Web Hosting 101

This specialized form of web hosting is similar in theory to bulletin boards.  It allows users to communicate back and forth in a give and take fashion or after ‘sending’ their response as opposed to a chat room or instant messaging where communication is real-time.   Forum web hosting adds an interactive element to web browsing but still allows you regulatory factors over content, participants, archiving, and links to other web pages.

What makes forums attractive from the user stand point is they can become personally involved or invested.  Your forum can post polls, link to other web sites, archived posts, web site searches, and continually keep users posted of new posts via email or the website.  This personal connection is more likely to fuel repeat viewing of the site and increase traffic. 

What makes forums attractive from a web hosting point of view is the element of control.  Chat rooms and instant messaging have little restraints on what is said or who could be lurking in wait.  Conversely, forums rely on moderators and administrators who are vested with the power to edit content, block questionable users, and steer the conversation. You can also elect to have users register with password protected identification.

If you are ready to start shopping web hosts to support your forum web site take into consideration the following guidelines.  Compatibility.  Can the web host support the programming language in which your forum software is written and if so, is it the correct version? Terms of the contract and expansion.  Cost? Are forums part of your plan? What if your forum is an unexpected hit?  Will the over allowance traffic you generate cost you a fortune or will they work with you in setting up a new contract? Can a free web space provider host your forum?

Technological support.  Will the memory and data transferring capabilities of your web host diminish your forum or can your host keep things running smoothly? Is it permissible to utilize other forum software than that offered through the web host and at what penalty?

These are important things to consider as you seriously start shopping web hosts and launch your forum web site.

I need to send a shout out to the guys at WebHostingAffiliateProgram.com for launching a quality, much needed website for the affiliate marketing industry.

WebHostingAffiliateProgram.com is a site dedicated to providing information about the top web hosting affiliate programs to expert and novice affiliate marketers alike. Many don’t know that the web hosting industry offers some of the best affiliate programs around. The new site has articles explaining the basics of affiliate marketing, working with web hosts, and how to be successful in marketing web hosting through your web site.

Their site also gives their recommendations on the best web hosting affiliate programs to join to maximize affiliate revenue. I recommend that all affiliate marketers and web designers check the site out to see how you can put more money in your pocket promoting web hosting services.

Click here to visit WebHostingAffiliateProgram.com

There are a handful of essential eCommerce tools necessary to get your online retail web site up and running.  In the recent past there have been great advances made in simplifying the set-up process to the point that most anyone with a decent understanding of computer navigation can now tackle the task without expensive professional services.

• Shopping Cart Software – it fills the same function as your shopping cart at the grocery store but without the squeaky wheel.  You’re most likely familiar with how it works as you’ve shopped online before, but there are a few behind the scenes functions that make running your web site smoother including accounting, inventory, organization of products and payment integration.  As of now the most widely touted shopping cart software is “Quick Shopping Cart” from Go Daddy which for more than half the cost of competitors provides an extremely user-friendly wizard to set-up your store with all the necessary bells and whistles.
• Merchant Accounts & Payment Gateways – these work hand in hand to process your online credit card purchases for customers.  Merchant accounts handle the financial process of verifying and authorizing funds, transferring funds, and guaranteeing the cost of the transaction.  The gateway provides the payment terminal from shopping cart to merchant.  In a very similar way the gateway acts as the credit card terminal in a physical location of business.   Some merchants offer payment gateways with their services but be sure it will be the right fit for your business or it doesn’t really make the process any easier. 
• SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificates – this is the security guy at the door of your website. To protect the sensitive information of your business and your customers, it’s vital to use SSL which provides encryption to incoming and outgoing transmissions.  You can purchase your own certificate or share it with others through your web host.  Obviously, your own certificate will cost more as will a higher level of security.  Sharing is a more affordable alternative, but be aware that your name will not appear on the certificate when your customers make online purchases.

There are helpful online reviews to narrow down your search, and be sure to read reviews from real-life customers of a particular service or company.

The debate between Windows and Unix based hosting is like taking a stance with the conformist versus liberal viewpoint.  In a nutshell, Windows web hosting is more expensive, compatible with only other Window’s programs, easier to use and learn, but harder to adapt and edit.  Unix on the other hand is free, more stable and flexible, but more complex to learn and supports only MySQL databases.

Window’s was developed by Microsoft and as is typically the case with their products is designed solely to work in cooperation with their other products.  It should be noted that this is only in reference to the web hosting side of the equation.  As the web site proprietor you could be using any operating system you want but on the web developers end it will make a big impact.  For example, Window’s is much easier for a newbie developer to use because it is much more automated and cookie cutter.  Also it is more compatible with other database programs which are a keystone to running a web site with any personality.

Unix based web hosting will more than likely require a more experienced or better trained web developer, and it’s hard to think of a situation where that is a bad thing.  Still, most Unix users agree in the hands of a capable designer it is bar none the preferred choice for creativity, flexibility, and manipulating your web site to better serve your needs. 

Another bonus for Unix web hosting is that is has proven more bullet-proof than its Windows competitors and this stability means less rebooting and less downtime.  For any web site, down time is like closing your doors plus any technical problems run the risk of crashing your web site or other extensive problems.

Most importantly, it’s free.  As an open-source technology, anyone can have access to the Unix platform or its relatives Linux, Free BSD, or Solaris.  So, unless you are a die-hard Window’s user or you’re working with a web host that is only comfortable with that format, Unix is probably the best web hosting choice which will provide you more bang for your buck.