For some reason if my websites go down I feel as though a part of me is dying. I ended up becoming anal about the whole thing and bug my hosting provider to no end to fix it.

I’m constantly trying to figure out when my sites goes down, and when I ask Media Temple they give the same response. My database is hitting its load limit. This I don’t understand, as I don’t have very high traffic sites, nor are they very big.

I ask for help but for some reason we can never find a good solution.

Mashable does still create content worth reading and I still recommend it, but I don’t find myself reading the site much anymore. I’m fairly certain it is purely because of all the chaos that is also happening on the site at the same time. Today for example I landed on the site to read an article on some of the influential Social Media Marketers in the industry today, but I couldn’t unless I scrolled below the fold. I find this unacceptable, personally.

As you can see from the photo above, none of the articles actual content is showing. The only reason I know I’m on the right page is because thankfully the title is there. There are Google Ads stuffed into every cranny of the site and what isn’t a Google Ad is most likely Mashable promoting other stories on their site. I find this funny, because wouldn’t they want me to read the article and then navigate to another.

Maybe it is because they are becoming more corporate and need the ad money or maybe they think I’m smart enough to scroll down. Another possibility is, maybe they think anyone that would write about it reads Mashable from a Feed Reader and doesn’t have this problem, only less smart people actually go to the site and therefore don’t know the difference.

I’m not intentionally trying to rip into Mashable just trying to point out some basic blogging practices people drove into my head. Then again I could be totally wrong, and Mashable in the right and making the millions because of it. What do you think?

I am willing to bet the site was probably set up more so as a joke, but I think it is going to be very useful and gain some ground. The site is laid out in a Google styled search format, with the search box in the middle of the page. As the site is so new, it even has a prefilled in lingo to help you understand how it works. For this example, it was “adverteasing” and when unsucked refers to blurb or plug.

The catalog of jargon is still fairly small, but users are encouraged to add what they know to help grow the library. It seems to be working, because there seems to be many more since the first time I tried out the site. Another option that I think was added after my first visit was the ability to browse through the entire library, which is also nice, especially for a good chuckle.

Yes, some are a little funny and you wonder how that saying or word came to be, but in actual reality this may become a great resource. As a young entrepreneur, everyday I struggle with understanding things in the business world. Partly because half the time people don’t use simple English. Now with this site I can at least make sure I’m not being called an idiot.

You will most likely see this site go around the web a lot over the next week, so I’m curious to know, would you use this site to look up what you didn’t understand? Did you add any of your own?

Hosting Provider

A good hosting provider is a key aspect to anyone that uses the Internet. It is  basically my life line, when you think that e-mail is attached to it. That being said it is hard to find that right hosting provider. I have used the same company for 5 years and never really had a problem with them, up until the last 6 months and I fail to believe that the issues are my own. It is a challenging game to play, to find that provider with a good reputation and a low cost.

Finding the Right One

It is hard to find the right one, I know, I’m trying to do it right now. My advice, ask around, see who other sites, that rank similar to yours, are using. Over the last couple of days I have talked on the phone and in live chats to different sales representatives from numerous different providers to see what they had to offer and if they were able to provide me with the proper services.

Make Sure You Know What You Need

Like I said above, I will go into further detail when all this is said and done, but I will share one thing that happened. I got a recommendation from, Cliff from GSPN, about using BlueHost, he said they were a great provider to go with. So since I trust Cliff, I signed up. When I did, I saw that you couldn’t register .CA domains, but since I was going to transfer mine I didn’t think it would be an issue. Unfortunately I was an issue, I couldn’t transfer it, that only work around would have been iof I were to keep it register with my current provider and pointed it to the BlueHost servers. I didn’t want to do this, so I immediately got a refund. The lesson here is make sure you know exactly what it is you need and make sure you ask all the question before hand. I was lucky and was able to get a refund.

When All is Said and Done

When you have got your new provider, I suggest you take a couple of hours and get yourself familiar with their Control Panel and how things work. The confusing part for me at the moment is finding things with in the CP. Like I said, I was with one provider for 5 years and got use to simple steps, like where to click for what. Now I’m back at square one.

I’ll have more to come in the coming weeks, but what is your experience with Hosting Providers? Are they like Mobile Providers and try to get every penny possible?

So, 2 questions you need to ask yourself are: Does your business have a website? Can you be found online?  Can you answer yes to those? If not, here are some reasons why you should be able to.

1. Do you have Google Juice, are you google-able?This is probably the most important thing, just read Jeff Jarvis’s What Would Google Do book.  How many of us will “Google it” if we don’t know the answer, need a location, want a review, a definition or just want more information about anything? It’s also a common habit for potential customers to look up a company’s credibility online before making a purchase (even if it’s an in-store purchase). Google is a highly beneficial tool to have on your side. They will help you as long as you play fairly.
2. 24/7 is where it is at.We always hear about online stores being “open 24/7″ and even though we may not think twice about it, it is a huge convenience. How many of us tend to do our research in the evenings, outside of regular business hours or from somewhere we can’t leave. The old system is dead, more people work from home, the coffee shop, airport and on the go, so it’s important that content is available 24/7.
3. Automation.Many of us don’t know what this word means in terms to websites, but probably use it on a daily bases. Take for example a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). How easy would it be for potential customers to read something like that instead of asking a staff member constantly. Or a Contact Form, rather than giving your e-mail address out online for spam. It could be for just general inquires or a more detailed submitting. The possibilities are almost endless
4. Advertising. Marketing. Branding.Online presence is a great way to advertise your brand, service, or company. The options here really are limitless. You can advertise on other sites, or on search engines like google that all directly link back to your website. A Social Network presence is almost as important as a Google presence. Are you on Facebook or Twitter? No, well you should be. People like interaction with company’s they may deal with.

So are you ready to get online today? Contact us for more information.