The Online Musician

Ok probably the most important part of a website is the hosting, without it you have no site. This is also a very confusing part for alot of people and i won't lie to you, choosing the right host isn't easy nor for the faint of heart. So to make it easier i have compiled a list of some required features your host should have as well as a brief explanation of what they are and why you need it. I have also included a list of links to some good hosts at the end of this article to make choosing a little easier.

1. php/mysql/cgi support - these are must haves, if the host doesn't support their use, find another host. For those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, these items allow you to run all the cool stuff you see on websites like blogs, forums, photo galleries etc. etc.

2.cpanel and fantastico deluxe - also must haves, by having access to these programs you can install all those cool web apps like forums, galleries etc, with just a few clicks of the mouse. This is very handy for the programmingly challenged.

3.FTP Access - this is another required feature, ftp or file transfer protocol is the means in which you transfer files from your computer to the actual server, without having ftp support you can't take advantage of the increased speed and ease of use that 3rd party ftp clients like cute ftp offer. Ftp is also how most web design programs automatically connect to the server to publish, so if the server doesn't support ftp your program is now worthless.

4.Frontpage Support - Windows Frontpage, a very popular design program used by many beginning webbies uses special commands or extensions to connect and communicate with the server, without server support for frontpage installed, all the features that make frontpage such an easy program will be rendered useless.

5.Server Housed in Datacenter - make sure the server is located at a datacenter (basically a secure fortress for servers that guards against power outages, fire, flood etc)and not sitting next to a keg-a-rator and some college students party house.

6.Tech Support - make sure there is some sort of support system, check the site for a forum where users help each other or support ticket submission service, usually you won't have to look very hard for the support info, it should just about jump off the screen and bite you, if you have to look hard, move on.

7.No Pop-ups - pretty simple, you are paying for hosting you should never have popups forced upon you, on a paying account if you do, drop them in a hurry. Also a hosting company should never require you to have a link to their site if you pay for hosting.

8.Storage/Bandwith Limits -
Storage: the amount of space for files stored on the server
Bandwith: is the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur between your web site and the rest of the internet

When using mp3s in your website, make sure you get ample bandwith to support them, a mp3 is roughly 1mb per min, so a 5 min song is 5mb. Each time that file is accessed 5mb of bandwith is used, that mp3 can then get played 200 times before using 1gb of bandwith. (approx 1000mb=1gb)

9.Mp3/Multimedia Support if you plan on having multimedia files in your website make sure the hosts allow them. In an effort to curtail bootlegging many hosts don't allow those kind of files to be streamed.

10.Email and Subdomains - this is the ability to have yourname@yourdomain.com email addresses and whatever.yourdomain.com. You should have an unlimited amount of both, for some reason hosts limit or charge more for extras, if they do and its something you can't live without move on. But it's really not all that important.

Domain Name Purchase
Aplus.Net - $5.95 Domain Names
Register your domain at Yahoo! Only $9.95.

Xen Hosting -where basscrawler is hosted
500mb storage/10 gb transfer $3.00 per month - xen hosting
1500mb storage/20 gb transfer $6.00 per month - xen hosting
2500mb storage/40 gb transfer $9.00 per month - xen hosting

More Hosting Options
Hostgator.com -where ugly bass player.com is hosted.
Aplus.net Hosting