On 17 Jun 2006 07:20:48 -0700, zcarenow.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com wrote:
>Does anyone host their own online biz site or is it just too much a
>hassle and better off having some host company do it? Reason i ask is
>that some people like to have control over their site. Also, if some
>other company hosts your site, do they get a percentage of what you
>sell from your online biz? Also, hosting companies have access to your
>customers personal info through credit card transactions, so which ones
>are reputable(trustworthy for not stealing from own client) and
>secure(software that makes it harder for hackers to steal cc or paypal
>info)? Thanks.
It is better to allow someone else to host your website. I like
Hostgator as they are resellers for another company who supplies
tremendous bandwidth and equipment along with 24/7 support and
equipment backup and duplication. This means if a network goes down
or in the event of equipment failure, they are on top of it already
and the system is back up as quickly as it goes down. If you have
your own and your provider has a problem, you are down at their
mercy. The cost of using a host is about $25/month vs an initial
deposit of thousands of dollars. This is less than the cost of any
reliable internet connection that I know of.
Also, you have full control over the content of your website. They
have some restrictions, but then, all providers do. You can setup a
store with the software they provide on their servers, or use your
own. you can use their SSL or buy your own and use it.
There is no cost based on your sales with most providers. There are
some resellers who will create your site, host your site and keep your
site updated for a percentage of your sales, but I find they are
really interested in bleeding your business dry. I am sure there are
some legitimate ones out there, but the two I ran across appeared to
be trying to steal my business.
If you don't want to have an employee working 24/7 for $25 or so per
hour, you probably want to rent from someone with the expertise and
staff to manage the hardware for you. You will still be responsible
for making backups of your site and keeping the software up and
running to the degree that you work with it properly. I believe
Hostgator will help you get the initial configuration of osCommerce or
whatever package you select setup, but you will have to maintain the
databases and inventory, etc.
I hope this is helpful.
Buck
Buck
--
For what it's worth.
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