6 down, 10 more to go

Just acquired myself a new reseller hosting account for the handful of personal domains i own and most of my clients’ websites @ www.web.com.ph. Great pricing and it’s a local Philippine company that can easily contact via live chat or SMS. At least it is now cost efficient to go crazy with hosting fees to go head-to-head with some local “web design” firms.

Already moved 6 domains to the new server, and I’ve got 10 more to go. I’m also thinking of transferring 4 more domains that I don’t own directly but was registered through my first hosting company based in Angeles City.

This blog should be last on the list of movers, expect some down time within the next few days.

Finding the right hosting company for your website

Finding the right web hosting company for your website may seem like child’s play for the inexperienced. With so many options out there, it is all too easy to pick the first one you see and entrust your website needs to them. From free hosting companies, to those that offer unlimited bandwidth at ridiculous low monthly fees, to those that offer on-the-fly-on-demand storage and bandwidth solutions - choosing seems as easy as putting a square piece into a square hole of a puzzle.

Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy - and Google doesn’t have the answers. Asking a search engine to find “the best web host” is like asking a monkey what its favorite banana is! It is easy to game search results for certain terms like the one I mentioned, and even easier for less than admirable companies to dupe unsuspecting customers. In this case, the “best web hosting company” advice from a search engine may not necessarily be the “right web hosting company” for your needs.

Here’s where WebHostingRating.com comes in - a website that reviews and rates webhosting companies based on reliability, pricing, and server features.

I myself is in the market for a new webhost that can fulfill my needs of reliable 24/7 uptime, storage isn’t much of an issue and flexible monthly rates is mandatory. Upon visiting WebHostingRating.com, you are immediately greeted with a “Top 10″ listing of highly-rated webhosting companies with a separate column for monthly pricing, bandwidth/storage provisions, and a thumbs-up review bar. And just from this list, I’ve already found 2 or 3 companies that I might consider taking my business to.

The site also offers a category listing of web hosting companies based on your needs, e.g.: Unix Hosting, Windows Hosting, VPN Services, Content Management System compatibility, etc. A highly informative and helpful Articles Section can also be found, and I personally recommend reading over the tips on Search Engine Optimization and E-Commerce guidelines. There is even a “Web Hosting Awards” that highlights a company’s specific service to help customers find, for example, the Best Ecommerce Hosting company.

So, overall, WebHostingRatings.com is a great find, a foolproof tool to helping us webmasters and site creators find the best webhosting company for our specific needs.

A storm is coming!

It is on its way. I woke up this morning with that inevitable feeling of summer ending. Considering that it has been raining continuously since the end of the Panagbenga - Baguio Flower Festival 2009 in February - this year’s summer season for Baguio and much of the Northern Philippines is an epic fail. The coming storm is just adding salt to the injury.

A major percentage of Baguio’s business income is derived during the tourist months from November to May. The absence of a real summer has shortened that period to November-February, that’s a full 3 months off the tourist season. The hotels and restaurant owners here must feel really squeamish right now. Business on the regular rainy season from June to October isn’t all that good, so this “absence of summer” will surely take its toll on profitability.

It’s hard enough to get your laundry to dry the past few months, and this weird weather patterns are sure to impact much of the tourism industry in the Northern Philippines. I just hope the coming storm wouldn’t make too much material damage and make something bad even worse.

I just have this strange feeling we’ll have “summer” weather this coming July and August in the Philippines.

Oops! Internet Explorer fail on iBaguio.com fixed!

While playing around with various alternatives to Google AdSense at iBaguio.com, I inadvertedly broke the site’s compatibility with almost all flavors of Internet Explorer. I never bothered to check rendering issues with Microsoft’s maligned web browser after adding some of the html/js code required by Bidvertiser, ExitJunction, and AdBrite. Turns out all of the code had an amusing effect of crashing Internet Explorer instantly when site visitors open the website. I would have been quite content to leave the unintended effect on my hated browser intact, but I just couldn’t turn my back on 55% of iBaguio.com’s visitors who use this antiquated PoS. Firefox, Safari and Chrome seemed to do just fine with the site with all those JavaScript/js codes all over the XHTML.

After much trial and error, removing and debugging several scripts and code, it turns out it was the ad codes from ExitJunction that was causing the Internet Explorer crashes. The code has been removed and iBaguio.com is once again happily viewable by our technologically-challenged Windows users.

Hmmm, I think I’ll intentionally place some malevolent JS code up on the Baguio City website when the percentage of IE users drop to 25%.