A hosted blog? What’s that?
Posted by Lindsayanng on February 22nd, 2009I have had a lot of people contact me, all excited to start working on their blog and adding plugins and making changes, and then after talking to them, I realized that they did not have their own HOSTED blog.
When you decide to blog for the first time, chances are you just set up a wordpress.com account, or a blogger account and it’s free and its WONDERFUL because it’s free. Then you get to really enjoying blogging and you want to really get into making it into more. You want to add certain things, or change things. So you start searching how to and you find all these great options. But they are ALL for personally hosted blogs!
When you host a blog on your own host, that means that you get ALL of the files and folders that it requires to run a blog. What you need to understand is that these free blogs aren’t just coming out of no where. Your own blog has it’s own folder that is under your subdomain (yourname.worpdress.com) and there is where all of the files that your website uses to build the content.
When you want to do more with your blog, you will want ALL of the files to create the blog on your host. But right now, you are probably thinking, WHATS A HOST?
A host is a company with a lot of large server computers (not the ones like on our desktops) who stores your files for you on the internet. Technically you could set up your home computer as a host if you wanted, but trust me, you dont want to eat up your internet bandwidth like that.
Your host will offer a lot of other neat options like custom email addresses like “you@yourdomain.com” and if you have a REALLY good host, it will offer you ONE CLICK INSTALLS of popular scripts like wordpress. I really like HOSTMONSTER. This blog is hosted on this as well as all of my other websites and all of the ones that I build for people. I like them because they have #1 customer service, never have down time, and they all around have GREAT support. I mean, you can NOT beat 24 hour PHONE customer service.
So when choosing a host, you have to be REALLY careful. I had gotten taken by TWO hosting companies. I thought to myself, “I dont need hostmonster for this simple website. I will probably never need their customer support and it will not have as many visitors as my other. WOW was I wrong. Well, I was right that I didnt need those things, but it was NOT a good idea.
First I signed up with GLOBAT. They were boasting $3 a month hosting. I was for it. I knew that it wasn’t going to be as GOOD as hostmonster, but again, I felt i didn’t need it. They signed me up for $3 a month for 3 months. Then, they decided that they were going to “upgrade” me. They said that they sent me an email and all I had to do was respond that I wasn’t interested and they would not have upgraded me.” But the HORRIBLE (and i think illegal) thing was, THEY AUTOMATICALLY send their email right into my spam box. They don’t ever verify that it was read. So they purposely send you an “upgrade” email that they know will end up never getting read, and then they started charging me $45 a MONTH!! THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS.
I fought them but i never got my money back.
Then I went with WEB.COM. I figured that they have been around for a long time, they should be pretty good. They were offering hosting for $10 a month (which is MORE than hostmonster) but they had a 3 month trial. I did it, and when the trial ran out, I was going to cancel. Well, they offered me $5 a month hosting so I went with it. I was adequately happy with their up time and they gave me no reason not to go with them at that time. So i did. 4 months later, THEY UPGRADED ME the same way the other company did, and charged me $60 for ONE MONTH!!
So take these cautionary tales to heart when you decide that you want to host your own blog.
It is GREAT to have a hosted blog, you have so much freedom with the way it looks, and what you can do with it. Just search through the blogs plugins and addons. Not to mention the number of themes you can have. You just have to be CAREFUL when choosing a host!
Here are some things to look for in a host
1. Do they support php scripts?*
2. Do they offer mySql Databases?*
3. Do they have 24 hour phone support?
4. Do they have an upgrade plan? – make SURE you read all of the terms&conditions, they may lie to you
5. Do they use CPanel as a control panel?*
php is the type of language, like HTML is, that is used to create your blog
mySql database is where your blog posts are stored
Control Panel is a special control panel that many hosts use that is VERY VERY user friendly. I prefer it over any other.
If you do choose to go with a host other than hostmonster please do your research. Call them before you sign up. See if their customer support people speak the same language as you, and that they have ALL of those requirements.
I can tell you 100% for sure that HOSTMONSTER fits ALL of those. They are the best I have used.. INCLUDING those that I have used for other people whom I have designed websites for – INCLUDING GODADDY!! GoDaddy are crooks.
Want to know who is offering this awesome content? Here it is! Someone who is relatively new to web design. I am new enough to still remember how absolutely frustrating it was to try and get anything done in this field, but have also been around long enough to be able to help those that are where I was a year ago.
Aside from web design, I run the office of my dad's engineering business, and do book keeping by trade.
I love my pets.. All 6 cats, 1 peg legged dogs, and 1 hedgehog. LOVE THEM!!
Oh yea, and my husband. He lets me chase my dreams and I let him do the same. We are happy people because of it. Read more from this author
