It is not only my birthday, but it is your birthday too. The Web Hosting Show has been rocking the web hosting industry for three year now, and hopefully for many more years to come.

No surprises, no special guests no fluff will be here today though. I am just going to do my job and give you a grade A podcast you will soon not forget.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 143!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 5.96 MB

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

• The Web Hosting Show is 3 Years Old!
• Neat and Unique File Sharing with Drop.io!
• Microsoft Gets into Free Hosting with SkyDrive?
• Quick and Easy .htaccess Creation Online!
• Your FAQs About this Podcast and Myself, Answered?

For three years now this podcast has been delivering you the best of the best that the web hosting business has to deliver to you. I am honored and truly privileged and honored to be that voice that has rocked the hosting world for oh so long.

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!

What 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!

On to week three of answering some of your most frequently asked questions. Web development can be a pretty hard business to get into - so hopefully I am helping to guide you in the right direction to learn.

Remember if you have any questions of your own that you would like to ask you can always drop me an E-mail at mitch@mitchkeeler.com.

What is an addon domain name?

This would be an additional domain name that you could host on your Web hosting account.

More control panels these days are coming with this feature and Web hosts are taking advantage of it.

I want to start up a Web hosting company, what is the most important thing to remember?

No matter if you have been in business one day or one thousands days you should always remember to respect your customers. Give them what they want and answer their every need and you should have no problems at all.

What is a good way to advertise my hosting business?

I would say your best bet would be to join some of the hosting forums out there like Web Hosting Talk and Web Hosting Chat. You might spend some cash on some advertising as well.

Where is a good place to comparison shop for Web hosting?

I have always liked FindMyHosting.com.

I want to start up an adult Web site, but I don’t know if the Web host I am interested in will allow it. How can I find out?

Well in most cases, as long as what you are producing is legal then you should have no problems. The best way to find out if they allow it or not is to ask their sales team. Most Web hosts are more than happy to let you know one way or the other.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 102!

We have all seen the top 10 lists out there for Web hosting providers. On today’s show I’ll teach you how to read between the lines and figure out which ones are honest and which ones are just in it for the money. Also we’ll cover a few more of your frequently asked questions, VPS hosting and bucket loads of Web hosting goodness.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 102!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 5.76 MB

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

• What Exactly is Virtual Dedicated Hosting?
• Get Some Free Web Hosting Company Layouts!
• Your Most Asked Questions - and my Answers!
• Who’s Top 10 Hosting List Should You Trust?
• Are Domain Names About to Get More Expensive?

Nobody should have to stress themselves out when it comes to the Web hosting industry. Sure there are a lot of confusing topics, but that is where this podcast comes into play. I do my best to teach you the basics so that you can go into this area of the Web with a little more expertise under your belt.

Link of the Week: 5 Most Popular Hosting Podcasts!

After getting a lot of happy folks E-mailing me back and thanking me for addressing some of their frequently asked questions, I figured we would do it again. This time around we have different questions, because answering the same questions each week would just get a little dull.

Why will my host not let me backup my personal backup files to my Web hosting account?

Some Web hosts might but most will not let you store personal backups of your photos or documents. This is because they just are not in that sort of business. There are plenty of places that are though and I would recommend going with them.

What are some Online hosting backup solutions?

My favorite from all the ones I have personally reviewed would be Box.net. Another popular choice out there is Carbonite.

I am a Web host and I keep getting bad press and reviews. What should I do?

I say turn that negative press into inspiration to make yourself better. Peoples’ opinions count and you should listen to as many as you can - then do your best with the most popular requests and thoughts you get.

I would like to find somebody to back my Online project. How do I find a Web host who would do that for free?

Find somebody out there (or maybe a few) and just ask them if they can help. You might get a few Web hosts laugh at you and your idea - but eventually you’ll run into that Web hosting business that will want to help you out.

When was the date of your very first Web hosting podcast and where can I find it?

The very first Web Hosting Show podcast as recorded February 14th, 2005. You can find it by searching WebHostingShow.com or by clicking the “All Archives” link on any of the Web Hosting Show’s Web pages.

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 101!

On what other podcast could you hear about excellent marketing, a battle between geeky styles of Web page coding and frequently asked questions about the industry we all know and love? Well put your suggestions down, because I don’t really want to know. You’ve already found the best of the best - so why don’t we just forget all the rest, the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 101!
Running Time: 15 minutes | File Size: 7.05 MB

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

• More Hosting FAQs From You to Me!
• Can You Get Paid for Hosting Your Images Somewhere?
• Classic HTML vs CSS - Who Suplexes Who?
• Teach, Then Sell (Marking Tip From The Field)

Don’t change that dial, don’t pick up that remote - you have stumbled upon the most entertaining thing in the Web hosting world since that one system admin in Georgia found a cooked rat in the server rack, the Web Hosting Show.

Grilling rodents with our dedicated servers isn’t the only topic we cover here though.

From Web development to Web hosting, we got it all. I will teach you the insides and outside of hostology so you can make it work for you and not against you.

Link of the Week: Hosting Hoopla News Section