Archive for March, 2005
· March 16, 2005 at 1:18 pm · Odds & Ends
Having a Web hosting server that is totally your own. It is the American dream right? You could put a little white picket fence around it, plant some flowers and call it home. Well not exactly. For you and me, buying a dedicated Web hosting server is a little out of our price range. Some can cost up to $500 or so a month to keep up and running. So with that being said, what are the benefits of having a dedicated Web hosting server?
Well the number one benefit of having your own dedicated server would be reliability. Think of it as you being stuck on a deserted island. You don’t have to worry about anybody else throwing coconuts at you or trying to take over your island. You and you alone are there and you can do whatever you want.
When you are on a shared Web hosting server, sometimes other people on the server can make life for you a little harder. Due to processes, scripts or other activities, your Web site might start coming up slower due to those other folks. With a dedicated Web hosting server, you are the only one on that server and you are not subject to such pesky activity. Well, unless you are the one causing it.
Having your own Web hosting server also provides you with a more cost effective way of hosting more than one domain. You can split that Web hosting server up as many times as you want, depending on how much space each Web site needs. True, you could do that with a Web hosting reseller account too. The only problem is a reseller account is still on a shared Web hosting server. As long as you are on a shared Web hosting server you are going to have reliability problems.
With that being said, you can also expect to see greater performance from your Web sites. Without sharing the server’s resources with 10 to 100 other people, your pages will come up quicker, your scripts will run faster, and it will be as if your entire Web hosting experience was on steroids.
Security is another good reason to go with a dedicated Web hosting server. With a shared Web hosting server, some things on the server itself are more open to see. Within a dedicated Web hosting server though you can keep more things to yourself and locked down for only your eyes to see.
Now when shopping for a dedicated Web hosting server, you might be confused by the “managed” and “unmanaged” lingo. With an unmanaged Web hosting account, you or somebody in your company will need to know how to deal with the server first hand. That is when hiring a system administrator might come in handy. Then they can worry about all the server side problems and configurations.
With a managed dedicated server though, more of those worries are in the hands of the Web host you bought it from. The only problem you might run into there is you want to make sure your Web host has a good quality staff of folks who know what they are doing when they are working on your dedicated server.
So there you have it, those are the big benefits of having your own dedicated Web hosting server. If you want to know more or want to learn about shared Web hosting solutions, you might go check out Lockergnome’s Guide to Web Hosting. It is the best guide into the Web hosting world you will ever read or need.
· March 16, 2005 at 2:46 am · Odds & Ends
Well I got my Dell Pocket DJ in the mail today and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve only gotten to play with it a few hours, but damn is it not the cutest little thing you have ever seen? If you want an MP3 player that plays MP3’s and does it well, then pick it up for yourself. Then again, this is my first MP3 player, so of course I’m going to be happy with it.
The only negative side of it, is that it comes with MusicMatch, which I really dislike. It was easy enough to un-install it though once I got everything else up and running. Thankfully the folks at Dell put their own program in there as well to help get music on the device. You can also use it to transfer files, but only if both computers have the Dell software installed. I’m sure you might be able to dump it another way, right now though I haven’t had enough time to play with that feature.
When I was looking around at reviews for it at a few different Web sites, I saw lots of people had a problem with the scroll wheel and not feeling like it was responsive enough. I haven’t had a problem with mine yet. It feels good in my hand, and it is easy to scroll with my thumb using it. Other than that, I am a little afraid of getting it scratched up. Maybe I should start looking into MP3 Player gloves?
I’m a fan of the lime green one myself, but then again I am a little weird. Another benefit is I can now listen to 5GB worth of The Web Hosting Show. Now who would turn down an offer like that?
· March 15, 2005 at 1:20 pm · Odds & Ends
Everybody likes to get something for nothing, right? Well I have made it no secret in the past that I am not a big fan of free Web hosts. When dealing with a free Web host, you have to be careful when handing over personal information. Also, you need to read whatever terms of service or acceptable use policy they might have posted. I will give the devil his due though, there are a lot of free Web hosting companies out there that you probably have never heard of. Here recently I have ran across several places listing more free Web hosts than you can shake a stick at.
Free Webspace offers the biggest selection of free Web hosts I have seen on one Web site to date. The reason I trust them a little better than most is because the offer a place for customers to come back and rate the free Web hosts. They also have a division for free image hosting as well. As far as things I would like to see on the Web site. I’d like to have an RSS feed of the most recently added Web hosts to the Web pages. Also, since they do allow for rating of free Web hosts, I’d like to see a top ten list or something to that effect added as well.
When it comes to getting something for nothing though, I guess beggers can’t be choosers.
The free Web hosting power search is one feature on the Web site I really do like. That allows you to narrow down your search, based on things you would usually get with a regular Web hosting account. Some of these include, PHP, Ads, ASP, POP3 Access and more.
Free Web hosting is good for folks just getting into the whole hosting a Web site idea and who know nothing about it. I wouldn’t recommended it to people who are doing bigger or more important projects though. You might also learn that you will quickly reach the borders of your free Web hosting account if you are not careful. If you need somewhere to play around and learn though, free Web hosting can be a great tool.
So go check out a few free Web hosts and let me know what you think! I might pick the best of the best to look at myself and decide who is the best free Web host of them all.
· March 14, 2005 at 4:04 pm · Odds & Ends
I have heard a lot of talk about how there is a list of elite A-List bloggers out there and have wanted onto that said list for a long time. Well, till here recently that is. Recently I have learned to come to the realization that I will never be an A-list blogger. So what is the alternative? Rot and die a horrible blogging death? Not exactly.
I will invent a new term for folks like me. We need a name for people who might not be as “blogging elite” as a Robert Scoble or a Chris Pirillo. They are good as what they do, but us smaller guys need a name as well. What shall this new group of renegade second class bloggers be called? B-list bloggers. Folks who won’t be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, but will deliver content to anybody who is a fan of the little guy.
Let the revolution begin!
· March 14, 2005 at 2:52 pm · Odds & Ends
Web hosting radio, the way it was ment to be listened to! That is what The Web Hosting Show is all about folks! I have to say that today’s episode of The Web Hosting Show is the best one to roll around in a while. I have made a few format changes for one. I mainly wanted to change the introduction, so I could better tease what things we would be talking about on each show.
Go Listen to The Web Hosting Show - Episode 5!
The most important think though are my two guests for Monday’s edition of The Web Hosting Show. I had a chance to speak with both George A. Roberts IV from HostingCon 2005 and Jonathan Wold of The Startup Blog. So if you haven’t listened to one of my shows yet, this is the one you need to start with. I just can’t say enough good things about the production of the whole thing.
· March 14, 2005 at 2:13 pm · Odds & Ends
An entire conference dedicated to the world of Web hosting, that is what HostingCon 2005 is all about. With keynote speakers such as Sandip Gupta President and CEO of Ensim Corporation and Robert Marsh President and CEO of EV1Servers.net how could it not be interesting? This is an event that will surely change the face of the Web hosting world. I recently had the chance to sit down and talk with George A. Roberts IV about what was being planned and what we could all be looking forward to.
An entire conference dedicated to the world of Web hosting, that is what HostingCon 2005 is all about. With keynote speakers such as Sandip Gupta President and CEO of Ensim Corporation and Robert Marsh President and CEO of EV1Servers.net how could it not be interesting? This is an event that will surely change the face of the Web hosting world. I recently had the chance to sit down and talk with George A. Roberts IV about what was being planned and what we could all be looking forward to.
Mitch: How did you get yourself into the wild and wacky world of Web hosting?
George: I started in 1995 doing web development and consulting for small businesses in the Chicago area. We decided to add hosting as a value-added service for our design clients. I merged my company with another Internet company in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1997. We became a full service technology company, providing hosting, design, internet access, computer systems, and consulting. We sold the business in 2000 and I went to work as a software developer for a Fortune 500 company. But the hosting industry had gotten to me, and I jumped back in, starting Interjuncture in February 2002.
Mitch: How did the idea of having a Web hosting conference come about?
George: Keith Duncan, the publisher of Ping! Zine Web Hosting Magazine and I were discussing the lack of an industry conference back in April of 2004. I decided I was going to put together “a little grass-roots conference.” As you can see, the concept has grown quite a bit since then. 
Mitch: Why should your average Web host or Web hosting service provider attend HostingCon 2005?
George: We’re going to have some of the best and brightest in the industry there. Attendees will learn many things, from sales/marketing, business, technology, and security, that will help them grow their business. Some of the best vendors in industry will also be in our exhibit hall, which will give hosts an opportunity to speak face to face with those vendors.
Mitch: What is going to make HostingCon 2005 different from other big yearly conferences out there?
George: This is the only major conference to our knowledge that is focused purely on the hosting industry. Others may touch on it or talk about facets of it, but HostingCon 2005 is all about hosting. That means that attendees will be able to take just about everything they learn and apply it to their business, instead of having to pick out bits and pieces that apply.
Mitch: Other than those directly in the Web hosting business, who else would you like to see attend the conference and why should they?
George: I think those that are providing adjacent services, such as web design and internet access, could benefit from attending. Those types of services can, and often are, bundled with web hosting services, and I think that those attendees would benefit from the indepth focus of HostingCon.
Mitch: While putting together HostingCon 2005, what has been your biggest surprise?
George: We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful support we’ve been given by the industry as a whole. From vendors to speakers to attendees, everyone has been supportive and very excited about HostingCon.
Mitch: Your list of exhibitors really seemed to fill up fast. Do you think next year you might even try to make room for more?
George: We’re looking at our plans for next year and it’s likely we’ll be somewhat bigger than this year. We haven’t made all those decisions yet, but I’d say that’s a pretty good bet.
Mitch: You have a respected group of keynote speakers for the event, how easy was it to talk them into attending?
George: I think all of our speakers have recognized that HostingCon will be good for the industry, and were happy to be involved. We didn’t really have to do any convincing, honestly. Everyone was very happy to be involved.
Mitch: I see you have selected Chicago to be the home for this year’s event. Do you think they will stay from year to year, or will you be opening it up to other places to host?
George: We’re have not made a decision at this point, but I’m pretty sure next year at least will be in Chicago. We’re based in Chicago, so having it here allows us to be very hands-on in the planning process. In addition, as a once a year event, Chicago is ideally situated close to the center of the country. This makes it easy to travel to from just about anywhere in the United States. O’Hare International Airport is also one of the easiest places to get to from outside the United States.
Mitch: Are there any last thought or comments you’d like to get across?
George: I just want to let all the professionals in the hosting industry know that we’re going to have a great event and we’d love for you to be a part of it. In addition to the great opportunities at the conference itself, we’ll also have some pretty fun “after hours” events going on. So come to HostingCon 2005 and learn from our educational sessions and keynotes, network with your peers and vendors, and help grow your business. Oh, and have some fun while you’re at it. If you register before April 1, 2005 you’ll receive a $50 discount of the registration fees.
It also might be worth mentioning that George will be on The Web Hosting Show today, giving a few more details about why Web hosting companies and Web hosting clients should be getting excited about this epic event. I want to thank George for taking time out to let me speak with him as well. The folks at the HostingCon Web site have also started up a blog about the event as well. So have you registered yet for HostingCon 2005? What are you waiting for?
