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Archive for March, 2009

What Is Clan Hosting?

March 19th, 2009

clan hostingClan web hosting is preferred for servers and software that are designed to clan or guild needs. Clan hosting is different than a gaming server. Clan or guild hosting points on offering communication tools and applications and other necessary components for your guild or clan.

Choosing this service will benefit your clan or guild whether your group is a small, hobby group or a large, corporate organization. Gaming groups of all types and sizes are finding that clan web hosting is a better networking solution than attempting to force another model to work for their needs.

There are many reasons why you should consider web hosting for your gaming group. It is always easier to choose the right tool for the right job than to use the wrong tool for the job. Choosing a good, clan hosting provider means you will have a hosting provider who understands your needs. Because clan or guild hosting providers understand the communications needs of gaming communities they are able to tailor the hosting options to your clan or guild needs. Software that is popular for gaming group websites like forums, bulletin boards, chat and other communications software are likely to be included or easily configured with your clan hosting package. Even if your guild or clan does not need all of these options now it still makes good sense to positioned yourself to expand in the future. Choosing a good clan hosting provider now can save you a lot of trouble in the future if your clan grows larger or decides to begin using new features. Gaming often drives the technology world so it is always a good idea tobe positioned to expand for the future.

Clan web hosting is just as reliable as traditional hosting options. Guild or clan packages use the same, powerful servers as business-class hosting solutions. The software and server configuration is just optimized for the communication needs of gaming groups. In fact, using clan host provider may be more reliable in the long run because much, if not all, of the software you will need is probably pre-installed. Many technical problems that arise when running a website are a result of incompatible scripts or programs. Choosing a hosting solution that already provides everything you need eliminates the need for installing untested applications. Clan host providers are also probably in a better position to provide technical support to gamers than a traditional business or personal hosting provider would be. Sooner or later something is likely to go wrong. How much better to be aligned with a service provider that understands your hosting needs when you do have a problem?

Clan hosting costs no more than traditional business or personal hosting. The prices vary, or course, based on disc space, bandwidth, and the level of support that is included with the hosting package. However, clan hosting is very competitive with any other hosting options available.

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Which Comes First, Web Hosting Or Web Design?

March 17th, 2009

What is the relationship between Web Hosting and a Website which performs well?

It is important to choose the best web hosting services to make your online business successful. Technical knowledge of some level is important and for most people, it is a important decision to be made with their own. You should search for a web designer first and establish a friendly relationship with that person. They will then guide you further to find the best web hosting service as per your requirements.

Performance of your website strongly depends upon your web hosting plan. The hosting plan you choose directly effects the experience your prospective customers will have on your site. When shopping for business web hosting, people often make the mistake of looking for the cheapest plan they can find. The problem with this approach is that you are not just paying for hosting, you are paying for bandwidth, which directly effects how fast your web page will load. If your page loads too slowly your prospective customer will never see your site, but bandwidth is not the only factor that effects page load time.

Factors include:

The number of people connecting to your site at the same time.
The type of content you have on your site (the number of images, flash, video, audio, CMS).
How well your website is coded.
Back up and restore capabilities
Pre-loaded open source software
Security features

Of the six factors listed above, #3 is the primary offender for page load delays. Poorly coded websites are most often the result of machine-generated code, from do-it-yourself website builder applications.

Choosing a Web Designer first   Knowledge and Relationship

There are many choices for web hosting companies and many different types of web hosting services. Knowing what web hosting you will need for your website before it even exists is difficult, if not impossible. That is why you will need to begin with an experienced web designer. That person will be able to build a custom website for you and will know what type of hosting will be necessary to accommodate your site. When you hire a web designer, he or she will begin with gathering requirements from you in which you will discuss all the features and content you would like to have on your site. Your designer will then choose a web hosting service that can handle all the requirements of the site that they are going to build for you.

Another reason to begin with choosing a website designer or developer first, is that they will design your site based on the idea that they will provide the hosting and that there will be an ongoing relationship. Business web hosting often includes the hosting as well as some type of website support contract so that you will have someone you can go back to on a consistent basis. You will get personal one-on-one attention and ongoing support from someone you have a history with, and who thoroughly knows your website and your business model.

Choosing Web Hosting First   A Space in Need of a Site

If you begin with choosing your hosting plan first, then look for a designer, you set yourself up for several problems. First of all most web designers will not take a job building a website that could potentially be more than the hosting plan can handle. Secondly, many hosting services have different shareware applications that come with the hosting. You could have trouble finding a developer who is familiar with the shareware that comes with your hosting plan.

Another problem with choosing the hosting plan first is that a hosting company is concerned only with selling the hosting and nothing more. If you encounter any problems outside of hosting, the hosting company will not be able to help you. You will be essentially orphaning yourself before the project has even begun. Most web designers and developers offer their clients web hosting as well as maintenance contracts, but if you choose the hosting company first, then the person who builds the site for you does not have an ongoing relationship with you. Since there is no contract tying you to them, they have no vested interest is making your website successful.

Choosing a web hosting service for your website can be a complicated but very important decision. You will have the greatest chance for success with your website, if you begin by choosing a web designer or developer first and then have a hosting and maintenance contract with that person. That will ensure that your hosting plan will be appropriate for your website and that you will always have a website professional available when you need them.

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