On the Web Hosting Show podcast, we have done a lot of talking recently about web hosts that use Twitter, and how they use it.  Some use it for support, others use it for marketing, and the best ones use it for both.  Who are the most popular web hosts on Twitter though?

To put that question to the test, I thought I would compile a list of all the web hosts on Twitter that have over 1,000 followers.  Out of nearly 100 web hosts on the Web, here are the 25 that made the cut.

1. WestHost Web Hosting (WestHost) on Twitter = 1,804 followers
2. softlayer_news (softlayer_news) on Twitter = 2,609 followers
3. Sustainable Websites (sustainableweb) on Twitter = 2,946 followers
4. Surpass Web Hosting (surpass) on Twitter = 1,960 followers
5. Slicehost (slicehost) on Twitter = 3,500 followers
6. Six Apart (sixapart) on Twitter = 15,401 followers
7. SiteGround (SiteGround) on Twitter = 1,132 followers
8. Site5 Web Hosting (site5) on Twitter = 1,010 followers
9. PinchHost (PinchHost) on Twitter = 8,891 followers
10. mediatemple (mediatemple) on Twitter = 8,571 followers
11. GoDaddy.com Guy(GoDaddyGuy) on Twitter = 3,060 followers
12. lunarpages (lunarpages) on Twitter = 1,528 followers
13. linode (linode) on Twitter = 1,655 followers
14. LiquidWeb (LiquidWeb) on Twitter = 12,734 followers
15. Laughing Squid (ls_hosting) on Twitter = 1,079 followers
16. Joyent (joyent) on Twitter = 2,350 followers
17. JaguarPC (JaguarPC) on Twitter = 4,637 followers
18. Sunil Saxena (inmotionhosting) on Twitter = 1,259 followers
19. HostGator.com (hostgator) on Twitter = 4,668 followers
20. Hostcats.com (Hostcats) on Twitter = 1,299 followers
21. 123-Reg (123reg) on Twitter = 1,677 followers
22. Gary Jones (bluefur) on Twitter = 46,671 followers
23. dreamhost (DreamHost) on Twitter = 2,934 followers
24. FireHost Inc. (FireHost) on Twitter = 3,783 followers
25. INSANE Deals Only @ (HIVELOCITY) on Twitter = 6,508 followers

There you have it, 25 of the most popular web hosting companies that are on Twitter right now.  You can find a list of nearly 100 web hosts on Twitter on the Web Hosting Show’s web site.  Did your web host make the cut?

How do you like that new logo, by the way? It was designed my my good friend and graphic design specialist, Sean Barton.  I’m personally pretty proud of it – as it is pretty much the logo I always wanted for the show, but never had the time or the skill to put together.  Want to learn more about the web hosting industry?  The web hosting show is both a podcast and web site dedicated to helping anybody from novices to experts learn more about how to make the web hosting world work for them. If you haven’t before – be sure to bookmark WebHostingShow.com, subscribe to the e-mail updates, and add the RSS feed to your favorite news reader. 

Gather Your Facts

The first thing you must do is collect as many facts about the problem as you can.  Be sure to write down dates, important information and anything else that might have happened before, during or after the problem took place. 

For example, if you were working on your web site, changed a template file, and then the web site wasn’t working, you need to be sure to write down the dates each change was made (the best you can), the files that were edited, what you did (if you can remember) and the error codes or problems you had afterwards.

Be Upset, Not Angry

It is alright to be upset when something is so bad, you have to go ask or report it to a support team, however getting angry isn’t going to help get the issue resolved any quicker.  I’ve seen many people who think, “Well, if I just yell at them enough – they’ll get the message” and that is actually the worst thing you could do.  Keep a calm head on your shoulders, and remember – even when asking for help – you’ll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.

Explain Your Entire Problem the Best You Can

You don’t have to write a novel about the issue, but do make sure that you explain your situation the best that you can.  If somebody request support, and just says – “Hey, (insert object here) is broke, FIX IT!” that is not going to cut the cake.  Present the facts that you have gathered in a way that anybody could understand it. 

You might have to write it, re-read it and make sure it makes your case.  Explaining things well the first time will keep you from having to go back and forth as the tech support worker tries to recreate the situation on their side, so they can find a fix for you.

If you can master those three things, then the next time you contact any support team for any reason, your situation is going to be a much better one indeed. You will get a better support experience (in most cases) and get the result you are looking for quicker as well.

Starting to wonder, where it all gets dumped to?  Is there some poor sap somewhere looking at my e-mails and laughing – or maybe somebody has been sick? 

So where is my SumoSac?  Not a clue (hopefully somebody from Sumo Lounge might be reading this.  Coming from somebody who does nothing but customer support day in and day out, makes me feel good that I’m delivering better support than these guys right now.

Come on, Sumo Lounge – prove me wrong!

I do have to say I think I am getting a grasp on how to move around, edit and customize a wiki.  Thankfully, there is a lot of good help and resource information on MediaWiki’s web site.  If you ever find yourself building a wiki this is one nice resource your going to be using over and over again for sure. 

One of the most helpful have been the post about categories, think I have that about mastered by now.  I haven’t even started looking at all the extensions though.  Have any other wiki advice for me as I tackle this new project of mine?

Looks like they replaced my power supply and I should be back up and running as I was in a few days at most.  Going to take time to get things synced back over from my laptop to my desktop.  Overall I would say I was very impressed with how HP handled the situation.  A couple of days ago they even gave me a phone call to see how things were going and if I had gotten it back yet – that was nice.

On a side note, I can also report that Windows Vista’s image based backup service actually works! I made a backup of my PC before I sent it off and I am now back to how I was two weeks ago (even after a few reformats in between).  I am almost scared to praise them too much because then the wheels might fall off – but thus far that part of the experience has been the most surprising of all. 

Hewlett-Packard Receipt of Defective

Receipt Date of Defective Product:             05/27/2008

Expected Delivery Date:                        06/05/2008

Now I know from the FedEx tracking code I have that the 27th is when they got my PC to their HQ.  So does that mean I should be getting it back on the 5th of next month and it is going to take over a week to fix?  Maybe I’ll still get lucky and they’ll ship it back by the end of the week.

I love my laptop, but really missing having my PC here too.

• HP has yet to update the “status” page where I can check into the progress of all of this. With the FedEx tracking number though I do know my box should be here sometime before 4pm on Wednesday.

• I was impressed with HP’s online support. I explained my issue, showed them the pictures and they told me they’d setup a pickup for it, fix it or replace it and then send it back. They have also promised it would all take 7 to 9 days too.

• I am pretty sure I grabbed all my important documents. I copied them over to an external hard drive and then copied from there to my laptop – so all my bases should be covered there. Will probably try to do the reformat and re-install of Windows Vista tonight so it will be ready to box up and go.

Should be getting Wii Fit tomorrow too, so it should be fun to see if the UPS guy has a run in with the FedEx guy. As long as they keep their brawl out in the street, I don’t mind.

You can check out more photos from my Flickr account.

I contacted HP support, and they will be sending me a box to ship her back in – so I can get it fixed or replaced, and sent back here. I figured, if this disaster gives me anything it has given me something to write about so expect me to chronicle the entire experience with working with HP’s support team right here over the upcoming days.