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Thread: The direction and future of WHT
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12-12-2006, 10:52 AM #1Dennis Johnson
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The direction and future of WHT
I'd like to begin by touching on my expanded roll with iNET. My official capacity is iNET Community Coordinator. I think the title's pretty self-explanatory. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. But I’d rather focus on the direction and future of WHT in this thread.
As you know, we recently added skyscraper ads to the overall layout of WHT. If we looked at this change in isolation, we could suggest that it was the wrong thing for the community. However, when we look at the change in the bigger overall picture, we think it is in the community’s best long-term interest. I'd like to share with you our reasoning, give you a glimpse of where we're headed, and ask for your help and support as we make additional changes.
Since taking over iNET last November, Troy and crew have made many changes behind the scenes. Some you may have noticed. Others you probably haven't. We've beefed up our support staff to more quickly respond to inquiries and issues. We've invested in software and hardware upgrades to make the sites more reliable and more usable (and more is on the way). We've added monitoring software to ensure that we are the first to know if there is an issue with a site. And we have invested in community outreach events such as the WHT Oasis at HostingCon. Most recently, we've added to our product development staff to accelerate new product development efforts.
The point of all of this is that the additional advertising revenue being generated from WHT and the other sites in our network is being reinvested, and it’s being reinvested in ways that are in the long-term interest of the health and vitality of the community.
Aside from the benefits of additional advertising revenue to WHT, we now have more advertising spots to meet the demand of advertisers.
One result of this reinvestment is that we now have a pipeline of enhancements and extensions in the works for WHT. WHT’s leadership is aware of and excited about the projects in the pipeline, the most eminent of which is the WHT Wiki. Before we dive into the details of this new project, let me share with you the genesis of the idea.
The concept of the WHT Wiki started with the realization of how WHT is being used. Without a doubt, WHT is the largest, most vibrant community in the web hosting industry. In fact, it is the largest site dedicated to web hosting and related services on the Internet -- period. It’s a great place for industry members and enthusiasts to network with their peers and to gather and share advice and information. What WHT members probably don't realize, however, is that only 40% of the traffic on WHT comes from members. 60% of WHT’s traffic comes from visitors looking for information on web hosting and related services.
The community’s interactions have created a tremendous repository of knowledge, and visitors pore though our threads to try to find the information they are looking for. While that’s great, the reality is that forum threads are not always the best way to communicate information. The thread may or may not answer the visitor’s question. And if it doesn't, it is rare that a visitor will register to ask a question. The size of the forum and the expertise of the community are intimidating to newbies. So these visitors move on to search for information elsewhere. This is where we see the opportunity for the WHT Wiki.
The WHT Wiki is an opportunity to take the knowledge and expertise that exists within the WHT community and to format that knowledge in a more easily consumed format. The WHT Wiki is also an opportunity to pull the history of the web hosting industry from the threads of WHT to document the people and the companies that have brought us to where we are today. As a result, we envision the WHT Wiki as the perfect place for IT managers to go as they research the right way to spec out a dedicated server. We see it as a place for web designers to learn the advantages and disadvantages of VPS versus dedicated. We see it as a place for small shop owners to learn that the web host they are considering was founded 10 years ago by a bright entrepreneur in a college dorm room. Maybe it’s even a place where my mother can learn how to set up a family website and post photos. I think you get the picture.
No one is as well positioned as the WHT community to pull this off. It will be a great opportunity for each of you to show off your expertise and to debate important issues. At the same time, it’s the right thing to do to drive the industry forward. Web hosting started in the realm of webmasters and IT experts. For the industry to continue to grow, web hosting needs to be understandable to owners of dry cleaners and pizza shops. With your help, the WHT Wiki can move us in the right direction.
There is a lot of work to do both technically and managerially. We will be rolling out the first version of the wiki in the coming weeks. It will have some basic integration with the WHT forum, but there will be more work to do down the road. Chris (iNET's new director of product management) and his staff will be leading this effort, but we will look to you –- the community –- for the feedback and suggestions. We also need to determine the wiki rules and the moderation structure. I'll be looking to you for feedback and suggestions.
These are exciting times for the web hosting industry and for WHT. We hope you participate in this journey to drive WHT -- and the industry as a whole –- to the next phase.There is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.
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12-12-2006, 03:58 PM #2An Awesome Dude
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Thank you for that Dennis...
The ads on the right side are quite common,on many sites i am on there are ads down both sides!! (Making the window small in the middle here)
I truly hope that you guys are not hurting financially,but if you are i hope you'll be brave enough to ask for help from us members.........
We all love WHT and we dont want this site to collapse!!
God bless you INET staff
Tinyurl is the answer for posting long urls!!!
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12-12-2006, 05:13 PM #3Web Hosting Master
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linuxquestions.org has really nice forums / articles / tutorials / wiki sections. Will WHT be similar?
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12-12-2006, 07:50 PM #4Dennis Johnson
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Originally Posted by hcn
Although, I believe our home page will resemble something closer to Yahoo! The WHT Wiki is just the beginning. We'll have videopods, likely some type of blogging ability, some expanded profile options. In short, more information and more interaction.
Evolution can be a good thing.There is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.
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12-12-2006, 10:09 PM #5Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by SoftWareRevue
I have a question - is iNet Community Coordinator position a paid one? Just curious.
Best,Last edited by Artashes; 12-12-2006 at 10:20 PM.
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12-12-2006, 10:19 PM #6Web Hosting Master
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i think it is a fantastic idea. This will, i belive, lead to a more professional, informative, and ultimately a better, community.
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12-12-2006, 10:29 PM #7Dennis Johnson
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Originally Posted by ArtashesThere is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.
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12-12-2006, 10:30 PM #8Dennis Johnson
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Originally Posted by hcn
WHT is great as it is. But we can make it better.There is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.
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12-12-2006, 10:45 PM #9Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by SoftWareRevue
With all the hours you put into WHT, working in the background, you deserve monetary compensation!!
Jan does too!!
As far as everything else, WHT will keep trucking on over the years, through ownership changes etc. It's in their best interests to keep things running smooth, and we all benefit from that.• WLVPN.com • NetProtect owned White Label VPN provider •
• Increase your hosting profits by adding VPN to your product line up •
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12-12-2006, 10:55 PM #10Retired Moderator
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Originally Posted by Aussie BobTyler Cole
Eeek, a Blog
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12-12-2006, 11:06 PM #11Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by TylerLast edited by anon-e-mouse; 12-13-2006 at 05:02 AM. Reason: Whoops, edited instead of quoting :blush:
• WLVPN.com • NetProtect owned White Label VPN provider •
• Increase your hosting profits by adding VPN to your product line up •
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12-13-2006, 02:09 AM #12Web Hosting Evangelist
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Thanks dennis, good to know what iNet has planned for WHT in the future. I look forward to see how this WIKI will turn out.
Thank
- James
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12-13-2006, 05:02 AM #13Originally Posted by Aussie Bob
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12-13-2006, 06:24 AM #14Web Hosting Master
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Originally Posted by anon-e-mouse
• WLVPN.com • NetProtect owned White Label VPN provider •
• Increase your hosting profits by adding VPN to your product line up •
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12-13-2006, 12:09 PM #15Retired ***ulator
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Hmmm "iNET Liaison!"
Originally Posted by anon-e-mouse73's, Kim
Everything happens for a reason I make up.
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12-13-2006, 10:12 PM #16I'm Back!
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Originally Posted by Aussie Bob
Great way to go, defitnetly is time to move this community into something bigger