Beginner’s Webhosting
Webhosting
For Beginners
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As someone who might be starting out, you may find it difficult to make a choice So, I created this simple report to help you make a good decision.
There are several different types of servers and I will predominantly offer US |
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Wait a minute… what is a web host in the first place?
A web host is a collective term that refers to the provider (aka web hosting
provider) that gives you some space on a server (a computer that holds files)
that you can upload files into.
If you are new, you will probably find it difficult to understand, so I shall
make it as simple as possible. When you upload files from your digital camera to
your computer, for instance, you need a device to do this upload. Most of us
either transfer the files using a USB cable or through some kind of card reader.
Your computer automatically detects this device, and then you can transfer files
with no issue.
Now… just imagine that the cables cross the oceans from Singapore to other parts
of the world. Now, you have the ability to transfer a file from Singapore into a
US web server. Simple, isn’t it?
You will have to upload files by transferring data from your computer to a
server using a protocol known as FTP (file transfer protocol). It’s a way of
remotely accessing your server, and is also a way of moving your files from one
place to another.
In fact, you can upload your files using a software called Filezilla. Download
this from http://filezilla.sourceforge.net. It’s a free software that you can
use today. Basically, to upload the file, you must have information from your
web server, namely, the FTP address (usually yourdomain.com/.net/.org), the user
ID and the password. By default, the port where you access FTP is 21.
Once you load up the software, it enters into a familiar ‘windows explorer’ type
mode. All you need to do is to drag files from the left side into the right side
of the window pane on your screen.
NOTE: Be careful when you are uploading files – don’t upload files into the root
folder (which means, the folder that you immediately see when loaded). If you
typically run a Linux server (Linux is an operating system that is governed
under the GPL), you need to change your directory to /public_html/. Different
servers will have different folders as its default for serving pages, so to cut
the pain of having different servers with different levels of compatibility, I
have highlighted several types of servers you should be getting.
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The Difference Between a virtual private server and a dedicated server
For the longest time, I had no idea how to differentiate the two. So, I found
that where the VPS (some people call them dynamic dedicated servers) is
concerned, you ‘appear’ to have your own server, but it is actually a shared
server, compared with an actual dedicated server, where all the space and
bandwidth are yours.
In this sense, a VPS has less functionality in its configuration, and typically
has less capacity in terms of volume of traffic. Obviously, VPS were created for
people who don’t have a high volume of traffic such as beginners. That’s why it
can be created so cheaply. You literally only pay $7 - $10 per month only,
compared with dedicated servers which go for anything between $100 - $500 a
month depending on the level of functionality you need.
By the way, all this is in US dollars.
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So What Do You Recommend, Stuart?
I’d definitely recommend a few possibilities.
Recommended Host #1:
For complete beginners
This one is great for beginners. It gives 50GB of space – far more than you
need, but charges you a mere $4.95 a month! Unlimited email accounts, 999GB of
transfer, unlimited add-on domains, unlimited subdomains… I think this one is a
real killer. It’s definitely user friendly because of the cPanel and Fantastico
script on this.
I’d recommend this because of the great price and the fact that it is a TRUE
dedicated server. I’m kicking myself in the hind for not finding this resource
earlier, and those of you already more advanced users know this is really a deal
that seems too good to be true, but is. They are promoting in order to get more
business in, so I’d reckon you should just hop over and check it out!
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Stuart,
What Do I Do After I Get My Server?
Well, the first thing you will have to do is to save your user ID and password
to your control panel. The next thing is to find a software that is suitable for
your needs. I would recommend that you start off and explore using a Blog on a
Fantastico script. It merely takes 4 clicks, fill in a form and you’ve installed
it!
You can install practically ANY of the scripts that come along with Fantastico.
All these scripts are user friendly to install, and are FREE for your usage. I
recommend that you look into them and go back to the source of these software to
check for online manuals. For instance, Wordpress functions can be learnt on
Wordpress.org, although it is actually quite verbose. You can also get to learn
how to use Joomla/Mambo, which are both great content management systems. They
are rather difficult to create because you need to get used to this system
before it becomes intuitive.
If you have difficulty installing the software, you could go on ExchangeNet on
this portal and request for some help in installation in exchange for something
you could do for this person.
If you are the type that must learn how to do the
technical stuff yourself, you might want to get together in a group and seek
some help there. The forums are always available for you if you need assistance.
This is just to get you started. The rest of it will be up to you to decide what
to do with the web server. Remember – it’s not the technical stuff that is
important. What matters most is to get the system set up quickly, develop online
content and then drive traffic to it.
