You can embark upon a mission to look for a quality free web hosting service with no advertisements and useful features, but you will likely return disappointed once your search has concluded.  While you can never really expect any guarantees when it comes to free hosting, knowing what to expect will better assure that you do not end up with a terrible service.

Understand How Free Hosting Works

There are more than enough free web hosting providers to go around.  Unfortunately, most of them force you to place advertisements on your site or only provide you with the free service for a limited time.  Some do set you up with a quality service in exchange for carrying banners while others leave you to run your site on slow and insufficient servers.  In some cases, these servers fail to respond at all, leaving you with a website that is essentially useless.  So, if the service is impractical, how do free hosting companies make enough money to survive?

More and more, we are seeing free web hosts keeping themselves afloat by persuading their customers to sign up for paid hosting plans.  If they can provide a good service, this actually turns out to be a fair deal.  Premium hosting services are very affordable these days so purchasing service with a company you trust could prove to be worth your while.   The major downside is that even when upgrading to a paid service, your package could still end up lacking features that are commonly found on the professional hosting market.  For example, you just might have to pay extra for items such as FrontPage extensions and FTP support.  So even when you purchase service from a free web host, you still have to make sure you are getting your money’s worth.

Secure Your Web Presence

Should you find yourself in a situation where you must rely on a free web hosting service because of financial restrictions, there are a few things you can do to protect your website and identity.  First, you can register yourself a domain name with a reputable company such as GoDaddy or Yahoo.  Domain names are pretty cheap these days and only cost about $10 to $12 per year.  Before registering the name, look out for domain features such as a control panel and URL forwarding.  This will provide you with the ability to redirect your domain and change the destination to where ever you prefer.  So if your free web host folds and goes out of business or things simply are not working out, you can point the name somewhere else and move your website right along with it.

The WordPress Phenomenon

WordPress has become an immensely popular blogging platform due to its ease of use and cost efficiency.  The software is open-source with no licensing fees required, making it absolutely free to anyone who wants to use it.  Being open-source also allows the WordPress software to be customized to meet the specific needs of the user.  Over the years, developers have created a number of themes and plugins that are now widely available to its large community of users.  All this activity gives you the opportunity to start out with a simple blog and later incorporate all the features and functionality needed to enhance your site.

Meeting the Requirements for WordPress Hosting

Perhaps the most unique quality of WordPress is that is can be self hosted through WordPress.com or WordPress.org, with the latter requiring you to install the software on your own web hosting account or server.  Finding the right solution isn’t necessarily difficult, but it does call for you to evaluate all of the available options before choosing a hosting provider.  Because it is such a popular software program, WordPress is widely supported by many companies on the web hosting market.  However, one must still conduct thorough research in order to make sure their requirements and expectations are met.  When shopping for a service, some important factors you want to keep in mind are bandwidth and disk storage so your blog will have enough resources to support traffic and store your files.  There are also some basic requirements that must be fulfilled to complete a WordPress hosting package.  The two most essential features you will need are a MySQL database, and a web server such as Apache with PHP installed, which is the programming language the software is written in.

There are many web hosting providers offering a wide variety of features and options that make it much easier to work with the WordPress software.  For example, some offer auto-install utilities and upgrades that allow you to remain current with the latest functionality and security features.  Others permit the hosting of multiple domains, which gives you the opportunity to host more than one blog under a single account.  WordPress can work wonders for your web presence, but the journey all begins with finding a company that can provide you with a reliable hosting solution.

]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/10/01/establishing-your-online-presence-with-wordpress-hosting/feed/ 0 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/28/five-reasons-to-choose-unix-hosting/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/28/five-reasons-to-choose-unix-hosting/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:58:53 +0000 CommunicateBetter http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=495 Though Red Hat Linux and Microsoft Windows are currently prevalent on the market, Unix is making a comeback as a viable web hosting solution.  The platform offers all the power and stability of Linux at a price that is often considerably cheaper than Windows.  Many web hosting operations are currently run on Unix-based systems that range from Mac OS X to FreeBSD.  While these platforms are great alternatives, this article will give you five reasons why Unix itself makes a great choice for your hosting needs.

1.) Tried and Tested

Unix is arguably the most dependable operating system for the network server and web hosting environment.  The platform has thrived for more than 30 years and has been tightly integrated with the internet since its inception.  Although other systems have received worthy improvements over the years, Unix is a time-tested platform, offering the power and flexibility needed to meet a wide range of hosting needs.

2.) Unrivaled Stability and Security

During its tenor in the hosting industry, Unix has proven to be notably faster than other operating systems.  It also has a reputation for having the ability to create the most secure hosting environment imaginable.  These qualities have made it a mainstay in the world of corporate business and e-commerce.  Perhaps the greatest benefit Unix offers is its high level of stability and performance.  Unrivaled processing power and a rock-solid core makes it an ideal choice for simple web pages and complex applications alike.

3.) Unmatched Reliability

While Microsoft Windows offers a graphical icon-based interface for added simplicity, Unix has no GUI at all.  This dramatically reduces overhead and allows the system to dedicate the full power of the hardware to quickly and efficiently serve web pages when they are requested.  Even in a shared hosting environment, Unix is virtually impervious to server crashes or any types of faults caused by administrative errors dues to its user-level permission structure.  When used as a platform, it can help create a fault-tolerant web server with the ability to prevent potentially damaging processes, thus enabling your website to continuously run smoothly.

4.) Extremely Compatible

Being a veteran server operating system, the Unix platform is largely supported by software developers and vendors.  The software integrates seamlessly with Apache, PHP, Perl, MySQL and other web technologies commonly used with Linux.  It also offers full support for Microsoft FrontPage, a web design and management tool that was once only available in Windows-based hosting plans.  Thanks to compatibility enhancements, FrontPage can now run flawless on both Windows and Unix servers alike.

5.) Affordable and Easy to Use

Several have the misconception that Unix is an open-source operating system.  This is not true.  In fact, its source code is under license with numerous vendors and much of the core remains proprietary.  However, Unix hosting still tends to be affordable because of its integration with free and low-cost open-source products.  And while naturally a more complex system, this platform is just as user-friendly in the typical shared hosting environment as Windows or Linux.  Therefore,  it does not matter if you are an inexperienced webmaster or a novice, Unix hosting can offer all the power or simplicity you need to succeed with a website.

]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/28/five-reasons-to-choose-unix-hosting/feed/ 0 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/10/saass-content-management-with-clickability/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/10/saass-content-management-with-clickability/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:12:53 +0000 CommunicateBetter http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=467 Previously known as cmPublish, the Clickability Platform is a CMS with a different approach on content management.  Developed by CMS provider Clickability, this platform is delivered on an on-demand basis, as well as full service with the company’s “Innovation as a Service” solution.  Aside from content management, the Clickability Platform also offers analytics, email campaign, web 2.0 and advertising among other functionality.  While there is obviously far more to the Clickability Platform than content management, this is indeed the focal point of the package.

Core Technologies

Though a licensed commercial product, Clickability Platform is based on powerful open-source technologies such as PHP, MySQL and Java.  It utilizes Apache as its web server and Velocity for the templating system.  Even though you have to pay for a license, the leveraging of various popular open-source tools makes Clickability Platform a cost effective CMS product.

Clickability Content

The main content entity in the Clickability environment is the item.  Authors have the ability to create content items by selecting various types of content from the navigation pane.  This CMS gives you a number of different content items out of the box, including jobs, blogs, press releases, case studies and FAQs.  Furthermore, custom content types can be created as well.   The templating system is a major part of the process as it allows you to actually get the content on your web pages.  These templates can be tailored to display numerous types of content in different sections of a single page.  While this feature caters to beginners, Clickability Platform also has something for developers with advanced creation environments and other customizing assets such as stylesheets.

Additional Features

Clickability Platform certainly isn’t short on features.  The package bundles streamlined content management capabilities alongside a host of SEO tools, Web 2.0, capabilities and the following list of features:

Newsletters – Publishers can create a newsletter of content and automatically distribute it to subscribers.  They can also manage mailing lists and have the ability to provide subscribers with double opt-in capabilities.

Advertising - Adverting functionality is tightly integrated into the Clickability Platform.  This allows administrators to create and maintain campaigns as well as all the details that go along with them.  Because ads are considered content pieces, they have targets that provide administrators with a way to track and keep up with the history of their performance.

cmSideKick – Clickability Platform allows you to run your website in the browser and the intuitive cmSideKick in a second frame.  cmSideKick is a utility that enables you to perform deep analyzation of statistics, allowing you to view your site in the administrator mode or selective views to modify certain areas.  This is one tool that you are likely to put to great use in the Clickability environment.

Conclusion

Clickability has come a long way since its days as cmPublish.  However, it has managed to maintain all the basics of content management and received some nice upgrades to compliment the emerging technologies and web trends.  Clickability Platform is definitely a enterprise CMS solution and can help to satisfy the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Databases and Website Content

Database-driven sites are powerful because they offer the ability to easily generate fresh, updated content.  For most developers, this is enabled by the combination of PHP and MySQL.  Unfortunately, these technologies can be very complex and will definitely take some time learning.  Thankfully, a FrontPage web hosting solution can empower you to create a database-driven and use it with virtually any database, including MS SQL, Access, Oracle or the open-source MySQL.

Making a Database Connection with FrontPage

To make a database full of information that will be displayed on the website you created with FrontPage, all you have to do is connect it to the data you want it to show.  A database connection is merely a function that allows your page to connect with a database via server-side scripting.  While this could be performed with PHP and MySQL, doing it with FrontPage is much easier.  This is because FrontPage lets you create a template that will modify the content by communicating with the database and automatically creating a new page without any additional coding.

Before getting to the template, the first thing you need to do is manually create a database in an application such as Microsoft SQL Server, Access, Excel or Oracle.  The database may contain customer messages or just about any other content you want inserted on the pages of your website.  After creating the database, set up the template where you want the information to be displayed.   The advantage of having a template in FrontPage is that it gives you the ability to change the content of your page by importing new content from a database without needing to re-code the page itself.  As long as you connect the page to the new content in the database, it will be generated on the server-side whenever your visitors view the page.

To import content, simply choose “File” from the “Tool” bar and open the “Import” menu.  After browsing for the file you want to import, select “Yes” when asked if you to create a connection for it.  That’s basically it.  FrontPage offers a great way to make sure your pages are frequently updated and appealing to your visitors with fresh content.

Summary

You will have to do a little more to truly customize your database-driven site, but FrontPage hosting is so user-friendly, that nearly every task you want to perform is simplified through a wizard or tutorial that goes along with it.  Because FrontPage is such a forgiving tool, even if you do make mistakes, detecting and correcting the problem will be a piece of cake.

Windows

Microsoft Windows is popular in the web hosting environment because it offers a plethora of functionality and a user-friendly interface.  Unlike older systems, almost all critical tasks can be done through a point-and-click method rather than writing DOS commands.  The Windows platform is usually preferred by those that require ASP (Active Server Pages) technology or MS SQL Server databases.

Pros: Maintaining a Windows server is much easier than any other operating system.  The platform is largely supported by software vendors because of its name and domination in the PC sector.

Cons: Versions of Windows Server applications are costly, ranging in the hundreds of dollars per license.  These costs are often tacked on to the price of a web hosting service.  While the platform has been greatly improved over the years, older versions, some of which are still in use, have a higher vulnerability to security threats.

Unix

Many refer to Unix as the granddaddy of all operating systems.  This system has been used as a server platform for decades now.  Known for its stability, Unix is a reliable application mainly used for larger and more complex computer systems.  The software often comes bundled with server hardware made by vendors such as IBM, HP and Sun Microsystems.  These servers are powerful but they are also quite expensive, sometimes climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Those with smaller scale needs typically utilize FreeBSD, a free Unix-like platform that runs on cheaper server hardware.

Pros: The Unix platform offers unparalleled stability and reliability.  It creates a rock-solid server that can thrive for years upon years without memory leaks or needing to be restarted.  Unix was built with security in mind and is therefore less susceptible to security flaws and threats.

Cons: The Unix platform can make for a very costly option.  The system also tends to be more complex and harder to find that Windows solutions.

Linux

The Linux operating system has become a major force as a web hosting platform.  Though it shares many characteristics of Unix, Linux is far more cost effective due to being released as open-source software.  The platform comes in many different distributions and is compatible with a variety of open-source technologies such as PHP and MySQL.

Pros: As a Unix-like system, Linux provides great stability and performance in the server environment.  While it isn’t exactly free, Linux always tends to be more affordable than both Windows and Unix in terms of web hosting.  Due to widespread use, the platform has great support from a community of users and software developers.

Cons: Similar to Unix, Linux requires a special set of skills to work with as most configurations must be performed from a command line.  Though it is becoming more mainstream, the platform isn’t as largely supported by software vendors as Windows.

]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/06/05/the-pros-and-cons-of-web-hosting-platforms/feed/ 1 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/23/choosing-a-hosting-platform-for-your-business/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/23/choosing-a-hosting-platform-for-your-business/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:08:13 +0000 CommunicateBetter http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=301 If you are looking to make your mark as an online business owner, one of the first things you need to do is find yourself a web hosting solution.  The web has grown tremendously over the years and so have your choices.  Web hosting services are not hard to find as companies have the industry covered from every angle of the market.  While there are many critical factors involved in choosing a service, one of the most important is the platform your business site is hosted on.

What is a Platform?

In web hosting terms, a platform refers to an operating system like Mac OS X or even an something older like DOS.  This type of software stores critical files, gives basic commands, tells the server how to interact with applications.  In the early days of the internet and World Wide Web, most servers ran on the Unix platform, a very powerful system that while flexible, has always required a considerable amount of technical skill to administer.  Though still a popular choice, hosting customers now have a greater variety to choose from in platforms such as Linux, Windows and FreeBSD.

Linux

Linux is a newer version of Unix and perhaps the most popular variation.  This platform is incredibly versatile and made to perform in the server environment.  It is makes an ideal solution for demanding tasks and activities such as messaging and multimedia streaming. Unlike Unix, Linux is an open-source system under the GNU General Public License, making it a cost effective solution for both web hosting providers and their customers.  Perhaps the greatest advantage of this platform is its compatibility with various open-source technologies.  A Linux hosting package typically means you also get the benefit of tools like Apache, PHP and MySQL.

Windows

Often regarded as the main competitor to Linux, Windows is the server version of the popular Microsoft desktop operating system.  Upon first entering the server environment, these platforms were powered by systems like Windows NT and 2000.  Most plans now are based on either Windows 2003 or 2008.  What makes this system so popular is the user-friendly interface that gives IT teams a familiar environment to work with.  Not only is it supported by a large number of applications, but also Microsoft technologies that were specifically designed to work with the platform.  Some of the main selling points of Windows hosting include ASP or ASP.NET programing, the SQL Server and other services like Exchange and SharePoint.

FreeBSD

The FreeBSD platform is based on the BSD system, which is one of the many Unix variants.  Similar to Linux, FreeBDS offer cost efficiency as an open-source system.  Extremely well integrated, this platform is well known for its speed and stability, making it an excellent choice for mission-critical operations.  FreeBSD is becoming increasingly popular and offers support for a growing number of technologies.

Choosing a Platform

All the platforms mentioned in this article are great for business hosting, Windows especially.  The key is finding a web host that delivers a reliable infrastructure and enables the chosen system to effectively meet your needs.

This article will go over the factors you must consider when looking for Cold Fusion hosting.

Available Version

When it comes to Cold Fusion hosting, it is always best to choose a web hosting provider that offers the most recent version of the language.  This will allow you to benefit from the latest features to create powerful, user-friendly web pages and applications.  It also makes it much easier to integrate the language with the database system you prefer to work with.

Possible Limitations

Choosing the right Cold Fusion solution is very important as some environments prevent you from getting its full potential.  For example, there are a few shared hosting providers that will limit the use of its tags because they are often viewed as security risks.  This is mainly due to the  mere structure of a shared server.  This is very understandable as the vulnerability of your site opens potential threats to everyone else hosting on the server.  You can get around these limitations by opting for dedicated server hosting.  Though it is considerably more expensive, dedicated hosting gives you complete control over which tags can or cannot be used on the server.

Cold Fusion Features

Cold Fusion is a powerful feature in its own right but there are some minimal requirements.  Most web hosting providers will set you up with everything required to get the maximum use out of this dynamic programming language.  All that is really needed to excel with Cold Fusion is a complimenting database to provide back-end in support for your web applications.  This shouldn’t be a problem as Cold Fusion integrates seamlessly with popular databases such as MySQL, Postgre SQL and MS SQL.

Cost Factor

Lastly, you need to consider the budget you have available to put towards a Cold Fusion hosting package.  Because it is one of the oldest languages around, you can find Cold Fusion offered in many low cost hosting packages.  However, some companies charge a pretty penny for all the advanced functionality it offers, especially when bundled with compatible Microsoft products.

In the end, it is mainly the complimenting features such as bandwidth and software add-ons that will impact the cost of Cold Fusion hosting solution.

While it goes without saying, Cold Fusion hosting is something you should only seek when having a specific need for the functionality it offers.  Though it may not be as popular as ASP or PHP, the language is widely available.  As with any hosting service, the most important aspects of this niche are reliability and quality technical support.  A stable platform will give you all the ammunition you need to thrive with a Cold Fusion website.

]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/03/24/introducing-cold-fusion-hosting/feed/ 0 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/03/10/hosting-your-site-with-frontpage/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/03/10/hosting-your-site-with-frontpage/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:46:37 +0000 CommunicateBetter http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=235 If you want a website that looks professional but you are not well versed in programming technologies, FrontPage hosting could be something you’re interested in.  This type of hosting is a great option for the website owner who wants a site that looks good but are working with very few coding skills and money.  The powerful, simplistic technology behind FrontPage makes it ideal personal sites as well as small business ventures.  This article will introduce you to FrontPage hosting and explain the advantages it offers to your website.

What is FrontPage Hosting?

FrontPage hosting is a niche market hosting that offers support for the FrontPage application.  Developed by Microsoft, FrontPage is a program used to create and manage websites.  It offers flexibility that allows you to design professional websites all without knowledge of HTML or complex server-side scripting languages such as ASP or PHP.  Although programming skills are not required, the capabilities of FrontPage can be greatly enhanced as it allows you to format and edit HTML.  This can all be done through an intuitive user-friendly interface that contorts to those familiar with Microsoft Office applications.

FrontPage hosting is much like conventional web hosting services.  The major difference is the implementation of Microsoft server-based programming technologies known as FrontPage extensions.  In fact, FrontPage is only effective if the web host has FrontPage extensions installed on their server.  Though originally intended to run on Windows-based servers, FrontPage extensions can also perform seamlessly on Linux and Unix platforms as well.  For this reason, FrontPage hosting can usually be obtained at an affordable price.

FrontPage Features

The functionality of FrontPage hosting was extended greatly with the release of FrontPage 2003.  This version offered many new features such as a photo gallery, instant team websites and usage analysis reports.  Other features like the drop-down menus, radio buttons and check boxes all simplify website development and ensure a smooth ride for inexperienced developers.  FrontPage also offers a number of dynamic website templates that allow you to enhance the presentation of your site in minutes.  While there are limitations in terms of development, FrontPage can help you create a data-driven site through XML (Extensible Markup Language), a process that is made easy with the built-in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor.  

Who Needs FrontPage Hosting?

As mentioned above, FrontPage hosting is geared towards webmasters who lack web design skills.  It is also best for users who do not require a significant amount of dynamic functions within their website.  If you can get by with features that are simple yet appealing, FrontPage hosting makes a great choice.

FrontPage hosting is a straightforward hosting solution that caters to beginner developers.  If you have a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, you can truly excel in this environment.  The comprehensive Graphical User Interface allows for easy web page creation while the WYSIWYG editor virtually eliminates critical mistakes.  Though it is a niche offering, FrontPage hosting isn’t hard to find as a wide variety of companies offer support for the underlying technologies.

Inside ASP Hosting

The ASP language utilizes various built-in objects that correspond to specific functions when creating dynamic web pages.  Whereas static web pages are merely composed of basic text and graphics, dynamic pages contain content that changes and allows users to interact.  The data on a dynamic web page can change before your eyes without the need to be reloaded or refreshed.  The makeup of ASP gives it more functionality than alternative solutions, allowing experienced developers to create more appealing websites with ease.  In fact, almost anyone familiar with client-side programming languages such as VBscript can excel with ASP.

Since the initial launch, Microsoft has released numerous versions of ASP, with the most recent being ASP 3.0.  The company has decided to phase out this language with ASP.NET which is faster, more robust and often considered the next generation of web development.  The original language is now referred to as Classic ASP.   However, ASP 3.0 remains popular because its built-in objects tend to be easier to work with.  One of them is the Session object that administers numerous functions for web pages and applications.

The Benefits of ASP Hosting

Companies who specialize in ASP hosting are only providing their customers with the basics of the language.  The host enjoys the most benefits as administers have direct access to IIS and the Windows operating system.  Web hosts with ASP and ASP.NET installed on their servers get the best of server-side scripting along with other Microsoft technologies such as MS Access and the SQL Server.  ASP allows these companies to create and manage powerful websites of their own.  Many of them use scripts to run special promotions, limited time offerings, collect data and even sell products and services with ASP shopping carts.  The enhanced functionality of ASP makes it the preferred choice for businesses of all types and sizes.

Finding ASP Hosting

Just as with any type of hosting, it always best to shop around and compare ASP hosts.  Aside from complimenting Microsoft technologies, you should also concentrate on finding a company able to suit your needs in other areas.  If you are not familiar with the language, it would be wise to find a solution that offers extensive support and documentation on ASP to shorten the learning curve.  Without a capable and reliable web hosting company behind you, it will be very difficult to enjoy all the benefits ASP has to offer.