There is no doubt in my mind that 2006 was a big year for the Web hosting industry. We saw a lot of news, we lived through a lot of things.
There are a select group of folks that I think deserve a little extra credit for making 2006 a wonderful year for Web hosting. Here is my list of impact players for the past year.
1. Amy Armitage – Amy is the best marketing mind that the Web hosting world has. No matter where I turn it seems like I always hear or see Amy’s name coming up in the conversation. Lunarpages has been all over the map in the past year, and it is mostly thanks to Amy’s marketing skill. Heck, she even brought me in to the Lunarpages fold in the past year – so I know she at least has good taste!
2. Keith Duncan – Keith gets in for creating great paperback content for the Web hosting industry. Much like Amy, when it comes to opinions that I trust and admire, I turn to Keith first. He knows the Web hosting world from the inside out. Ping! Zine is also the leader in my opinion when it comes to the Web hosting magazines out there as well.
3. Isabel Wang – Heart and Soul of the WHIR Blogs, and another informative personality. I have never talked with Isabel one on one, like I have with the other award winners – but hers is a name I see pop up more often than not as I browse through the latest happenings in the hosting industry. Hopefully in 2007 we can get to know each other better because I think we are both folks who have passions for the business we are in.
4. Rob Moore – Came out of left field and gave DemoDemo some competition in the flash tutorial market. I remember the first time I saw DemoWolf. I reviewed them on the Web Hosting Show and thought to myself it would be nice if these guys survived. The more competition you have, the better and cheaper the products become. Rob went from being an unknown to running one of the most successful startups of the past year.
5. George Roberts – Leader and creator of the Web hosting industry’s biggest party. HostingCon has become the “must attend” event for the hosting world. Much like Mac World is for Apple fans, and E3 was for video game fans, HostingCon is the event that hosting geeks can call their own.
Have somebody that I might have missed? Leave a comment and give their name as well. I don’t want to leave anybody out of the mix, so if there are enough comments I might just have to give them the award as well.
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