An Absolute Beginners Guide To Web Hosting

Part 1 - The Basics
Introduction : Welcome To The World Of Web Hosting
The aim of this book is to give any beginner a look at some of the practical and
more important aspects of web hosting and to provide you with answers to many
of the questions you may have if you are thinking of setting up your first web site
or blog.
Maybe you're just starting out, maybe you've been thinking of setting up your first
blog or are graduating from a free blogging platform. Maybe you're just looking to
understand a little more about web hosting in general or maybe you're confused or
uncertain about what buying a hosting account entails. Whatever has brought you
to this book, I hope you will find it educational and that it will answer some of
your questions.
Everybody has to start somewhere and this is true of hosting and domain name
registration as much as any other field of endeavor.
I have tried to present the chapters in straightforward language and to provide
accompanying illustrations to more clearly demonstrate the subject matter at hand.
I hope that I have managed to strike a balance between keeping things simple and
offering genuinely informative assistance for the beginner.
You may read all or any part of this book as and when you need to refer to it if you
do not wish to read from start to finish. As the name suggests, the book is aimed at
the complete novice, so I have attempted to cover everything I would have liked to
have known before starting out. I appreciate that some readers will be able to skip
certain parts where they already have a basic knowledge.
Hopefully, by referring to the relevant chapters, you will have a far clearer idea of
what is involved in becoming a webmaster, and just what you can expect when
working with a web hosting provider. It will give you a "behind the scenes" view
of the sort of interfaces and tools you will have to work with.
I realize that for many people the thought of setting up and running a web site is
intimidating to say the least. There are seemingly and endless stream of new things
to learn, not least of which being the terminology and jargon often thrown around
by the more experienced.
Web Hosting For Beginners - http://www.thecaymanhost.com/
Let me say at the outset - don't worry. I have broken this down into sections and
you can refer to them in any order you wish. Some of the things you may already
know and others you may be less familiar with, so feel free to study whichever
sections you need the most help with.
I have tried to travel back in time and answer the questions that I would have liked
the answers to when I was just starting out. If you have any questions about any
aspects of the book, please direct them to webmaster@thecaymanhost.com and I
will do my best to answer them for you.
If you do find the book useful and would like to let me know how it helped or
what could be improved, please drop me a line and tell me.
If you know anyone else who you think might benefit, please feel free to give them
a copy of this ebook or use it as a gift for your own subscribers or list members.
Note: This ebook concentrates on the subject of 'shared hosting' on the basis that
it is aimed at those just starting out. This means that you will share space on a
server with an undetermined number of other customers.
Shared hosting is usually perfectly adequate for new webmasters. However, if you
prefer, or if you know that you are going to require it, many of the companies
discussed here and at our hostiung directory will offer alternative solutions such as
dedicated servers, semi dedicated clusters and virtual private servers. If they do
offer these services, full descriptions will be found on their websites.
For now, read through this book and learn the basics so that you know what you
are shopping for when the time comes to buy a hosting plan.
There is a lot of misinformation about shared hosting written by people who don't
really have much of a clue. Just because you share a server does not mean your
sites will be associated in any way with others on the same box, as I saw someone
claiming in an article recently! You may suffer if the company overcrowds its
servers and the cheaper the deal, the more likely it is that this might be a problem
and have a detrimental effect on your site's performance. You pays your money,
you takes your choice!
to be continue