Web Design Competition

One of the best ways to build a dynamic website on a budget is to utilize one of the many open source CMS platforms on the market today. Software options including Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla allow beginning and experienced web developers to easily customize websites. Built on flexible frameworks, it is easy to customize features and designs through modules and themes. Whether you want to build your own unique site or want to build upon a well established framework, open CMS options are ideal for modern web development.

For businesses and individuals just getting started with website development, you can setup an Open source content management system on nearly any Linux hosting package. With a mySQL database, you can easily integrate membership and content management features into your website without the need for custom development. As a result, working with a CMS can accelerate your development time so you can focus on building out your brand.

Open Source Hosting

By combining a Linux based hosting platform with an open PHP and mySQL based software package, you will have flexibility to build your website as you wish. While you may begin with a simple site, using open software will ensure you can scale up your hosting installation to handle more web traffic as you site grows. The combination of easy setup and the ability to expand your site makes software platforms such as Word Press and Movable Type great options for a variety of sites.

Whether you are a small business looking to expand your web marketing, or are a freelance developer with a business idea, open hosting allows you to more easily develop a variety of feature rich sites.

By: Bradley E

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Before investing in a dedicated server take the time to understand what it really takes to operate a web server company. Do you have…

o patience with handling complex technology?
o computer and technical know-how?
o a background in Computer Science?
o familiarity with Control Panels and their limitations?

Another huge reality factor is the demand for 24/7 service. Most internet and website customers now are accustomed to getting tech support around the clock, any time they need it. The bottom line is that you or your employees will be expected to be on call 24 hours a day for to handle sales calls and requests for technical assistance. One of the necessities of running any internet-related business is immediate response if customers are going to remain happy and loyal. Are you prepared to support the needs of your clients if you decide to start a web hosting service?

Be Familiar with All Components

Familiarity with all the latest software is at the top of the check list when it comes to having the tools you need to be a web host. You will need to know what software is available on the market, how it works and what is the price tag attached. Eventually you will be installing this software on your web server to accommodate the needs of your customers.

If you intend to host using a Window 2000 server you will need to have an in depth comprehension of IIS. On the upside, Microsoft offers a huge library of information that describes everything you need to know about their software, but it will require a time commitment on your behalf to read through it all.

Should you be considering a Linux server, you be called upon for your knowledge and command of Secure Shell Security (SSH). You’ll find yourself floundering helplessly if you do not have a sturdy background in Telnet commands if you are using Cpanel as your control panel.

There are some options available as far as how much money you will need to invest up front, but the key here is that you will need to have startup capital to get going. The software you will be required to purchase can be quite costly and your customers will expect you to offer them the best. They are not likely to settle for anything less than a sturdy, reliable server such as a Dual Pentium. This is also really the only way you will have complete control of anything that is going on with your network.

By: Adam Gufarotti

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Caffeinated Content

Green Web hosting has become a pretty common term these days, with a multitude of companies proudly taking on the description and promoting clean renewable methods of powering their data centers. Plug in the term “green Web hosting” on the Internet and an overwhelming amount of sites will display, promising technologies such as “wind powered hosting,” “solar powered servers” or “sustainable websites.” TopHosts took a closer look at this new hosting market and at what it truly takes to uphold this environmental stamp of approval.

Phil Nail, Technology Manager of Affordable Internet Services Online (AISO.net) told TopHosts that they currently stand alone within the industry as a truly green Web host. The company provides a 100% solar powered operation, their own environmentally friendly designed data center, and a redundant solar powered network, on their own land in Romoland, California.

Their steel framed data center – with no wood except for the door frames – maintains 120 solar panels on two large sets of arrays, capable of generating up to 60 kilowatts of electricity each day. Through its commitment to solar hosting, and through various other clean, renewable practices, AISO’s system eliminates the production of 19,890 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (greenhouse gas) per year, 5.9 pounds of Nitrous Oxide (NOX/smog) per year, and 0.45 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide (acid rain) per year – equivalent to planting 3.5 acres of trees per year. And all the while, Nail says AISO supplies Web hosting plans comparable in price and just as reliable as any other company out there.

Degrees of Green Hosting

But while more green hosting companies hit the scene, Nail warns most are not as environmentally committed as they appear. “We check everyday and haven’t found anybody else that actually has green power at their facility,” Nail said. “You really have to read between the lines to see what they really have and then finally you see – green credits.”

In fact, what makes the vast majority of these Web hosts green is the purchase of renewable energy credits (REC). Web hosts audit the amount of harmful greenhouse-gas producing energy they use, and then purchase RECs which fund and support the production of renewable energy across the country. This process is said to offset the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the Web host, which allow these companies to label themselves “green”, Nail explained.

According to AISO’s website, many of the so-called green Web hosts out there don’t run any environmentally friendly technologies at all, but instead buy RECs as a marketing tactic in hopes of making you think they’re helping the environment. AISO says many RECs merely go toward helping polluting power companies boost their green portfolios and meet EPA or government guidelines. “One of the things that has to change is these companies have to stop looking to traditional power and data centers. They have to buy their own buildings and land and use their own green services… and buying green credits doesn’t make your company green,” Nail said.

Green Hosting Compromise

Yet Greg Willson, an Environmental Engineer with PlanetMind.net, a green Web hosting provider, says installing solar panels or constructing wind turbines isn’t exactly a viable option for every Web host at the moment. Without more government help and subsidies, entry costs for implementing renewable technologies can be high and difficult without the proper land, location and money. Willson says purchasing RECs, while employing as many environmentally sound practices as possible, is also a significant part of the green Web hosting movement.

“If a business and employees are true in their own minds about being green and are committed… and help fund green technology they’re helping the future of the (Web hosting) industry… They’re setting the example now,” Willson said.

Wind and Solar Hosting

Planetmind works with a renewable energy retailer that promotes the development of wind energy. Electricity bills are a bit more expensive but the investment ensures that money goes directly to wind farms in the U.S.

David Hardy, also of Planetmind, thinks wind power holds a lot of potential as a source of powerful green energy, so funding it helps the cause. Yet, it remains out of reach for the average company. “Wind is tough, you really need the right location. It’s more suited for the power companies to handle,” Hardy said. “But solar isn’t out of reach at all for the average company.”

Planetmind favors solar power because it can be generated locally and because the cost to install solar panels is currently dropping. Planetmind, in the small mountain community of Nederland, Colorado, generates their own local solar power of about 250 Watts of photovoltaic – enough to power their solar hosting servers and their EcoMail service of about 1,500 accounts.

Carbon Neutral Web Hosting

Even large-scale hosting operations, like Rackspace Managed Hosting, are finding greener ways of doing business. In late 2006, Rackspace announced the UK’s first carbon neutral Web hosting service. Together with the International Tree Foundation, for every online application hosted by Rackspace that opts into the program, one tree will be planted for every server used. That equates to between 200-300 servers a month, Rackspace said, which will offset the carbon emissions produced by each customer’s hosting solution.

Jacques Greyling, managing director of Rackspace Managed Hosting stated: “Rackspace’s clients, which include everything from blue chip, multi-national enterprises to innovative start-ups, are increasingly looking at ways to minimize the negative impact they have on the environment.”

Of course, it’s not exactly green Web hosting, but the attention paid to the environment by a larger operation such as Rackspace’s reflects perhaps a promising future for ecologically aware hosting solutions.

Related Reading: See how server manufacturers and other Web hosts are using technology to save energy and money.

By: George Di Falco

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As hosting plans have evolved to new levels of competitiveness, so also reseller hosting is making giant advances. The term ‘reseller hosting’ may seem a little ambiguous. But, it basically means that a reseller buys a web hosting package from a merchant and sells this independently. The seller makes a profit from the discount that the merchant offers. As the number of customers increases, the reseller will be able to make larger profit margins. Many merchants offer commission when sellers refer customers to the merchant.

Windows reseller hosting plans are basically the resale of windows based hosting plans. Both Linux and Windows are equal players in the web-hosting arena. But, windows reseller hosting plans have some definite advantages, which makes it a popular choice among many customers. Here are some of the reasons why many customers switch over to windows reseller hosting plans.

Powerful, user-friendly tools: Windows, from the time of its inception, has always valued customer friendliness above all else. Thus, a Windows platform is very easy to use, with customer friendly options and tools. Besides, a windows reseller hosting plan also gives you access to ASP.Net, which is a very powerful tool when it comes to developing web based applications. With ASP.Net, you will also be able to use popular content management systems like DotNetNuke. It is true that ASP scripting runs on UNIX platforms, but you would still not have full access to all the powerful features of ASP.Net as this has been developed for full Windows compatibility. On the other hand, you can run applications written in other languages. So, you still have access to Php and MySql, if you need them.

Associated tools: Windows reseller hosting plans gives you access to a number of products like ActiveSync and SharePoint. These tools help you consolidate your marketing position and bring in huge, recurrent dividends, in the long run. Windows reseller hosting plans also provide you with free access to MS SQL, a comprehensive, all-inclusive, data management tool. This business solution allows businesses to organize and analyze critical information while ensuring confidentiality. Your Windows reseller hosting plan makes you eligible to own the fastest growing database tool in the business.

Easy to use: Windows control panel is easy to use and provides you with an all-in-one solution. So, when the number of clients increases, you do not need to keep multiple accounts, which is the case with Linux systems.

Windows reseller hosting plans are popular because the Windows Control Panel makes use of a clustered Directory Technology. Thus, you have access to enterprise solutions right from the start.

These are some of the reasons why resellers find it very profitable to sell Windows reseller hosting plans. These plans allow them to sell their customers solutions that they require, at competitive rates.

Windows reseller hosting plans ensure higher customer satisfaction and give clients the ultimate opportunity to utilize a full pack of cutting edge technologies.

By: Quinlan Murray

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If you are a webmaster developing or maintaining websites then you probably have a home web server for development or testing purposes. An old computer can easily be transformed into a Linux server. If you install also Apache, MySQL and PHP applications you will be able to host websites at your home. Of course, this is not the same hosting as offered by commercial providers, it is only a place where you can install, develop and test web applications. With some additional settings you can access your home computers from any place that has internet access. This is very convenient for getting files you forgot at home.

Assuming that you already have a local area network (LAN) including the router, which is a bridge between your computers and the internet, you need no additional equipment. In order to enable web access from the internet, you have to configure your router to forward outside web requests to the your server. The default port for web is 80, but you can choose any other port number to increase security.

The first prerequisite for remote access is a domain. This is the name of your home server on the internet. There are many services that offer free domains and free updating of IP addresses. This is especially important if you don’t have a static IP address. Most internet providers dynamically assign IP addresses which change once a day or with every connection. Since knowing your external IP address is crucial to access your computers from the internet, you need a way to update the domain DNS records.

Many routers support popular dynamic DNS services like DynDns. If your router has no such function you can still install simple software utility on your computer which will update address every time it will be changed. You should create an account, select preferred domain name and choose your name which you will use as a sub-domain. This account data you should enter into the router settings or external software for IP address update.

Now you have access to your router. Each time you will enter your name followed by the chosen domain, you will reach you router. If you have enabled access to its user interface from the external port, you will be able to configure it as you do it from your home computer. To reach your server you need to configure port redirection. If you would like to use the standard port 80 for web access, then simply create a rule to forward external (public) port 80 to the local port 80 at IP address of your web server. This is everything that is needed to access your web server from anywhere.

Having a possibility to access home computers from any location is very useful when you need some files or data from home. Even if you have a dynamic IP address you can access your development websites and show them to your friends or clients.

By: Erik Laplace

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Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Web page hosting is something that every single web page on the internet has to have since web hosting services are required to have your site seen on the internet. If you want to host a web page on the internet, you will have to wade through thousands of hosting companies in order to find one to suit your needs.

If you are not armed with knowledge of web hosting terminology and technology, how can you possibly make an educated decision on which company should host your web page?

First, you should learn about the different types of web page hosting that are available on the internet. There are a lot of different kinds of web hosting but there are the most common ones used by web pages on the internet.

Shared Web Hosting
With shared web page hosting, numerous web pages are hosted on the same web server. All of these pages will share the same resources available on the server such as internet connection, hard drive space, CPU speed, RAM, etc.

While this is the most common kind of web hosting, it can be dangerous for a professional business because of the sometimes unreliable nature of shared web page hosting.

Virtual Dedicated Server
Virtual dedicated servers are also called virtual private servers. With this type of web hosting account, you are still sharing a server with other web pages but this time you have your own piece of the server’s resources that are dedicated to your site.

In all other aspects, it functions just like a dedicated server where you generally have your own IP address, can host numerous web pages, and have root access to your server.

Dedicated Server Hosting
A dedicated server hosting account is where you have an entire web server that only you get to use and you do not have to share anything with any other web pages.

Dedicated web hosting servers are offered in a number of different formats to suit the needs of a client. You usually get to choose the server specifications depending on your budget.

Colocation dedicated servers are purchased instead of leased servers that are maintained, connected to the internet and stored by a web hosting company.

Dedicated servers are generally assumed to be leased servers where you make a monthly payment to the web hosting service to have use of the web server.

Managed dedicated servers are higher priced leased servers that are managed and controlled by a web hosting company similar to the way a shared hosting account would be managed. Managed dedicated servers do not receive root access but will keep you from landing in a situation where you have messed up a server setting by playing around with something you didn’t have the knowledge to be doing.

Unmanaged dedicated servers are for webmasters that have the knowledge to maintain and even perform software updates to their own web server. This is the cheapest web server leasing option available but you will be responsible for your own machine.

Web Page Hosting Technologies
It is also important that you have a thorough understanding of web hosting technologies before you proceed with purchasing your web hosting account. Again, this is not a complete listing of the different technologies used by web servers and web site hosts, but they are the most important features that you should know about when choosing a web host.

Web Hosting Control Panels
There are actually quite a few different control panel software systems being used by hosting companies these days. Some of these control panels are designed by the companies using them so they can limit access to certain features of their choosing. Other control panels are widely used, powerful pieces of software that give you full control over your web site and the newest technologies available.

It is essential that you select a web hosting service that will give you full access to your site or else you may find yourself needing features that are not available to you. This is especially true when you start trying to install software scripts on your site.

CPanel is probably the most widely used web hosting control panel and is the recommended control panel that you should look for when selecting a hosting service provider.

Web Page Programming Languages and Databases
It is absolutely essential that you are aware of what programming languages and databases you may want to use before you choose a web host. Different scripts that are used for sites on the internet may only be compatible with specific versions of programming languages and databases.

Once you have determined what programming languages and databases you will need, you can search out a web host that can provide you with what your web site will need to run properly. Different web servers will have different versions of programming languages and databases installed on them, so you want to be sure that you will have access to the versions that you need.

All web pages use some sort of HTML and possibly CSS as well. HTML tells the web browser what to show the user while CSS will add style to various elements on the page.

Javascript, PHP and ASP are some of the most common programming languages used by web pages. If you are going to be running a script written in ASP, you want to be sure to get a web page hosting company that can offer you the windows operating system because ASP does not run under Linux.

MySQL is generally viewed as being the best and most widely used database software. It can handle enormous amounts of information and is used by some of the largest, most popular web sites on the internet such as Wikipedia, Facebook and even Google.

Web Hosting Operating Systems
While you may be inclined to choose a windows web hosting account because you use windows on your home computer, you may want to reconsider unless you are going to be running scripts written in ASP. Linux is the dominating operating system on the internet and most scripts will work best under that environment. Many people also argue that Linux servers produce a faster loading page than windows servers.

Web Page Hosting Bandwidth and Hard Drive Limits
A lot of web page hosting service providers are offering unlimited disk space and bandwidth these days, but it is still important to make sure that is what you are signing up for before you select a web host.

Almost all brand new web sites will not have to worry about exceeding bandwidth and hard drive space limits at first, but it is something that you want to be sure to pay attention to because your web page hosting account can be suspended if you reach these limits. If your site is suspended, all web traffic to it will be blocked.

By: Ethan Boss

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Computer hardware uses a lot of energy. Repetitive use of electronics wastes a lot of energy and becomes expensive for the consumer. In large companies, energy waste is an expense that is leaving a big hole in company budgets. As a result, technology consumers are making more earth-conscious choices when it comes to their computers.

Green dedicated servers are an earth-friendly alternative to traditional servers. Green dedicated servers use alternative forms of energy called renewable energy. Renewable energy comes from natural elements such as the wind, sun or water. These renewable energy sources save both the host company and consumers a lot of money.

A big concern amongst environmentalists is that technology (especially electronics) is contributing to the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is the measure of the impact that our activities have on the environment. It relates to the amounts of fossil fuels that are produced as a result of using heat or electricity. When traditional servers are used, they burn an overabundance of these fuels which contributes to this carbon footprint.

Host Companies Promote Carbon-Neutral Dedicated Servers
Many host companies are promoting themselves as “carbon-neutral” and are government-certified as green dedicated servers (and use green trademark logos on their hardware equipment).

By using green servers, web hosting companies are not only doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint but they are also saving consumers energy and money. Consumers save more than 40% in energy costs each year. It makes sense for hosting companies.

High Performing, Earth-Friendly Designated Servers
Technology consumers won’t have any compatibility issues with green servers. However, they can be modified to fit each client’s web domain needs.

These features set green designated servers apart from traditional designated servers:
o Large storage space
o Ample bandwidth and memory (can be upgraded)
o High redundancy
o State-of-the art processors (such as Quad XEON processors)
o Improved power supply units
o Efficient cooling system
o Smaller size (fewer raw materials used which results in less waste)

When technology consumers make the conscious choice to use green designated servers, they are helping reduce harmful pollutants and gas emissions. By making one simple choice to use a more energy-efficient designated server, technology consumers protect the environment from future global warming.

By: Adam Gufarotti

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Kansieo.com

There’s a lot of talk out there regarding the latest Microsoft SharePoint Technologies and the Application Templates that were released with WSS 3.0.

The Application Templates, are pre-created, out-of-the-box options for you to get started with your hosted site, or pages within your SP Site. They are easily applied to new pages and can be manipulated and changed, just like building an SP page from scratch (only, in this case, you don’t have to.)

So what makes Application Templates so special, besides saving you some time getting started?

Well, SP pages are constructed from web parts, which are building blocks that can be added and arranged, providing a preview of the element it represents, and additional access to manipulate the element’s contents without having to leave your SharePoint page. For example, any list or library (or announcement, or calendar) can be added as an element on a hosted SP site, giving you not only easy access to the list or library, but the most recent information within that list or library.

Built and available for all kinds of different purposes (there are 40 templates altogether), there’s bound to be a template that you can make use of.

Let’s say, for example, that you would like to make use of the Change Request Management template for a project that you have already started. The template makes use of web parts for the Projects List, Announcements, Change Requests and Project Issues. The template also contains lists for Project Tasks, Milestones and Risks.

To setup the new template, simply follow these steps:

Click on Site Actions then Create

In the Create Page, under “Web Pages” click Sites and Workspaces.
This brings you to the New SharePoint Site page. Fill in all the relevant and necessary information, like site name, description and the URL. In the “Template Selection” section, under “Application Templates” tab, select Change Request Management. Fill in the rest of the permission information that is relevant to your site.

There you have it! It’s up and running. Of course, like I said, you can easily manipulate the web parts, whether it be adding more, or taking away what you will not be using. To do so, follow these steps (using Internet Explorer).

Click on Site Actions then Edit Page
Now you’re in the Edit Mode, where you can remove, add and rearrange by click-and-drag.

Now you’re all set!

By: Adam Gufarotti

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Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress