Website Host

[Philip Greenwood]

This is to let you know about my last web hosting service.

I have been with a company called Web Mania, They are not responding to any emails or by phone. Payment have been sent for a service which has not been renewed, i know of at least one other person who has lost money too.

I have had to move my websites over to a new company.

If you know anyone who may be with this company then please pass this on.

Philip

[woodndesign]

Philip,  Sorry to hear of the problem with your old web host. Are your Bank able to get the payment back, has the company gone bust !!! or just a runner, should hope you are luck to reclaim payment.. And it's hoped your now with a better web host.

I've been wanting to setup a website, I've the domain name a year now, it's who to host with and how, not only if with whom the name is with will let it be setup with another party, as they do hosting and servers, but you can't find out about it till you buy from them, so it may be I'd pay for a load of junk..  One day it'll come together..

 David

[Andy Coates]

Thanks for that, Philip. It's always good to knowwhere NOT to go.

David,

you can chose any host you wish to. The registrant of the domain name cannot stop you hosting elsewhere, and cannot make it difficult to do so. All you do is pick a host and package, pay for it and activate it, and then follow the instructions to point your domain name to the index file of your hosting space.

You can even apply to transfer the domain to your new host, and many reputable companies will do all this for you at a fewclicks of a form.

a couple of good companies to look at are 123-reg and 1and1, but there are many others.

[Lionel Pringle]

I have been with 1&1 for ever and find them to be reliable and always helpful when I need information on how to do things. Brian recently migrated the AWGB website over to them and has found it to have been a good experience. They are not necessarily the cheapest but it depends what sort of a package you need, and cheap does not always mean you save money.

[woodndesign]

Interesting !!!!!!!!!! and thank you both, sorry Philip if entered in on your post..  I say interesting because 2 yrs ago this May, my wife looked at putting her business on the internet, and found and was to use 123-reg, also as webfusion ltd..   given the option as extra domain names, said would I like, if available 'woodndesign' (which I've been since the 90's an before this tec age) an build my own site at sometime, well we got it, the wife spent sometime working on her's, but things changed an she had not gone a head with it..  Last year I took to look into setting up a site, it was then I found I could not login to or contact 123 etc.. without logging in..  webfusion, yes, I could e-mail and they said I owned woodndesign, but I needed to contact 123.. the only way was a long and costly phone call, to be told I'd never owned woodndesign and who ever sold in had no rights...  looking up whois, it's listed as..  Registrar: Webfusion Ltd t/a 123-reg and un-named registrant is a non-trading individual who has opted to have their address omitted..   so somewhere I was stuffed..

Am I right in that 1&1 is an American site..  don't see self build websites.

I've since added an 's' on the end and am using uk2net for the domain name, it's the webbuilder and hosting I'm after, they have a webbuilder and hosting, but you've no idea as to what templates you get or anything else..   so it's a long shot to maybe nothing good..   the hunt goes on or someone may have an answer.

David

[Colin]

Speak as you find

I had a really bad time when I was with 1&1 and I am not alone just Google them. Mind you I am sure that all hosts have a lot of negative comments.

Do some research before you select any host and then make your mind up. There are a couple of independent review sites of hosting like this one http://www.webhostingreviews.com/ or http://webhostinggeeks.com/. I have used Webhostingpad and Ninjalion since my experience with 1&1 and am very happy with the service from both of these companies. For domain registration I have found http://www.namecheap.com/ to be excellent but one to avoid is Godaddy.

I am not associated with any of the companies mentioned just a happy customer and this is offered as my experience YMMV.

[Philip Greenwood]

Hello all

I may have started an interesting topic here. I have moved my website to JustHost.com and they have been very helpfully as have been Nominet how runs the domains name in the uk.


Thanks for all your comments so far, yes its a mine field as with anything in life, I have been told do use some hosts but then someone else say its a good host.

Well i think i am sorted for now.

Philip

[Andy Coates]

Web hosts have a rough time generally, and more often than not it’s genuinely not a problem of their service but of the customer’s lack of understanding of both what they’ve purchased and what the facilities are.

You are buying four things essentially (five if you also purchase a domain name):

Physical space to store pages and images
Bandwidth which dictates the amount of traffic your site can take
Up time (the % of time the server is active without fault or failure)
User control panel which can have a staggering array of facilities

Often companies have dual arms; one for low use, small size websites (such as 123-reg), and the other for heavy-use (possibly commercial) sites (such as webfusion). Each will have distinct pricing and facilities.

The vast majority of websites require relatively little physical space to store the site. Most people seem to think they need almost endless storage. They probably don’t.

If your website is likely to get a lot of traffic, or is going to be image and flash heavy, then you probably need more bandwidth than you imagine – every time a page full of images is looked at your bandwidth gets used up like a coin-operated electricity meter.

Domain names always seem to cause a headache. Many packages offer a free domain name(s), but not all packages register those names to the purchaser of the package and retain ownership of the domain name themselves (thus restricting the authorised user (you) from lodging the domain against a website hosted elsewhere). For the sake of £2.99/yr (for a .co.uk) it’s far better to purchase the domain. Effectively they lease you the domain name. So buy first and then attach it to a package.

User control panels vary in usability and the number of facilities they provide. As a general rule the better (more expensive) the package the better the facilities and functions available.

This is where most conflicts between host and customer occur. Customer wants X and host says you can’t have it because it’s not in your package. And the customer then feels cheated when offered an expensive upgrade.

So there’s a minefield to walk over when publishing a website, and most of us learn off the cuff, which is never a good situation to work from. This is why web developers charge large fees for websites, it’s not the work as much as the ability to jump through hoops in the correct order and achieve an active website without the headaches. (Although I still feel most charge much to much).

The vast majority of individuals wanting a website would actually be far better off buying a domain name and lodging it against a pre-made template with one of the leading blogging companies. The templates are well made, attractive, user friendly, and can be changed at will to provide a constantly changing look. And all at a fraction of the cost of an expensive top-level hosting package.

[woodndesign]

Cheers, Andy, for a down to earth on web design and hosting and a blog idea, would this have the same draw as a website and display one's work like wise.  I've seen that uk2net will offer both, a setup on a website or blog...  but down to setup and cost, you don't know till purchased one of them !!!!!  should it be starter, home or small business, it's which offers the best bandwidth in the end... Hmm what to do.

David

[Andy Coates]

The blog facilities offered by the domain/hosting sellers are usually scaled down versions of the blog software providers, and as such as less appealing than a blog facility provided direct by the blog company, so the best (IMHO) option is the purchase the domain name and then register with one of the big hitters in the blogging world - Blogger, Wordpress Etc., and point your domain name at it (instructions can be found on the blogging sites).

Some blog providers require an upgraded account from the standard free account, but these are often far cheaper than a bells and whistles web host package, and will allow embeded video, eShops, Etc., etc.

As for the blog Vs website question - blog are equally as visible as websites, especially when they are based on a domain name. Google and other seach engine bots trawl them in exactly the same way, and rankings can be just as high, or higher, as websites.

Many companies, bodies, groups, and individuals now choose the blog route simply because it is fast and easy to set up, can be modified with ease and with a multitude of options.

A site created in this way is in a sense a departure from the original conception of the Blog, and is often indistinguishable from a website. One advantage is that you can allow other users to add content, which on a conventional website is problematic if it involves modifying HTML documents directly.

It may not be right for everybody, but can be the solution to a number of problems for a website novice.

[woodndesign]

Hi Andy,   Lot to think about there..  just when your trying to work on websites, the thoughts of a blog..  going to have to take all this on board and work on it, as well as some turning..

David

[Dave Wilcox]

Hi David
Just read your topic re websites. It is all very confusing when you first start but does clear up as you start to get the bits straight in your own mind. The easiest and best package I have found to date for web design has got to be WebPlus by Serif. It is not mega bucks to buy, you drag and drop for the main part or use templates if you wish. It is very easy to use I find it is ideal for doing Club sites etc as once you know your way around you see very little code, although it is available if you want to edit it manually.
You have your domain name. Find yourself a host, I use LFC Hosting in Canada, but Serif do host as well if you want to keep it all simple and in one place. Once you have your host you then point your domain name to this host by using a control panel on their server. Then all you do is transfer your site from your machine (from for instance webplus) to your host by a click of a button (once you have set the host details of course), to say LFC or Serif. Once that is done you are Web Present. As Lionel said re 1and1 LFC and Serif are not necessarily one of the cheapest but reliability is good and their support is excellent. Both have extra facilities included as standard as well. You may not use them now but may in future so it is future proof. If you want to see a Club use for webplus have a look at http://www.norwichwoodturners.co.uk/ this was all built using webplus, graphics obviously worked on in approriate graphics packages before being used. Any questions feel free to bell me or email me. I can be contacted through the Norwich Woodturners site if needed. (webmaster at norwichwoodturners dot co dot uk). Hope this helps a bit.

[woodndesign]

Hi Dave,  First welcome to the forum and secondly for the information, a great help to all, thank you.      When my wife had looked at put her business on the internet, via a Website, which is how it came about for me to have, if not still my first domain name, the plan for a site.      Having had my wife go into it all, she had got Webplus by Serif, which had been loaded on this comp. and had been working with it, but changes with the current times, left off setting her site up.      So, other an I'm on my own in setting up (no help, as she wishes not to go into setup again) I have it to work with, it's all the working out and understanding how, what, where and everything needed to put it together..    ..  and having something for a site in the first place or to get all I have in one place.
Have had a look at the Norwich Woodturners site..  Wow..   interesting on your list of Wood Toxicity, one to bookmark, as questions always come up as to a wood an any Symptoms, Rose wood and African Padauk only this week on here, I've yet to check all the site, but it is excellent what I've seen so far.
Thank you again and should I run into problems, if or when I make a start, it's kind of you to offer help, but it's not likely to be tomorrow.

David

[Screwples]

Hi All,

I also use Serif Web Plus for my site http://www.johnberkeley.biz/[url]] http://www.johnberkeley.biz/http:// and find it really good. The more you use it the simpler it becomes and it has controls similar to the other Serif programs. I am actually a Serif fan, though I use their programs less than ownership of them justifies. One of the perks of old age, I guess.

Up with the lark tomorrow for set up at Woodworks. See some of you there I hope.
Cheers, John.

[woodndesign]

The name Serif has come up regarding web design, host etc.. I came across this link;  http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/...  Looks interesting in what is offered, but what's the catch, free software, you have to commit to the download, there's no idea as to costs till after that.. which may be from £81.69 to £30.63 for WebPlus Essentials, which is basic level...  Does it look good..    ...
Then as the wife had SerifPlus already, I shouldn't need a program again..    Having checked the programs I see it's no longer loaded..  So will have to finded out what has happened there...     One day...

David