Category: Internet

5 Giants of Web Hosting: What Makes Them Great Web Hosts

The Internet boasts a wide array of web hosts making web hosting one of the more dynamic industries of the Web.  As in any industry, a few stars always seem to rise to the top.  When clients search for their ideal web hosting service, these web hosting companies typically win business with their extraordinary array of qualities and services.  The following web hosts are generally considered among the best of the best and the following text explains why.

Bluehost

This web host is usually found on best of lists due to their great service, competitive rates and unlimited options.  The company has an intuitive grasp on what clients really want whether it’s full functionality for an affordable price (a winning combination for small businesses) or 24/7 customer support.  Their superb technology solutions are coupled with a personable staff that has resulted in a loyal customer base and their client list keeps growing.

iPage

In business since 1998, this web host is one of the most inexpensive web hosts available that still offers great services and features like free site-building tools, a free security package, and unlimited disk space and bandwidth just to name a few.  Moreover, their commitment to green energy is a model for other companies; they are completely wind powered.  As an industry leader, the company has been featured in magazines like ComputerWorld and Inc.  While they have a lot of stellar features clients need, they are often chosen choose simply because they make the whole website experience easy, which is a great perk for people who don’t have time to spend on the ins and outs of website design and hosting.

WebHosting Hub

Anyone who is in search of a do-it-all web hosting service would do well to check into WebHosting Hub.  Like the other industry giants, this company offers affordable rates, but it also combines its website building features with WordPress, so constructing a complete website and blog is a breeze.  Aside from unlimited bandwidth and 24/7 technical support, Webhosting Hub is also favored for its ecommerce suite of tools that includes OS Commerce as well as others.  Businesses also favor them for their website design solutions.

NearlyFreeSpeech

For people who simply want to pay for the precise services they use and not for the overblown packages of features they’ll never need, this up-and-coming site is one of the best affordable web hosts in the business.  They base their prices on what a client uses instead of a flat monthly free that bundles unneeded services.  Their web apps work with well known sites like WordPress, Coppermine, Wikimedia, and so many more!  Their costs are upfront and their services include a full range of features individuals and small businesses look for in a web host.

HostGator

This popular web hosting company is also affordable and particularly user-friendly.  Whether you know a lot about website building or just a little, this company offers some standout tools like a free site-building demo.  You can get a great sample of what HostGator offers without committing.  Their customer service has garnered great reviews and their full functionality is tailored to big and small websites alike.

All of these web hosts have stellar reputations in the industry and while they appear to offer similar services, each one is special in its own way and may be the perfect fit for your website.  Check out their websites for a fuller description of their services.  Better still, call for an informative conversation with a customer service representative who is trained to answer your questions and walk you through the web hosting process.

Guest Author Frank Ashton blogs regularly on issues relevant to website owners. Keeping on top of the latest trends and passing tips onto others is his personal passion. If you’re thinking of getting a website online, be sure to compare various host offers and reviews before you make a final decision.

Securing Your Website From Hackers

Welcome to 2013, where the year is fresh and there are more hackers on the web than ever before.  Let’s talk more in-depth on why you need a secure website and, more importantly, how to secure your website. Hackers are on the move, and their numbers are growing stronger each day. There are so many of them that we now place more money into fixing what they break than we do trying to catch the actual person. It is just less of a hassle. As a website designer/website owner, why do you care? After all, that’s not in your job description. Well, since you’re in charge of the website, consider it the fine print that you didn’t see.

Your website is only as secure as you make it (or more importantly what you don’t make it). “What do the hackers want with my site? I have no valuable information over here.” Everyone has valuable information. It doesn’t matter if you have credit card numbers or pricing information stored in the server about your latest roofing projects. It’s there, and they want it. Think of your closest competitors: how much are they willing to pay for the inside scoop on your company? If they are willing to pay, it’s valuable. So let’s get into what to secure, why to secure it, and how it’s done.

Passwords

Yes, I know: you’ve heard this lecture before. Your password isn’t strong enough, you have to change it after a set time, or maybe it’s just easily accessible. Well, here it is again. Your password is that code required to get into your valuable, and sometimes personal, information. Well, if you make the password to your website 8 characters and all it says is your name, initials, or family members, it doesn’t take rocket science to figure that out. A simple Google search could find some of that out. Passwords are the front-line defense of your website. If the login isn’t secure, neither are you or your business. To make a secure password there are loads of requirements: length, characters (uppercase, lowercase, special characters), and most importantly it is not supposed to be a dictionary word. We all know the length should be 12 characters, and we’ve all heard the character lecture before; but what about this “no dictionary words” rule? This seems impossible doesn’t it? Your name is in fact a dictionary word. Here’s an easy way around this: make your password some sort of phrase or combination of words that really have no relevance to you, but one that you’ll remember. For example, howoldryu?4?. “How” and “old” may be dictionary words, but the odds of a password cracker guessing that entire phrase is unlikely. Brute force attacks would guess it eventually, but not for weeks.

Viruses, Malware, and Google?

Viruses and malware are out there, and your website is perfect for spreading it around. Every visitor to your site could download a virus just by being there. The reason they don’t is you keep it keep it secure…don’t you? Google Webmaster Tools is a great tool, made by the Big Daddy himself. With Google’s Webmaster Tools, you can check loads of things on your site, such as 404 pages and viruses. Wait, what was that last one? This tool will alert you when malware infects your site. We all do not want to be on Google’s bad side, so make sure when you see these alerts you deal with them immediately. Google will blacklist you, and traffic will drop significantly. If that didn’t persuade you enough, consider the lawsuits people will be filing if they find out they got the virus from your site! Not pretty.

HTTPS vs. HTTP

If your site does in fact process transactions, your URL better say https at the front. If it says http, take a look at this article and find out how to get a more secure site. It is a complicated process, but if you process and store credit card information, then having this information encrypted is a must! No, changing is not free, and there is no legal way of getting a free change. If your website does not do purchases, it is still a good idea to change to https anyway if you have personal information. Examine your website and think of the visitors and what information they gave you. Stored or not, does it need to be encrypted? If so, take https into high consideration.

Software Code

“Hey there man, I’m no programmer!” Programmer or not, most (if not all) software has flaws in it. This is partly why programs and applications update so frequently. They could have been made aware of a backdoor/vulnerability and updated the code so you can be more secure. Keep your software up-to-date, or you’ll never get this important update.

On the topic of software, consider some website security programs, such as Symantec’s Protection Suite Enterprise Edition. Symantec is one of the leading security companies out there, and as far as their protection goes, you’re getting your money’s worth. Be sure to place an antivirus/antimalware program on your pc, while constantly scanning it for malware.

Good news and bad news. The bad news is your website is never fully secure, as anything is breakable. The good news is the more secure your website is, the less likely a hacker will target you. Why go through the hassle of attacking a secure website, when you can attack a nonsecure website and save yourself the trouble? Keep your website safe from hackers and give your visitors peace of mind when they visit. An unhappy visitor will not purchase a thing from you. This is a lot to keep track of when you have more business-related things to do, I know. You may need to hire someone to do this for you, if you do not think you’ll have time. Every website needs security, and that includes yours!

Author Bio: Ryan Gavin is an associate with Ignition72, a web design agency in Baltimore. Ryan is a web enthusiast with a focus on website design.

Useful Links: Gender Gap, Screen-less, Registrars

The Tech Gender Gap in 2013: Is It Changing? The article cites a few hopeful trends.

Screen-Less Mobile Computers: Talking Changes Everything. Can we talk? (Again, I’m reminded of the TV series Eureka.)

Domain Registrars: Who’s the Fairest in the Land? Spoiler alert – it isn’t Go Daddy. But I see the company I use in this list.

Stay Amazed

Sometimes we forget to be amazed by modern technology. Stay amazed. In the grand scheme of things, the way we live now is a blip and modern technology is a recent revolution. Stay amazed.

A few minutes ago I saw this tweet.

I admire Alex Steffen and appreciate his work, so I quickly checked out the book on Amazon and within about 2 1/2 seconds I had it downloaded to my Kindle Reader. You have to admit, the whole interaction between Twitter, Amazon, and my device is pretty amazing.

Useful links: Structural Pseudo-Classes, The Web, Fastbook, bMobilized

Good article at SitePoint about CSS3 Structural Pseudo-Class Selectors.

The Web We Lost by Anil Dash could be described as a thought piece, an examination of how the web has changed and whether it’s an improvement or not. Here’s a quote:

We’ve lost key features that we used to rely on, and worse, we’ve abandoned core values that used to be fundamental to the web world. To the credit of today’s social networks, they’ve brought in hundreds of millions of new participants to these networks, and they’ve certainly made a small number of people rich.

But they haven’t shown the web itself the respect and care it deserves, as a medium which has enabled them to succeed. And they’ve now narrowed the possibilites of the web for an entire generation of users who don’t realize how much more innovative and meaningful their experience could be.

Fastbook, Fastbook, Fastbook. Talk about it is everywhere. Here’s The Making of Fastbook: An HTML5 Love Story.

Convert your site to mobile with 30 seconds of analysis? That’s the claim. Check out DIY Mobile Website Creator bMobilized Adds Another $2.5 Million In Series A Funding  from TechCrunch

Brain Power: Comparing a child’s brain to the Internet (video)

Fascinating film directed from Let it Ripple. It is based on research from Harvard. Interesting that you can put a customized call to action at the end, which in my opinion would be something like “love your children well.” I can see many organizations coming up with something better for the call to action, however. What would yours be?

The film is based on a TED book.

The Tablet Market: Take Our Poll

With iPads, Surface, Nexus, Kindle FIre and other tablets out and vying for your tablet dollars this holiday season, it’s reaching a point where there are too many choices. How do you make decisions about which one will be best for you – or which one you can afford to buy.

Are you planning to buy a new tablet device any time soon? For yourself or someone else? What are the things that are going to affect your decision. Please take a moment and indicate the most important point for you in making a decision. Thanks for voting!