What about managing a website do you want to learn?

In this post we are reaching out to you to request advice, feedback, and suggestions. We are brainstorming ideas for new information and education we can provide that will help you get the most out of your website. We’ve created a survey in hopes of getting right to the heart of what people are interested in learning.

Our survey lists topics we feel are important to know in order to determine whether your website will ultimately succeed or fail. However, we’d be derelict in our duties as marketers if we did not ask for your feedback. We know that your opinions MUST be heard!!

Thank you for taking the time to take this survey and help us make the web a better place, we would be nowhere without you!

You can find the survey here:  Website Success Survey

Sincerely,
The FreeHostingRescue Team

Our Last Winners!

Finally! We are at the end of our Twitter Contest!

As the saying goes “When there’s a start, there will always be an ending“. Where did we get that quote, you ask? Well, we kind of made it ourselves… But hey, at least we have one, right?

Anyway, it was really fun doing the contest. We saw a lot of twitter responses from all over the world. It was awesome to meet so many new people who helped us save so many sites from the perils of free hosting.

We’d like to thank all of you who participated in the contest.

And so we’ve strapped on our diving masks (along with the Bat Bucket) for one last dive. All twitter handles were in, and the lucky 2 winners rescued are:

The first winner drawn is @danrako.
And the final winner is @bludesign4.

Both will be able to buy a year of hosting (provided by IX Web Hosting) for $1.00. Congratulations!

Thanks again to everyone!

P.S If you didn’t win stay tuned. We are headed back to Free Hosting Rescue’s command center to come up with a way to thank you all for participating. Check back after the 4th!

Facebook

Facebook has reached 6 Million custom usernames. Was yours taken when you arrived?

In case you missed it, Facebook opened up to custom usernames. That announcement created an Oklahoma Landrush type of event as everyone logged in to grab their handle.

Were you able to snag the username that you want? No? Well, unless your name is something unique (like “Banjo” or “Kazooey“), you’re out of luck. According to Mashable, there were 200,000 usernames gobbled up in the first 3 minutes, and more than twice that after 15 minutes of its debut. No surprise there, considering the user base of Facebook (175 Million users as of February 2009).

So what does it mean to have missed acquiring  the username you’ve always wanted in Facebook?  Will people be unable to find you on Facebook? Of course not. Hey, it’s just a name… and since it’s attached to Facebook.com, it’s not really yours.

Facebook is another free service on the internet, and we love free just as much as the next person. Facebook is a great social media application. All we’re saying is, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Remember Geocities. MySpace’s numbers continue to dwindle. We know the value of ownership. After all, bailing out websites that have lost their free hosting is our reason for being.

Facebook Usernames

In addition to having your custom username on Facebook, why not have your own domain name? Web hosting companies now offer free domains with their very affordable hosting packages.

When you register your own domain name remember Facebook is currently one of the most (if not the most) popular social networking website on the internet. You can use it to increase the visitors to your own website. Exercise your creativity with the freedom ownership provides!

Which Path To Take?

Batman announcing the winners

Another week goes by and it’s time for another winner post!

Once again, our (not-so) high-tech drawing mechanism was used. Using folded papers with the Twitter handles in it, we put them inside the Bat Bucket again and drew 2 names.  And guess who will announce the winners today? The Batman himself (in his cartoon form, anyway). As was stated in our earlier post, one of our rescue divers is also a graphic novel afficionado, and he drew the Caped Crusader on his whiteboard announcing this week’s Twitter winners.

If you want to refresh your memory with the original post about the contest click HERE!

And so, without further ado:

Holy Bat Bucket! The first winner drawn is @bobzorin.

Wuzzaaahhh! And second winner is @angiemeeker.

Both will be able to buy a year of hosting (provided by IX Web Hosting) for $1.00. Congratulations!

Remember the contest is NOT over yet! Keep retweeting for a chance to win MORE $1 /year Hosting prizes! And if you want to see where we come up with the original Batman sound effects check this out.

]]> http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/06/15/third-times-the-charm-our-third-winners/feed/ 1 http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/05/26/blogging-%e2%80%93-one-chris-tells-you-why-another-chris-tells-you-how/ http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/05/26/blogging-%e2%80%93-one-chris-tells-you-why-another-chris-tells-you-how/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 15:16:16 +0000 Ray Taylor http://freehostingrescue.com/?p=53 The 1st Chris

Chris Brogan Blog

On the topic of startups, Chris Brogan says if he were to start today “No matter what, the very first piece of social media real estate I’d start with is a blog. It’s a website, with lots of built in features that make it useful from a search perspective, and simple from a content creation perspective. That alone is worth the price of admission.” And Chris should know.

Chris Brogan is a ten year veteran of using social media to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris blogs at www.chrisbrogan.com, a blog in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati.

With a blog virtually anyone can publish their thoughts, ideas and opinions to millions of potential readers.  In return, those readers can “participate” by expressing their view points or comments.  This method of communication is allowing all of us a means to become involved in information rather than just being passive consumers of it.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary awarded “blog” as “The Word of the Year” in 2004, when more and more people started using them as a means to express themselves personally.  Today, blogs are reaching new heights in popularity.  Many businesses and corporations are increasingly implementing blogs as they discover the flourishing opportunity it provides to build relationships with their existing customers as well as developing relationships with prospective new customers!

We’ve talked to many of our customers who say they want a web-presence.  Cash is tight and they don’t have big advertising budgets. Blogging is a very inexpensive way to help accomplish this goal (all you need is your IX Webhosting account).

Some of our customers haven’t started a blog because they are intimidated by the setup process. That’s where the other Chris comes in.

The 2nd Chris

Now that you’ve heard the reasons that a blog is the first thing to do from Chris Brogan, it’s time to hear from another Chris. Our own Chris Testerman. Chris will help you with the “how” do I start.  Chris created this really awesome video that will show you how to set up a WordPress Blog in your IX Webhosting account in under 2 minutes!

If you don’t have a hosting account here’s an earlier post to let you know why you should.

Now, there’s nothing to hold you back!
Now that you’re ready to start creating your content, you are going to have to start sharing it with someone, right?  So please, feel free to comment to this video with links to the blogs you’ve created.  We’d love to take a look at them!

By the way, here’s a link to the tutorials Chris mentioned in his video: http://www.ixwebhosting.com/index.php/v2/pages.customerCenter

As you consider your options for moving your GeoCities website, you have freedom of choice.

While you can’t choose if you will move that doesn’t mean you can’t choose where you will move.

Will you choose free hosting again after what happened to Geocities?

If the founding fathers were choosing I suspect that they would choose a paid hosting account. In their own words here’s why:

A fondness for power is implanted, in most men, and it is natural to abuse it, when acquired.

Alexander Hamilton
The Farmer Refuted, February 23, 1775

Allow no tyrant to attach letters to your fine name or unfairly tarriff your ad money! Paid Hosting allows registrtration of your own domain name.

Would Hamilton choose this? http://www.geocities.com/Hamilton33/or this? www.alexanderhamilton.com

Let the traffic you generate with your marketing efforts help visitors find you, not your free-hosting provider. If you display ads on your site you keep the ad revenue.

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.

John Adams
letter to Abigail Adams, July 17, 1775

Never give up the rights to your content. Control your site content with FTP access and File Manager access to hosting account. It is your content, a hosting account can provide essential backup protection. Liberty to transfer your content to another host should never be lost.

Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.

Benjamin Franklin
writing as Silence Dogood, No. 8, July 9, 1722

If Franklin were writing Poor Richard’s Almanac today, he’d probably be using WordPress instead of lead type. You will have access to web tools to build your website. Add Blogs, Shopping Carts, Forums, or GuestBooks without restrictions!

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

Thomas Paine
Dissertation on First Principles of Government, December 23, 1791

Stay secure . Letting someone else insert banner code on your site can expose you to security issues.

Finally, the words of George Washington encouraging your to own your website……….

A people… who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.

George Washington
letter to Benjamin Harrison, October 10, 1784

Free Host Rescue

Men and women have been going out onto the water for thousands of years. There is something inherently adventurous about the sea, and those who make their living off-shore are a brave and daring group. Even the most seasoned mariner can get into trouble, and when they do, the Coast Guard Search and Rescue are there. Search and Rescue is the oldest and noblest Coast Guard mission.

In 1994 when GeoCities launched, having a website was not as common nor as easy as it is today. Since then, millions have jumped into the internet’s waters with GeoCities free sites. They created websites that showcased their community, shared information about their businesses and displayed their creative endeavors. By now you probably know that Yahoo is shutting these free sites down this summer.

Rescue Swimmers are in the water!

Just as the Coast Guard does, we’re going to jump into the waters to rescue your website. Here’s a step by step plan for saving your website.

Step 1. Plan

Before the call comes in the Coast Guard prepares for the worst. The rescue strategy includes knowing where they will take the people they’ll be bringing in for medical treatment. You need a place to land your website as well. There are many choices for webhosting. Choose carefully this time. Here is a chart to help.

Step 2. Register your ship

The Coast Guard provides training to mariners. Part of that training is making sure your boat can be found if trouble arises. Watercraft are registered. Boaters are instructed to have flares and beacons to help the Search and Rescue teams find you.

Registering your website name is an important step in making sure your website can be found. Registering your own website name (domain name) is something you should be able to do at the same time you set up hosting. If your site will be for your business, having your own domain will present a more professional image. You may want more than one name, make sure your hosting provider can accommodate your need today and in the future as you grow.

Step 3. Stay in the boat.

Yahoo! Just sent a waves crashing over the bow. You’re taking on water but it’s not time to abandon ship yet. While your sites are still working, copy them to your new hosting account.

Here are some detailed instructions from the Site Wizard http://www.thesitewizard.com/webhosting/move-from-geocities.shtml
If this seems challenging contact us by phone 1-800-385-0450, chat or email lifeguard@geocitiesrescue.com Rescue Swimmers are on duty 24/7.

Step 4. Radio ahead.

Everyone has been pulled from the water. The helicopter pilot radios ahead to the medical facility so they know what will be needed when the rescued mariners arrive at the emergency room. You need to radio ahead as well. Redirect traffic from your old website to your new website. Add a text link on your old website to the new one for a transition period so search engines can find it.

Step 5. Phone home.

People who have been rescued from disasters at sea have family and friends anxious to know if they are OK. It is the same for loyal fans of your website. Let them know your site is alive and well, but it has moved. Use email, forums, blogs and Twitter.

Rescue your site! You still have access to your pages/content. The earlier you move your site(s) from GeoCities the better! You can inform your visitors about move and you have time for search engines to find your new website.