Web-Hosting Systems like Godaddy or Hostgator

Started by Luis R. Ramos, August 19, 2016, 01:01:51 AM

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Luis R. Ramos

Would anyone care to comment on either Godaddy or Hostgator as a web-hosting site? Are there any other web-hosting place offering similar services? And what about quality?

Moderators, I am not sure whether this is the right place for this message, please feel free to move this message to any place you consider better suited.
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

Eclipse

I'd go with Godaddy, I use them for all my domains and have never had any issues.  They have excellent customer service.

Web-host?  If it's for CAP, I'd get Google Apps for free.  If not Godaddy can do it.

Be wary of the cheapies which can go belly-up without warning or get spam blocked because of
other clients on the same server.

Also, don't forget all internet operations need to be approved in eServices.

"That Others May Zoom"

kwe1009

I used to be a reseller for Hostgator and left them because of constant server issues and unreliability.  Now they may have gotten better since I left them over 5 years ago.  I would recommend going with Google Apps since it is free for non-profits.  If you want to run a Wordpress site then you will have to pay since Google doesn't allow mySQL for free.

NIN

CAP units can get free hosting with Dreamhost, to include free domain renewals.

My unit uses them. It's awesome for the price


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Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
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The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

Luis R. Ramos

I did not post the reason(s) why members in my squadron are suggesting these services.

We have used Google Aps. However the member suggesting these services stated that using them will look more professional with a .org domain besides getting more advantages such as a lot of themes to chose from.

Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

Eclipse

Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on August 19, 2016, 02:08:04 AM
I did not post the reason(s) why members in my squadron are suggesting these services.

We have used Google Aps. However the member suggesting these services stated that using them will look more professional with a .org domain besides getting more advantages such as a lot of themes to chose from.

I would say that member is misinformed, if you're going with a templeted site anyway, no is going to know the difference between
Gapps, HG, DH, or anything else, not to mention you should be on a xxwg.cap..gov if you're going to take the effort to do it.

For those who even understand the TLD conversation, .gov gets a lot more attention / respect then .org.

"That Others May Zoom"

Holding Pattern

Ok, let's talk hosting.

In a vacuum, the host itself really does not matter, so long as it isn't a fly-by-night company that can disappear next Tuesday. Even so, it is the IT guy's responsibility to perform regular backups of the website in case of catastrophe.

The part that matters for professional looking websites is the web technology platform that drives the site.

This can be a prepackaged deal like wordpress, joomla, drupal, etc. (normally called a CMS, or a content management system) or it can be a barebones apache server with bootstrap running on it. If you want to see what is under the hood of a site, go to builtwith.com and punch in a website name. It will give you a pretty decent idea of what technologies drive the site.

You can spend as much or as little as you want on a website. I personally know of companies that spent over $5k a month on their website. I also know of companies where the owner built their website over the weekend in a text editor and hired out for some talent on a random rentacoder site to get a few good looking graphics on their site.

If you have a member that is looking to change up the site, have them put together a proposal and present it to squadron leadership.

It should include things like what the quantifiable metrics are that would make the new website a success, and how those metrics will be measured.

It should include a survey of stakeholders of the site such as the PAO team, the IT team, the cadets, the senior members, the parents, any military, SAR, and volunteer counterparts that might work with you on a regular enough basis to warrant going to your site.

If the reasoning is just that the site is ugly, I can sympathize with that right up to the point where someone says we have to throw money at the problem. Then it is time to break out some skull sweat and figure out how to make the website pay dividends in squadron data management, interoperability with other organizations, enhanced communication lines to parents, and recruitment.

Eclipse

Sounds about right - content is king, if you don't have a commitment and plan for updates, put up a nice contact
page and call it done.

"That Others May Zoom"

etodd

Quote from: kwe1009 on August 19, 2016, 01:29:16 AM
I used to be a reseller for Hostgator and left them because of constant server issues and unreliability. 


I've been a Hostgator reseller for over 15 years and no issues. When I hit over 200 domains a few months ago I moved to a dedicated server with them to give me more growing room. Excellent customer service in migrating all the websites. Smooth transition and my clients never knew.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

etodd

OP did not specify if he needs a host for a CAP site(?) Maybe he has a side business.
"Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on ..."

Holding Pattern

Quote from: etodd on August 19, 2016, 03:41:18 AM
OP did not specify if he needs a host for a CAP site(?) Maybe he has a side business.

If this was a lobby conversation, sure. But it is a "Tools of the Trade" conversation.

Luis R. Ramos

I do have a side business. I am satisfied with the web host I use as a side business. Although no one has said anything about it. It is... Wix! But my squadron also has a website, and we are revising it at this time. One member is suggesting we use a different approach, read host.

By the way I did mention it was for my squadron on reply #5.
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

Tim Medeiros

I've been using Hostgator for a few years now, though slowly migrating my personal stuff to Arvixe because of the better prices on windows hosting.  Unless things have changed since June 2015 SWR is on hostgator and utilizing Google Apps for email management.

The one downside I've seen with Hostgator (which may have changed) is that they were not planning to support the Lets Encrypt project
TIMOTHY R. MEDEIROS, Lt Col, CAP
Chair, National IT Functional User Group
1577/2811

Spam

Luis, does NYWG not have a host site for all subordinate units, or are you unhappy with it if so?

On our end down here in Georgia, we use a Wing provided site, with local unit designed pages and content.


Side note, we've gone in over the past year and adapted the NHQ template to our local needs and populated with our content, and I was told this week that we won the Best Website award at the National Conference, for what that's worth. Very happy with and proud of the effort our team has put in on our site to make it usable by recruits and troops alike... but extending that credit, having Wing IT team with a stable site was part of that solution.

V/R
Spam



JC004

A free Dreamhost non-profit account would likely be fine.

Bluehost is an excellent host (that you have to pay for).