Web site hosting is a necessary service for anyone who has a web site. The service has become more of a commodity in recent years with prices dropping significantly, much to the advantage of web site owners.

However, the level of service provided by some web hosting companies has also dropped significantly in recent years. Network Solutions is the oldest provider of domain names and web hosting on the Internet today. This review is based on personal experience over the last few months and provides some insights as to what to expect from this “experienced” web services provider.

I going to start right put with the first word that comes to mind here:

“Frustration”

Foolish me! I actually expected an experienced web services provider to “provide good web service”. In the immortal words of Captain Hector Barbosa, “I won’t be making that mistake again”.

One of my friends, and good customers, hosts 2 accounts with the aforementioned web hosting company. Recently, in a phone call, he became so frustrated in speaking with their so-called “support staff” he said something similar to, “I’d be better off just deleting my accounts and starting over again”.

He then hung up the phone.

The next morning, I received a panicked call from him. Network Solutions had in fact deleted both his accounts. Two fully functional, customized WordPress driven websites. They deleted everything, files, photos, and yes, the databases along with all information contained therein.

He had already spent nearly an hour with them on the phone getting them to recover his web sites, but neither web site was working. So enter “me”!

NS did in fact find a backup of the files, and they restored these. However, they also reinstalled WordPress in another directory in the same hosting account. I had just as much success as he did unfortunately. But the frustrating part with in this piece of dialog from an actual conversation with a Network Solutions support technician.

….
Me – I think the problem stems from the fact that the databases were also deleted and have not been restored. Can you restore the data as well please?
NS – Can you hold a minute sir? Let me check on something.
Me – Ok?
…
NS – I must apologize sir, but we don’t have a backup of the databases.
Me – But you had a backup of the files?
NS – Yes.
Me – Last month, when your database server went down, you had a backup that you were able to restore. Can you use that one.
NS – No sir.
Me – Why?
NS – We don’t have a backup sir.
Me – You must be kidding.
NS – If you want a backup of your database, you customer must turn this feature on from his “Manage Account” screen.
Me – He did. But you turned it off when you deleted his account.
NS – Sorry sir, we don’t have a backup.
Me – OK, well I would like to setup a new database, but when I access the database configuration area, your system tells me that my session has timed out.
NS – Did you clear the cache in your browser.
Me – Yes. I also tried this in Chrome, FF, IE 8 and IE 8 in compatibility mode.
NS – Hmmm, works fine for me in IE 7. You should know that our system is not compatible yet with Firefox, Chrome or the newer versions of IE.
Me – Newer versions!? These have been available for years.
NS – Our staff is constantly working to improve our system sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?
Me – *Hang up* … Yeah you can drop dead you idiot!

Several points stick in my mind with this experience that should cause all who are considering using Network Solutions as a web hosting provider to think twice:
1.) Network Solutions could care less that my customer had invested money and trust in them to host his web sites on their system
2.) Network Solutions did not have my clients best interests at heart.
3.) Network Solutions is STILL using technology that is outdated and unreliable … but that is not their problem.

I wonder where these NS technicians are that “are constantly working to improve their system”. Perhaps they quit but forgot to mention it to the support folks.

In conclusion, the service provided by Network Solutions is exactly what I warn my friends and clients to avoid.

If you want to spend premium prices for hosting, Media Temple and RackSpace have much better options with superb support.

If your looking for dependable, low-cost host with good support, try Liquid Net, SCG Domains, HostGator or a few others commonly advertised on the Internet. (I apologize if I have left anyone off the list here).

But, avoid Network Solutions if you value your online assets … and your sanity.

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Having a website has become a necessity in today’s world. With many hosting companies offering all the required website resources in one place, there is little reason not to have a place of your own on the web.

Possessing a website of your own allows you to take part in an invaluable communication environment. With this in mind, let’s look at 7 reasons why it is highly advisable to have a personal presence online:

Represents your personal profile
A website can be your virtual portrait or resume, showing off your personal self to the world on a 24/7 basis. Some of the most popular ways of presenting your personality online is through a blog or a photo gallery, where your friends can stay up-to-date with your daily life and happenings.

Lets your voice be heard across the world
A website can be your global “soap box” where you are able to share your knowledge, experience and enthusiasm with people who have common interests, but with whom you might not otherwise have crossed paths. Again, using a blog is a great tool for voicing yourself. It also allows people to comment on your blog posts, creating a community like environment. In addition to using a blog as a tool, you could also implement a discussion board on your website, better known as a “forum”. This allows your visitors to voice their opinions and ideas on similar topics as well.

Lets you contact people at a distance
A website can be a meeting place for making new acquaintances with people of a different religion, nationality and age. As I live overseas, I have used websites to keep in touch with friends back home on the other side of the world. Thanks to the many methods of online communication possibilities you can converse with many different people directly from your website.

Broadens your interaction with the world
A website empowers us to broaden our communication with others. While many of us may not consider this a big benefit, it is certainly a consideration for those with limited access, due to handicap or illness. A website can be a physically disabled person’s door to the dynamic world, allowing him/her to bridge over the difficulties of having a “challenging” everyday life. Your website can even be your office, where you can present and deliver home-made products/services to a global customer base.

Creates a web skill development environment
A website can introduce you to the secrets of Internet. New technological developments in web design have turned the task of creating a website into just a few clicks meaning far less effort for the inexperienced user. Thanks to these WYSWYG (What You See is What You Get) web design tools, everyone can build their own website without any previous experience. As you use these tools, you begin to gain an understanding of how the technology of the online world works for you, giving you greater knowledge and value in your skills. Many retired people are finding a new energy in learning these skills and applying them to an online business.

Earns extra money at a small cost (investment)
A website can make residual income for you, even while you’re sleeping or enjoying your free time. Thanks to the up-to-date techniques for bringing traffic to your website, you can earn money when visitors click on certain products/services promos or links that are relevant to your site content pages. We offer many suggestions for our visitors here on our own blog for possible website business ideas.

Makes you a member of the biggest community of the world
A website is a must-have personal attribute nowadays, just like mobile phones and computers. The fast developing technologies have converted having a website from a whim into a modern necessity. Today, many people already have a web site. But reports indicate that twice as many people are expected to have their own personal space in the World Wide Web in the near future. Be forward-thinking, join this trend now.

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Many of us already understand the importance of having a domain name that correctly reflects to the visitor some idea of what our web site is about and/or the products we are offering. Selecting the right name is important for placement on search engines as well. Some questions to ask yourself about your current service provider are:

• If my name is not available, do I get a list of suggested alternatives?
• What other TLD’s (i.e. – .com, .net, .org, .info, etc.) are available?
• Do I get a discount for multiple year registration?
• Are there other promotions to reduce my cost?
• What do I do if the name is taken?

The Basics
A domain name is your website name, the name of your business, your pages, and you online. A domain name is the address where people from around the country or around the world can access you site. Consider your domain name similar to that of your name. What do people call you, how do they address your mail to send you postal mail? A domain name is similar to the address and name in that respect. A domain name could be any combination of letters, and numbers, and then it will be used in combination of .com, .net, .biz and more so that readers can be directed to the correct domain name.

There are many domain name registration services out there. But finding an online company to register your domain name and provide value or savings with additional services to benefit your business is the key.

Some offer free hosting with a domain name registration, others give you a cheap domain name when you buy a hosting package. But for now, the immediate value is in assisting you when selecting your domain name. Once you type in your desired name, the service should tell you if the name is available and provide you with a good list of other (intelligent) choices that might fit your needs.

You also might want to protect the name from your competitors. you wouldn’t want to set up a .COM name and find out your closest competitor registered a .NET and was generating more traffic for a similar product or service. So the service you use should tell you what other extensions (commonly called TLD’s for Top Level Domains) are available so you can protect your brand or identity. The registration provider should easily allow you to add these to you order effortlessly.

Your next choice should be in the number of years you want to own the name. The service provider may also offer discounts for multiple years. But, what if you do not know how successful this is going to be? Perhaps you only want to register for 1 year (the minimum in most cases) and then renew if the offering is successful. So you should consider how easily can you upgrade or renew the domain name?

If your offering is successful, you will also want to protect your domain name from those online thieves that may want to steal your name as soon as the registration period expires. So a service provider that offers domain locking and protection is essential if this is one of your concerns.

Other services for registering your domain name include Private Registration. This is important if you wish to protect the fact that you personally are the owner of the domain name. Spammers and hackers are excellent and crawling WHOIS database providers and collecting personal data and email addresses. With a Private Registration, your personal data is protected from those with prying eyes.

Alternatively, a web marketer could use this WHOIS data to increase their presence and exposure of their product. A Business Registration option would allow you to enter information about your business and advertise your product, complete with a business card and images or links to your web site.

In summary, there are many other services available to us to enhance our web business when it comes to domain name registration. Domain registration is an important step to setting up your business and selecting a provider that offers you the services to add value to your business is essential.

Eric Buckley is the founder of scgdomains.com, an affordable, full service web hosting and domain name registration provider.

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