The OneMinute Geek:

Web hosting

The Problem:

Web hosting is a commodity. That means just about anyone can setup shop online and sell you domain name registration, web site hosting and email services. The upside is that the price for these services has dropped. The downside is that quality of support has also plummeted.

The Solution:

Hop online, go to www.google.com and search for "hosting." Finding the right provider for your site is largely a function of what you really need. However, here are some guidelines that hopefully will save you a great deal of hardship:

1. Stick with the big names. There's plenty to be said about the poor customer service from the bigger-named players in this industry, but one thing you can count on is that the larger hosting companies will not go out of business overnight. Companies like Yahoo < www.yahoo.com>, Interland < www.interland.com>, Network Solutions < www.networksolutions.com>, Go Daddy < www.godaddy.com> and RackSpace < www.rackspace.com> are among the largest. If you host your site with one of those cheap-but-never-heard-of companies, you run the risk of waking up one morning with no web site and a disconnected phone number for your web hosting company.

2. Before buying any hosting, call the company and see if anyone's there. Long waits while online or a call which ends with an answering machine are good indicators that you may not get the responsiveness you require in time of need.

3. Check 'em out online. There are a number a free tools on the Internet to help you get the skinny on a domain name. Check out <http://web-hosting.candidinfo.com/free-tools-resources.asp>. Enter the host provider's domain name and see what pops up. You might just discover your "professional-looking" host provider is some guy in Texas reselling hosting services from a company in Florida which bought wholesale server space originating in Romania. In general, there's nothing wrong with that, unless the server in Romania is down, in which case your friend in Texas will point fingers at the Floridians, who won't be answering the phone.

4. Read the fine print. Be sure to note the cancellation policy. Some hosting companies adhere to unscrupulous billing terms, like hitting your credit card on file for the full amount of one year's hosting unless you notify them in writing three months prior the expiration of the current year's hosting plan.

5. Contact the Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org and ask if the hosting company has a history of complaints. It's free and you never know what you'll uncover.

6. When you register your site's domain name, be sure to make yourself - not the web designer - the sole point of contact. Also use an email address that is different from your domain name. For example, if your domain is www.myworld.com, you might have the email address john@myworld.com. If you make this the notification address for domain ownership changes, someone could hijack your email address along with your domain name and you’d never be informed.

5. Backup everything. Hosting companies may offer their own backup services but don't rely on that. You need a current backup of your site on a CD in your possession at all times. Be sure it includes FTP logins and passwords, the login and password for managing your domain name, and a complete backup of your web site. If there are ever problems with the site, just pass this CD to your web expert so he/she can get you up and running again quickly and inexpensively.

James Kerr is President/CEO of SuperGeeks, a Hawaii-based computer service and repair company (www.supergeeks.net). Please feel free to send your questions, comments and suggestions to Mr. Kerr. He can be reached at kerr@supergeeks.net and 942-0773.