So, if anyone else is interested, here are some annotated links.
Invoke the Lazy Web
Absolutely nothing wrong with asking the hive mind first. The following links from LifeHacker and Ask Metafilter contain plenty of links, advice, and pointers to plenty of sites you can investigate.Good webhost? | Ask MetaFilter
Ask Lifehacker Readers: Web hosting provider?
For & Against
A piece of advice I picked up from one site was to Google a hosting provider using the phrase "[provider] sucks" and see what you get back. Using this phrase, DreamHost returns a ton of results, as does GoDaddy, but maybe because they have tons of users? You decide. DreamHost also has its partisans and other review sites.
I want to use a WordPress blog, which seems to be included in a script package called Fantastico, so that knocked out a few local contenders.
I looked for a while at DreamHost, since it was recommended to me by a classmate. But I was uneasy with reports of downtime, so rejected them. They certainly offer an attractive package, though.
I narrowed it to three: AN Hosting, A2 Hosting, and InMotion Hosting. These names popped up because I noticed that some of the sites I admire and visit frequently trumpet their wares.
When it came down to making the final decision, they were all pretty similar in their deals and prices. So I basically made a contrarian decision and went with the one that didn't start with "A." A silly decision-making heuristic, but there you go. I opted for a year's contract, so that I can switch to another provider next year if I don't like their service.
My del.icio.us links include a few other praises and pans. You can go to review sites, but I found them of little value.
What I Did
I collected up a bunch of names, set the kitchen timer for 1 hour, and surfed around really quick, just trying to catch the vibe of these places. My feeling is that web hosting is now a pretty commodity service, and until you've actually gone through the process, you won't know how the support or uptime actually is. It's also pretty clear that the provider holds all the cards--they can cancel your service at any time, they tend to be unresponsive when it's their mistake, and the customer is usually left to clean up the mess. So, go in with your eyes open.I want to use a WordPress blog, which seems to be included in a script package called Fantastico, so that knocked out a few local contenders.
I looked for a while at DreamHost, since it was recommended to me by a classmate. But I was uneasy with reports of downtime, so rejected them. They certainly offer an attractive package, though.
I narrowed it to three: AN Hosting, A2 Hosting, and InMotion Hosting. These names popped up because I noticed that some of the sites I admire and visit frequently trumpet their wares.
When it came down to making the final decision, they were all pretty similar in their deals and prices. So I basically made a contrarian decision and went with the one that didn't start with "A." A silly decision-making heuristic, but there you go. I opted for a year's contract, so that I can switch to another provider next year if I don't like their service.
