E-mail is something we all get and soon we will not be able to exist without it. In the time we live in today it is becoming more and more important to have a place to be reached on the Internet. At one time, being able to check your E-mail through a client, like Outlook Express, was enough.

Well that was then, and this is now. The new quick way to keep up to date with your Web hosting ways is Web Mail. Web mail is an a way to check your E-mail without ever leaving your browser of choice. Looking much like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Gmail, Web Mail is usually offered as a part of your Web hosting package at purchase of a Web hosting plan.

Some Web hosting companies may offer several different programs to choose from. The most popular Web mail clients are: Horde, SquirrelMail, and NeoMail. All three have what you could expect from your basic interface and look much like the Hotmail or Yahoo Mail systems. You will have your inbox, sent messages, drafts and any of the other standard folders as well. It is worth mentioning though that these programs do not work well together. Just because you create a folder inside Horde that does not mean NeoMail can see it. The best thing to do is find which one you like the best, and stick with it.

How can you tell if your Web hosting plan has a Web mail account? That it easy. Login to your control panel your Web host offered you, then look under your mail settings. For my control panel (cPanel) it is located on the first page under “E-Mail”. Depending on your control panel or Web host it might be located somewhere different. You might also ask your Web host if they provide it, if you are not sure where to look.

What are the advantages of using Web mail? Well now you can check your mail on the go. If you happen to be at a friend’s house you can get on his computer and check for new messages in just a few seconds. Also, there’s no need to install any new programs or software yourself. The beauty of Web mail is it can be run from anywhere with an Internet connection and a standard Web browser.

I was recently interviewed by the fine folks over at Web Hosting Chat for their forums on the state of the Web hosting business. Usually I am the person asking the questions, not answering them so this was a nice change. Plus it is always a light stroke on the ego when somebody wants to interview you.

If somebody had told me a year ago I would be giving an interview, I would have probably ask why I was applying to work at a fast food place again. Things have changed though, and I am thankful for that. I can actually call myself a writer and not get laughed out of a room.

Here’s the full interview with me from Web Hosting Chat!

In the past I have graced upon the topic of, “What is Web Hosting?” and for some that was enough. Others though saw that the Web hosting world is divided, broken into three parts. Virtual Web hosting, reseller Web hosting and dedicated Web hosting are all three different types of the same thing. You guessed it, Web hosting.

Virtual Web Hosting

Think of virtual Web hosting as the little brother that everybody wants to cuddle. It is the one Web hosting account that is most in demand and most often sold by Web hosts. What is it? Well, it is a small portion of space on a Web hosting server. The Web hosting server is divided up into chunks, each chunk being a Web hosting virtual account. The way the word, “virtual” comes into play is that by dividing the server into smaller parts, each smaller part then acts as a server for a Web site.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller Web hosting shares some similarities with virtual Web hosting. Both are in reality a divided Web hosting server. This time around though, the Web hosting server is divided up into bigger chunks. Here they are each given the power to create smaller “virtual” plans inside of their chunk, limited only by the space and bandwidth they have as a part of the Reseller account.

Dedicated Web Hosting

Dedicated is the big daddy, and probably what you think you are getting when you purchase Web hosting server space. Most new folks to the Web hosting world think they are actually given a whole server to call home. In reality they are only given an portion of the server. Dedicated Web hosting is to divide that server up into two to three big chunks. Some Dedicated Web hosting accounts will also give you an entire server to yourself as well.

Which Web Hosting is Right For You?

It really all comes down to two things. What do you need the account for and how much are you willing to pay. The reseller and dedicated Web hosting plans offer you more space and bandwidth than a virtual Web hosting plan, but they will cost you more as well. For most folks a virtual Web hosting plan will do more than enough to cover their backsides. However, with time and expansion, one should not rule out the advantages of reseller or dedicated Web hosting accounts.

I have to say the year has had some ups and downs for your favorite freak, but all and all… things have turned out alright. As I come closer to my one year anniversary of being tossed out on the cyber street by old Web hosting job, I have come to realize if it had not have happened, I would not be where I am today.

Today I have my articles and other works posted on over a dozen different help Web sites. I am a contributor on Lockergnome. I am 22, alive, single and still kicking! Guess it can not get much better than that. So what is in the cards for your old buddy Mitch? Who knows.

I am really starting to get the itch to start a new project. One idea I have been kicking around for a while is writing a technical help book on the wacky world of Web hosting. It would pretty much be the same as my articles you have seen posted here, perhaps longer and more in depth. Then toss in a few scary stories I’ve heard, and it should be a good read. Well, as long as my mother thinks so at least.

Thank you ICANN for making such a stupid new rule to scare a lot of folks, and to scam the rest. For those of you who don’t know, ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers) pretty much controls the buisness of domain names. Now they have decided to enforce a rule that in effect could cause folks to loose the domain name they love. For more information, please check these articles I did for Lockergnome:

Domain Hijackings to Become Easier

Domain Name Warnings

Before you can own your own stake to Internet glory, you must know what runs the backend of it. For the most part, Web hosting plays the biggest part in how the Internet has been shapped in the past and shall be shapped in the future. Before you can own your own Web hosting account, you must first know what Web hosting is. What is Web hosting and how does it impact you yourself someday starting up your own Web site?

Sure somebody has explained it to you before, maybe several times. However, not every definition can be understood by the untrained eye, what is needed is a translation from Web hosting geek into regular speak.

Web hosting can be broken down into two parts, the Web hosting server and the Web hosting domain name.

Web Hosting Sever

Your Web hosting sever is the place in which your Web page is stored. When you sign up with a Web hosting company, you in effect rent space off of a shared Web hosting server hooked up to the Internet. No mater what Web hosting company you sign with or what promises they give you, at the fundemental core of all of that is that idea. Think of it as one file in a large filing cabinet. You can put as much stuff inside of that folder as you have room for. Folks can pull it out and look at it anytime they want to.

Web Hosting Domain Name

Your domain name acts as a tool to direct your visitors, or yourself to your own Web site. Simply, your domain name points to your Web hosting account so that when you type in, “http://www.mitchkeeler.com” you in return go to MitchKeeler.com. Think of the domain name as a way to label the folder mentioned earlier. If none of the folders in the filing cabinet had lables it would be aweful hard to tell what content was in which folder. The same could be said about domain names in relation to Web sites they are directed to.

Need More Help?

Try searching Google for the definition of Web hosting, you are given a plethora of definitions and options other than these above.