Our 7th Week Winners!

Welcome to our 7th week of drawing. We have given away 15 hosting accounts (2 per week plus the bonus person last week). That’s over $1,500 of hosting for $15. Not to mention saving @fstopcarol’s site.

So, without further ado -

The winners are:

The first winner drawn is @bevshul.
The second winner is @gatetravellers.

All 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!

]]> http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/27/our-7th-week-winner/feed/ 0 http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/21/our-6th-week-winner/ http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/21/our-6th-week-winner/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:52:28 +0000 Bimo Wijoyo http://freehostingrescue.com/?p=323

Our 6th Week Winners!

Welcome to our 6th week of drawing. We were so busy with our rescuing activities that we didn’t draw the winners, yesterday! But worry not, dear readers! To make up for our mistake, we are drawing 3 winners today!

On to the Bat bucket with all the twitter handles.

And, the winners are (drum roll…):

The first winner drawn is @adriennebailey.
The second winner is @jeasysehgal.
And the extra winner is @breannagaddie.

All 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!

]]> http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/21/our-6th-week-winner/feed/ 0 http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/06/good-news/ http://freehostingrescue.com/2009/07/06/good-news/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:06:06 +0000 Marlene Dade http://freehostingrescue.com/?p=284

Our $1 hosting drawing has been extended! With GeoCities closing October 26,  and with so many about to lose their free websites, this contest is a great opportunity!

If you are new to this site, we’ve been using Twitter to let people know Free Hosting Rescue is here to help. If you ReTweet not only do you help people find a reliable host, you earn the chance to win a robust website hosting plan for one year for $1. (If you want to know the details of how this works, read our original post about this contest by clicking  HERE!).

Tweet your family, neighbors, friends, and co-workers! . . . Let the Tweeting begin – again!

Entering is simple. All you need to do is:

1. Tweet this contest information on Twitter :
   RT @FreeHostRescue is giving away 1 year of hosting for $1 to help those abandoned by free hosting. See Details http://tr.im/mtC4
2. Follow us on Twitter (so we can DM you if you win) OR Leave a comment on this post (make sure you give us your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner of the contest)

The drawing will end sometime. We’ll randomly select and post two winners every week. Good luck!

*Applicable for new signups only

Btw, here’s a tweet we just received from a contest winner:

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

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.