One of the primary features I recommend is that the hosting companies can grow with you. If they only offer one package, and you need more, your web site maybe down for up to 2 days and/or you may have to change the code on any forms you use to match the new “server settings”.

Don’t be afraid to read a hosting service’s subscriber information, FAQs (frequently asked questions), note areas or bulletin boards on their sites.

A good hosting company offers as many of these basics as possible:

• This is a hosting company I can easily afford.

• They offer a Money Back Guarantee.

• They have information on their site about server uptime/downtime.

• The company contacts me, at my primary email address, when/if there are any server problems. (Could be problems when they’re updating their server, hurricanes, etc.)

• They offer your own IP address http://postmaster.aol.com/info/ipexpl.html

• They provide at least 5 POP email accounts (example yourname@yoursitesname.com) Your email accounts should include Alias Accounts, which look like a POP account to the person sending you an email; however, the address is actually an “alias” that's forwarded to any other email account you choose. And when you send an email back to the original sender, it is the forwarding email account, NOT the yourname@yoursitename.com that the sender receives.

• There is a Web-based Email system (a place for you to read your email online). If not, my favorite is www.e-mol.com

• An easy system for email forwarding (and vacation notice) capability.

• 24-hour customer service, by phone, even if it’s a long distance call, is best!

• 50 mg space (the space you need for a 100 page website with each page being approx. 8x11)

• 2 Gig Data Transfer/month (this will be enough for quite a while!)

• Front Page Extensions – only necessary if you create a web site with MS Front Page

• Cgi/PHP/MySQL (or asp availability). Check with your designer to see what you’ll require for forms to be created).

• Easy Control Panel: This feature is especially important if you want to maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it. It's the one place to visit when making changes to your site, add addresses, etc

• Statistics - Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how someone found each of your web pages?

• Secure server, Shopping cart (and other things you’ll need to set up a merchant account system)

• Server type: The type of server a hosting company you choose, should take into consideration the programs you will run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate program, web site pages, et
  Turnarounds: From the Oval Office to the Corner Office
  The headlines recently have focused on how the replacement of President George W. Bush’s chief of staff may serve to salvage the President’s second term. His new chief of staff has set an agenda, made announcements and started lopping off heads, so to speak, in a very public way. This is not too different from what has happened at corporations during turnarounds. Whether looking at financial institutions, industrial companies, airlines, consumer goods companies or telecommunications giants, th
  vice’s subscriber information, FAQs (frequently asked questions), note areas or bulletin boards on their sites.

  A good hosting company offers as many of these basics as possible:

  • This is a hosting company I can easily afford.

  • They offer a Money Back Guarantee.

  • They have information on their site about server uptime/downtime.

  • The company contacts me, at my primary email address, when/if there are any server problems. (Could be problems when they’re updating their server, hurricanes, etc.)

  • They offer your own IP address http://postmaster.aol.com/info/ipexpl.html

  • They provide at least 5 POP email accounts (example yourname@yoursitesname.com) Your email accounts should include Alias Accounts, which look like a POP account to the person sending you an email; however, the address is actually an “alias” that's forwarded to any other email account you choose. And when you send an email back to the original sender, it is the forwarding email account, NOT the yourname@yoursitename.com that the sender receives.

  • There is a Web-based Email system (a place for you to read your email online). If not, my favorite is www.e-mol.com

  • An easy system for email forwarding (and vacation notice) capability.

  • 24-hour customer service, by phone, even if it’s a long distance call, is best!

  • 50 mg space (the space you need for a 100 page website with each page being approx. 8x11)

  • 2 Gig Data Transfer/month (this will be enough for quite a while!)

  • Front Page Extensions – only necessary if you create a web site with MS Front Page

  • Cgi/PHP/MySQL (or asp availability). Check with your designer to see what you’ll require for forms to be created).

  • Easy Control Panel: This feature is especially important if you want to maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it. It's the one place to visit when making changes to your site, add addresses, etc

  • Statistics - Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how someone found each of your web pages?

  • Secure server, Shopping cart (and other things you’ll need to set up a merchant account system)

  • Server type: The type of server a hosting company you choose, should take into consideration the programs you will run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate program, web site pages, e
    Increase Your Business with a Blog
    When running your own business, a blog can really help to make your website successful. It can give readers information about your product and can also actually be the thing that brings new visitors to your site. It is a business tool that can help you update your site with informative content to keep readers coming back for more.There are two main reasons that you should include content on your website. Content can help visitors develop trust in your product and your knowledge.
    "_new">http://postmaster.aol.com/info/ipexpl.html

  • They provide at least 5 POP email accounts (example yourname@yoursitesname.com) Your email accounts should include Alias Accounts, which look like a POP account to the person sending you an email; however, the address is actually an “alias” that's forwarded to any other email account you choose. And when you send an email back to the original sender, it is the forwarding email account, NOT the yourname@yoursitename.com that the sender receives.

  • There is a Web-based Email system (a place for you to read your email online). If not, my favorite is www.e-mol.com

  • An easy system for email forwarding (and vacation notice) capability.

  • 24-hour customer service, by phone, even if it’s a long distance call, is best!

  • 50 mg space (the space you need for a 100 page website with each page being approx. 8x11)

  • 2 Gig Data Transfer/month (this will be enough for quite a while!)

  • Front Page Extensions – only necessary if you create a web site with MS Front Page

  • Cgi/PHP/MySQL (or asp availability). Check with your designer to see what you’ll require for forms to be created).

  • Easy Control Panel: This feature is especially important if you want to maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it. It's the one place to visit when making changes to your site, add addresses, etc

  • Statistics - Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how someone found each of your web pages?

  • Secure server, Shopping cart (and other things you’ll need to set up a merchant account system)

  • Server type: The type of server a hosting company you choose, should take into consideration the programs you will run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate program, web site pages, e
    Managing Hotel Guest Complaints on User Generated Travel Websites
    A traveler’s experience is viewed as more powerful than an advertisement or even article; people trust other peoples’ experiences. People that travel also love to talk about their experiences to their friends, family and co-workers; they want to tell you what was absolutely fabulous about their vacation, and they also want to tell you what went wrong. All of these experiences make for good story telling at their next cocktail party or at Monday morning’s gathering around the water cooler.T
    " target="_new">www.e-mol.com

  • An easy system for email forwarding (and vacation notice) capability.

  • 24-hour customer service, by phone, even if it’s a long distance call, is best!

  • 50 mg space (the space you need for a 100 page website with each page being approx. 8x11)

  • 2 Gig Data Transfer/month (this will be enough for quite a while!)

  • Front Page Extensions – only necessary if you create a web site with MS Front Page

  • Cgi/PHP/MySQL (or asp availability). Check with your designer to see what you’ll require for forms to be created).

  • Easy Control Panel: This feature is especially important if you want to maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it. It's the one place to visit when making changes to your site, add addresses, etc

  • Statistics - Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how someone found each of your web pages?

  • Secure server, Shopping cart (and other things you’ll need to set up a merchant account system)

  • Server type: The type of server a hosting company you choose, should take into consideration the programs you will run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate program, web site pages, e
    Digitalize It! : (Modification of images with tools such as Adobe CS and Corel)
    Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes for an artist and designer to create art. It was a box of crayons that make one happy designer during his early years of formation.Nowadays, designing has gone to the new age of advanced technology that utilizes computers and programming. As a designer used to handling tangible products such as the ever reliable crayons, computer technology is oftentimes scary and heart palpitating. With all that computer code and HTML tags and styles
    ly important if you want to maintain your site or have someone else easily maintain it. It's the one place to visit when making changes to your site, add addresses, etc

  • Statistics - Does your hosting companies plan include monthly and yearly statistics on each of your web pages? Will you know how someone found each of your web pages?

  • Secure server, Shopping cart (and other things you’ll need to set up a merchant account system)

  • Server type: The type of server a hosting company you choose, should take into consideration the programs you will run for things like your shopping cart, affiliate program, web site pages, etc. If you're using ASP, JSP, PHP, CGI, PL, or CSS, these programs will influence the choice of a server and vice-versa. Your hosting service may use Windows (which for example accepts ASP but not PHP), Linux or Unix-based (Apache/FreeBSD/etc.) servers.

  • Password Protection – If you have plans to create a membership are or client’s only area of your site, this is something to consider.

  • Newsletter or announcement list

  • Auto-responders (not usually available on very low cost hosting packages)

  Special thanks to wise-women.org and HTML-on-the-WEB@yahoogroups.com for some assistance with this list.