All Tips And Tricks » Site reviews

What Do You Know About Web Hosting?

Simonne — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:19:06 +0000

Web hosting is a hot business nowadays. There are so many hosting companies that choice is most of the times at random. Even I own a hosting reseller account, so if I wanted I could have sold such services, but I’m keeping it only for my sites at the moment, because I’m sure there are details which are difficult to handle, especially customer service. Some of my customers would probably know more than I do. This is why I postponed this project until I get to know more about servers.

Speaking of knowledge, there is a web hosting blog where you can read more about various related issues, in case you are interested, or you are seeking for a new host for your websites. These Web Hosting Geeks write about preventing fraud on e-commerce sites, or other security issues. For example, I didn’t know that php has so many vulnerability issues. I was even upset with my former web hosting company, when I discovered that I wasn’t able to run certain scripts on their server.I didn’t want something very complicated, it was just a php function which was disabled by default without any possibility for the customers to enable it by themselves.

The new host allows those scripts, but in exchange, I see much more spam than before. I suppose everything has a price. This is why research prior to purchase is a good idea when buying web hosting. I can give you one more advice: do not pay for one year in advance, as you might be sorry sooner than you expect.

Choosing Webhosting Requires Research

Simonne — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:54:45 +0000

Moving from free hosted web services to a self-hosted website can be very challenging. While all hosting companies promise lost of beautiful features, 99.99% uptime, an infinity of domains, subdomains or MYSQL databases, you cannot be sure that you’ll actually get what you were promised when you signed the contract. This is why new services started to make themselves known on the internet market. One such service is the web hosting rating, which ranks the best webhosting companies according to various criteria, thus making it easier for people to find lots of information in the same place.

Such websites, like WebHostingRating.com, also offer useful information for those who want to know more about technical stuff like Ruby-on-Rails, or payment options for an e-commerce site.

If you are looking either to choose a webhost for the first time in your life, or you are looking to change your actual web hosting company, research is a must, if you want to stay away from trouble as much as you can.

Where To Find Hosting Companies Reviews

Simonne — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:03:13 +0000

The meaning of good webhosting has been a mystery for me even since the day I decided to buy my own domains and move my two weeks old blog from Blogger. Before deciding for my first hosting company, I did my research based exclusively on prices. So I got to choose maybe the cheapest company, and I was very happy that I managed to get such a good deal. Until they informed me that they would prefer that I’m not using Wordpress anymore for my sites, because it is consuming too much of their server resources. I haven’t changed Wordpress, I’ve changed the company.

This time I was not driven by the price, but by the hosting packages they were offering. So I’ve managed to get a great package, with unlimited websites hosting, unlimited databases, unlimited email accounts… and I got a nice coupon that gave me $97 discount for the first year of hosting. But this new company had very long interruptions of the services, the sites were running slow, there were some functions which were disabled (this was a security measure, so I understood and found another way of programming those things).

Last week I had to change again the hosting company. This time I knew a bit more, and I searched for reviews to find the best web hosting company. I’ve chosen Hostgator, which was named the best reseller hosting provider by Webhosting Geeks, a directory of reviews about the most known webhosting companies. What I liked most at this site was that it also published customer reviews, so I got a chance to see what other people experienced with those web hosting companies. I just hope this time I’ll be luckier.

Perforated Metal: A Modern Look

Simonne — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:15:47 +0000

Some of my latest passions are architecture and building materials. That happens because I’m seriously thinking of building my own house and moving from the apartment I’m currently living in, which is quite small and crowded. I’m not 100% convinced yet, but the preliminary research is definitely interesting, as I discover new possibilities every day. I like to make plans and calculations, and to consider several variants, out of which I’ll eventually choose one.
One of the building materials in big fashion nowadays is the perforated sheet metal. Architects use it for industrial buildings, as well as for offices or even residential buildings. Subway chairs and outdoor furniture can be made of perforated metal. The lids of the loudspeakers can be also made from the same material. I’ve also seen some nice gazebos for the garden with perforations reminding Arab motives.

One of the manufacturers of perforated metal is Accurate Perforating, a company which provides mounting holes, notches, profiling and other procedures of working the metal sheets. After the initial procedure, the perforated metal can be given the required finishes, by using either coating or anodizing, thus giving them the modern look many people are after.

If you are a specialist, you can benefit from their website, as they give lots of technical information abut their products. If you are not a specialist, you’d still be able to browse through the models of perforations and then decide which of them you like most.

Mon Cher Las Vegas

Simonne — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:24:18 +0000

Did you think the title Mon Cher Las Vegas was just a metaphor? Not a chance. I’ve never been to La Vegas, so I cannot say anything about the city. However, I’ve just found out that Cher, the famous singer, is coming to Las Vegas. This time, it is not for a regular concert, but for replacing Celine Dion in the show at Caesar’s Palace.

Cher is an amazing performer. Only if we think that she became famous in 1965, that’s 43 years of celebrity! This is just a bit longer than my whole life, and I haven’t done anything famous yet. Moreover, did you know that her Farewell Tour, meant to be the last concert in her career, lasted 3 years?

What some of you probably don’t know, is that Cher started her musical career quite late in her life. At 33 years old, she was an unemployed, recently divorced mother, who had no idea about what the future is going to reserve her.

But despite her failed attempts in show biz, her glory started with the occasion of winning an Oscar award for her “Moonstruck” role. Success was there for her at the age of 41, and never left her since then. Who doesn’t still remember “If I could turn back time”, to name only one of the songs who made Cher’s fans all over the world adore her?

Turtles And Rhythm In Web Design

Simonne — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:16:52 +0000

Thinking about web design, most bloggers would just imagine all sites in shapes of blogs. I was very surprised today, when a client asked me to make an entry billboard for his website. OK, he quit the idea after I explained that the billboard would just put one more click between him and his readers. He was a practical type of person, so he understood and agreed, despite the fact that he would have loved the idea of that opening page with no information on it. I used to think like that some years ago, but since blogging, I try to make websites display to the viewer the most catchy information possible, in order to drag him into reading more. Thinking of this, I’ve encountered this design blog, which drew my attention through two things: first the title: “the blog where web design and style have met”, and then the header photo, which I still don’t know what it is, but I’ve seen it as a giant turtle under strange rays of light.

These two elements made me read further. The last article on that blog was called Top Three Web Design Basics, and it made quite an interesting read, as I had no idea that rhythm can be one of the most important elements of web design.

So, I found out about rhythm in web design starting from a turtle in the sun. Human brain is strange, that’s for sure.

Distance Learning: A Solution For Busy People

Simonne — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:53:29 +0000

Many people’s dream is to study something, either for their pleasure, or for advancing in the career, for getting a better salary, thus being able to raise their living standards. But as time passes by and they get older and older, studying becomes very hard to do, not only because our mental capabilities slow down with the age, but mainly because of our other duties in life which prevent us from finding the time required to go to the university and follow some courses. When babies start to appear and when you need to work for paying the bills, you may easily find yourself caught in a race against the time, which usually ends in stress, frustration and depression. How could you possibly compete with a teenager, who has all the time in the world to go to school, study and play, because his parents take care of all the rest? Actually you don’t have too many chances.
Distance Learning appeared exactly for this type of persons who are willing to study, who could pass their exams successfully, but who cannot give up their duties for going to school. Why not studying from your own home? Life shouldn’t end when children arrive, you know?

One of the universities which offer distance learning is Kaplan Open Learning. Based in Essex, UK, and co-operating closely with The University of Essex, Kaplan Open Learning provides distance courses for adults in UK. The courses are suitable for all those who want to advance in their careers, or to get a new job, in a new field of activity. The programme of the courses is flexible, so it can accommodate people who work full time, as well as people who work part time.

Amongst the courses offered by Kaplan Open Learning, there are: Business and Management Foundation Degree, Entrepreneurship Foundation Degree, Marketing and Sales Management Foundation Degree and Internet Marketing Foundation Degree.

Would you go for distance education? Why would you?

Uplogix Helps Streamlining Routine Maintenance Tasks

Simonne — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:38:03 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of automation. It saves time and minimizes human errors. And when it comes to routine operations, boredom plays an important role in making all kinds of unexpected mistakes which can lead to data losses. One of the companies concerned with the development of Configuration Management automation solutions is Uplogix. They offer solutions for enforcement, control, or access the data inside a company, and their solutions are customized according to the industry sector in which their clients operate. Uplogix is based in Austin, Texas, and they have an European office in London.
Kindly brought to you by Uplogix

A Solution For Finding Expired Domain Names

Simonne — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:11:36 +0000

Domain names are important from more than one point of view. In the first place, they are important for branding, and in this respect they have to be short and memorable, so people can remember them easily. In the second place, domain names are important for SEO. Many SEO experts say that it is important to have your main keyword in the domain name. I don’t want to argue that, but I believe it also works without it, if you build enough anchored links pointing to your website.

Experts in internet marketing also say that old domains are much better than new ones in terms of ranking high in Google for desired keywords. So, buying expired domains can give you an advantage and help you avoid the Google sandbox.

Network Solutions came up with a tool which helps you find expired domains which contain your desired keywords in the name. This is easy to do:

On the Network Solutions website, you create an RSS feed for expired domains containing your keyword. You can filter the results: with or without hyphens, with or without numbers, how much time ago they expired or in how many days they are going to expire, what extensions to have.
Then you subscribe to the feed in your RSS reader, and you’ll get a list of all matching domain names.
By clicking a domain name in your feed, you’ll be taken to another website, where you can bid to buy that domain name.

The RSS feed you’ve created will be updated each time a new expiring domain matches your filters.

Falling In Love With France

Simonne — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:32:47 +0000

France is one of the most attractive countries in Europe when it comes to tourism. Because of this fame, France hotels are suitable for all pockets and preferences. If you want comfort and luxury, you can find it, but you have to be prepared to pay the price. However, if you want to travel cheap, it is also possible. There’s a wide choice of Paris cheap hotels, which makes it a good destination for young backpackers for example, who don’t mind sleeping in dorms.

You can find Paris hotels in practically all places of the city, so you can choose the most suitable quarter for you. If you want, you can stay nearby the Eiffel Tower, or Notre Dame Cathedral, or nearby Arc De Triomphe. For example, Paris Latin Quarter hotels can offer you the atmosphere of the bohemian spirit which made it the capital of poets and romance. Centre Pompidou and Louvre are two other well-known touristic objectives which can take you a lot of time. At least in Louvre you can spend one week and not see it all, so big it is. Also, you can see the Paris from the heights of the Pompidou Centre, and spot all important objectives like you were looking on a big map.

But France is more than Paris, so if you decide to take a longer trip, you can choose one of the comfortable Nice hotels for a pleasant stay. And you shouldn’t forget to visit the old castles from the Loire valley, which are beautiful samples of the medieval architecture and way of living.