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AdultWire · 06-29-2002, 11:38 PM

I've noticed a lot of misconceptions about freehosting floating around, so I thought I'd spend a few minutes to clear some of it up. It's true that some freehosts suck, and it can be more profitable to run your own server or buy virtual if you know what you're doing, but freehosts provide a valuable service, and not all freehost owners are dishonest.

1. Earlier today, Dawgy suggested that some freehosts make their money by frivilously cancelling accounts that are sending search engine hits.

Well, this might be true in some cases, but a reputable freehost owner knows that two things are important to making money in the long run: a) don't piss off your users by doing shit like that, and b) the pages that brought search engine traffic will stop bringing search engine traffic if you delete them. It's not worth pissing off the whole webmaster community for 30 days of marginally increased conversions.

2. Freehosts without headers and footers can't make a profit, and will, therefore, go out of business.

I'm sort of up in the air on this one. Freehost owners often own payed hosting companies, and what better way to upsell, then get a mailing list of webmaster email addresses. I periodically email my webmaster base -- about once every two months, and I use it to encourage system growth, and suggest programs for webmasters to promite.. while spamming my refferer codes all the while. Webmasters who are mismanaging traffic are probably sending it to my ads anyways, and webmasters who are managing traffic well bring in enough conversions to increase my profit. It is important to remain solvent, but I think it's a short-sighted view to think that the only way to profit from a freehost is banners. I, however, do run a footer on my pages.

3. All freehosts redirect legitimate page requests to 404s.

Simply not true. I don't know what else to say. I can name at least 5 freehosts that I bet my left nut, don't do any illegitimate page redirecting.

4. Freehosts are slow.

Simply not true. Some are slow. Right now, I've got at least 10 webmasters who tell me on a regular basis that my host is the fastest, yet, I'm still performing a major server upgrade this month.. Some freehost owners really do care about their clients/webmasters.

I can't honestly sit here and say that all freehosts, or even most freehosts are honest, reliable, fast, and helpfull.

Freehosts, however, are a valuable tool, and if used correctly, can be invaluable in any internet campaign.

06-29-2002, 11:38 PM
AdultWire Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 962	The real truth about freehosts. I've noticed a lot of misconceptions about freehosting floating around, so I thought I'd spend a few minutes to clear some of it up. It's true that some freehosts suck, and it can be more profitable to run your own server or buy virtual if you know what you're doing, but freehosts provide a valuable service, and not all freehost owners are dishonest. 1. Earlier today, Dawgy suggested that some freehosts make their money by frivilously cancelling accounts that are sending search engine hits. Well, this might be true in some cases, but a reputable freehost owner knows that two things are important to making money in the long run: a) don't piss off your users by doing shit like that, and b) the pages that brought search engine traffic will stop bringing search engine traffic if you delete them. It's not worth pissing off the whole webmaster community for 30 days of marginally increased conversions. 2. Freehosts without headers and footers can't make a profit, and will, therefore, go out of business. I'm sort of up in the air on this one. Freehost owners often own payed hosting companies, and what better way to upsell, then get a mailing list of webmaster email addresses. I periodically email my webmaster base -- about once every two months, and I use it to encourage system growth, and suggest programs for webmasters to promite.. while spamming my refferer codes all the while. Webmasters who are mismanaging traffic are probably sending it to my ads anyways, and webmasters who are managing traffic well bring in enough conversions to increase my profit. It is important to remain solvent, but I think it's a short-sighted view to think that the only way to profit from a freehost is banners. I, however, do run a footer on my pages. 3. All freehosts redirect legitimate page requests to 404s. Simply not true. I don't know what else to say. I can name at least 5 freehosts that I bet my left nut, don't do any illegitimate page redirecting. 4. Freehosts are slow. Simply not true. Some are slow. Right now, I've got at least 10 webmasters who tell me on a regular basis that my host is the fastest, yet, I'm still performing a major server upgrade this month.. Some freehost owners really do care about their clients/webmasters. I can't honestly sit here and say that all freehosts, or even most freehosts are honest, reliable, fast, and helpfull. Freehosts, however, are a valuable tool, and if used correctly, can be invaluable in any internet campaign. __________________ SIG TOO BIG! Maximum 120x60 button and no more than 3 text lines of DEFAULT SIZE and COLOR. Unless your sig is for a GFY top banner sponsor, then you may use a 624x80 instead of a 120x60.