March 10, 2007 |
'Free WWW Hosting' - Similar to Free Lunch
March 10, 2007
Go to any search engine and type in "free web hosting." You'll get thousands of pages in the result.
The fine print and the "fabulous offers" will be something like the following.
Do you know what all that means? (Answer: It means you have to hire a techie. When did YOU last configure a Unix or Windows system with email and web server? Not a pretty sight, we assure you.)
The fine print and the "fabulous offers" will be something like the following.
"Free with..." (your telephone company, your copier supplier, your ... will no doubt happily assign you a 20-something who took a 14-week course in web design at the local business or community college; good luck!)
"Free! 100Mb" (they put ads on your site or in popups that appear with every page)
$4.95/mo 200Mb (basic hosting; define your own: Free Domain Name 200MB Disk Space Unlimited POP3 E-mail Accounts Unlimited Web Page Hits E-mail Forwarding Catch All E-mail E-mail Auto Responders Web Based Control Panel Front Page Extensions FTP Access 24/7 Customizable Error Pages SSI-PHP,Perl,MySQL Site Creation Tool Personal CGI Directory No Contracts Cancel Anytime Detailed Web Statistics Free Shopping Cart 2 months Free Hosting Password Protected Directories Raw Log File Access Free 24/7 Support Dell Poweredge Servers Free Search Engine Submission Fast Linux Apache Server
$9.95 (FREE Setup 200 megabytes Web site space 50 megabytes MySQL storage 5,000 megabytes Web transfer 15 Email accounts 30 megabytes per E-mail account Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus Protection ExpressionEngine Demo Installed 20% off pMachine.com Software! Many more features included!)
$69/year (EasyAdmin panel Front Page Extensions (support 2002, 2000, and 98 versions) 2 Gigs of Transfer Virtually unlimited email aliases MySQL Support Perl 5 Support PHP 4 Support CGI Support SSI Support Web Based Email Detailed Visitor Stats Access via both http://www.yourname.com and http://yourname.com Ability to create up to 20 users FTP account for each user POP3 Email Account for each user Autoresponder for each user Email forwarding for each user
$10/mo (100 Megabytes of Web Space Unlimited E-mail Accounts E-Mail Auto Responder E-Mail Forwarding Mailing Lists FTP Service Web Usage Reports File BackUp Utility FrontPage Extensions CGI Access 3.2 Gig Of Data Transfer )
"Free! 100Mb" (they put ads on your site or in popups that appear with every page)
$4.95/mo 200Mb (basic hosting; define your own: Free Domain Name 200MB Disk Space Unlimited POP3 E-mail Accounts Unlimited Web Page Hits E-mail Forwarding Catch All E-mail E-mail Auto Responders Web Based Control Panel Front Page Extensions FTP Access 24/7 Customizable Error Pages SSI-PHP,Perl,MySQL Site Creation Tool Personal CGI Directory No Contracts Cancel Anytime Detailed Web Statistics Free Shopping Cart 2 months Free Hosting Password Protected Directories Raw Log File Access Free 24/7 Support Dell Poweredge Servers Free Search Engine Submission Fast Linux Apache Server
$9.95 (FREE Setup 200 megabytes Web site space 50 megabytes MySQL storage 5,000 megabytes Web transfer 15 Email accounts 30 megabytes per E-mail account Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus Protection ExpressionEngine Demo Installed 20% off pMachine.com Software! Many more features included!)
$69/year (EasyAdmin panel Front Page Extensions (support 2002, 2000, and 98 versions) 2 Gigs of Transfer Virtually unlimited email aliases MySQL Support Perl 5 Support PHP 4 Support CGI Support SSI Support Web Based Email Detailed Visitor Stats Access via both http://www.yourname.com and http://yourname.com Ability to create up to 20 users FTP account for each user POP3 Email Account for each user Autoresponder for each user Email forwarding for each user
$10/mo (100 Megabytes of Web Space Unlimited E-mail Accounts E-Mail Auto Responder E-Mail Forwarding Mailing Lists FTP Service Web Usage Reports File BackUp Utility FrontPage Extensions CGI Access 3.2 Gig Of Data Transfer )
Do you know what all that means? (Answer: It means you have to hire a techie. When did YOU last configure a Unix or Windows system with email and web server? Not a pretty sight, we assure you.)
Hosting = Empty Space
All these "plans" are essentially like renting empty space in an unfinished building. You need a system operator (building manager) and a webmaster (custodian) to make anything happen. The real cost is in the labor needed to set up the site at a user level, not at a technical level. Hiring your own staff or using a custom designer means that you pay and wait to set up service, pay and wait to define your site's technical operation, pay and wait to create content, pay and wait to maintain or add content (even the simplest changes).
Take any of these "deals," and you'll pay them back by overpaying for phone, copier... service. Each time you need help, you will have to deal with a new person.
Nothing is free; if you believe otherwise, you may be too foolish to be our client. We'd rather help others pursue their interests than help you recover from bad decisions. Not just anyone can whitewash our fence.
Take any of these "deals," and you'll pay them back by overpaying for phone, copier... service. Each time you need help, you will have to deal with a new person.
Nothing is free; if you believe otherwise, you may be too foolish to be our client. We'd rather help others pursue their interests than help you recover from bad decisions. Not just anyone can whitewash our fence.
Web Publishing with Clark IP
Unlike "hosting" plans, CIP Sitemaker and Journalmaker*#8482; let you create your web presence immediately and develop your presentation gradually. Because we define the space you need as part of an initial plan, "hosting" is bundled with all Clark IP programs. You pay only for what you use, and your site is incorporated into the normal flow of business and is maintained by your own employees who understand the meaning of the content. The right day to start is today, not after a month of system configuration and X months of content definition and site construction.
Is it free? No. We pay for it and pass the benefit through to you, and we help you to fill the empty space with a web site that expresses what you want the world to know.
A web site and other 'net services are not merely about the technology of the moment, they're about your image in the world. Only an experienced communications consultant has both the technical knowledge and the sophistication to present you and/or your organization in the most favorable light.
Is it for everyone? Perhaps not, but when employee productivity and cost-effectiveness are considered, Sitemaker is probably for you.
Is it free? No. We pay for it and pass the benefit through to you, and we help you to fill the empty space with a web site that expresses what you want the world to know.
A web site and other 'net services are not merely about the technology of the moment, they're about your image in the world. Only an experienced communications consultant has both the technical knowledge and the sophistication to present you and/or your organization in the most favorable light.
Is it for everyone? Perhaps not, but when employee productivity and cost-effectiveness are considered, Sitemaker is probably for you.