Yahoo Web Hosting Is A No Go for Beginners

Yahoo claims that Yahoo Web Hosting is for beginners. In late January I had signed up with Bluehost and realized right away that they were too advanced for me and actually got my money back inside of 3 hours or so from the time I signed up with them. On February 1 of 2008 I was starting my very first web site with Yahoo! We Hosting. For all intense purposes my first, period. At this time I had never even helped anyone with a web site either. I was true beginner.
Yahoo! Web Hosting technical writing has proved to be less than accurate. I have found at least 15 errors in their technical writing, that I know for sure are mistakes.....now. When I first applied their tech writing examples I didn't know just how often and how incorrect their tech writing actually is. I spent hours on things that were written wrong in one way or another.

After my first error or two I would write technical support via email. Nine times I have wrote their email support. Four times they answered my technical question. The answers came anywhere from 5 to 12 days after submission of the question. Two of those answers didn't address my question in any way. The other two were exact copies of the technical writing you can look up in their help section. Now I do understand their philosophy here. Normally people will not actually read the help section. I did and and when I received nothing that would aid to me achieving my task at hand, is when I emailed them. When I received an exact copy of the same information I had read, it was of no use. Basically speaking I am 0 for 9 writing technical support via email with Yahoo! Web Hosting.

After waiting three days or so on my first submission to Yahoo! Web Hosting email support, I decided to phone their tech support. I had became impatient waiting for that initial email to be answered, which by the way, is one of my five submissions that has never been answered via email support. When I called technical support the first time I had to wait awhile for a tech to get on the phone with me. I figure they must have been busy that day in particular. I was wrong. It is normal.

I actually began checking to see how long it took for a tech to get with me on each call. I was curious because of the consistent wait times. I collected this data as I went, at the time, for my own personal reasons. One reason was that if I had something to do I wanted to know if I had time to call Yahoo! Web Hosting technical support. I kept records on 14 calls that were in reference to just five different problems. I have called three and four times to technical support on the same issue because I didn't get the answer I needed from the first two or three calls.
When a customer calls Yahoo! Web Hosting technical support they receive an automatic message stating that tech support will be with you shortly and that all calls are answered in order. Sometimes another automatic message comes on telling you the average wait time. From this point my average wait time for technical support at Yahoo! Web Hosting was over 56 minutes before I would actually be talking live with a technical support representative. These are exceedingly long waits but that is still not why am disappointed with Yahoo! Web Hosting, you'll have that I guess.

One awful thing that happened is that one of those calls, I waited for 1 hour and 36 minutes, and right after I had made the tech understand my question, my phone died. I had to recharge it and call again. When you know the average wait time is that long, like I did, it's a complete bummer. I should have made sure my phone was charged, my bad.

Of the 14 calls I received three correct and very helpful solutions to my problem. The others were wrong or I received no effort to answer my question. Sometimes I would receive several bits of slightly wrong information, then actually figure out my dilemma via piecing together all the data I received from 3 or 4 calls to technical support. That has occurred twice. No matter how it worked I did get five dilemmas solved through 14 calls albeit the wait time is a bit of a hassle.

One example of a less than accurate group of answers, that lead to me figuring out my own problem, was the sitemap. Go to help.yahoo.com and type "sitemap"(not: site map) into their help search bar and then click search. This will bring you to a page that has 5 to 10 answers listed. The first says "How to build a sitemap" , click on it. If you do know java script then you can look at the very bottom of either example script and you will see they end with two end url's before the end url set. Because there are two end url's this site map will never work.

I called their support four times about my sitemap without knowing this two end url thing with java scripting, because I am a beginner. None of the four techs knew what my problem was and 3 stated that they weren't required to know java scripting. The other, and obviously last, came on the phone after a short wait at yahoo tech support of 36 minutes, and he didn't know either. But he busted his behind for the next 1 hour 43 minutes getting me an answer, by conferring with other techs that he was apparently right near. I allowed him access to my File Manager, via giving him my password, at one point. I had 52 pages on my "sitemap", when he got done, there were only the four main pages. Then I asked him if he did the yahoo web hosting tech writing sitemap template exactly as it is written. He said "yes".

I didn't bother to let him know he didn't. I had noticed by looking at his 4 page xml scripted sitemap that there was only one end url at the bottom of his script, that did work. Although I was now without the other 48 pages, I did know where the problem was. I asked him what I would have to do to get my other 48 pages on this xml filed sitemap. He said to go into my file manager and insert them into the xml file at that point. Wrong! Luckily I knew that was wrong. You see you can't edit an xml coded file the same as html coded file. You have to save it as an .xml file, in notepad or some other capable program, which was stated correctly in the Yahoo! Web Hosting technical writing. Then upload the saved .xml file in your root directory.

In order to make it easy I just went back to my original code, which I still had saved inside notebook, and erased one of the end url's at the bottom. Then I re-saved it as an .xml file. I then re-uploaded it and it worked, magically. This was one example of multiple wrong answers in tech writing and phone support that I cyphered through and made work. I couldn't get mad at that tech, even though he was still quite wrong, because he tried extremely hard to help me, and did show me the glitch, whether he knew it or not. He didn't just quit on me and say he wasn't required to know java scripting.

I know of many other errors in Yahoo! Web Hosting technical writing that you will find in the help section. The reason I will not shed light on these other wrong answers is because I want to get paid for them. You know, for all the time I have waisted, that these same bad technical writings cost me. I would be so much further ahead, with why I actually decided to start a web site, if it weren't for these errors at Yahoo! Web Hosting.

In short I wouldn't tell someone to sign up for Yahoo! Web Hosting unless all they wanted was to build an information oriented site. If all you want to do is put a bunch of free information on a site then Yahoo! Web Hosting would definitely work. The technical support won't be needed too much for this, if at all. If you want to implement add-ons or do anything out of the ordinary you have to know java scripting, it's that simple.

I currently have 2 problems that are unsolved. One is how to connect Pay Pal with my site. The other is my sitemap which keeps reverting back to the original four page sitemap. I have contacted phone support about the Pay pal issue but not the sitemap. Phone support said that I would have to write a .php script and that they weren't required to know .php scripting at Yahoo!Web Hosting technical support.

That is what makes me mad, every single time. Here are some questions that Yahoo! Web Hosting should put in a questionaire poll for the purpose of gathering data on this subject of beginners building web sites.

1. How many web building beginners have heard of java scripting?

2. How many web building beginners know what java is, if they have heard of it?

3. How many web building beginners know that there is more than one type of java scripting?

4. How many web building beginners know how to right any form of java scripting?

5. How many web building beginners know how to write html script?

6. How many web building beginners know how to write php?

7. How many web building beginners know if they are looking at errors in the example scripting?

8. How many web building beginners feel technical support will be required to know the answers?

9. How many web building beginners expect answers from email support?

10. How many web building beginners expect answers from email support within 5 days?

11. How many web building beginners believe the example templates will all work every time?

12. How many web building beginners know what MySQL is?

13. How many web building beginners know how to manage MySQL.

14. How many web building beginners know how to mesh MySQL with .php? I will stop here as the average bear already gets the point.

Because of all the errors that I have found in Yahoo! Web Hosting technical writing I am very cautious and reluctant when reading their technical writing. Most of it is well written, but knowing some is flat wrong, creates a great tendency to be skeptical. I even have taken this philosophy to another level. When it comes to subject like java scripting, Yahoo! Web Hosting offers a company with a whole bunch of free information, php.com. They have free info in all types of java scripting. I won't even go to their site and learn, I go to tizag.com instead. I have no idea if the one Yahoo! Web Hosting offers is good or bad because I simply don't trust them because of their close association with Yahoo! Web Hosting.

A little advice to those already using Yahoo! Web Hosting (1) Take their technical writing with a grain of salt. If it doesn't work at first, try again, if it still doesn't work call phone support (2) If phone support even starts out like they don't know, just end that call, then call again and cross your fingers you get a good one. They do have some good phone techs. (3) Never email for support.

Yahoo! Web Hosting does offer some very excellent services. I have had any easy time navigating through my site with their control panel and file manager. Their Site Solutions would be excellent for a beginner as long as the beginner was building a site for informative reasons. They have so many different templates available that I can't see anyone not having a problem of which one they liked best. This is true with Site Builder as well, which is what I use. Their email editor is simple and easy to understand. In my opinion the whole thing goes bad at the point of adding extras, it is impossible and frustrating for a web building beginner that doesn't know multiple types of java scripting.

You may have noticed by some of the things I wrote of that I do know some java scripting now. I even know all the answers to questions #1, #2, #3, and #12 and some of #4, #5, #6, #7. I only knew the answers to question #1 on January 31. Thanks to Yahoo! Web Hosting I am a little less ignorant when it comes to these matters.

My name is Sam and I created the web site http://www.UScarnys.com Come by and check my site out. USCarnys already has probably the best free bonafide fair and festival listing on the internet. Go to the merchandise page and check out where to buy rides and stuffed animals and the other relevant companies associated with the outdoor amusement industry in one way or another.

Teach Me to Build My Own Website

Learning to build your own website can be challenging, but a great outlet for your creativity, as well. Take a look at this general overview to find the answer to the question "How do I build my own website?"

Hosting Your Site

Both free and paid web hosting have their pros and their cons. If you opt to use a free site, you will undoubtedly have ads from the site on your pages; that is how the free sites keep the site free. If you are fine with that, then a free site may be the right choice for you. If you do not like the idea of having advertising on your site, you may want to go with a paid web host. Free sites also tend to have less space allotted to each site, while paid hosts have all of the space you will need.

Free blog hosts have become very popular over the last few years and there is a good reason why. Blogs are very easy to adapt to most types of sites, there are a variety of easy-to-use templates from which to choose, the search engine optimization is taken care of and they provide plenty of space. If a blog host does not appeal to you, some free web hosts include doteasy.com, 50megs.com, stormloader.com and homestead.com. For a fee, most of these hosts will remove the ads from the site.

Domain Name

Businesses will need a unique domain name. Personal sites have more flexibility; it is a matter of personal preference. Domain names are not expensive. Average cost is about $10; you should be able to find a domain name registrar for less if you look around. Domain names can be purchased at a registrar and it does not have to be the host you decide to do business with; however, many hosts offer domain names as part of the hosting package.

Planning The Site

Consider what kind of a site it is you want to build. Is it for a business, informational purposes, family pictures or reference? Maybe a combination of types. Next, work on site navigation. Do not make your visitor hunt through layers and layers of pages to find the information he or she is looking for. Most people will leave the site if they cannot find information they want quickly. Navigation needs to be simple and clearly laid out. Plan your content. What topics will you cover? What formats will be available: audio, text, video? Free articles are available at sites like articlesbase.com or you can outsource content for about a penny a word at an article writing service.

Page Building and Publishing

The web host you have chosen may have a page editor as part of the package, but often these are quite limited in what they can do; whether it will work for you depends on your needs. You can also use an editor such as Dreamweaver or Sandvox.

Filezilla and Cyberduck are two free FTP programs that you can use to transfer your files from your computer to your hosting site. These two programs are not the only free FTP programs around, so if you already have one or do not like either one of these, you can choose another.

Site Promotion And Maintenance

To promote your site you can hire a search engine optimization specialists or do it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself you will need to read several SEO do-it-yourself sites that have instructions on the basics of SEO (search engine optimization).

Maintaining your site is paramount in order to keep the visitors and search engines coming back to see what is new. But, once your initial site is up and running, maintaining it will not take more than two or three hours a week at most. These are the basic steps I took when I decided to build my own website.

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A Hostmonster Web Hosting Review - An Honest Look at This Alternative to the Big Boys

Hostmonster is the web host I have used since I began my internet adventure over one year ago. They had the best reviews and they were cheap. I opted for the unlimited sites package which has allowed me to host over 20 sites with them with no downtime. This will be a balanced review!

I have just renewed my yearly subscription (it is cheaper to pay yearly), and assume I could have as many websites as I want on their server. The customer support has been good on the live online chat and on the phone. The cPanel (menu inside Hostmonster) is very easy to navigate and allows you to easily apply WordPress, shopping carts and tonnes of other stuff with just one click. For a newbie it is very user friendly, and there are even Google AdWords vouchers for free to get you started in pay per click advertising. Personally I have used XSitePro, Blogger, Joomla and WordPress for my sites and various scripts. All were super easy to use.

For anyone wanting to promote porn or adult content sites then I'm afraid you cannot do that with Hostmonster. I learned that the hard way buy buying a domain which they quickly turned off when I put a porn affiliate link on it. I was just experimenting though so it was just a waste of $10 for the domain, I quickly realised that the adult market is saturated anyway so it didn't bother me.

The only other slight issue was that I have sent an email support ticket once which was ignored, however they have live instant messaging chat which is far better to use and there was always someone available on that when I needed it (2-3 times). They have 24 hour phone support too which is handy if you work late or are abroad.

I have just renewed by yearly subscription with them and I doubt I will ever need to upgrade or look for another host. Apparently the unlimited package is unlimited until you have an enormous site with thousands and thousands of customers. Most people don't have those size sites so the unlimited cheap package is perfect and very good value.

For more information and another review on Hostmonster check out this link A Hostmonster Review

Web Hosting -- Let Me Explain

If you want a website, then before you do anything else, you're going to need to get some web hosting.

You might not be too sure exactly how the web works, but don't worry - it's quite complicated, and you don't really need to know about it until you want to make your own website. Basically, every time you go to a website, you connect to another computer (called a server) that sends you copies of that website's pages. Server have to be powerful, as thousands of people could be asking for those pages every second on the web's biggest sites.

For a small site, you don't need your own server. You could set your own computer up to run as a server, but you would have to leave it switched on and connected to the Internet all day long, and if your site got even a little bit popular then your connection probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Instead, what most people do is rent some space on one of those larger servers, paying a different monthly fee depending on how much data their visitors download and for any extra features they need.

If you want a website, then, the first thing you should do is find which one of these web hosts is best for you - that is, whose server you should rent space on. Much like looking to rent a home, this is really a matter of personal taste. Paying more is no guarantee of quality, as many hosts prey on their customers' lack of understanding to charge unjustifiably high prices. In general, the best way to find a good web hosting company is to ask around, read reviews, and ask on forums for people's experiences. You'll often find that what seemed like a good deal is actually a disaster, and be steered towards something much better.

John Gibb is the owner of web hosting guidance [http://www.web-hostng-advice-and-info2k.info] For more information on web hosting check out [http://www.web-hostng-advice-and-info2k.info]

Understanding the Game of Dodgeball

I consider myself plenty intelligent. Still, there are some things I just can't wrap my head around. One of these things is dodgeball. I don't understand dodge ball at all. When did it become 'fun' for kids to hurl hard plastic balls at one another? And why is this considered a game instead of a form of violence?

I can remember being on the playground as a child and dreading dodgeball. We had no way to get out of it. Out on the concrete, our gym teachers would herd us into a circle and pick a few unlucky kids - usually the new kids - to stand in the circle.

These kids in the circle were the targets for other kids to try to hit with the balls. The kids would have to bob and weave and try to keep from being hit as long as they could. It was impossible to successfully dodge for long. The first time I played, I got hit smack in the face.

It was horrible. The ball hit me so hard it knocked me down and I passed out. When I woke up, the pain was terrible and it made me cry for a good while.

Why do schools still have kids play this game? What benefit comes from learning about dodgeball? What does this teach kids other than to be brutal?

Kids learn to try to stay alive while being attacked by their peers. Is this really the type of thing that we want children to be learning while in school?

When I look back to my own childhood, I am astounded to think about kids being able to play this way. There are so many other games to play while on recess. Why would schools want to encourage a game that is based on being violent?

I truly cannot think of any benefit that can possibly come from dodgeball. I'm so glad that I won't ever have to take a gym class ever again.

Randy has also written about comparing casual dinnerware sets and finding a matching flatware chest.

Linux Resellers Hosts - Your Flexible and Affordable Choice For Internet Business

You have a great idea for a website and know how to build one. This is great, but the one thing that can make or break your online business may be totally out of your control. A great web site hosting company, and the right plan, can help your business. A poor hosting choice can damage, or even ruin your online business. As a veteran online business person, let me tell you what look for.

First, I believe that reseller hosting plans are the flexible and affordable choice for most of us. A reseller hosting plan allows an online business to have several websites included with one account. That way, when you have an idea for another domain, you do not need to buy another hosting plan. As your business grows, and you obtain several domains, you will see that it is much more affordable than buying a hosting plan for each domain. If you are serious about working online, I really urge you to consider reseller hosting.

I started out with basic plans that only supported one website. I realized that I had dozens of accounts spread around more than one hosting company. It was very confusing and it ended up being much more expensive in the long run. Even if you only pay $5 a month for each domain, a dozen will end up costing $60.

Of course, I eventually cleaned up most of these websites under a reseller account which only cost me about $25 a month, and now I am up to a couple of dozen domains! Besides, when I get my big idea and grab a new domain at 2am, I do not have to wait! I can buy a domain, set up the name servers, and have a page up by dawn!

The next thing you need to consider is an operating system for your hosting. While I have discussed the advantages of Windows hosting in some other articles, I usually end up with Linux hosting. Why? Well, frankly I suggest Linux hosting just because it is more common, and so software that I may want later is written to support Windows hosting. Most good hosts provide graphic administration panels so you do not have to be a Linux expert to use them at all. With the click of a few buttons and some simple forms, you can perform all the needed changes to your domain from setting up databases to changing file security! he

So if you are starting your first website, or if you have an idea for your tenth website, consider a reliable Linux Reseller host. I think you'll be satisfied.

Learn more about making money online with your own websites.

You can learn how to start affiliate marketing with no upfront investment.

Positive Things To Do For Yourself

Being a mom can take a toll on your body, your mind, and your soul. I know I am a mom to 3 wonderful but hyper boys ages 11, 9 and 3 and there are days where I really need to take a break from everything that goes on around me.

Sometimes though when you are blue its really hard to know what to do to bring yourself out of that "mom blues funk".

So I created a short list of things that I like to do when I just need those few minutes to rejuvenate myself and help me refocus on what is important to me and my life.

* Have a journal that you can write down things that are bothering you, get it off your chest so that it doesn't interfere with anything else. Read it once a month to see if you were able to deal with the problems or feelings you had at that time.

* VIEW yourself as attractive, beautiful-and you'll project that impression to others.

* Work at developing a positive attitude. You'll feel happier, more in control, and you'll radiate high self-esteem.

* Start viewing problems as challenges that you can overcome and learn from.

* Associate with positive successful people. Optimism and success are contagious.

* Alleviate stress with a relaxation technique such as meditation or yoga. Or simply do a 60 second deep breathing exercise 5-6 times a day.

* Do aerobic exercise daily to relieve tension and boost energy.

* Limit alcohol and caffeine intake. Alcohol can leave you feeling sluggish: too much caffeine can trigger restlessness and irritability.

* Learn to set priorities, saying "no" to nonessential activities. Can you do this one? I have a hard time saying no.....

* Eat healthy, choosing foods from the four food groups: dairy, protein, fruit/vegetable, and grains. Eating healthy gives us the energy! Don't skip breakfast even if you don't have time you can grab a piece of toast and an apple.

* Avoid drastic weight loss programs. Instead, combine aerobic exercise with an eating plan that limits fat intake. Do not go under 30 grams of fat a day though even if trying to lose weight, we need some fat in our bodies or our bodies will think it is starving and save all those calories instead of letting you burn them off.

I don't expect you to do this list all at once. That would be adding just one more stress to your life. Read over the list again and choose the ones that are most important to you now. Once you have accomplished what you chose to work on then move on to another one that is important to you.

Rebecca White is the host for Heal Yourself Talk Radio. HYTR was started to help teach others to learn how to heal their mind, body and soul. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter for weekly inspirations, podcast releases and more. Visit HYTR today at http://www.healyourselftalk.com

Web Hosting Explained For Newbies

Introduction

Very basically, web hosting is renting space, and certain services, on a fairly powerful computer called a 'server', or 'web server', that is connected to the internet. You cannot have a website online without using some form of web hosting.

Just because your PC or notebook is connected to the internet, does not mean you can run your website from them. It requires certain other hardware and software to 'host' a website on the internet.

Companies that offer these internet-connected servers that provide space, and services, are call Web Hosts, or Hosting Companies. Web hosting allows you to have your own website up, running, and connected to the internet 24/7. No matter what your site is, or what it contains, the host will keep it available for anyone on the internet.

The server

Think of a web server as a supercharged desktop PC. One that is capable of handling multiple users and doing multiple tasks at the same time. This server has both hardware and software that is designed from the ground up to serve the internet. A web hosting company may have hundreds, if not thousands of these servers. All available for renting and connected to the internet.

Each one of these servers has a name, these names are called 'nameservers'. When you sign up for a web hosting account, the hosting company will tell you on which of their web servers your space will be located, that is, they will tell you the nameservers. This is important, because you are going to need to know this bit of information later on down the road.

How to make use of the host

For a web site to be made available on the Internet, it has to be hosted on a web server. But you don't build or create your website on the server. This is done on your own PC or notebook.

There are various tools available for creating and building websites, there are even good free tools available, but we won't go into that here. The thing to remember is that you build the site on your own computer, then move it to the web server for hosting, so that its available on the internet.

This moving of your website file(s) from your computer to the web server is called 'uploading'. You 'upload' your files to the internet, that is, to your server.

There is no editing of the files on the web server. If you want to make changes to your website on the internet, you must make the changes to the files on your computer, and then upload the changed files to your web server. This creates a new version.

So now you're wondering, how do you connect with your web server, and upload the files to it? Good question, you use a kind of software called 'ftp' software. This ftp software forms a connection between your computer and the web server at the hosting company.

This software shows you the files and folders on your server, and also shows you the files and folders on your computer. Then it's a simple matter of dragging and dropping files from your computer to the web server.

Domain Name

Now when talking about web hosting, we also have to mention domains. A domain is a name that you purchase from a 'domain registrar'. That is, a company that sells domain names, and makes sure that they are all unique. It wouldn't be a good idea to have multiple websites with the same name. We won't talk about getting a domain name here, for our purposes right now lets assume you've already got a domain name.

Putting the two together

So, you've got a domain name. Now you're wondering what do you do with it, and why does it relate to web hosting? Another good question.

You have to associate that domain name with the space that you are renting from the hosting company. Think of when you move to a new residence. The new house has an address, you have your name, but you have to tell the postman that your name is now to be associated with that address. One without the other is useless.

Web hosting is the same. You have to associate your domain name with the space you're renting on the web server. This space then becomes your 'domain'. Your domain is the part after the 'http://www.' in your web address.

To make this association you need to tell the company you got the domain name from where you are going to host that domain. That is, you need to tell them the nameservers that your hosting company gave you. That way whenever someone types in your domain name, they will be taken to your domain, hosted on your web servers.

This is how your domain name gets tied to the web servers of your hosting account. This becomes your domain. Its your little piece of internet real estate.

So that is what web hosting is all about. Its renting some space on a web server, then labeling it with your domain name, and then uploading your website files on it so you can have your website on the internet.

The author has his own web business and blog which can be found at http://www.InternetMarketingforBeginnersBlog.com. There you will find tools, tips, products, resources, and other bits gathered specifically for internet marketing beginners.

What is Shared Web Hosting and Will it Work For Me?

Shared web hosting is when your website shares a server with other people's websites. Companies usually offer this as a least expensive alternative to dedicated hosting where you have your own server. Shared hosting can either be name based or IP based. The major difference between the two is that IP based has its own IP address and name based also shares an IP address with other websites. Of the two IP based web hosting is more secure because it usually have multiple network interfaces and is able to use its own SSL certificate rather than sharing one.

In general using shared hosting may not be as secure as dedicated hosting but web hosting companies that offer this service realize that and have increased security for this type of hosting to alleviate any problems. In addition, shared hosting may not be as flexible as the alternative. You will not have complete control over your system. For instance, you cannot choose the operating system with shared hosting you would have to find service that already offers the one you want. In general you cannot choose what hardware to put on the server. Shared hosting comes with the hardware on it already.

So depending on what you are using your new website for the negatives may not be negatives at all. Since most share hosting service comes with lots of things on the server to meet your needs many of us wouldn't want to go through having to figure all that out anyway. I know I wouldn't. So by getting shared hosting you can save some money up front but dedicated may save more money in the long run for those who need it. So should you buy shared web hosting? I say yes, this is one of the most popular types of hosting being sold and most of us are already using it.

L. Tigue
For more information on finding a web host visit me at http://www.webs.goodrates4u.com/.