Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello,

Glad to be part of this community finally.

I am in the early stages of planning my online business. I plan on starting a small software company, with me as the founder and possibly having one other person join in.

I am thinking about my life plan as well as my business plan.

I have a name, domain registered for this business.

Now am I looking for a good, reliable hosting site that supports e-commerce (shopping carts, SSL certificatees). I think it can be a shared site at first. Also, I am a Windows guy, so I suppose I would prefer the host to support Windows-based hosting. I also want it to have blogging capabilities, along with the ability to have forums (for support, etc.). Any recommendations?

In addition to my business, I plan on starting a personal blog. The personal blog will be focused around software and technology, but not directly related to my business. I have a domain registered for this blog as well. Any recommendations here? Should I use the same hosting site as I would use for my business for my personal blog? Or should I go with something like TypePad or Wordpress? If the latter, any recommendations on a good blog host (e.g. Typepad, Wordpress)? I don`t necessarily mind paying a monthly fee, but would prefer free if there is a good one.

Thanks.

 

I offer web site hosting ... linux... the only reason to get Windows based hosting is if you are running ASP. Also, available domain names and  SSL, various versions.

Most any hosting will enable you to blog with a WordPress install and host it with the same hosting package. So all you`re paying is your hosting fee (monthly or annually).

Host a static, ecommerce, blog, and/or forum is only a matter of having the # of databases you need to support the program/feature. I host sites with no features and all those features.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

~Roland

 

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I use Hostgator. Fast, reliable, good customer service.

They have one-click Wordpress installs BUT my blog is actually hosted on TypePad and has just been there ever since it started (even though the main site has moved twice).

Personally, I would NOT go with Windows hosting. I`m sorry but I just don`t trust it, as they seem to have a new security leak daily. I only use Linux or UNIX.

Are you DIY or hiring someone to do your site? I`m asking because every developer seems to have their own server preference ... so if you are hiring someone, I`d wait to purchase the server space.

Thank you for the replies so far.

I plan to "DIY" for the site. The only reason I prefer Windows over Linux is that I know Microsoft development platform (e.g. ASP.NET). However, I suppose that may not be so important if I don`t need to do a lot of custom development (i.e. the host provides the plug and play features I need). So good point to both of you.

Also thank you for the host ideas. I hadn`t considered either of those two yet. Here are the ones I was considering:

1. webhost4life
2. discountASP
3. HostPapa
4. BlueHost
5. 1and1
6. Yahoo!

Now add vWebWorld and HostGator to the mix

Man, there are a lot of hosts out there. I can look at it 2 ways. There are so many it makes the choice difficult -- or -- there are so many that I should just make a decision and go with it.

I do need to decide whether to host my personal blog on the same host though.

I have had recent bad experiences with webhost4life, just as an FYI. I moved a client from them to hostgator after her account just DRASTICALLY slowed one day. (We would have never even known had I not been working on it then and reloading so much.) I had to call them, tell them the problem, and have them restart the thing. IMO you need a proactive host, not a reactive one.

I`ve had interesting experiences with 1and1.com as well.

Yahoo! hosting ... last I checked it`s just to use their system - very limiting.

I don`t know about the other 3.

I know SuN is in ASP but I`d never use it. It`s PHP all the way for me right now. There`s so many more options when you know PHP and can use opensource software.

I would DEFINITELY use Google to look for reviews on any host you choose ... I recently had a horrible experience with a host and it turned out to be a major pain when the guy basically dropped off the planet.
Also - for anyone - ALWAYS keep the most recent copy of the site on your hard drive, including database backups, JUST IN CASE.

Hi - I create web sites for small businesses and use Go Daddy for hosting and domain registration.  They also offer shopping carts, SSL, and more.  They are very affordable and reliable.  Good luck with your new business!www.golimbo.com

Ferget Yahoo. Really bad customer support!

Craig, which one do you recommend? I have heard that about Yahoo! by some, but I figured they were a reputable company in many respects.

I`ve used Bluehost for a couple of years and not only is it really cheap, but they are really on the ball.  My site has only been down a couple of times and then only for about 30 minutes or less.  Each time, the company president has sent out an apology for the downtime.  He usually says, "I know that even 5 minutes can be an eternity in internet time!!"  I really get good service.

I had a horrible experience with Yahoo hosting twice.  Both times took me over 5 hours on the phone to finally cancel after I cancelled months before but they kept charging me.  They just don`t seem to give their CS people any authority and tell them to NEVER elevate irate customers.  It was a nightmare!

As for blogs, I use Blogger - it`s free, you can use your own domain, and they keep adding more and more features with easy "drag and drop" elements. 

~Kim

 

I have been using Lunar Pages for almost a year and I am very happy. I have a blog and a couple of websites there. They have great customer support. You get a lot of free software, and you can host up to 10 domains on one account.

I like going with the smaller companies, because when it comes to customer support I think they try harder!

That is just my 2 cents worth!