Overall, I like the new look and feel of the layout.  It surely beats the old design, that looks like it was pulled right out of 1995.  However there are a few things that nag me.  Here are both the good and the bad about the new look for one of the more popular web hosting web sites out there.

The Positives

• Lots more attention paid to the WHIR TV project and RSS.  Two things I am happy to see them highlighting.
• No more black and white!  The colors they picked are a nice update to the old look without seeming like the entire thing is boring.
• The membership feature is cool and a welcomed addition.

The Negatives

• It is a little ad crazy.  Now I realize people have to make money as much as the next guy (that is why I have ads on my own web sites) however it seems a little like they were just tossed everywhere without much organization.
• Some of the pages (jumping from section to section) change layouts so quickly, it is a little easy to get lost.  Maybe the inclusion of a breadcrumb trail at the top could help this.  Something like: (Front Page > Features > The Story Headline)

Overall, I would have to say they have done a fine job at the new paint job.  How do you feel about it?  Do you miss the old layout at all?  When was the last time you visited?  You can check it all out at theWHIR.com.

After installing, all you have to do is grab your log files from your hosting account in question.  WebLog Expert Lite supports IIS and Apache logs, can automatically detect the log format and can read GZ and ZIP compressed logs.  It will then crunch away at the numbers and export an HTML page for you to view to see how your web page is doing stats-wise.  You get numbers, links, stats and graphs.  It is a beautiful thing.

The free version however should be sufficient for most personal web sites and provides a nice overview of general traffic activity.

If you want to see what you are missing out on, you can see a comparison list of the professional, standard and lite versions of the program here:

http://www.weblogexpert.com/comparison.htm

It might not have all the bells and whistles down, but WebLog Expert Lite has enough to keep me happy.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 176!
Running Time: 10 minutes | File Size: 4.99 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:

• Quicker Web Site Uptime (or Downtime) Alerts
• A Great Web Site Log Analyzer Programs for Windows
• A Review of the WHIR Redesigned
• Learn to Please the Niche Markets

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• PHASE 2 Unaffected by Island-wide Power Outage
• Host Color Celebrates 2009 With Instant Debate On Web Hosting Services

I won’t do like most sites and do reviews of 2008, or looks ahead at 2009. I am here to talk to you about the here and now, and what we can all do to make the wild and wacky world of web hosting a better place for everybody.

Web Hosting to Go - Episode 169 - October 20th

What would I like to have today?  Lets see.  I will have a large data center mashup map, a side of hosting tools (just remember to hold the tomatoes), a HP performance-optimized datacenter and a definition on what domaining is all about?  For here or to go?  I think I am about ready to go - because the Web hosting Show is now on the air.

The Magnificent Fantastico - Episode 168 - October 6th

From the first time I ever heard about Fantastico, I always thought about the traditional magician pulling rabbits from his hat.  Who would have a clue that a few years later on down the road I would have a chance to speak with one of the magicians behind the magic at Netenberg to find out more about this favorite cPanel addition.

Bobcares About Support - Episode 166 - September 22nd

Any web host will tell you the hardest part about the web hosting business is finding a team of support people that care about your clients as much as you do. You want to make sure they are in good hands. One company that promotes themselves as those good hands to trust is Bobcares.

They specialize in support for small, medium and large hosting companies.

What is the AIHSP? - Episode 162 - August 18th

That is the question a lot of people are asking about coming out of this year’s most recent HostingCon.  Paul Hirsch of the AIHSP stopped by to answer a few common questions we all have about this new association of internet and hosting service providers.

Personally, I am fully behind any organization that promotes the success of the hosting industry as a whole.  The AIHSP looks to be on the right track.

Lower Your Hosting Costs - Episode 160 - August 4th

Want to save some of the green stuff? We have tons of great tips to help you lower your web hosting bills. That is not all though, but we have to leave some of it for the show. The Web Hosting Show is now on the air.

When Spam Attacks - Episode 157 - July 14th

Did you know the peaceful Swiss people have problems with spam?  The king of all spam has also met his fate.  Spams not the only thing we got on the line up today, there is a lot of hosting news, and information coming to you.  So stand back, there is a Web Hosting Show coming through!

Hosting Hustle - Episode 155 - June 23rd

You can only do so many silly intros to a podcast before you run out of idea.  Let me just say I got lots to talk about this week from domain marketing to somebody spitting in your web hosting fast food.  Confused?  Good I like to leave you wanting more and well, here it comes!

Inside Web Hosting Reviews - Episode 152 - May 12th

On today’s special edition of the Web Hosting Show we have in the studio Emory Rowland of Clickfire.com. Emory has been an insider in both the web hosting and web development worlds for a long time - so there are many topics I would like to pick his brain about. Today though we will be cover from head to toe the world of web hosting reviews.

Zangief Does Domains? - Episode 150 - April 22nd

Did you know that the Web Hosting Show was Yakov Smirnoff’s favorite way to spend a lazy afternoon? Ok, maybe that isn’t true but I will update you on the rise of the Soviet Union domain name extension as well as pull the curtain other myths and rumors about SEO. Now just as long as Yakov’s lawyers don’t shut me down, the Web Hosting Show is on the air.

Troubleshoot Your Hosting Woes - Episode 148 - April 14th

From coast to coast, and all around the hosting world we all have times where we contact support and they say that nothing is wrong. Today I’ll show you how to paint a better picture for support of your hosting problems as well as…

Well a lot more hosting podcast goodness right here on this week’s edition of the Web Hosting Show.

Searching the Free File Hosts - Episode 145 - March 17th

On this week’s show I am going to give you a run down on some of my favorite search tools to find files hosted for free on the services such as Rapidshare, Megaupload and more. Also tune in to hear about the basics of traceroutes for both Window and Macs as well as a lot more hosting goodness packed into one awesome podcast.

Hosting Podcast Turns 3 - Episode 143 - February 25th

It is not only my birthday, but it is your birthday too. The Web Hosting Show has been rocking the web hosting industry for three year now, and hopefully for many more years to come.

No surprises, no special guests no fluff will be here today though. I am just going to do my job and give you a grade A podcast you will soon not forget.

Checking in with Dr. Hosting - Episode 140 - February 4th

The hosting doctor is in and is ready to see you now. There are several sicknesses out there in the web hosting world that could bring you down.

I’ll inform you about those, and let you know of a few hyper-linked medications to check out too. The Web Hosting Show includes no side effects and an awesome orange-like flavor I’m sure you will enjoy.

Shiny Happy Hosting - Episode 138 - January 21st

You ever wonder why hosting people always seem so up to beat and happy? Maybe it is due to the fact we have to be due to dealing with customer relations all day.

Maybe it is because the angry part of our brain died a long time ago. Shiny happy hosting people rejoice, the Web Hosting Show is on the air.

With 2009 on the way, that means there will be even more web site web hosting podcasts, interviews, web site improvements and oh so much more. If you have any feedback you wish to share of the past year’s content please feel free to do so here.

Capture your Desktop with CamStudio

You can pick up an awesome desktop capturing program at CamStuido.org to capture the video from your computer’s screen.  After installing, all you need to do is highlight the area you wish to record - and then hit the record button.

Record Your Audio Track with Audacity

Audacity is the free audio editor I have used to produce my podcast since day one.  It is free and really easy to use.  You could use it to record any audio commentary you wanted, so that way you add a little more helpfulness to the tutorial you are making.

Edit your Video Tutorial Together

To edit your video, there are several programs out there you could use.  Personally, I just used the free Windows Movie Maker than came with my computer.  Then again, I am all about keeping things as ghetto as possible.  If not Windows Movie Maker, I am willing to bet you have some free program that came on your computer that would do the deed.  An online video editing alternative would be Jumpcut.com.  Another free desktop solution would be VideoSpin from VideoSpin.com.

Check out Wikipedia’s List of Commercial and Free Video Editing Software

Final Tweaks, Edits and Uploading the Final Product

Before you upload, you might also want to make sure you have your URL, brand or logo somewhere on the video.  It never hurts to do a little advertising - so people know where they can get more of your fine work.  After that has been done, you can upload your video to YouTube or a number of other video sharing sites.  Grab the embed code, and you have your own video tutorial ready to go.  To get you inspired, here is one I created on doing trace routes:

If you are a web host on a budget, there is no reason to spend more than you need to.  If you have the free time and creativity, then rolling your own video tutorials can also be a great way to gain exposure and do a little self advertising too.

Mitchelaneous

This is my blog filled with geek candy.  More personal and of the wall in nature, this is my personal spot to rant and rave about any miscellaneous thing that might cross my mind.  From web development help to custom desktop icons - I am sure there is something for everybody to enjoy here.

My Favorite Mitchelaneous Posts of the Year:

• 10 Tools to Turn Firefox into WordPress’s Little Helper
• Open Google Notebook in Firefox’s Sidebar
• 37 WordPress Free Theme Databases and Blogs
• Free Mega Man 9 Desktop Icons
• 10 Best Paint.Net Tutorials (and 10 More Paint.Net Tutorials)

You can subscribe to Mitchelaneous.com for free by plugging it’s RSS feed into your favorite news reader of choice.  Here are a few subscription buttons to help you in that process:

Firefox Facts

Firefox Facts is my daily blog about all things relating to Firefox.  It started out as an e-book project, but has expanded by leaps and bounds since then.  Find reviews for useful extensions, great looking Firefox themes and a whole lot more.  I even toss in an occasional roundup of the best tools for this, that and the other.  If you use Firefox, you need to subscribe.

My Favorite Firefox Facts Posts of the Year:

• Darkest Popular Themes for Firefox 3 (also have the lightest)
• Freshest Top 10 YouTube Greasemonkey Scripts
• Change the Default Search in Firefox
• 25 Tweaks for Your Firefox Statusbar (also 25 more tweaks too)
• Give Firefox 3 Firefox 2’s Address Bar

You can subscribe to FirefoxFacts.com for free by plugging the RSS feed into your favorite news reader of choice.  Here are a few subscription buttons to help you in that process:

Thank you all for listening to the Web Hosting Show this year, and I hope this holiday gift of amazing posts from around my little network of web site will at least give you something to do while you are in between football games or wanting some along time after all the in-laws have gone back home.

One of the better free web site performance and speed analysis tools I have used in a while is from WebSiteOptimization.com:

http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/

With this free test, you can quickly get a number of statistics about how your web page loads.  Just put in your domain name for the “URL to diagnose” and hit the “Submit Query” button.

As an example, here are the connection times I got for WebHostingShow.com:

There are tons of more details there via the web site too. You have:

• Global Statistics
• Object Size Totals
• External Objects
• Download Times …and more!

If you like this tool, you might also check out some of the other Web Site Optimization services that they provide too.  If your looking for a prettier alternative, then I would also highly suggest Pingdom Tools.

The problem started, when the web host IAS.net was evicted, leaving a number of businesses and non-profit organizations without hosting.  What a Christmas present, your web hosting goes out right for the holidays.  It turns out the web host had problems with late payment of rent, which lead to the owner of the building to cut them off.

A number of other web hosts chipped in and took over some of the the IAS.net clients for free - so it is nice to see some people in the web hosting industry are in the holiday spirit.

The next day, IAS.net fought back by saying they were not making payment to the landowner on purpose, due to poor upkeep of the building.  Reportedly the building had ongoing maintenance and black mold issues, which the property owners neglected to address.

So on one side you have the landlord who didn’t get paid, and on the other side you have the web host who was looking out for his workers.  Personally I can see the positives and negatives for both sides of the argument - however I think there should have been a more adult way to handle the entire situation.  It all comes off a ‘bit childish to me.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 175!
Running Time: 10 minutes | File Size: 3.84 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:

• What Happens When Web Hosts Don’t Pay Rent?
• See How Fast Your Page is REALLY Loading!
• Roll Your Own Video Tutorials for Free!

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• Netcraft’s Releases List of Most Reliable Hosts for the Month
• Newtek Web Hosting Unveiled a New Web Site Design

As the resident Santa Claus of the web host industry, I am here to give you your happy ho ho hosting gift. A free podcast, for you to enjoy. Beats a lump of coal, doesn’t it?

So what does a domain sniper do?  This is when somebody registering a domain name as soon as the domain name expires.  For an example, let us say I really wanted the domain name webhostingradio.com.  After doing a WhoIs search on the domain name, I find out it expires on February 19, 2009.  So I wait until that date, and then pick it up myself as soon as the registration runs out.

The fact is though, that this can pretty much be considered extinct, for now.

Thanks to ICANN’s Redemption Grace Period (RGP) registrants are allowed 30 days to reclaim their domain name.  Before the RGP went into effect, the money made in domain name sniping was done when the sniper would try to extort money from the original registrant to get their domain name back.

SendSpace.com - Unlimited uploads and unlimited downloads.  The file size limit with SendSpace is up to 300MB too.

MediaFire.com - This service provides up to 100MB file size per upload, and unlimited storage.  A “pro” account will also get you a few more perks if you want to pay for it.

iFile.it - With one of the simplest interfaces, just browse, upload and cross your fingers.

MegaUpload.com - Another popular alternative is MegaUpload, unfortunately you might be looking for an alternative to it pretty soon.  Hate to give you an alternative to an alternative.

SaveFile.com - With a limit of 100MB per file in size, the most enticing thing about this hosting solution would be the fact that it isn’t used by many - so speeds should be pretty good.

TransferBigFiles.com - Oh, if only the rest of the internet was this obvious.

KeepMyFile.com - Bad web site design, with a limit of 60MB per file and 300MB max.  The advantage here is they say you can upload 30 files at once.

Badongo.com - With unlimited limits, and being free to use - have to say this alternative sounds like gold.

YourFileLink.com - Free video and file hosting is what they promise, and with the highest limit thus far on file size (5GB), you may want to go ahead and take advantage of this domain while it is still around.

UploadPedia.com - Oh, I get it - like Wikipedia, but you host stuff on it.  So it isn’t like Wikipedia at all…

Know of another free file host that deserves to be an alternative to Rapidshare?  Share your suggestions with us, and I might be able to come up with a list of at least ten more free file hosting alternatives to enjoy.

Now let us fast forward, because unfortunately GoDaddy refuses to raise the bar…

• 2006 = Another Super Bowl Controversial Commercial
• 2007 = Another Super Bowl Controversial Commercial
• 2008 = Another Super Bowl Controversial Commercial

Ok, so GoDaddy has kind of run the idea of having a pretty girl in a controversial commercial into the ground.  They shoot a commercial, tell us the Super Bowl commercial gods refused to air it, release that one Online and then give us a “censored” one for the Super Bowl.

So that brings us to today, and myself reading a press release on theWHIR’s web site:

For its fifth consecutive year advertising during the NFL championship, discount hosting provider Go Daddy has shot two racy new ads this week featuring IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, to appear in the Super Bowl, following NBC’s approval.

Oh joy, another couple of racy ads for the Super Bowl.  Let me guess, one is “too hot for TV” and the other one is “just right for the censors”.

“We have two options and they’re both absolutely ‘GoDaddy-esque,’” Go Daddy chief executive officer and founder Bob Parsons said in a statement. “They are fun, edgy and slightly inappropriate; surely network censors will have a sense of humor, people could use a good laugh these days.”

Come on GoDaddy, I was behind you the first year, waited for the encore the second year - but after that I think you have run this idea into the ground.

Now for some of the weirdest (and possibly greatest) web hosting names just just never got off the ground…

Perfect Toilet Hosting - The name was suppose to inspire downloads and 5th grade humor, but flushed itself before it got started.

Hamster Dance Hosting - What else were the guys behind the original annoying Internet meme suppose to do?  The hook here is they will only host your content if you Rick-roll, claim all your base are belong to us, or have a love for dancing babies.

Tighty Whitey Hosting - For when you want hosting with that secure fit.

Kentucky Fried Hosting - Inspired by the fried chicken king, this web host was unique in fact that promised a free bucket of chicken for every hosting plan you purchased.  The bad thing was, sending chicken through US mail ended up with very stinky surprise once it made it to your house a few weeks later.

GoMommy - Well, there is a GoDaddy - so why not a GoMommy?  The downfall of GoMommy as a company happened when she caught you trying to register adult domains and told you you’ll go blind if you do it too much.

TWO - Launched as a competitor to 1&1 Hosting, but nobody else got the joke.

What is in a name?  Well if you make me giggle like a school girl when I have to say it in public, it could be both a good or a bad thing.  It could be considered memorable or it could be considered embarrassing.  It all depends on if your glass is half empty or half full.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 174!
Running Time: 12 minutes | File Size: 5.45 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:

• What is Domain Sniping?
• GoDaddy Shoots Super Bowl Commercial, and Fails to Raise the Bar
• The List of The Greatest Web Hosts That Never Made It
• 10 Alternatives to Free Rapidshare Hosting

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• Aventure Host Launches Web Hosting Affiliate Program
• Hivelocity Offers Customers Unlimited Bandwidth and Double the RAM

Yes, as of late - I have been on a movie-title themed podcast naming trend haven’t I? Well, I can’t promise Jack Nicholson, but I can promise you that listening to this podcast weekly will make the wacky and wild world of web hosting make a little more sense to you.

For more on how to do trace routes for Windows XP, Vista or on a Mac, check out:

• How to Trace Route (Windows or Mac)

Hope you enjoy this video tutorial (feel free to re-post, share and use as needed).  If you have another topic you’d like to see me cover in a video tip like this one, drop in a comment or contact me one on one.

• Lunarpages.com - for $4.95 per month, you can get unlimited space and bandwidth!
• FastHosts.com - They are offering free unlimited reseller hosting for a year.
• HostColor.com - Host Color’s “THANKYOU2008″ promotion offers a 25 percent instant rebate on all Web hosting services to its present and prospective customers.
• GoDaddy.com - They are registering domains for only $1.99 with any new, non-domain purchase.  Regular .com registrations are marked down to $9.99.
• HostGator.com - You can get 20% off any order, if you use the coupon code “GREEN”.  On the site it says it was good till Oct. 1, however I just tested it and worked for me.

If your a web host with a special deal or offer going on, please let me know and I would love to get it featured on the Web Hosting Show.  We will all be spending plenty on presents and holiday cheer this year, so if we can get a little discount in our hosting - I do not see the harm in that at all.

Bonus! The fine people at aplus.net have also clued me into some of their great deals they have going on right now.  You can check them out here:  http://www.aplus.net/promos/

When visiting some of the web hosting forums out there, it seems that everybody is asking the same question, and nobody else has realized this but a select few.  More times than not, somebody will have a list of four or five web hosts and then saying, “Which one is the best?”.  There is no way anybody is going to be able to tell you that.  Why?  Well, what is good for you might not be good for the guy down the street.  With that in mind, I have decided to give my own shopping list for people out there looking for perhaps their first web hosting account.

What do you plan to do on and with this web site?

Why put the cart before the horse?  Before you go out looking for a web hosting account, you need to figure out what type of web site you wish to build.  For example, if it is a store - you will want to look for deals on dedicated SSL certificates, payment processors and shopping cart scripts.  If it is a blog, you will want to look for compatibility with scripts like WordPress or Joomla.  The web host in question you look into should be able to tackle your questions about any web site niche you wish to develop and create.  Ask them how they can make your web site work, and what will they provide you with to get the job done.

What features do you or don’t you need?

Once you figure out what type of web site you wish to create, you are going to need to dive a little deeper and figure out what do you need to get that web site up and running.  Here are a few examples:

• Blog Hosting - look to see that they support the blogging script you would like to use, or if they provide any blogging tools out of the box.
• E-commerce Hosting - look for costs on dedicated IP, SSL certificates, payment processing and shopping cart scripts.
• Forum Hosting - See if they meet the needs for you forum script you wish to use, and see if they have had any trouble supporting that script’s necessities in the past.

Also, don’t get suckered in by features they promote that you really don’t need.  Sure, we all love icing on the cake, however you need to make sure you have the eggs, flour and sugar you need to make the proverbial cake that will be your web site.

How much support are you going to need?

Support always plays a big part in any customer and business relationship.  There is no web host alive that has perfect service, 24/7.  If you go out trying to find the perfect web host, you will be shopping for a very long time.  Instead, you need to go out and investigate how reliable support is when something bad does happen.  Go check out the public forms of support they provide.  Are their tutorials in-depth and user friendly?  Also, if they provide them, be sure to check out their user forums.  Here you can really see how well the customer and support relationship really is.  The important factor isn’t that bad things happen (because they will, no matter who you decide to go with).  The important factor is to find out how they react to problems and pressure.

Have you reviewed all the legal documentation available?

This is a step that many people overlook.  Most people will never read the legal documents that a web host provides, and then when they break one of the rules - they act as if they have no clue what is going on.  The key legal documents you need to review are:

• Terms of Service
• Acceptable Use Policy

Be sure to find these two documents (most web hosts will have them posted somewhere on their web page) and go over them from head to toe.

Figure out your budget.  How important is price to you?

Money is the last important check mark box I want you to have on your shopping list.  Do not just look at the final costs though.  I want you to do your best to plan a budget around this web host and customer relationship.  Add the hosting costs to the domain name registration costs, and then figure out the price for the next five years.  Remember to add or subtract any discounts that are available. Now compare that with some of the other web hosts you are looking at.  Your first instinct might be to go for the cheapest one.  That is wrong.  You should go for the one that gives you the most bang for the buck.  Weighing in all the earlier questions, and adding those to the final price you get, which is the best offer?

I want you to copy this address, or quickly write down these questions before you go shopping any further for a web hosting company.  If you can answer these five questions yourself, you should be in better shape to find the web host you are looking for.  There is no need to submit a list of five or six web hosts to any group of people and toss your decision out to them.  This is your purchase to make and to live with, so you had better do your best to make sure you find the right web hosting situation to meet your needs.

The perfect comparison that is often used is the hot girl that brings her ugly friend around to parties, so when they hang out together, the hot girl looks even hotter.  I am going to go in a different route.  Let us say it is lunch time in the office and your boss has put out two sandwiches for you to choose from.

One is cheese on bread, and the other is the greatest sandwich known to mankind, ham and cheese on bread.  Now if there was just a cheese sandwich, you might settle for that.  Now that you have the ham and cheese option though, you want that instead.  It looks better cause you are getting a better deal.

Now let us look at web hosting accounts.  Every web hosts should have one plan they consider their hot girl or ham and cheese sandwich.  It is the one that gets the best sales.  Now, you need to develop a plan that might seem appealing to some, but has enough flaws that it makes people want to check out the hot girl plan more.

The one hosting plan on its own might be great, but putting it beside a cheese sandwich plan would be even better.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 173!
Running Time: 16 minutes | File Size: 7.17 MB

Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:

• Marketing Tips from Your Ugly Friend and a Cheese Sandwich
• Your Shared Hosting Shopping List
• Top 5 Holiday Deals from the Web Hosting World

Here are this week’s web hosting news headlines:

• Daily.co.uk Giving Away Reseller Hosting
• Lycos Europe Goes Down Under (and not to Australia)
• Will Your Web Site Survive the Holiday Season?

Time to warm up the thanksgiving leftovers one more time, have a seat and enjoy a little talk, information, news and more on and about the wild and wacky world of web hosting. Hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving break, and your ready for another award winning** web hosting podcast.

* - ok, maybe not the greatest ever, but who wants to listen to second best?
** - actual award winning content may vary!

A Web Hosting Blast - Episode 171

Like an unlit firework on the 4th of July, the Web Hosting Show is back and ready to burst with excitement anytime now. All we need is for you to ignite the flame, tune in, and we will have a web hosting blast like the world has never seen. The Web Hosting Show is back on the air.

Here are just a few topics from this week’s podcast:

• Where is the Good in Clustered Web Hosting?
• An Online Tool to Clean up Your CSS!
• Problem Finding FFmpeg Web Hosts?
• Multi-column CSS Layouts with YAMAL Builder

Wholesome Hosting Entertainment - Episode 172

Time to gather the family around the iPod, computer, or wherever you may be listening to me at and find out what is going on inside and outside of the web hosting world we all know and love. Grandma grab the popcorn, Little Bucky, you go grab the drinks. The Web Hosting Show, is now on the air.

Here are just a few topics from this week’s podcast:

• My Favorite (and the BEST) FTP Client
• The Seven Dirty Web Hosting Words (and Phrases)
• Get Access to Photoshop Online for Free!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Web Hosting Show listeners out there. Hope you have a great one, and see you back here next week.