Archive for February, 2005
· February 7, 2005 at 4:35 pm · Odds & Ends
In fear that somebody else might pick it up, I went ahead and bought mitchelaneous.com. So if you have a problem remembering http://mitch.lockergnome.net use mitchelaneous.com instead. I also did some domain name shopping for another project of mine, but more about that next week sometime. Speaking of domain names, did everybody see the Go Daddy commercial on the Super Bowl? Well, I didn’t watch the game but I did watch both the real and Web only versions of the commercial on their Web site. Good stuff!
Seems like Fox and the NFL knocked off their second ad space they had purchased for the Super Bowl. Honestly I don’t know why, I just think people are way too uptight these days. If you want to see more of the Go Daddy Girl, her name is Candice Michelle and can be seen Monday night on WWE Monday Night Raw.
· February 7, 2005 at 1:14 pm · Interviews
Nobody can say that BrowseHosts.com isn’t one of the top spots to check when looking for a new Web host. They have listing upon listing of good, solid information that anybody could gain from. Not many people know that the person behind the work is Pinny. Pinny is one of the nicest Web hosting professionals I have met to date. After becoming a regular on the BrowseHosts forums, Pinny was always one to welcome my ideas with open arms. Pinny has done a lot for the world of Web hosting. When the chance to interview somebody came up, I couldn’t think of a better person to talk to than Pinny.
Mitch: Pinny, you have your fingers in a lot of the Web Hosting world’s proverbial pies. I believe BrowseHosts has become your most successful venture to date though. What is it that has made BrowseHosts so successful?
Pinny: Good day, Mitch. First of all, I’d like to thank you for choosing me for this interview. It’s quite an honor, considering your past content. BrowseHosts.com has become our most successful venture mostly because of the investment in the site, both in terms of time and money.
We have always tried to stay a step ahead of the pack with what we offer the Web hosts. I think our site was put up shortly before the large multitude of “turnkey” directories, and we profited greatly from beating them into the market. It was easier for us to be taken seriously before those sites cluttered the market with redundancy. Additionally, our popular forum, which has a non-hostile environment to it, attracts some of the most decent folks in the hosting industry. This has translated into rapid growth as word gets out.
Mitch: There are a lot of Web hosting directories out there today. What makes BrowseHosts so different?
Pinny: Yes, Mitch- there certainly ARE many hosting directories out there. What makes BrowseHosts so different is that we offer everything the other directories are afraid to offer: Full reporting for the pay per click listings, and great incentives to deposit. We have over 1,000 hosts currently registered in the PPC system, ranging from your “next door neighbor” all the way up to the “industry leaders”.
We have served out over 75,000 hosting leads since we started out in August of 2002. And I don’t want to forget that we offer a 100 percent Anti-Fraud guarantee, something which other PPCs have been slow to offer. Our largest difference is that we have our hosts’ listings being displayed on 25-30 of the highest quality webmaster/hosting related sites on the net. We have been able to make strategic partnerships with such great sites as WebHostGear.com, HostLead.com, and WebDesignHelper.co.uk- thereby allowing our hosts to get a very wide range of exposure for the same low price, while administrating the listings from one convenient control panel.
Mitch: Would you consider the competition in the Web hosting world these days to be good or bad? Are there too many hosts or not enough?
Pinny: I think there are many positive results that come out of this specific competition as well as many negative aspects. The good that comes out of this is that the larger or more effective hosts are forced to provide low prices and this is great for the customer. However, there are a fair share of hosts out there who have either very little or not enough knowledge about that which they are selling. This results in many customers not getting the support they deserve. I know of many webmasters and business owners who are very turned off from the hosting industry because of that. It reflects badly on the rest of the hosts, making their efforts less realized.
In each industry, we have forms of “self-policing” that are run by the industry leaders. For example, in the medicinal field, we have the American Medical Association (AMA); in the legal field we have the American Bar Association, and so on. Unfortunately, in the hosting industry, we don’t really have much self-policing. Whether it is because of a lack of initiative or because of difficulty monitoring an online field, we have too much lawlessness going around. There aren’t enough standards that are set.
This is a major hurdle the hosting industry needs to overcome if it is to last. The fact of the matter is that 95 percent of webmasters don’t understand a thing about hosting. They get overwhelmed by hundreds of different features hosts offer and seemingly minute differences between each host. I believe a way to fix this is to create some form of self-policing by the industry, to deter scam artists as well as promote certain ethical standards.
Mitch: The BrowseHosts forums have become an important part of the BrowseHosts Web site. Do you feel like the addition of the forums as helped you build a bigger sense of community?
Pinny: Yes, we have definitely been able to grow due to our forum’s success. We gambled by not making a separate forum and PPC service and ended up winning big. Most of the successful forums out there today have been just that- only forums. We have been able to bring a community feel to our company through our forum, leading to more brand recognition and customer trust than would have been possible through divergent sites.
Mitch: Earlier I noted that you have expanded into some other areas of Web hosting. What are some of the bigger projects you are looking forward to rolling out in 2005?
That is it for part one of this interview with Pinny. Be sure to stay tuned for the second half of this conversation with a real leader in the Web hosting community.
· February 6, 2005 at 8:19 pm · Odds & Ends
I’m hard at work with some of the back end stuff with the Web hosting radio show (I promise there should be more news on the project next week!) and I came to a problem. I have no music! Anybody know of any good and free way of creating my own tune to start and end the show on? Any other ideas on how I can get around this little problem? Let me know!
· February 2, 2005 at 12:47 pm · Odds & Ends
In my last article I introduced you to a man known as Jonathan Wold. Jonathan is an Online entrepreneur, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I last asked Jonathan about his position on pushing young adults into more active rolls and not settling for your run of the mill job.
Jonathan: Ooo.. that’s a hot button for me. I think it’s important because it’s not expected of us. People tell me all the time that I should just take it easy and enjoy life.. kick back and not worry about all this “business stuff”. Well, ignoring the fact that I do enjoy this “stuff”, I don’t think my age is any excuse! If you have a mind for business and you have what it takes to start something and see it through, why should you wait till you’re “old” to get going? I see so many bright young people each day who struggle with the influences around them. Their friends, their siblings and often times even their parents, tell them that they shouldn’t be wasting their time in business. These young entrepreneurs, myself included, are the ones who are going to make a difference in the world tomorrow and there’s no excuse why we shouldn’t start today.
Mitch: What is the goal you hope to reach with Youthcove?
Jonathan: My goal is to take those bright young entrepreneurs and encourage them in all that they do. They get enough flak from those around them telling them that they’re crazy, they need the support. I created Youthcove to be a community of support, encouragement, and growth. Support comes through networking, being with people who are struggling with the same things you are, being with people who understand and who are going to back you up, even if they don’t always agree. Encouragement is another part of support and it comes in many forms. Not only do I want people to get to know others going through the same things as them but to know people who have already been there and who’ve made it through those early struggles. Finally, growth comes through education and experience. I believe that everyone should be constantly learning and that’s the kind of environment that I want to foster through Youthcove. Then, after all that learning, its time for experience.. sometimes, even when you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ve just got to it.
Mitch: Would you consider yourself to be a role model to others who wish to follow in your footsteps?
Jonathan: I wouldn’t say that I’m a role model, but that’s what I strive to be and encourage others to be. A lot of what I do isn’t just something you can easily follow after.. traveling the country like I do is kind of crazy at times. What I want is for people to look at me, at the things I’ve struggled with, at the things I’ve accomplished, and see what can happen when you’re willing to take a risk, willing to not just take “you’re crazy” for an answer and actually step out into the world to make things happen. I want people to see that it won’t be easy, it is never easy.. but it can be so worth it.
Mitch: Some of your past and current projects are very similar. Could you see your Blue Flame Design Group perhaps blending in with your Hostingfrog Web hosting?
Jonathan: Definitely! I am running Blue Flame Design Group and Hostingfrog as two entirely separate businesses and I’m very careful not to mix the two. However, as they grow I would definitely encourage relationships between the two. I know, it sounds kind of funny, but when you’re in business there are just some things that you don’t mix. Blue Flame is probably one of the businesses I’m going to personally stick with the longest. My partner and I have many solid plans for what we can do through Blue Flame as we both get better and better at Web Design and involve more and more people. For the short term, a relationship between the two businesses would as simple as recommending Hostingfrog’s services through Blue Flame, and vice versa.
Mitch: The Startup Blog, your blog describing the day to day life of what goes on behind getting Hostingfrog started up, has gotten a little more popular lately. What do you hope to do with it, and what will be done to it once Hosting Frog is no longer a startup, but a real functioning Web hosting company?
Jonathan: First I want to give credit to Johnder. He’s the man behind the scenes with the Startup Blog, he’s the one who makes things happen. If it weren’t for him, I would have never gotten started at this level in Web Hosting and I certainly wouldn’t have blogged about it. You’re the man Johnder. Since we started the Blog, the goal was for me, the startup, to “figure it out and tell the world what I find”. I started with absolutely no experience in web hosting other than a basic understanding of cPanel and “how things work”. That’s the biggest reason it’s taken so long to see progress on the outside. The goal for me from the beginning has been to show things as I see them, to share the challenges I’ve faced and to help others in anyway that I can through my experiences.
As Hostingfrog grows and becomes a “real” Web hosting company, the blog will continue. Our plans for what we do with it may change as the business grows and as time goes on, but it will always remain an objective (if not overly optimistic) view of the world of Hosting as I see it.
Mitch: What is the best advice you could give somebody who is tracking your progress and wants to become a little more than an average grunt in the Web hosting world?
Jonathan: Just get started. Once you’ve got your foot in the door and you’ve got your first customers, your job is to take exceptionally good care of them. Make sure that they ALWAYS come first in your business and always go the extra mile for them. Why? Well, first because it’s the right thing to do. Second because that’s a sure fire way to grow. If people love you their going to tell their friends about you and it’ll go from there.
The other thing is to make sure you’re not just playing everyone else’s game. I know, its much harder than it sounds, but it is something that needs to be taken seriously. If your goal is to get started and simply “take over the search engines”, well.. good luck to you. Some of the best ways to grow are free. Make sure that as you grow you are constantly innovating and constantly improving your business. Your customers will notice and that’s the kind of thing they like to see.
If you are interested in learning more about Jonathan, feel free to go visit his Web site or stop by his personal blog. If the Internet had a few more Jonathans around, it might be a far more productive place than it is now.
Miss the first article? Read it here!
· February 2, 2005 at 2:28 am · Odds & Ends
When you are working Online, sometimes you are forced to wear many hats. The hats of a content provider, designer, idea man, uncle, son and all around fun guy to be around. There is one man who chooses to wear his hats and wear them proudly. Heck, he’d probably like to get a few more hats before it is all said and done. That man is Jonathan Wold of The Startup Blog, Hostingfrog, and many other various projects he has started for himself.
The most shocking factor of it? He is only eighteen years old. I do have to say though these days it would seem that many more of the younger generation are taking the bull by the horns. Just look at Lockergnome’s own Brandon Watts for another good example. Even I get a few awkward glances and remarks when folks find out I’m only twenty two.
I recently had the chance to ask Jonathan a few questions about how he handles keeping all his ducks in a row. I have to say that he is one of the most insightful and interesting Web hosting entrepreneurs I have met.
Mitch: What made you want to get into the world of Web hosting?
Jonathan: It was an accident. It all started with my web design business. Once a site was done, I would send my clients off to this host or that and they’d be taken care of. After a few clients came back from trouble with their hosts, I felt somewhat responsible.
Whether it was poor tech support or something just not working, my hands were usually tied with what I was able to do for them. I also saw how much money was going the other way, a few hundred here and a few hundred there add up pretty quick. I decided that it can’t be that difficult and I got started!
So the “want” was to make sure that my customers were well taken care of and to eventually bring in some extra income. As I became more and more involved with the industry, beginning with the Startup Blog, I’ve developed a much stronger feel for it and subsequently, a much greater liking. Now, other than the delights of server trouble, it’s something I truly enjoy.
Mitch: Do you really believe the world of Web hosting is as cut throat and ruthless as some describe it as being?
Jonathan: If you’re playing the same game everyone else is playing, then yeah. I’ve had nothing but good experiences so far with my “competitors”. The people I’ve talked too have all been very helpful. No, they’re not going to tell me their all their “secrets”, and I’m not going to ask.. usually. I suspect that as Hostingfrog grows and becomes more of a frog to reckon with, my experience may change. I’m not getting caught up in the “price wars” and so that pulls me out of the average cut throat stuff.. ask me again in a few months.
Mitch: Where do you see your Web hosting company, Hostingfrog, five years down the line?
Jonathan: Five years? Wow.. maybe our Web site will be Online then! In five years, Hostingfrog will be its own business and my role with Hostingfrog will be to check up on it from time to time and make sure that the customers are always being very well taken care of. I would expect to spend another 1.5 – 2 years working the business myself, getting everything in place, creating all the systems, and then letting my baby run itself. The goal of any business that I build is that it will eventually run without me and I can move on to the next one.
Mitch: I’ve seen a lot of folks who after they start running their own Web hosting company pretty much cut off any contact with civilization. How are you planning on not getting too tied down and into your company while still being productive?
Jonathan: Sometimes I try to cut myself off from civilization! I set aside a few hours each day where I allow no contact whatsoever with the outside world and just focus on business. Other than that, I stay very connected. I take at least a day off of work each and every week, in which I have absolutely nothing scheduled and if I choose, I can just sleep. I rarely choose that though and usually make it a day to just get out. The weather is absolutely beautiful this time of year down in LA and I’m only a few blocks from the beach.. so while I’m here for the next few weeks I try to make the most of that.
Because of all the other projects that I’m involved with that require my time and attention, the greatest challenge for me has been balancing it all. More than a few times I’ve considered that perhaps I’ve taken on way too much, especially with Hostingfrog. So the trick is balancing my time each and every day. There will be days where some of my projects will go entirely neglected so that I can focus my energy on just two or three. The other night I spent 4 hours till past midnight, just writing away on the Hostingfrog business plan.
So my plan is to constantly stay balanced. To check up on myself and make sure that my efforts are being properly divided into the things that will make the greatest difference. Hostingfrog is one of those things right now and will be for probably the next year until I get to a point where less work is involved.
Mitch: When most kids are in college or flipping burgers, you are involved with several different projects. You’ve been known to push the factor when it comes for younger people to get involved with a passion at an early stage in life. Why is the idea of young entrepreneurs so important to you?
That is all for part one of this two part interview. Be sure to come back around tomorrow for the second half where I talk with Jonathan about Web hosting, the merging of his ideas, and a few other interesting topics.
Read part two of the interview!
