This is just a general hosting thread and is directed at everyone as just merely being my own thoughts. There are some things that I just feel like bitching about in general
I'm not going to post shit in some other thread that is about a hosting company's dirty laundry or problems... that would be bad karma. From time to time, everyone has a glitch here and there. What is acceptable and unacceptable is up to their customers and not the peanut gallery.
However, some shit I'm seeing from people I thought were pretty bright is fucking rediculous.
Sleazy? Man, I would have expected more out of you. First, commenting that some other hosting company's pricing is some of the cheapest you've seen... Christ man, you and a few others need to open your eyes. Not naming names, but there are a bunch of more quiet companies doing a tremendous job with their hosting customers at much cheaper rates then you would expect.
Is hosting competitive? Heck yes. Will more hosting companies go out of business? Of course.
It comes down to some simple math boys and girls. The bulk of network infrastructure is bought and paid for before it even gets to a company like mine or hosting company B. We're all (most of us) in carrier neutral, first class data centers. They pay the millions of dollars to build out the environmental, power, and other considerations.
The billions of dollars in stock market losses paid for all the fiber.
A facility or backbone problem is completely out of the hands of a host. Should they have a contingency plan? Probably. More important though is what a customer is sold on. If you're sold on being "multi-homed" (redundant bandwidth providers) then that is what you should get.
At $1 per gig that's like paying $300+ per megabit.
Do the fucking math, tier 1 bandwidth is about $35/mbit when you buy 1000mbit and about $50/mbit when you're smaller like me buying a few hundred megabit. How much is that per gig? That's like 16 cents per gig as a raw cost.
Someone tell me again why a host needs to sell for more than $1 per gig to be profitable...? Give me a fucking break. The economics have changed but much of the retail pricing hasn't. The reason why many hosts are charging several dollars per gig is that their pricing matrix was made up when their costs were higher a year or two ago.
Here is MY list of what I think is important in a host:
1) Honesty - you sell only what you can deliver. You don't paint a picture during the sales process that is better than the service and performance you give.
2) Educate your customers. This can mean many things but first and foremost I'd say it means that teaching your customers so that they have proper expectations is important.
3) Performance - If you're selling a fast network... make sure your network is fast.
4) Support - Shit happens.. it's unavoidable. Your host should be available to you 24/7 for questions if that's the service that was marketed to you. The important thing is that your host has proper contingency planning so that they can make the best of a bad situation. Or, put more simply, they just need to work really hard so your needs are met.
I see so much fluff and BS in so many threads... and no matter what is said, it's like a broken record.... the same things are bitched about and repeated week after week.... and the same sometimes dumb questions are asked.
It truly does not matter who purchases the most bandwidth. That has absolutely no correlation to the service or performance a host can provide. This isn't a fucking penis competition guys, it's about selling a commodity called bandwidth and providing a service that keeps your sites online. Some people seem to want to glamorize others that are high profile in hosting but I find that hillarious since hosting is really about trust and employing some really smart linux and windows geeks.
I get a kick out of all the hosts that chase after business in the threads, offering prices that are lower than what's published on their website. I have an everyday low price, my clients aren't locked into contracts. Whenever I lower hosting prices, all clients rates get lowered. I've done this four times this year and I'm more profitable than ever. If a hosting customer isn't happy with my service they know that they have an open invitation to leave... and I'll help them shop AND move to another provider.
Aside from the deadbeat hosting clients out there, it just really makes me wonder what is WRONG with some hosts that their customers come to me and want to move their shit in the middle of the night. For christ's sake, what is wrong with some of you people?
I'm not perfect and neither is my hosting operation. I am prone to making mistakes from time to time... and also to occasionally just having some bad luck. What I will say is that I own up to my mistakes when they're made and that I remunerate my clients generously when such action is appropriate.
Some of you are so impressed by fancy ads in AVN, splendid trade show booths, and hookers at show parties. What's important to my hosting customers? That they can call me on my cell phone at 4am in the morning if they think they're having a problem.
Me personally...? Fuck, the last guy I would entrust my server to is a coke head with a hooker habit.
There are many great hosting companies out there to choose from... and I think that's teriffic that adult webmasters have so many to choose from. It makes most of us hosts constantly strive to be better.
One one final note I just want to leave the conversation saying... I do believe that in life people usually get what they pay for. However, this clearly does NOT apply to webhosting. Most of you have no comprehension of the cost structure inside a hosting company so your ideas of what is cheap and what is expensive are completely unfounded.
Happy hosting everyone!
Cheers,
Brad