Live chat, in one way, shape or form seems to be a perk that many web hosting customers are looking for.  If you are a web host though, how do you know which live chat tools are the best?  Here are some of my favorite live chat providers out there that seem to get a lot of love from the web hosting community.

Kayako Live Response - When it comes to live chat support, Kayako is one of the best.  Not only do they provide the web interface for it, they also have a desktop client to interact with the service too.  Other nice features include desktop sharing, quick responses and a VoIP softphone add-on.

ProvideSupport.com - This tool is one of the cheaper ones out there, but don’t let that fool you.  They too provide some visually appealing tools as well as chat transcripts, multiple chat support, and easy integration into any web hosting site.

LiveZilla - For those web hosts out there on a budget, I do have one free live chat support option for you.  LiveZilla might have a few less frills than the paid for applications, but still deserve consideration.  The fact that it is free gives it a big green check mark in the “good things about it” column too.

What live chat solutions do you use?

Sub-domains (such as mitchisawesome.mitchkeeler.com) gives you an entirely new way to view your Online creations. Lets say you wanted to add something new, like a blog or forum script to your hosting account but didn’t want to change domains a sub-domain would be a good way to go. Video now fixed, thanks for the e-mails!

Have any other interesting hosting videos to share? Sent ‘em to me at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I’ll share them with the web hosting world.

Previously I told you about an awesome web site status tool that could help you tell if your web site was up or not.  Down for everyone or just me looks to have become a real success.  I have one better though, thanks to a suggestion from a Web Hosting Show listener named John.

I’ve been using DFEOJM a long time, and have found it to be a great tool.  You’re right that the URL is a tad long. I came across this web site:

http://www.checksite.us

It’s almost identical, except it’s a shorter URL, easier to remember. It doesn’t have the instant site checking, but at least the URL is shorter.

All you have to do is type in the domain you want to check into the text box on the site, and hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard.  Then the web site tells you if the web site is up or down for them.  A very nice alternative to use if you want to check to see if others can see your web site.

From time to time it is handy to know what your IP address is.  Now it is no secret that there are a hundred and one different ways of getting this done.  From looking in your PC, to putting a widget on your desktop to even visiting a web site.

WhatsMyIP.us is the newest of those Online resources that will let you know what your IP address is.  The difference here is that they do so without any annoying interface or loopholes to jump through.  You just have your IP address there and you are done. If you’d like to share this functionality with others, it is easy to do with their embeddable JavaScript code.  Just copy and paste it to give your own visitors their IP address back at them.

Now back on the notion of why this is handy to have?  Well with some remote workers out there in the hosting arena, you may need to pass your IP address along to your boss to gain access to their technical support center.  For others, it might help you troubleshoot a home networking issue.  Your IP address is what could be likened to your “home address” on the Internet.

So add WhatsMyIP.us to your own hosting tools bookmark folder.  You might not need it today or tomorrow, but when you do need it you’ll be happy you saved it to the side.

Feel like some of the other hosting news sites are getting a little long in the tooth?  Now I read all types of hosting news and information resources from all around the Web.  I really have high hopes for a new one that just broke onto the scene.  Gawkwire.com wants to be your new web hosting and Internet news resource.

From industry news, to domain stories.  From big business to the little guy.  Gawkwire is already providing news from all corners of the hosting world and doing well at it.  Here is how Robert Lang, Gawkwire managing editor describes this new hosting resource:

“We designed Gawkwire to build on the strengths of other hosting news portals and magazines. Unlike many sites, our content is updated continuously, not once a day or even once a week. We take it a step further, by creating a dialogue with our readers that enhances the overall experience of our site.  And we don’t stop with just news articles. Gawkwire’s rich content covers a wide spectrum, with everything from video blog posts to executive interviews.”

I am very excited to see the launch of something new out there in the hosting news bubble.  Too long has the field grown more than a little stagnite, and the hopes for Gawkwire is to add a little ‘bit more spice, interest and information to the world of Internet and hosting news.

Don’t get me wrong, I love WordPress - and use it in a lot of places but there are a lot of nice alternatives to WordPress too when you start looking around at scripts and services others are developing.  Marie writes in with this CMS controversy.

“I am looking to setup another web site but I want to stay away from WordPress.  Do you have any suggestions for other content management system or blogging scripts to try?  Thanks!”

Just in case WordPress rubs you the wrong way or your just not happy with it - here are some of my favorite content management systems that are not WordPress.

• Drupal - found at Drupal.org, this is like WordPress on steroids. Lots of goodies and better membership system in place too.
• b2evolution - found at B2evolution.net is an old one, but still a good one - with tons of options.
• Joomla - found at Joomla.org might be too feature rich for the casual blogging fan - but a good engine for in depth web sites or basic blogs.

I used to suggest MovableType to people but over the past few years it just hasn’t been able to keep up with WordPress.  Plus it is a ‘bit resource hungry and their license agreements are way too confusing for normal users.

To check and more and to get some demos of both the output and admin interfaces be sure to check out OpenSourceCMS.com.  They have tons of examples from every corner of the blogging, CMS and forum world.  One of the best database out there if you are looking for a better alternative to WordPress.

As many of you know I work my “day job” I guess you could call it, at Lunarpages and I often get asked questions about if somebody’s web site is up or not. Now more times than not it is often something to do with the web site owner’s side of things. Either their ISP is being a ‘bit wonky, they need to refresh their DNS or some other solution. One quick and easy way to tell if your (or any other) web site is down is downforeveryoneorjustme.com.

I know the URL might be a little long, but this tool is an awesome one to keep in your web hosting tool belt. The simple interface just has “Is ‘text box here’ down for everyone or just me?”. You put your domain name in the text box and hit the linked “or just me?” text and it will spit back a yes or no answer.

If you want an even easier way of using it, just type in their domain name, put a slash in there and then your domain name, such as:

http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/mitchkeeler.com

There you have it, instant site checking. Some people have reported problems with false positives - but with a little fine tuning I am sure this web site will become an instant classic for those of use who need to keep tabs on if a web site is up or not.