but hardly find any :-( why?

hostrocket does have a forum, that's why I like them (don't have an account though).

It just makes me feel better, when I know I can share my thoughts with other customers of the same host.

Therefore: Why don't you all make forums on your hosting sites, so I find more hosts to choose from ^_^

I'd recommend Site5.com they have a help forum on their site and they are also very helpful :)

The reasoning for us is we didnt feel the need for one.
Most things are handled via email...We might consider a forum though..just havent so far,plus we would want it monitored correctly :D
and that can be time consuming.
Good Luck, Happy Holidays





Happy Holidays from HostCaters!
http://www.hostcaters.com/holiday.html

I think I forum is nessacary. Thinkhost has one also, and despite not being used much, I like it. I'll definitly have one when my site opens.

m:
I had a look over at site5.com but couldn't see any trace of a forum - where is it?

I suggest you not only make a forum, but also let visitors know that it exists...

Astra,

Site5's support forum is located at http://www.site5support.com/

Two other hosts I know which has forums include :

http://www.jaguarpc.com
http://www.futurequest.net

HostingMatters has there's at...

http://support.hostmatters.com/forum/

ah yes, the hostmatters forums were easy to find. I now also found that link on site5, it's half way down on the home page and not in the help section, where I've been looking for it...

FutureQuest ( http://www.futurequest.net ) has a forum so you can keep tabs on they're goings on.

I have to agree that most support is done personally either via email or telephone. It would be very hard to conduct detailed support via forum.

A forum is useful for general questions, especially when customers can search it.

The good thing with a forum is that one person asks the question, but everyone gets the answer. It's kind of like an ultimate FAQ, especially if you separate and archive important support messages so that your users can get straight to them.

Jaiem:
I agree a forum cannot replace email support.

But still, it makes me feel more confident, especially if I don't know if I can trust the folks running the server. With email there's alwayse a chance that when problems arise you don't actually get an answer to your emails anymore... (sometimes).

Of course in such situation you probably get no support answers to postings on a web board either. But through postings by other clients you'll quickly know what's going on, whereas without a board you wont.

A host will not easily take down a support forum when problems arise, just to prevent clients from communicating with each other, because such step might be commented elsewhere and finally hurt his business.

So, I think having a forum is only wise for a good host, who is able to handle problems and keep his service alive. And that's why I take this as a creteria for choosing my webspace provider.

Originally posted by astra4
A host will not easily take down a support forum when problems arise, just to prevent clients from communicating with each other, because such step might be commented elsewhere and finally hurt his business.

So, I think having a forum is only wise for a good host, who is able to handle problems and keep his service alive. And that's why I take this as a creteria for choosing my webspace provider.

I've seen hosts take down boards due to this. When things go bad, you don't want your customers ganging up on you in groups. It does put things out in the open.

The problem might be that certain people expect a certain level of service. These expectations can lead one to believe that they are/are not satisfied with the company. Is hostcoABC bad because they take 24 hours to answer support? No, but I can see a customer creating a big stink over it (if they expected 1 hour support). You have to be careful...

Hmm yes, that's why I posted the freedom2surf thread. Their boards are down since weeks, with a note "our boards are being upgraded" ...

Which homo sapiens sapiens would take down a board weeks before the upgrade is ready? I fear there's a problem with f2s.com

well, it's free, so I shouldn't complain should I

Originally posted by astra4
Jaiem:
I agree a forum cannot replace email support.

But still, it makes me feel more confident, especially if I don't know if I can trust the folks running the server. With email there's alwayse a chance that when problems arise you don't actually get an answer to your emails anymore... (sometimes).

I hear what your saying. But, respectfully, if you feel that you can't trust the people you host with then IMO there are bigger problems to deal with.

If your sending messages to tech support and they don't reply in a reasonable time frame or just ignore you a forum isn't going to help. In that case may I suggest it's time to look for another host.....

One other reason I like host forums is that the members tend to help each other. I'm very pleased at the support and friendliness in the Host Matters forum.

I also agree that there are common questions and problems that can be addressed in the forum. It can save the host time if used correctly. Good place for host announcements, too.

Hi,

I think that would be helpful to most people. I might be something that requires moderation though. Like anything, there's pros and cons.

Hellexia