Greetings. I am putting together a Web Hosting FAQ. I think it will benefit everyone who visits this forum - especially those who are new to the industry.

Clearly there are some things that I would like to flesh out more, but most of the basics are in there.

I am still working on it, but I thought I would share it, and take comments.

The URL is:

http://www.assortedinternet.com/hosting/faq/faq-web-hosting.php

Please feel free to post comments here or send private emails.

Thanks - Brian

In the 'What does this term mean: Domain/Domain Name' section.

"You need to own a Domain Name before you can use one. If you haven't purchased your domain name -->yert<--, you can use the box below to see if it is still available. "

looks good, how about that big thing called "Unlimited"?

Originally posted by agh3
In the 'What does this term mean: Domain/Domain Name' section.

"You need to own a Domain Name before you can use one. If you haven't purchased your domain name -->yert<--, you can use the box below to see if it is still available. "

Good catch. Just fixed it.

Thanks - Brian

A Sub-Domain is very similar to a Domain Name. The only differnece is that a Sub-Domain uses a different prefix. For example if you own the domain: www.yourdomain.com you could create a subdomain called: subdomain.yourdomain.com That's confusing, since www.yourdomain.com is actually a subdomain of the domain you'd actually own, yourdomain.com.

There's also another typo, "differnece."


Personally, I'd like to see you replace your definition of "bandwidth;" if you want to be seen as authoritative you should try to dispel misconceptions and common misuse of terms. You'd perform a better service if you differentiated between bandwidth and data transfer.

Any system that is more than 3 or 4 years old is not well suited for Web Hosting. It may not be as reliable, and will not be as fast as today's more modern equipment. That's at best a generalization, and the first sentence is certainly far from accurate.

Most of these types of FAQs or attempts to explain anything veer at times from stating facts to stating the writer's opinions. I'm afraid that's what you've done here, and my five year old Sun SPARC server agrees with me.

Originally posted by JayC
That's at best a generalization, and the first sentence is certainly far from accurate.

Most of these types of FAQs or attempts to explain anything veer at times from stating facts to stating the writer's opinions. I'm afraid that's what you've done here, and my five year old Sun SPARC server agrees with me.

JayC,

Thanks for the comments. I agree with the points you make in both your posts. I will try to incorporate them both into the FAQ.

Thanks - Brian

this is a great idea! :D also it should be explained about how just about anyone can be a host and doing your homework is important

I've taken some time and added additional updates to the Web Hosting FAQ. Additions include:

-Definitions of more terms (ex: CGI)
-Updated definition of "Unlimited"
-Additional information on how to find a web host

The link is:

http://www.assortedinternet.com/hosting/faq/faq-web-hosting.php

I'd appreciate any comments, either private or public here in the forum.

Take care,

Brian

Very comprehencive. Im working on a big faq like that at the moment, has given me ideas of things that i would not have thought to put in. Thanks.

I'll let you see mine, once its sorted. Should hopefully be monday by the latest :)

Regards

Craig

Thanks. :)

I think the FAQ will be a living document. I'm not sure I'll ever be done with it.

Hopefully, the folks who take a look at it find it valuable.

Take care,

Brian

Where can I learn if a Web Host has a good reputation?

Hey, just what I was looking for (so I can post my recent hosting horror story :) ), thanks Brian, I didn't know about sitepointforums.

Here is another place this sort of dialog happens, I have found them useful in the past. You might want to have a look to see if they are worth including in your FAQ.
The Web Hosting forum at:
http://www.hostspot.com/cgi-bin/forum/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true

BTW, I would like to post my hosting horror story here as well. Can anyone tell me what the most appropriate forum is for that? Here at General Web hosting, or another forum?

Donna
http://donnamiller.net

This is the spot for horror stories I suppose, and good ones if you have any :D

Originally posted by Chicken
This is the spot for horror stories I suppose, and good ones if you have any :D

I so look forward to the day when I can post good hosting stories! :)

Thanks Chicken!

:D :D :D :D :D :)
Originally posted by Chicken
This is the spot for horror stories I suppose, and good ones if you have any :D

Originally posted by Chicken
This is the spot for horror stories I suppose, and good ones if you have any

Yes, why doesn't someone post a good story about a host? Everybody is unhappy :crying:

I think many stumble upon the forum in their travels for a new host. You usually don't go looking for host sites when you are happy with your current provider. Since we have a new crop of visitors, I'll start a thread (that has actually been asked before)...

Hi,

I think you have a typo... cooresponds? Is it correspond? Not too sure about the spelling though... :D

Every Web Host will have a limited amount of bandwidth available. This amount directly cooresponds to the bandwidth provided by their Internet Connections. Typically this is either 1.6Mbps or 45Mbps, but it can be higher, lower or somewhere in between.


Regards,
Choon

Originally posted by choon
Hi,

I think you have a typo... cooresponds? Is it correspond? Not too sure about the spelling though... :D

Regards,
Choon

Whoops! Spell checkers are wonderful things ...

when you remember to use them. :eek2:

I've made the fix. If you catch any more, please let me know.

Thanks - Brian