There is no doubt that uptime is one of the most important factors to running or owning a web site.  So if a web site goes down, common sense would tell you that you want to know about it, right?  A new service called Ding It’s Up! will help you keep track on your domain or any other domain you give it.

Here is how the service is described via the official web site:

Ding It’s Up is a free service that alerts you via text (SMS), twitter or email when a website goes down or when it comes back up. We will never send you a text/email unless it is to inform you about a website you requested information for - you can unsubscribe at any time.

Now I would not rely on just using this tool to keep tabs on your web site, but it does make a nice accessory to other tools you could use.

To learn more about or to use this service, go check out dingitsup.com.

When it comes to web hosting you can serve everybody you see, or you might look into hosting just a few.   A niche is a special area of demand for a product or service.   As far as the web goes, that could be web sites based around a certain topic, style or idea.

For an example, webhostingshow.com is a podcast - that is a niche.  Some web hosts out there are doing specialized hosting just for people who podcast.

The premise of this argument can be understood with one simple idea, they need hosting too.  No matter what the niche is out there; any group of people would be happy to have a web host that looks out for just their needs.

Focus on the Features

You want to offer your customers a few special perks they will not get by going elsewhere.  These could be:

• More Expertise in that Area of Interest - Going back to the podcast metaphor, let us say I started up a web hosting company just for podcasters.  The perk here is that I have done podcasting before, so I know a thing or two to help you with your podcast hosting.
• Tools to Help that Specific Niche Topic - You could offer special tools that would help that specific type of niche web site grow and prosper even more.  An example of that would be if you are a blog host, and you distribute free blogging software to your clients to make publishing on the web easier.
• Special Deals on Services that Might Be Needed More - Some web sites use more of one resource than others do.  If you were running a photo gallery hosting service, you could give that niche more disk space so they have plenty of room to store all of their photos.

All you have to do is ask yourself, what I can do for them to make their lives easier?

Not a Web Host?  Grab a Reseller Hosting Account!

For those who are not web hosts, but would like to host for a specific niche of people a reseller account might be a good way to start.  Having a reseller hosting plan is already like running your own mini web hosting company.  So that proves the point that this is something anybody can do - not just your high dollar hosting companies.

The last benifit of hosting to please the niche markets out there is that you will also be building a community of like-minded web sites.  Encourage your customers or clients to talk to one another, share ideas and give each other help and feedback.  The social aspect to the Web is the hot topic right now, and you can build a hotspot of your very own.

I just noticed that the WHIR has a totally redesigned web site.

Overall, I like the new look and feel of the layout.  It surely beats the old design, that looks like it was pulled right out of 1995.  However there are a few things that nag me.  Here are both the good and the bad about the new look for one of the more popular web hosting web sites out there.

The Positives

• Lots more attention paid to the WHIR TV project and RSS.  Two things I am happy to see them highlighting.
• No more black and white!  The colors they picked are a nice update to the old look without seeming like the entire thing is boring.
• The membership feature is cool and a welcomed addition.

The Negatives

• It is a little ad crazy.  Now I realize people have to make money as much as the next guy (that is why I have ads on my own web sites) however it seems a little like they were just tossed everywhere without much organization.
• Some of the pages (jumping from section to section) change layouts so quickly, it is a little easy to get lost.  Maybe the inclusion of a breadcrumb trail at the top could help this.  Something like: (Front Page > Features > The Story Headline)

Overall, I would have to say they have done a fine job at the new paint job.  How do you feel about it?  Do you miss the old layout at all?  When was the last time you visited?  You can check it all out at theWHIR.com.

Good web site analyzer programs for Windows are hard to find.  I have yet to find the perfect one myself that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.  However, the next best thing is WebLog Expoert Lite.  This is the free little brother of WebLog Expert - but I think has enough features to keep you happy.

After installing, all you have to do is grab your log files from your hosting account in question.  WebLog Expert Lite supports IIS and Apache logs, can automatically detect the log format and can read GZ and ZIP compressed logs.  It will then crunch away at the numbers and export an HTML page for you to view to see how your web page is doing stats-wise.  You get numbers, links, stats and graphs.  It is a beautiful thing.

The free version however should be sufficient for most personal web sites and provides a nice overview of general traffic activity.

If you want to see what you are missing out on, you can see a comparison list of the professional, standard and lite versions of the program here:

http://www.weblogexpert.com/comparison.htm

It might not have all the bells and whistles down, but WebLog Expert Lite has enough to keep me happy.

We have tons of great things to discuss this week. From uptime alerts to the fresh redesign of the Web Host Industry Review. I am sure there is a little hosting discussion here for just about anybody out there. The holiday break is over, and I am back in the upright podcasting position. The Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 176!
Running Time: 10 minutes | File Size: 4.99 MB

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

• Quicker Web Site Uptime (or Downtime) Alerts
• A Great Web Site Log Analyzer Programs for Windows
• A Review of the WHIR Redesigned
• Learn to Please the Niche Markets

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• PHASE 2 Unaffected by Island-wide Power Outage
• Host Color Celebrates 2009 With Instant Debate On Web Hosting Services

I won’t do like most sites and do reviews of 2008, or looks ahead at 2009. I am here to talk to you about the here and now, and what we can all do to make the wild and wacky world of web hosting a better place for everybody.

This year has been another great one for the Web Hosting Show podcast and web site. Popularity keeps growing, more people are tuning in and we had tons of great topics to discuss all throughout 2008. Here are my favorite podcasts from the year gone by…

Web Hosting to Go - Episode 169 - October 20th

What would I like to have today?  Lets see.  I will have a large data center mashup map, a side of hosting tools (just remember to hold the tomatoes), a HP performance-optimized datacenter and a definition on what domaining is all about?  For here or to go?  I think I am about ready to go - because the Web hosting Show is now on the air.

The Magnificent Fantastico - Episode 168 - October 6th

From the first time I ever heard about Fantastico, I always thought about the traditional magician pulling rabbits from his hat.  Who would have a clue that a few years later on down the road I would have a chance to speak with one of the magicians behind the magic at Netenberg to find out more about this favorite cPanel addition.

Bobcares About Support - Episode 166 - September 22nd

Any web host will tell you the hardest part about the web hosting business is finding a team of support people that care about your clients as much as you do. You want to make sure they are in good hands. One company that promotes themselves as those good hands to trust is Bobcares.

They specialize in support for small, medium and large hosting companies.

Read more »

Are you a web host who is low on cash, but wants to produce a line of their own video tutorials?  This is a pretty easy thing to do (totally for free) as long as you have some free time and imagination.

Capture your Desktop with CamStudio

You can pick up an awesome desktop capturing program at CamStuido.org to capture the video from your computer’s screen.  After installing, all you need to do is highlight the area you wish to record - and then hit the record button.

Record Your Audio Track with Audacity

Audacity is the free audio editor I have used to produce my podcast since day one.  It is free and really easy to use.  You could use it to record any audio commentary you wanted, so that way you add a little more helpfulness to the tutorial you are making.

Edit your Video Tutorial Together

To edit your video, there are several programs out there you could use.  Personally, I just used the free Windows Movie Maker than came with my computer.  Then again, I am all about keeping things as ghetto as possible.  If not Windows Movie Maker, I am willing to bet you have some free program that came on your computer that would do the deed.  An online video editing alternative would be Jumpcut.com.  Another free desktop solution would be VideoSpin from VideoSpin.com.

Check out Wikipedia’s List of Commercial and Free Video Editing Software

Final Tweaks, Edits and Uploading the Final Product

Before you upload, you might also want to make sure you have your URL, brand or logo somewhere on the video.  It never hurts to do a little advertising - so people know where they can get more of your fine work.  After that has been done, you can upload your video to YouTube or a number of other video sharing sites.  Grab the embed code, and you have your own video tutorial ready to go.  To get you inspired, here is one I created on doing trace routes:

If you are a web host on a budget, there is no reason to spend more than you need to.  If you have the free time and creativity, then rolling your own video tutorials can also be a great way to gain exposure and do a little self advertising too.