NilsC 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2005 OK, I’m not sure how to word this post but I’m going to give it a try! We have free hosting here, or we wish to get free hosting. So the issue is, who pays the bill. The answer is we do by supporting this site and referring others here or to trap 17. Part of the support is the posting requirement and a lot of you has asked “why do we have to post so much”. We don’t have to post that much, but we need to have quality posts. Your hosting credits tell you how long you can stay away if you have to, it don’t mean you have to stay away that long. Why are some of the topics set so we don’t get post or hosting credit? That is because this site expects you to contribute your knowledge in topics that will expand the user base here. If you are just looking for free hosting, go to trap 17 and start posting there. The topics are not so heavy when it comes to computer knowledge and you have lighter forums were you can get post count in topics that don’t count here. I need more space, bandwidth, email addresses. If that is you, continue reading. For those who wish to have a web-site but don’t have time to post, use the paid option. If you know someone who are looking for stable hosting at a very good price, refer them to the partner site Paid web hosting solutions. They can then enjoy the same options that “you” the hosted members have here. For $19.95 a year they will have access to 150mb of disk space and 3072mb bandwidth/month Unlike the limitations on email addresses they will have unlimited email. OK, here is another option. You have friends, families, co-workers who know you are an “expert” web-designer and they ask you to help them setup a web-site. Then you build the web-site, and tell them that you can have it hosted for $19.95 a year. If it’s a small site you can you may be able to get away with the $9.95 a year package. If you are an up and coming web-designer that are looking to start out with your own business but doesn’t have the money to spend on servers and dedicated data lines. Approach the people that asked you to look at, improve, build a site for them and tell them that you for a fee will build and host a web-site for them. If they agree to this proposition, you need to discuss the cost and set a price for your services and the hosting space. Outline what they are receiving for this price and that they need to supply you with the content going up on the site. When you know what they are looking for and you calculated out the price, let them know that any changes they make to the design or layout can change the cost. When the negotiations are finalized you have to ask for some money up front to create their site. This is normally 1/3 of the agreed upon money now before you start working on the web-site. If you are hosted here and have some space, use it do develop the framework for their site. When you have the layout and framework ready, show it to the customer and have them approve on color scheme, image layout and do any changes they ask for that are within the scope you outlined. When they agree that it looks the way they want get the second 1/3 of the money and make sure they know that they have a deadline to get site content and images to you. If they don’t follow up and supply you with the content you do not work on it and any money up front are yours. Here comes the beauty of this scheme, use the money to buy hosting space and you are on your way. If you have 2 or 3 projects to start out with then you can get one of the larger packages. This will give you room to host your own site and other sites. If they need a domain name, ask them to buy one or calculate it into the price and you buy it for them and they lease it from you. Now you have space and bandwidth to spare and you can dedicate more time on creating. When the site is ready developed and ready to go live you have the customer look at the site and approve it, when they approve you get the last 1/3 of the money and when the transaction is done you move the site to your hosting space. You need to specify that this hosting arraignment is on a yearly base and they would have to pay keep it up after one year and that the cost may go up if your hosting cost go up. This is my contribution on how can I help Xisto.com provide others and me with free hosting. Now you need to add your suggestions to how you think this can be accomplished. I love the fact that my space is ad-free and that the ads here in the forum are not overpowering the content of this site. Thank you Nils Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miCRoSCoPiC^eaRthLinG 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2005 Extremely well versed post Nils and "Suggestion-Packed" I'm requesting the viewers to come up with more such excellent suggestions and add in to this post. All are welcome. Lets all make Xisto forums/Webhosting an object of envy for all other such existing services Three cheers to Xisto... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NilsC 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Since we have such a huge interest in this subject I'm going to expand on this. And just to inform those of you who think I have a stake in any of OpaQue's ventures and are looking to make a profit. I'm a volunteer, look up my profile and you see when I logged on as a n00b to Xisto. I took an interest in the forum and started bugging the Admin. and Moderators with issues that I thought could be solved. I guess I was enough of a pain to be a moderator, so I could fix the stuff I was complaining about. In the short time I have posted to this community I have seen some good posts, some great and some that were just plain lazy.There is no huge profit made here, and the reason this is offered is due to OpaQue and what he experienced trying to find a free host, and I think a lot of you have experienced the same. You have a site up and one day you go there and it's a black hole, what happened to all your files and content. What prevents this from happening here? It's safe to say that we as users prevent it from happening by the support we give. Are we friends here, I doubt it. We are here because we are looking for free hosting. Is that a harsh statement, I don't think s. It's an honest observation on my part and I think most of us look at it that way if we are honest.OK, so why should I take any interest, I have my site. I pop in once or twice a week to put the mandatory posts so I can keep the hosting credits up high enough so my site is not shut down. Nothing wrong with that either, that is what's required. So you forgot to post because your web-site was going so well and you had so much fun there that the hosting credits trickled down to zero and your site is blocked. What do you do, come back and post some more. Maybe help out and answer a question or do you whine and post that you need your site up and please unblock me I'll post the required posts just unblock me. Maybe you didn't know that the site had changed and that it's now hosting credit driven. What kind of statement is that on your part? It tells me that you are not here enough to see what's going on and you are NOT supporting those who support you. I have a suggestion to make and it will affect you only if your site is blocked due to post credits going to zero, now you need 3 hosting credits for the site to unlock and be visible again. What if the change made it so the next time your credits hit zero the amount of hosting credits needed would be 6. Because 3 credits multiplied by 2 times shut down equal 6 hosting credits needed. Third time 9 credits and three strikes you’re out so I wouldn’t go there.I’m done with the rant and I only have one thing to say. I was surprised that the only response I received was from another volunteer(ed) Moderator. And do not be surprised if you start a post with help or have help in the subject line and the only post you see from me is a link to this post. I don’t mind helping and I know there are others who volunteer time and effort on their posts and tutorials. You know who you are and this rant is not toward you. I have heard some excuses that made fall off the chair laughing because they where so far removed from what this site is about.Thanks to all who read this far,At least you took the time to listen to my rant.Nils Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MajesticTreeFrog 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 I agree completely. Its not much to ask at all, especially since there are so many different subjects to post about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trekkie101 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2005 Actually Xisto is one of the better places, I used to just make madatory posts but like all other forums I join I eventually get addicted and well im here for quite a few ours a day, mostly on the shoutbox but im here. Also well done with getting a premotion if you call it that. And now I see your an admin, that must have taken some ammount of bugging. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
