where do you BUILD and HOST your site please

[people6]

Hello as someone who is new to this business and not sure what sort of company to get a domain name, website, Hosting, autoresponder and be able to install software e.g. videos, rss, widgets, translation software etc? I ask this because I look all over the internet for these companys then read the reviews which are mixed. Like me you might get internet gurus sending you emails so I asked them, all I got was affiliate links (not that I blame them) to websites that promise to make me rich, lol thank you

From scott B

[Daffy Duck]

I use DataPacket.net but they are focused on more experienced webmasters that don't need a lot of support. So if you're new, you might want a host with a lot of scripts built-in that you can install with just a push of a button. I'd recommend you go with a Unix host, like HostGator.com perhaps. I've used them in the past and they were very good for me.

Good luck!

[Chris Cade]

I'm more than happy to send you affiliate links to products / services that are very effective... and they WILL get you rich, if you learn to use them effectively. (big IF there - you still have to do the work, and there's no 'get rich quick' info here)

That said, here's what I recommend for people starting:

Hosting: HostGator.com ($10 - $15 / month)
Autoresponder: Aweber.com or GetResponse.com ($20+ / month)
Domain Registration: NameCheap.com or GoDaddy.com ($10)
Tell-A-Friend: ViralInviter.com ($147)
Blogging Software: Wordpress.org (free)
Blogging Template: wordpressdreamtheme.com ($297)
Ebook creation: OpenOffice.org (free)
Popup software: VirtualSmartAgent.com ($97 I think) or PopupToolKit ($47)
Video distribution: TubeMogul.com (free)
Video creation: I hire people at RentACoder.com but Camtasia is highly recommended ($300)

There's a lot of other stuff that can be useful, and knowledge is important... but speaking strictly from a tools perspective, the above is what I use (I use Getresponse, not Aweber).

[people6]

I've looked at Hostgator but at their site they say "HostGator is excited to announce that we will soon be offering Windows hosting alongside our award winning Linux hosting." and i use a windows 2000 computer

[Chris Cade]

Originally Posted by people6

I've looked at Hostgator but at their site they say "HostGator is excited to announce that we will soon be offering Windows hosting alongside our award winning Linux hosting." and i use a windows 2000 computer

Common misconception.

The computer you use at home has nothing to do with your website hosting. What they mean is that when they host your site, they currently use a Linux platform and they will, in the future, use a Windows platform.

From your perspective, there is no difference. You'll still log into the Hostgator servers to manage your website using the internet... and you can do that no matter what operating system you use at home.

I use Windows XP and still am able to use Hostgator hosting (even though they say they only use Linux right now).

[Vanessa]

I build my sites on my local server. I mainly use a windows machine and I have WAMP set up. (Install PHP 5 Apache MySQL on Windows : WampServer)

For hosting, I use A Small Orange. I like their support, the people, they have few restrictions on things like remote mysql access, which I need for my projects but might be a bit too much for you.

For people just getting started I recommend a shared Linux hosting package with a CPanel control panel that has Fantastico. This way its point and click your way to installing many of the open source applications like wordpress or joomla, without digging too much into code. Its reasonable at about or under 10 bucks a month. I also have hosting with BlueHost which is easy to get going and has decent support. HostGator is also well recommended.

[JackSkelton]

Hey,

What kind of site are you trying to setup? If you want like an online store definitely choose a host that has fantastico since that will be a simple install for a full ecommerce shopping cart.

Second, I would consider getting a cheap web guy to make up a small site for you unless you got the money to spend on the site to make a better one.

Hope this helps. I recommend HostQuack in a previous thread and I would definitely recommend them for you not only because they offer fantastico but they have very personalized support so they can help you setup the shopping cart and get things going instead of just sending you to the user manual.


--
Jack

[TheEnthusiast]

advice...keep your domain separated form your hosting company....

[people6]

Originally Posted by JackSkelton

Hey,

What kind of site are you trying to setup? If you want like an online store definitely choose a host that has fantastico since that will be a simple install for a full ecommerce shopping cart.

Second, I would consider getting a cheap web guy to make up a small site for you unless you got the money to spend on the site to make a better one.

Hope this helps. I recommend HostQuack in a previous thread and I would definitely recommend them for you not only because they offer fantastico but they have very personalized support so they can help you setup the shopping cart and get things going instead of just sending you to the user manual.


--
Jack

thanks but i'm only going to be an affiliate

[people6]

Originally Posted by TheEnthusiast

advice...keep your domain separated form your hosting company....

yeah i've read that somewhere sounds like good advice

[runningbird]

Originally Posted by TheEnthusiast

advice...keep your domain separated form your hosting company....

why is that?

[runningbird]

I use ICDsoft. Not sure if it has all the features you're looking for but I perused a bunch of ratings boards and this one seemed to be the best.

[Chris Cade]

Originally Posted by runningbird

I use ICDsoft. Not sure if it has all the features you're looking for but I perused a bunch of ratings boards and this one seemed to be the best.

I used to use ICDsoft and really liked them when I had them. Amazing customer support... actually, probably the best customer support I've ever had. Often responses within minutes, and problems resolved within hours (and sometimes minutes).

That said, ICDsoft lacked two things when I was with them:

1) Ability to host more than one domain
2) Easy install of applications (like Wordpress)

[Sporkman]

Originally Posted by TheEnthusiast

advice...keep your domain separated form your hosting company....

Ditto. Long story short, I had a dispute with a previous hoster, resulting in them locking me out of my server, and forcing me to scramble to find another hosting arrangement. Had they also had control of my domain name, I would have been in a real pickle.

As for me, I build my site on my laptop, which runs linux & also runs as a webserver so I can test my site locally. My hosting is a dedicated linux server.

[runningbird]

I just followed the directions on the wordpress website - easy enough. I don't like when software comes with a bunch of wizards because I don't know which line of action I'm supposed to follow.

[investorblogger]

1. never put your domains and host on the same company.

use namecheap or similar for your domains, then you can mix and match your hosting.

2. Companies I've used.
Dreamhost: great for beginners, but not so reliable sometimes. Still I like their hosting. Service: well, okay I guess.
BlueFur: Quality hosting, but absolutely horrible service, esp. the sales or billing department (always a day late and a dollar short).
Bluehost: Decent hosting, and reasonably good service...
Hostmonster: Dunno. Pretty stable. Never contacted their service... no need.

Others I've considered:
MediaTemple

Sometimes it's a lottery for servers: ... DH, BH and HM are okay IME. But BF turned out to be very poor on feedback.

Kenneth

[saif]

I've been with with DreamHost for almost a year now and love it. Some i've been with before:
cirtexhosting - stay away from them, their support is next to crap and they censor their forums to remove all negative feedback

xilo - Nice little UK group, went with them because their support was UK based and as expected their support was greate but they were not very flexible

123-reg - very limited

[dave marshall]

I use blue voda, they are fantastic!!

dave

[funchy]

Originally Posted by runningbird

why is that?

I had one hosting company get bought out, and in the process everything got mucked up. When they stopped answering the phone or emails, if my domain was elsewhere I could've just pointed it to a new host. Instead it turned out they registered my domain wrong (them as sole owners/admins). I couldn't get control of the domain I paid for back. Before I could get to the right people, it went up for sale and was immediately bought by a squatter.... he offered to sell my name back to me for a mere $1,000.

Buy your domain name from one of the top level sellers. You don't need to deal with what I did when a 2nd or 3rd tier reseller went out of business and the name goes into limbo.

[funchy]

Originally Posted by people6

Hello as someone who is new to this business and not sure what sort of company to get a domain name, website, Hosting, autoresponder and be able to install software e.g. videos, rss, widgets, translation software etc?

If you are totally new, I strongly advise you to hire someone to help you, even if only in the early set-up stages.

I use godaddy.com for my domain names and hosting. $4.59/month and the names range from $2 - $19/year. When I had questions, I could get right through to a real person and get it resolved. They answer their telephone!

Godaddy includes autoresponder and lots of do-dads, or you can upload your own. I think my account also included PHP, SQL, and some other common things. You get choice of Linux or Windows platform. (It doesn't matter if your own PC is windows or not)

For design, I do it on my own computer. I like Dreamweaver software for design.

[MDLMAN]

Geez, this is all very complicated for someone who doesnt understand it lol.

Where can I go to learn the very basics of setting up sites and hosting and all of that so that I will have a platform to build from.

School....books? Anything....please help.

Thanks

[johnlazy]

You have to google the things you want to know. I learned what i've learned through google. I set up my own site by my own just researching on the things that I don't understand.

[people6]

Originally Posted by dave marshall

I use blue voda, they are fantastic!!

dave

i couldn't understand wordpress, but i'm going through the video tuturials on bluevoda and it seems easy it seems to be a great site builder and surprised that bluevoda isn't well known so far i'm on the 13th video

[toban]

Originally Posted by MDLMAN

Where can I go to learn the very basics of setting up sites and hosting and all of that so that I will have a platform to build from.

I wrote a post specifically targeted to beginning webmasters, because I found it pretty confusing to learn myself: How To Set Up A Website

[sirkinm]

I use SquareSpace -- the WYSIWYG editor is really easy (after a brief learning curve), and they are versatile enough so that you can pretty much do anything you want. If you're gonna go with a web-based WYSIWYG editor, you might just go with a simple, free one, like Webs.com or Weebly.com, and then buy a domain.

I use GoDaddy for the domain cause they sponsor certain podcasts that I like (as does Squarespace), so I like to return the favor and generate some income for the podcast by using the promo codes.

[bluedragon]

Question: can you register a local domain (such as .ro) with companies such as Dreamhost or BlueHost?
What happens if you even need to change your host? Will they allow you to delete your pages so that nobody can use them? Will you be able to keep your domain name?

[Angela Leeds]

Hadn't heard of BlueVoda before. It took some doing, but I found a site saying it was built with BlueVoda, and it looks very much like an SBI site from template.

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by bluedragon

Question: can you register a local domain (such as .ro) with companies such as Dreamhost or BlueHost?
What happens if you even need to change your host? Will they allow you to delete your pages so that nobody can use them? Will you be able to keep your domain name?

You can, but I would advise purchasing the domain name from a different company like godaddy or others, then host with a different company...

The logic being, if issues arise with your hosting company, those issues won't be affected by your domain registrar. You can just point your domains to a new hosting company.

[bluedragon]

Thanks. And what would be a decent cheap hosting solution? I guess I could upgrade later but right now I'm a little low on funds.

[Curtis2011]

At Site Build It! of course!