. Well, since Web hosting is what I do best I thought I’d come up with a list of some of my own 2006 predictions for the wild and wacky world of Web hosting.

As I look into my crystal ball here, I see that Yahoo! Small Business will buy out a major Web hosting company. Which one will it be? 1 and 1 Internet might be a nice asset to have. I think Yahoo! will be paying more attention to the Web hosting world in 2006 and they will be seeing how they can get the biggest part of the proverbial pie.

GoDaddy.com will put on it’s own football game to run it’s Super Bowl ad on next year. The game will be made up of CEOs from inside the Web hosting world. Okay, so a football game might be a little far fetched (pardon the pun) but I do see GoDaddy.com raising a big stink about the Super Bowl ad again this year. Any PR is good PR.

Your Web hosting will not get any cheaper in 2006! Sorry, I hate to be the one to break the news to you but it is true. Web hosting is about at that point that it can’t afford to be any cheaper. So how are the big shots going to get you to sign up with them? The year of 2006 will be all about the Web hosting services and extras.

Ping! Zine will become the Web hosting magazine of choice in 2006! Well, in my opinion they already are.

WHIR TV will become less boring! I’m sorry, I don’t like taking shots at people too often but WHIR TV was a great idea that went south very quickly. Short of putting Anastasia Tubanos in a bikini, I don’t know what could save this show. Showing that I am not a totally spoiled sport, I’d be more than willing to make a few suggestions here and there if anybody at the Web Host Industry Review is interested in hearing more of my thoughts.

So what were your hosting-related New Year’s resolutions this year? Let me know about them and I’ll be sure to include the best of the best on next week’s show.

Do you have a Web hosting topic of discussion you would like to hear me cover on the Web Hosting Show? Then make sure you send it to mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll try to get it on the next episode of the Web Hosting Show.

Web Site Design Help, Support and Ideas

All of the Web Hosting Show’s design help is sponsored by BrowseHosts. BrowseHosts is the most comprehensive Web hosting directory out there today.

This week’s Web site that needs some help is A1WHS.com.

It has been a while since I reviewed a Web host’s Web site. This Web site looks about average when you compare it to what else is out there in the Web hosting industry. First things first, I would say drop the flash image at the top. It’s nothing more than “eye candy” and it doesn’t really serve a purpose. It is just making the Web site slower to load for computers with slower connections.

Some of your graphics are a little ruff as well. They are a little hard to read. You might try smoothing out some of the text on the graphics, or just getting rid of the graphics all together. That much is up to you.

Other than that, it looks like a great company you have there and I wish you all the luck in the future.

Do you need some help with your Web site design? Would you like me to just let you know what it is you could do to make your Web presence that much better? Make sure you contact me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll try to get your questions answered and your Web site reviewed on the next episode of the Web Hosting Show.

Hosting Winners and Losers

The Web hosting winners and losers for the week are brought to you by Lockergnome’s Guide to Web Hosting. Lockergnome’s Guide to Web Hosting is the best e-book out there covering the Web hosting world from head to toe.

This week’s winner of the week is BrowseHosts.com.

So what makes BrowseHosts.com so special this week? Well the latest news from the Hosting Headlines earlier in the show helps out a lot. I also feel like they are a resource that not enough people in the Web hosting world pay attention to. Inside the Web hosting industry you get a lot of Web sites that are filled with nothing but crap. I’m happy to say that BrowseHosts.com breaks that mold.

This week’s biggest loser is WebHostingTalk.com

I haven’t had time to talk about this on the podcast since it happened, so I figured I’d address it now. Did you hear about WebHostingTalk.com getting sold yet again? If WebHostingTalk.com is the biggest player in the Web hosting forum wars, why is it that nobody wants to keep them? I hope Stoddard Hill Capital has better luck than others have had with it.

Do you have a hot tip to share on who might be the next week’s winner or loser of the week? Make sure you drop me an E-mail and let me know about who they are and what they did.

Final Web Hosting Thoughts

That is it for this edition of the Web Hosting Show. Did I forget something? Do you have something to say?

Visit our Web Hosting Show Fan Forums

Next week we will be doing more of the same! I am Mitch Keeler and you have been listening to the number one Web hosting podcast across the nation and the one and only voice of the Web hosting world, the Web Hosting Show.

For more technology podcasts, be sure to check out TechPodcasts.com! To hear more of the Web Hosting Show through the week, check me on Cool Cast Radio.