Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook

Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

Posts Tagged web hosting

Do Your Homework When Looking for Web Hosting

Nov 18

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in blogs, web hosting, websites | 2 Comments

I’ve had my share of web hosts, some good and some not so good. Before leaping into the world of self-hosting your own websites, you really need to evaluate your needs (which might grow over time). Most bloggers choose shared hosting, which is your website hosted on a server along with a number of other people’s websites on the same server. Then there is dedicated hosting, which is your own dedicated server, or partition on a server; or a middle-ground kind of hosting called vps hosting. Dedicated hosting is usually much, much more stable and reliable, but it is also extremely expensive. VPS hosting is more affordable and offers many of the perks that dedicated hosting offers; shared hosting is the least expensive and the least reliable.

It’s this kind of stuff that you need to know before taking the leap. I didn’t know a lot of stuff, so I wandered around, wasting a lot of time, energy, and effort. I did learn a lot in the process, but I would have rather avoided some of the snarls of ignorance.

Here’s a good site to get your feet wet with web hosting: WebHostingGeeks.com. This site has been up and running since 2004, providing the Internet with excellent and readable articles, tips, and reviews of web hosting terms, concepts, and providers. The Web Hosting 101 series is excellent; I go there sometimes to keep up with latest developments and news, and read reviews of some newer hosting companies. WebHostingGeeks also has tips on SEO and SEM strategies, informative articles on domain names (and ICANN has recently internationalized the Internet, so the structure of domain names will soon be changing), and more. It’s a good site to check from time to time, looking at news and reviews. I like the consumer reviews of the various web hosts, too. WebHostingGeeks breaks them down into “Best Dedicated Hosting,” “Best UNIX Hosting,” Best Email Hosting,” “Best Budget Hosting,” and more.

Before taking the plunge to have your websites hosted, be sure to learn a little of the trade. You will avoid a lot of headaches, and you’ll also get the most for your money. Be sure to take a look at WebHostingGeeks.com. It’s totally free to peruse, and you will learn a lot!

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Web Hosting Review Site

Sep 30

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in Internet, blogs, web hosting | Comments off

Reviews are very important when searching out web hosting for your websites. When I was new to web hosting and looking for a reliable host, I made a few mistakes. Most of my web hosts have been outstanding– even some of the smaller companies I contracted with– but the best so far is Hostgator, in my opinion. I have a dozen blogs, and Hostgator has been able to handle them all, without a hitch.

Everyone’s hosting needs are different. You may desire “shared” hosting (your website is on a server along with dozens of others’ websites) or “dedicated” hosting (the server is basically all yours), or VPS hosting (VPS is “virtual private server”). See this outstanding article about the pros and cons of VPS hosting, as well as other excellent articles.

I recommend that you study up on web hosting and all the options and information that comes with it, BEFORE you make the leap. I know that if I had done so, I would have avoided a lot of hassles. The WebHostingGeeks.com website is full of very good articles and information about the world of web hosting (and more). I recommend it as a good start in understanding how web hosting works, and what will work for you. They also have reviews of popular web hosts, and a blog filled with tips and articles to make the most of your web hosting. Check them out, bookmark the site!

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Turn Your Computer Into a Web Server

Sep 20

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in Internet, blogs, business services, computers, desktop publishing, technology | 3 Comments

I found this post at Digital Inspiration about turning your home computer into a web server, and it just BLOWS MY MIND. The possibilities are endless! No longer would I need to pay for a web host for my blogs! No longer would I need to pay Flickr to host my web photos! All my videos and music would be accessible to whomever I wanted! Wow, I would LOVE to be an independent web host!!

It’s through something called Opera Unite. I’ve given glowing reviews of the Opera browser before– I think this company is on the cutting edge, and their Opera Unite proves it. This is from their site:

Opera Unite is a collaborative technology that allows you to share data, such as files or photos, directly from your computer with others, without uploading and sharing them through a central, third-party server. The technology behind Opera Unite uses a compact server inside the Opera desktop browser to share data and services on your computer. There is no need to upload files that you want to share; you remain in control.

With more traditional content sharing, you need to upload the content you want to share, and this is shared through a central, third-party server, out of your control. Opera Unite enables your browser to act as a server, and you can choose what content you share and with whom.

Opera Unite uses, as its base, collaborative technology that acts like a compact server on your browser. Rather than store the content on a third-party server, as in the traditional data-sharing model, the content remains on your computer; your friends communicate with your computer using local connections, or, if this is not available, some server-side Opera technology will aid in establishing a connection. Access to your content is provided and controlled by the Opera Unite services that you select. These services are small, Web-service programs running inside your browser. There are different Opera Unite services for sharing different types of content on your computer or for collaborating. These services give you full control over what you share and with whom, without the need to upload.

I am definitely looking into this; this is just AMAZING. my only concern is bandwidth usage. I mean, hosting one’s own blogs on a web server eats up a good chunk of bandwidth and CPU, doesn’t it? I don’t think my ISP would be too happy to suddenly see my connection usage increase 2000%, would they? But I could perhaps get a dedicated Internet line that could handle that kind of traffic. I pay upwards of $300 a year for all sorts of web hosting, photo and video accounts, etc etc…. I could save all that money by hosting my stuff myself and use that money to pay for the new Internet connection (I think). I’m going to have to do more research into this. It’s pretty exciting!

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Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org

Sep 1

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in Blogger, Google, Wordpress, blogs, web hosting | 5 Comments

A fellow blogger recently asked, “What’s the difference between hosting yourself and just doing it with wordpress.com?” I get this question a lot, and I realize I have never written a post about it. So I thought I’d explain.

Wordpress.com is the website where you can start up a free blog and get it hosted for free on the Wordpress servers. It’s something like Blogger, another free blogging company. And, just as with Blogger where your blog’s domain has a “.blogspot.com” after it, all the free Wordpress.com blogs have the “.wordpress.com” after it. For example, I have a Wordpress blog called www.newyorktraveler.wordpress.com. It’s free for me– it was free to create, free to set up, and it’s free for me to maintain.

Wordpress.com blogs have stricter regulations than Blogger blogs. Wordpress does not allow sponsored posts; you cannot access the database files to your blog, which means you cannot customize it wholly and you may only choose from a select (albeit large) group of blog themes; you cannot place widgets or ads in your sidebar (such as Entrecard, Adgitize, etc). And last I heard, unless it changed somewhere along the way, Wordpress inserts ads into your blog periodically.

Wordpress.org is the website that showcases the blogging software (the “platform” they call it) that you may use for free on your own hosted blog. The Wordpress.org software is installed onto your web host’s server– you install it. It’s not difficult to install, but it’s a technical process even though web hosts have made it as easy as possible. I recently installed two new ones for my daughters, so this is all fresh in my mind.

Wordpress.org software hosted on your own web hosted server will NOT assign a domain name for you. You must register one yourself, at eNom, Godaddy, or even through Google (which has the least expensive option, at $10). Your domain name is a “house address” of sorts. You want to build a dwelling located at that house address, but you need two things– a house and a rented lot. The “house” is the Wordpress.org software and the “rented lot” is the web host you choose.

I’ll discuss more about getting a self-hosted Wordpress.org blog in the near future. I hope this helps clear up a little about the difference between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org blogs.

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Solving Bluehost Hosting Problems

Jul 6

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber in Blogger, Wordpress, blogs, websites | 1 Comment

I had Bluehost as my web hosting company for a year. I am a professional blogger (that is, I am paid to blog for various articles), and I run a dozen blogs. I need a reliable web host.

I DID NOT find Bluehost reliable.

I was paying over $100 a year for unending frustrations. Bluehost came to me highly recommended, but I had SO MANY problems. I hated seeing those constant ‘CPU Quota Exceeded’ errors pages, and ‘This Account Has Been Suspended’ pages, and had constant problems. And when ONE of my websites was down, they ALL went down. What crap! I tried a few other budget hosts, none that brought me any satisfaction. I finally went with Hostgator, after hearing some friends give it high reviews.

HOLY COW, what had I been waiting for?!?!

I have NEVER received a “CPU Quota Exceeded” error page, EVER on any of my blogs, with Hostgator. I have NEVER had my account “suspended” (more like ripped out from under me), ever. I have been incredibly impressed with Hostgator. Wow. I cannot recommend them highly enough. You can read my more detailed review here.

I was dropping Entrecards recently and saw another poor blogger who had several blogs with the “Account Suspended” message. This particular blogger is a GOOD blogger, too, not a spam blogger. :( I was aggravated to see it.

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I just wanted to remind any of my blogging readers that I highly, highly recommend Hostgator. I’ve had my share of web hosts out there, and I’ve had my share of LOTS of problems. I am a Hostgator affiliate, so know that anyone who signs up with Hostgator through my affiliate link helps me to earn $50. But also know that those folks who have bought Hostgator through my affilate link have gotten free tech help from me, and have gotten A+ service from Hostgator. If you go through my affiliate link for Hostgator, I will do what I can to help you through the initial process of transferring/setting up a website through them. I’m no tech expert, but I have done a lot of my own blogs, and I’ve helped several folks get started with Hostgator.

They are great! I say: DUMP BLUEHOST and spend your money with a reliable host. Feel free to leave a comment or use the Contact Form if you have any questions. I totally love Hostgator!!

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