Free Website Hosting – Is Free Hosting What You Need?

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There are so many reasons why one writes an article. We also had a reason. It was simple enough. We knew that we could write better about Free Website Hosting – Is Free Hosting What You Need? than what is being presented on the net. By Don Break

In your search for free hosting for your website, you have probably realized already that there are hundreds, possibly thousands of services on offer. They all want your business, they are all free and superficially it seems they all offer much the same thing.

So how do you choose between them? Does it actually matter which free website hosting company you use, since you are not paying for it anyway? Shouldn't you just go with a free service which has thousands of (presumably) happy customers already, like Geocities, Tripod or Fortunecity?

For the answers to these questions, let's think about what you actually want to do. Whether you are creating an ecommerce site and hope to make some money, or just doing a hobby or special interest site, you want people to actually see your pages on the free hosting site.

This means that you want the free host to serve the pages reliably, with minimum downtime. While no host, paid or free, can guarantee that your site will always be up, you want your pages to be available 99% of the time or more. This is the area where the difference between a free host and a commercial host is most apparent. Check the hosting forums before signing up – any excessive downtime will be receiving comments and complaints. Or see if you can find an uptime guarantee.

Assuming you want people to see your pages, you need a reasonable bandwidth allocation. Free hosts usually set a limit for each customer for each month, and this limit can range from 500MB to 2GB or more. If you are planning to serve large image files, audio or video, the lower limits will be too small, so that will affect your choice of free host.

In addition, storage space on free hosts is often ridiculously limited – some are still offering 10MB, which is too low for almost everyone. Such limits are designed to stop users using the free space for image hosting.

Many free website hosting companies don't give you much control of page layouts, because they only allow hosted pages built with their own internal web-based sitebuilders. Unless you have very simple requirements, this type of free hosting is of limited value.

Then there is the advertising which most free hosts will put around, beside, under or over your hosted pages. Nothing suggests 'cheap and unprofessional' about a web site more than excessive advertising unrelated to the content of the page. Most free web hosts can't determine what a hosted page is about, so they slap on general or branding ads for which they are paid per thousand views. If you care about the impression your pages will give to your visitors, try to look at web pages on a particular free host to check if the advertising is acceptable.

You may believe that none of these issues really matter, since you can just take your site away and have it hosted on another free website hosting service if there are any problems. But there are significant drawbacks to this. If you change hosts, you change your URL, and the search engines will need time (usually several months) to find, spider and index your pages, and your traffic is likely to die in the meantime. You'll need to delete the old pages to avoid duplicate content penalties. Users will have bookmarked your pages on the old host, and won't be able to find the new one. And so on.

It is better to select a good free host in the first place, and stay with them. Or even find a cheap paid hosting service – most people can afford $5 a month, which will now get you very good and reliable hosting, with none of the issues and drawbacks covered above.

About the Author: Don Break writes about hosting, and getting the best hosting value possible. See his web hosting information site.

There are so many reasons why one writes an article. We also had a reason. It was simple enough. We knew that we could write better about Free Website Hosting – Is Free Hosting What You Need? than what is being presented on the net.

Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting

Reading this article on Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting would make you aware of all the fine points on the topic and would make you more equipped to answer any questions related to Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting.
When we decided on writing this article on Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting, we knew that we could provide our readers with something which would be different from what was being presented to them. And now when you are reading this article, you would have to decide on our success. By Ricardo D Argence

Both free and professional web hosting have their benefits and down sides. However, before the best type of web solution can be found the webmaster will need to consider the main motivator for the website.

For those looking for a home page, hobby site, or non-profit website a free hosting service will provide the basics of what is needed at just the right price- free. Although a free website will not provide a professional scene for a business, or a webmaster looking for credibility, as unfortunately free services look very "cheap" then little else can be expected from something that costs nothing.

A free website will offer webmaster's free templates for the design of the website, and helpful wizards that take the webmaster step by step through the uploading process. Often a free service may offer free domain names and email facilities with their package.

Customer service is often included, although how good the service is will often vary. The biggest problem with a free service is, the amount of traffic onto the sight may be limited, and the sizes of the files being transported may also be limited. Free hosting companies often experience a lot of down time, so they can at times be unreliable.

Because the site is free, the hosting company may very well be relying on sponsors in the way of banner ads to keep the company in business. If this is the case, setting up a business with flashing banners will really cramp your style, credibility, and scare away potential customers.

Paid services are used by webmasters to keep things running smoothly in business, what this means is the good web hosting companies will provide excellent customer service, and have plenty of happy customers who are willing to add their testimonies. Professional companies will usually offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, live chats, and telephone services for customers experiencing difficulties.

Many professional companies will also offer discounts and bonuses for your business, and reward you for paying early. Other things that a professional web hosting company will offer is ample web space, and disk space. Often large amounts of uptime will be guaranteed, and sometimes failure to keep this amount of uptime will result in compensation from company to their clients.

Professional services may cost money, but the service is far more advanced, and professional companies never take space from their customers in order to place their paid advertisements on. Depending on what a customer is looking for when they create a website, will have a lot of bearing on their choice of providers. For a webmaster that is creating a credible business venture, a professional web hosting plan is vital to business success.

About the Author: Alojate.com is the premier web hosting company in Mexico, offering a range or services for all business needs. http://www.alojate.com http://www.alojateextra.com

When we decided on writing this article on Professional Web Hosting vs. Free Web Hosting, we knew that we could provide our readers with something which would be different from what was being presented to them. And now when you are reading this article, you would have to decide on our success.

Free Web Hosting – Is It For You?

It is not that we claim that you don't know anything about Free Web Hosting – Is It For You? but yes, if you read this article, you would surely get some new perspectives about Free Web Hosting – Is It For You?.
You must have realized during reading of this article on Free Web Hosting – Is It For You? that there are so many things that you were unaware of about Free Web Hosting – Is It For You? and if you have not read this article you must have missed something important. By Michael S. Lee

If you are a newcomer in the land of the WWW or World Wide Web, you definitely must be wondering about many aspects of the functioning of the web and what are the best possible ways to project your website or domain on the Internet. The best bet for starters, of course, if 'free web hosting'.

Free web hosting is good, if you are new and want to learn the ropes first hand. It is definitely not a good idea if you are starting a dot.com business. So, what do you get with a free web hosting provider?

First of all you will get a web space on the net FREE OF COST. This is quite a big plus point. Another plus point is that it will provide you with a free email account in most cases. The downside would be that you will not have the permission to have your domain name. You cannot get any technical support for your database, nor can you accept advertisements.

Hence, if you are hosting your web just to post out a few ideas, a hobby broadcast site, or similar things, and then definitely you can choose a free web-hosting provider. Free web hosting is good for those with low traffic. For example you may like to have your website so your friends and family can access and exchange ideas with you. Or just plain curious to see how things work out when you are out there, posting on the Internet.

It is definitely not advisable for a person who wants to run or launch a business on the net, however rosy the free web-hosting provider would paint it. No free web-hosting provider will offer you free traffic transfer space and hence your business will be doomed, or you will end up with huge traffic transfer charges. So also, you would loose out in terms of visitors if and when the server is not up to the mark and has an uptime less than 95%. Poor technical support would be another major obstacle if you have heavy traffic to your website, as any interruption would frustrate your visitors chasing them away from your website.

Besides, the point that would decide anyone who runs a web-based business NOT to choose a free web hosting, is that the company would look cheap and amateurish. The host of your free website will impose advertisements on your website, which you may not like. There are a lot of downside points. A few are enumerated below:

•No tech support
•No guarantee on server uptime
•No free traffic transfer space
•No access to cgi and/or perl script
•No advertisement for money can be hosted on your free website
•No sub-directories
•No secure server for credit card payments
•Very low SEO visibility as search engines bypass free sites often

Having gone through the above, I still reiterate that for beginners who want to see what it looks like to be on the web, for those who want to share things with family and friends, and for hobby purposes, free web hosting is a good option. For any other reason, by all means go for a professional web hosting service.

About the Author: Michael S. Lee is the webmaster of http://www.CompareWebHostings.com, A guide on hosting web sites such as what to choose, how to choose and where to buy.

You must have realized during reading of this article on Free Web Hosting – Is It For You? that there are so many things that you were unaware of about Free Web Hosting – Is It For You? and if you have not read this article you must have missed something important.

Outsourcing Asp

There are many who think that they know everything about Outsourcing Asp. Just read the article and confirm your belief.
If you still feel that there was no need to read this article, we would have to concede that you truly know what all needs to known about Outsourcing Asp, but if the answer is no, you must be glad of reading this article. By Loontik Gho

Improved integration, centralized databases, access through Web browsers and application service providers (ASPs) are some of the current trends impacting on organizational decisions regarding IS/IT outsourcing. Web-based technology liberated the client/server IT model from the limits of geographical boundaries delimited by a local area network. Partnering with the right ASPs could provide organizations with the new synergy required for competitive advantage. The development of a "solutions" innovation business model of rental-based sourcing, charters current ASPs and the differences in IS/IT provision and offers an audit of the benefits and costs of ASPs to businesses and other stakeholders. Future challenges are mapped out for consideration as are strategic choices associated with continued outsourcing, as distinct from in-sourcing, of IS/IT.

Organizations now often establish shared services within their firm as an alternative to outsourcing. Shared Services are the convergence and streamlining of an organization's functions to ensure that they deliver the organization the services required of them as effectively and efficiently as possible. Rather than having a department (e.g. human resources) devolved over a number of offices, a shared service is the centralizing and convergence of these. This often involves the centralizing of back office functions such as HR and Finance but can also be applied to the middle or front offices. A key advantage of this convergence is that it enables the appreciation of economies of scale within the function and can enable multi function working (e.g. linking HR and Finance together, where there is the potential to create synergies). A large scale cultural and process transformation is often a key component of a move to shared services. This transformation often results in a better quality of work life for employees.

Application Service Providers (ASP) have much to offer companies in today's connected, competitive world. They level the playing field, allowing small and medium-sized companies "to leap frog to Tier 1 applications". And multinational companies doing business globally benefit from the easy connectivity of the ASP solution.

ASPs companies deliver application functionality and associated services across a network to multiple customers using a pay as you go model.

Because ASP solutions are what they calls "apps in a box," they lend themselves to rapid deployment. Little or no customization is required. That's one reason why ASPs are popular with dotcom companies eager to introduce their products to the world.

There are no up front capital costs because the buyer does not need to purchase hardware or assemble a staff. Many find the concept of renting versus buying attractive. The on- going costs are lower, too, since the supplier can amortize its costs across many customers. Pricing becomes predictable and simple.

Using an ASP also makes sense in a business environment where mergers and acquisitions are rampant. Switching costs can be lower.

ASP applications also "tend to get optimized" because the providers use templates by industry. This allows all users to take advantages of best practices.

ASPs also address the IT skill shortage. High staff turnover and escalating salaries are creating stiff competition for the talented few. Outsourcing providers are more qualified to attract the best and brightest. Staffing becomes the outsourcer's problem.

About the Author: Loon http://www.webhostforasp.net

Source: www.isnare.com If you still feel that there was no need to read this article, we would have to concede that you truly know what all needs to known about Outsourcing Asp, but if the answer is no, you must be glad of reading this article.

Are Free Web Site Hosting Accounts Really Free?

By Cliff Posey Jr

here are a lot of so called free web site hosting companies out there touting their services. While the accounts offered by many of these web hosting providers are free to use, there are sometimes hidden costs that can leave you wasting both time and money.

If you want to build web sites that are truly free, you are going to have to carefully evaluate the services before signing up. Special considerations to keep in mind when shopping for web hosting providers include:

Reliability
You can build web sites all day long, but no one will ever see them if your web host isn't reliable. To find out how reliable a free web site hosting company is, you should ask about expected downtimes, traffic limitations, and customer services procedures. You should also ask what type of message will be displayed is the web site is disabled for any reason.

Bandwidth
The amount of bandwidth you have determines how long it will take for your pages to load. To keep costs low, many web hosting providers offering limited bandwidth. The problem with this is that your pages can take ten seconds or more to load. That's just enough time for a user to get frustrated and seek out another web site. If your free web site hosting account comes with limited bandwidth, you need to be prepared for the possibility of missing out on customer sales.

Unwanted Ads
Free web site hosting services are notorious for placing unwanted ads on customer web sites. This means that you will have pop-ups and other annoying advertisements on your site that you cannot remove. These ads might become very irritating for you and even more so for your customers, who may choose not to visit as a result.

Other Limitations
If you want to build web sites that include pictures, icons, and large amounts of text, you may want to look for web hosting providers that will allow you to build these kinds of web sites. Some free services will place limitations on what you can and can't do. For example, you may be barred from using pictures or more than five page web pages. If you don't have the elements needed to build the type of site you want, you could end up wasting a lot of time on a site that will end up having to be rebuilt with a different host later on

About the Author: Cliff Posey, owner of CRP Marketing, owns and operates http://webbusinesstoolsonline.com. Cliff Posey has also operated several other successful web businesses including Love Song Cards and Radio Career Consultants. The content in this article was developed from his experience in these businesses.

Source: www.isnare.com

Apache, Mysql & Php For Windows

By Sanjib Ahmad

"Even if you are a seasoned PHP, MySQL and Apache guru, the checklist below will still be helpful in your installation process."

Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice nice thing to have on your Windows workstation. You could try and experiment with all kinds of nice PHP and MySQL based applications right on your Windows desktop running Apache, instead of having to access a full-featured server.

Most people have Windows as their workstation and it can be sometimes difficult to switch to another operating system. So, you may have always wanted to run PHP applications on your Windows machine but wondered if it is too difficult to install or if the hassle will be worth it.

This article gives you the essential information to get started right away. Even if you are a seasoned PHP, MySQL and Apache guru, the checklist below will still be helpful in your installation process.

There are lots of 3rd party software that bundles Apache, MySQL & PHP in one package and installs them on our computer. We do not recommend this and suggest that you directly get Apache, MySQL & PHP from their official sites.

Apache

1. Get Apache 1.3.33 from here: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi.

2. Choose a mirror close to you and in the same page, look for the Win32 Binary (Self extracting) file: apache_1.3.33-win32-x86-no_src.exe.

3. Download the file and save it on your hard disk. Run the installer and the self-extracting wizard will guide you through the rest of the steps. Choose all the default settings and run Apache as a service.

4. Remember to put "localhost" when asked for a Server name/Domain name. Use "administrator@localhost" when asked for the administrative email account.

5. Now point your browser to: http://localhost and you should see an Apache Test Page.

6. You can change this page by creating an "index.html" page here "C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs".

7. You can manually start and stop the Apache server. In a Windows command prompt, type "net stop apache" or "net start apache".


MySQL

1. Get MySQL 4.1.7 from here: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/4.1.html

2. Under the Windows downloads section, choose Windows Essentials (x86) and click on the Pick a Mirror link.

3. Download the file mysql-4.1.7-essential-win.msi and save it on your hard disk. Run the installer and the self-extracting wizard will guide you through the rest of the steps. Remember the root password when prompted for it in the installation process.

4. Once the installation is done, on your Windows toolbar, go to "Start->Programs->MySQL->MySQL Server 4.1->MySQL Command Line Client".

5. Type the root password and you should be logged in to the MySQL shell.

6. Type "show databases;" to see the list of databases. Type "quit" when you are done.


PHP

1. Get PHP 4.3.10 from here: http://www.php.net/downloads.php

2. Under the Windows Binaries section, choose the file: PHP 4.3.10 zip package size 7,405Kb dated 15 Dec 2004.

3. Download the file and save it on your hard disk. Unzip the file and rename the extracted folder to "php". Now move this folder "php" and place it under "C:\Program Files\".

4. Move all the files under "C:\Program Files\php\dlls" and "C:\Program Files\php\sapi" to here: "C:\Program Files\php".

5. Copy the file php.ini-recommended to "C:\WINDOWS" and rename it to php.ini

6. Edit your Apache "httpd.conf" configuration file located here: "C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\conf".

7. Add the following lines in httpd.conf:

LoadModule php4_module "C:/Program Files/php/php4apache.dll"
AddModule mod_php4.c
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

8. Now stop your server by issuing the following command in Windows command prompt: "net stop apache". Then type "net start apache" to start your server. We are now going to test the PHP installation.

9. Go to "C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs" and create a file test.php

10. Edit test.php and add the following code:

<? php
phpinfo();
?>

11. Point your browser to http://localhost/test.php and you should see a lot of PHP configuration information.

Congratulations! You now have Apache, MySQL and PHP installed in your computer. Now you can install your favorite script right on your Windows workstation.

About the Author: Sanjib Ahmad, Freelance Writer and Product Consultant for Business.Marc8.com (http://business.marc8.com/). You are free to use this article in its entirety as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content, and include the resource box listed above.

Source: www.isnare.com

Web Hosting, PHP vs ASP

Web Hosting, PHP vs ASP
By Ricardo D Argence

Web pages used to be simple affairs, where everything you needed to do could be done in HTML, there was really one set of rules and one set of expectations. Today's world is far more complex.

Web pages can be more complex and customers expect more from web pages. Terms like PHP and ASP now compete with HTML when starting a web page and it can be hard to figure out what option best suits your needs.

If you've ever driven an import car, you can appreciate the importance of being able to find support that meet your needs, if you're going to kick the tires with your website and turn it into something exception, having a large community that can support you is critical.

PHP, Personal Home Pages has more support on the internet than ASP - Active Server Pages. The larger user base gives you more allies; more people who can help you develop your own talents and your website.

Another advantage of PHP is that it's based on unix, giving it more cross platform capability than ASP as increasing demands of Microsoft's operating systems level the cost playing field between Microsoft products and Apple, this is ever more important.

And did we mention that in the grand tradition of unix, PHP is free, while ASP needs support software that isn't? For add-ons and additional tools, PHP's open source has a strong base of free tools, whereas ASP demands that you purchase these tools.

You can find help for your PHP programming from free to paid. Most professional ASP support is very expensive by comparison.

Also, you have to consider the costs associated with a web hosting on Windows Server compared to Linux Servers. For most cases, you will notice a substantial difference in prices.

Not only that, but Windows severs do tend to be unstable and prone to failures, are more likely to be attacked by viruses, Trojans and exploits. Linux servers on the other hand are much more stable and the attacks windows servers suffer in a daily basis are non-existent in Linux.

If you are considering either a dedicated server or a shared hosting, your fist choice should be Linux. I've yet to find a problem that can't be solved using PHP and Linux.

With all this, you might wonder why ASP still is out there at all. Part of it stems from ASP being based on the same methodology that's used to make macros in other Microsoft products.

People that have invested the time learning how to use macros in Word or Excel will be more comfortable using ASP. PHP is based on C++, a robust computer programming language.

Before this intimidates you, the free tools that exist out there allow for a lot of this to be hidden, until you're ready to take advantage of the power behind PHP.

Putting it all together, the power, the cost, flexibility, stability and support of PHP is far superior to that of ASP. If you're going to commit to building the best web page you can, commit to using the best tools you can.

Investing in learning PHP will pay off when you're able to pop the hood, invite your friends over and transform your web page from a normal, average, page to a sophisticated and highly toned performance page.

About the Author: Alojate.com is the premier web hosting company in Mexico, offering a range or services for all business needs. http://www.alojate.com http://www.alojateextra.com

Source: www.isnare.com