15 Pearls Of Web Hosting Wisdom – How To Make Your Resources Last

alt="15 Pearls Of Web Hosting Wisdom – How To Make Your Resources Last" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3-500x224_c.jpg" />

If you have ever bought href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/choose-the-right-web-hosting/">small shared web hosting packages you’ll know that resources are so limited that you ought to either give up on the most complex features or rely on external resources. This is especially true when you have multiple websites hosted under the same small package.

For this guide, I interviewed Marc Werne, staff member of Linux hosting provider href="http://www.gigatux.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Gigatux.com. Many of the pearls of web hosting wisdom in the guide include Marc’s advice to a wiser management of your account resources.

1. Choose a lightweight CMS

You may want to use Joomla or Mambo so badly, but if your hosting account is less than 500MB in quota, you may want to reconsider your choice. WordPress or Drupal, for example, would make a lightweight, flexible alternative that will save you MBs of webdisk and bandwidth. Often less is more and lightweight doesn’t equal less functional. Make a chart of your alternatives and choose the CMS that mostly suits your needs and your hosting package.

2. Use miniBB instead of SMF

MiniBB only takes 1.77 MB against the 11.38 MB of SMF, yet it’s a complete forum solution with a meaty repository of href="http://www.minibb.com/download.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">add-ons, extensions and plugins. Not fond of miniBB? There are several lightweight alternatives against bigger forum scripts. PunBB, FluxBB and AEF to cite a few. Also, plan the scope of your forum before installing any solution: if your goal is to reach thousands to millions of users, an upgrade of your hosting package may be required. If you want to keep the forum staff-only or aimed at a small number of users, by all means use the resources you have available at your advantage.

3. Use Google Apps for your Webmail instead of your host’s webmail program

In addition to using email forwarder on Gmail, Google gives webmasters the possibility to setup their domain name as a base email host by configuring it in href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business/" target="_blank">Google Apps. That means that you’ll be able to setup up to ten free email user accounts with your domain, each with 10GB of webdisk, such like johnsmith@domain.com or hosting@domain.com. Why Google Apps? Because every time you set your webmail quota on your hosting account, that quota will be taken from your global diskspace, and you will convene that to dedicate 100MB of your 500MB package means working against your website growing needs. Use Google Apps at your advantage and save hundreds of MBs you can use to improve your website visitors’ experience. To setup your domain on Google Apps, href="http://www.yourlocaltech.com/how-to-setup-google-apps-for-your-domain/" target="_blank">follow this detailed guide at YourLocalTech.com.

An alternative to Google Apps? There’s Zoho Mail, free in its Lite version. href="https://www.zoho.com/mail/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Zoho Lite let you setup your domain with up to 3 user accounts, each with 5GB of capacity.

4. Employ a caching system

The majority of small business and personal website owners on a low budget opt for shared hosting packages in order to save on investment. Sometimes an upgrade is by all means necessary to increase performance and welcome a wider audience and the traffic it generates, but if you can’t, you can save server resources by employing a caching system that doesn’t overload your CPU.

WordPress users can install href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/w3-total-cache/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">W3 Total Cache but if you don’t use WordPress you should try to optimize your website cache with the tools made available by your CMS vendor.For instance, Joomla can count on href="http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/core-enhancements/performance/cache" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">four cache optimizers and Drupal has several href="http://friendlymachine.net/posts/2011/5-ways-to-improve-performance-in-drupal" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">cache performance tools as well. See point #10 to view a list of caching software that puts more load on servers and is to avoid. Also, remember to discuss anything cache-related with your hosting provider; Gigatux, for example, employs a fast caching system already so you don’t have to worry about it, but other hosts may not count on many resources. Ask first to avoid issues later.

5. Regularly empty spam content

Get rid of spam in the form of emails, blog comments, pingback URLs and files that overload your servers and database quota. Do it at least once a week to avoid memory issues (e.g. WordPress comment deletion only works up to a memory of 64MB, after which you’ll get a href="http://wpmu.org/troubleshooting-wordpress-common-fatal-error-messages-and-how-to-fix-them/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">fatal error and you will have to either increase the allowed memory size in your PHP.INI file or in wp-config.php within your WordPress root).

6. If possible, use external databases

If your host allows remote database linking, by all means use it. External databases help lighten usage of your webdisk quota because they store your content outside of your hosting account. However, keep in mind that remote databases “can be quite expensive and a hassle to the end user” – to say it with Marc Werne – because external database hosting is not cheap — from the /month of href="http://www.alentus.com/hosting/mysql.asp" target="_blank">Alentus (for a 25MB package) to the .80/month of Rackspace (512MB cloud).

However, there are free solutions you can use for small projects. href="http://www.freesqldatabase.com/freemysqldatabase/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FreeSQLDatabase.com offers one 5MB SQL database to its free users, while href="http://www.freemysql.net/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FreeMySQL lets you setup unlimited databases at no cost (they run on donations). These services are reliable for limited projects, but keep in mind that they may be less efficient with large company websites. Monitor usage constantly and plan potential upgrades if you wish to continue using your external database.

7. Save storage and bandwidth resources with file hosting services

Host all things downloadable on an external hosting service, such as Photobucket, Vimeo, YouTube or 4Shared. You should not allow your visitors, clients or readers to upload content on your servers if your resources are limited. As an alternative, you may enable Gravatar so your clients or users don’t have to upload a profile avatar.

8. Use MailChimp for your newsletter

class="border" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2012/1215-1.jpg" alt="MailChimp" />

Install a newsletter software on your limited web hosting account and it will start eating up your disk and bandwidth. Unfortunately there is not much to do about it, and the smallest available newsletter script — OpenNewsletter — is still 640Kb and you’ll have to count in all the stored issues, too.

But you can rely on external services once more. href="http://mailchimp.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">MailChimp is a complete newsletter solution starting at zero cost if your target audience is less than 2,000 subscribers and you aim at sending up to 12,000 emails per month. All templates can be customized so you don’t need to host your own, and you can integrate the newsletter with Facebook.

Good alternatives to MailChimp are href="http://www.campaignmonitor.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CampaignMonitor (free up to 500 subscribers) and href="http://www.benchmarkemail.com/FreeEdition" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">BenchmarkMail (Free Edition), whose only limit is given by subscription options— people can only signup from your form.

9. Use SurveyMonkey for your user surveys

class="border" src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2012/1215-2.jpg" alt="SurveyMonkey" />

As with newsletters, survey software can get heavy for your limited resources. In my experience, href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SurveyMonkey makes a valid, free alternative when you need to send a quick survey to a restricted number of people. For larger audiences, the monthly fee starts at (4/year) so the investment is still affordable for low-budget companies whose newsletters play a central role in their business.

You could try href="http://kwiksurveys.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">KwikSurveys and href="http://www.smart-survey.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Smart Survey, too. They’re both free and offer interesting features, such as in-survey picture insertion and competitions.

10. Don’t use WP Super Cache or other CPU consuming WP plugins

Pearl of wisdom #4 suggested that you use a caching system in the form of extension or plugin to improve your website performance without sucking up too many resources. Now I seem to give you contradictory advice: why not using WP Super Cache, a well-known WP plugin for caching your website? The answer is in this specific plugin performance: WP Super Cache consumes href="http://spblogger.com/2011/01/18/wp-super-cache-vs-w3-total-cache-which-one-is-better/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">a lot of CPU and it will crash your servers if you run on a limited package. Other non-caching but CPU consuming WP plugins are:

• Better WP Security (increases page load time)
• All in One SEO Pack (old versions cause higher load spikes)

Consider installing a WordPress plugin called href="http://www.cravingtech.com/how-to-find-which-wordpress-plugins-that-slow-your-blog-down-with-p3-plugin.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">P3 (acronym for Plugin Performance Profiler) to keep track of how much CPU resources your plugins are using. Disable problem plugins as soon as you find out they hinder your CPU resources— some hosting providers will suspend your account if they find out, and at best your users will stumble upon annoying 500 internal server errors when trying to load your pages.

11. Be wary of abuses

Marc Werne of Gigatux advises to “pick your clients carefully” because “there are many clients out there that will abuse resources and use services for undesirable reasons (e.g. spamming or sending outbound attacks). This will help you to make the most of your limit resources and not waste time and money on unprofitable customers.”

What kind of abuses are we talking about?

• Uploading of illegal files including PDFs, videos, audio and software
• Spam and mass e-mailing attacks
• Bandwidth and webdisk eaters (massive hotlinking and href="http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/threats/analysis-ftp-hijack_472" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FTP hijacking)

Anti-spam plugins and up-to-date software usually are enough to prevent abuse, but check with your clients if you suspect bigger risks. Dishonest clients should be blocked and, at the extreme, reported to authorities.

12. Limit blog comments to valuable feedback

If your database quota is limited, you can restrict approved blog comments to valuable feedback or to prominent readers you want to engage with professionally. You can reply to the other comments via email or publicly in a blog post. This is a very extreme measure, so use it carefully and sparingly. The major risk is that you will lose traffic and reputation among bloggers and readers and get less feedback over time. Always forewarn your visitors about the reasons behind your heavy comment moderation, explain your current hosting and budget issues and promise email replies. Of course, be loyal to word given.

13. Regularly download and delete log files

Log files were created to keep you informed of your website health, but there’s no use of them on the server: if you don’t download and remove them at least once a week, their size will grow to occupy several megabytes to a GB. This is especially true of two cPanel logs:

/home/user/public_html/error_log

and

/home/user/tmp/awstats/

The error_log file usually includes dynamic errors such like PHP warnings, database errors (illegal collations, etc.) and spam comments that didn’t go through. Check this file weekly for errors and warnings, then remove it.

The /awstats/ folder, on the contrary, contains all access logs and statistics logs for your website. You should disable the AwStats software in your account to avoid webspace usage increase as the program automatically stores its stat files, or if you can’t because of restricted privileges, you should contact your host and ask to disable all analytics software.

14. Keep your hosting account clean and free of errors

Sounds tough? Here I have a checklist for you:

• Always keep your site software up to date
• Regularly delete logs and obsolete files
• Get rid of spam mail and comments
• Uninstall software you no longer need
• Run an antivirus on your hosting account
• Report hacks and hijacking attempts to your hosting provider

Another way to keep your hosting account healthy and functional is to use a script installer instead of manually installing all software you need to get your site running. Make sure your host is willing to help you if you have trouble configuring your scripts.

15. Always, always keep your software up to date

As Marc Werne says, “a lot of customers are using old OS Commerce stores which don’t even work with PHP 5.3. Who knows what security exploits might be in there.” Software updates truly are the core of your hosting account safety: don’t resist updating your CMS or forum solution just because the new version is a few megabytes heavier. If diskspace is a real issue for you, migrate your database to a new, lightweight solution. This is a healthiest, safest option for you than run your site on bugged software.

The importance of decentralization

You could notice that most of the tips in the list was about using external resources to lighten the load on your host’s servers. This is nothing but a very basic form of decentralization. Cloud computing is based on the same principle and commonly most hosting providers rely on more than one server to ensure higher performance. You should really make an effort to decentralize your resources as much as possible in order to make them last.

Further Reading

• href="http://wiki.dreamhost.com/CPU_minutes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CPU Minutes at Wiki.Dreamhost.com
• href="http://www.hostway.com/web-resources/find-web-hosting/what-impact-does-a-servers-cpu-have-on-hosting/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">What Impact Does a Server’s CPU Have on Hosting? at Hostway.com
• href="http://www.verio.com/resource-center/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Web Hosting Resources (Case Studies, White Papers, Webinars) at Verio.com

Page 22 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

11 Essential Blogging Tools & Resources

alt="11 Essential Blogging Tools & Resources" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/netvibes-500x180_c.png" />

Blogging is the act of putting your thoughts online for other people to read. That act itself is not difficult, however in order to blog effectively, we rely on many different tools.

In my recent book, title="The Ultimate Blogging Resource List" href="http://www.kevinmuldoon.com/ultimate-blogging-resource-list/">The Ultimate Blogging Resource List, I listed hundreds and hundreds of different resources for bloggers. The truth is, I do not use half the resources listed in the book. When it comes to essential blogging tools that I simply cannot operate without, there is only a handful of applications and services that I use every single day.

Today I would like to share with you the 10 blogging tools I cannot do without. These resources are not necessarily the best; they are simply the ones I have become accustomed to using for certain tasks. I have therefore listed alternatives for each service so that you have a larger selection of resources to choose from. I hope you enjoy the list :)

1. NetVibes – Free

URL: title="Net Vibes" href="http://www.netvibes.com" target="_blank">http://www.netvibes.com
Use: For Staying Up To Date With the Latest News & Views

It is important for bloggers to stay up to date with the latest news and events surrounding the topic they write about. Social media services such as Twitter and Facebook has changed the way that people get information, however I do not believe it is a practical way to stay informed as they report new articles instantly. Therefore, it is easy for important news articles to get lost in the mix.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://www.netvibes.com">class="aligncenter wp-image-1103 border" alt="NetVibes" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/netvibes.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/netvibes.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/netvibes-300x108.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

Newsreaders are a much better way to read content from dozens of websites. I have used it for years to check the latest articles on important news-breaking websites. The upcoming closure of Google Reader on July 1 2013 has seen many more people turn to NetVibes to stay up to date with content websites.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Feedly" href="http://www.feedly.com/">Feedly, title="NewsBlur" href="http://newsblur.com/">NewsBlur, title="FeedDemon" href="http://www.feeddemon.com">FeedDemon

2. Google Docs – Free

URL: title="Google Doc" href="http://docs.google.com" target="_blank">http://docs.google.com
Use: For Taking Notes

Taking notes is an essential part of blogging. Ideas can come to you at any time of the day, which is one of the reasons why I always carry a traditional notepad and pen with me at all times. When I get online, I then transfer the notes to Google Docs.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://docs.google.com">class="aligncenter wp-image-1104 border" alt="Google Docs" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/google-docs.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/google-docs.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/google-docs-300x90.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

There are dozens of great note taking applications available online. I just love the simplicity of Google Docs; A blank document is all I need. I occasionally use spreadsheets to track the performance of stats etc too.

It is essential that notes are synced on the cloud as I sometimes work on different computers. Google Docs allows me to access notes from any computer or device and I can upload offline files from Word too.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Evernote" href="http://evernote.com">Evernote, title="Remember The Milk" href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com">Remember The Milk, title="Springpad" href="http://springpad.com">Springpad, title="Simplenote" href="http://simplenote.com">Simplenote

3. FileZilla – Free

URL: title="File Zilla" href="https://filezilla-project.org" target="_blank">https://filezilla-project.org
Use: For Uploading, Deleting & Modifying Blog Files

I use FileZilla to upload all core fires, banner images, themes, plugins, and more. Sure, you can manage your blog using a file manager, however the process is slow and clunky.

style="text-align: center;">href="https://filezilla-project.org">class="aligncenter wp-image-1105 border" alt="FileZilla" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/filezilla.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/filezilla.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/filezilla-300x160.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

FileZilla is available on Mac, Windows and Linux. It’s incredibly easy to use. I have a 27″ iMac at home however I tend to use Windows laptops on the road. The export and import options on FileZilla make it easy for me to ensure that all my website profiles can be transferred to any device I am using.

Worthy Alternatives: title="FireFTP" href="http://fireftp.net">FireFTP, title="CrossFTP" href="http://www.crossftp.com/">CrossFTP, title="SmartFTP" href="http://www.smartftp.com">SmartFTP (Windows)

4. TextPad – Free

URL: title="TextPad" href="http://www.textpad.com" target="_blank">http://www.textpad.com
Use: For Modifying Template Files

style="text-align: center;">href="http://www.textpad.com">class="aligncenter wp-image-1107 border" alt="TextPad" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/textpad.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/textpad.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/textpad-300x216.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

Worthy Alternatives: title="TextWrangler" href="http://www.barebones.com/products/TextWrangler/">TextWrangler (Mac), title="Notepad++" href="http://notepad-plus-plus.org">Notepad++ (Windows), title="Kate Editor" href="http://kate-editor.org/">Kate (Linux)

5. WordPress – Free

URL: title="WordPress" href="http://www.wordpress.org" target="_blank">http://www.wordpress.org
Use: My Blogging Platform

When I first started blogging in 2006 I tried several popular blogging platforms. WordPress stood against the competition due to the number of themes and plugins it had available to it. The platform has gone from strength to strength since then and has developed far beyond a blogging platform.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://wordpress.org/">class="aligncenter wp-image-1108 border" alt="WordPress" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/wordpress.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/wordpress.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/wordpress-300x128.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

I use WordPress to create all my content websites. Due to the number of plugins available for it, there is nothing that the script cannot do.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Squarespace" href="http://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace, title="Typepad" href="http://www.typepad.com/">Typepad, title="Drupal" href="http://www.drupal.org">Drupal, title="Joomla" href="http://www.joomla.org">Joomla

6. VaultPress – Per Blog

URL: title="Vault Press" href="http://www.vaultpress.com" target="_blank">http://www.vaultpress.com
Use: For Backing Up My Blogs

It is important to perform regular backups of your blogs. VaultPress makes this process simple by backing up your blog or website every single hour. The service was developed by Automattic, the company who develops WordPress.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://www.vaultpress.com">class="aligncenter wp-image-1109 border" alt="VaultPress" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/vaultpress.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/vaultpress.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/vaultpress-300x181.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

The service allows you to restore or download any backup from the past. You can choose to download themes, plugins, your database or your uploads, from any point since you started using the service. For example, should I want to, I can download a backup of my blog from two years ago and I can choose from any backup from that day. There are many good backup solutions out there but for me, VaultPress is above the competition for this very reason.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Backup Machine" href="http://www.backupmachine.com/">Backup Machine, title="BlogVault" href="http://blogvault.net">BlogVault, title="CodeGuard" href="https://www.codeguard.com">CodeGuard, title="CPanelSiteBackup" href="http://cpanelsitebackup.com/">CPanelSiteBackup

7. Google Alerts – Free

URL: title="Google Alerts" href="http://www.google.com/alerts" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/alerts
Use: For Being Notified of Links To My Blog

href="http://www.google.com/alerts">class="size-full wp-image-1110 alignright border" alt="Google Alerts" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/google-alerts.png" width="404" height="400" />

Google Alerts allows you to get notifications about anything. I use it to get notified of any reviews of my books and any links to my blog. It can also be used for notifying you of important developments within a niche.

All you have to do is set the keyword you want to track and how often you need updates.

 

Out of all the services listed in this article, Google Alerts is the one that I do not rely on every day.

It is possibly the only service that I could technically do without; however every time I get an email update from Google Alerts, I am reminded about how useful the service is.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Mention" href="https://en.mention.net">Mention, title="Social Mention" href="http://www.socialmention.com/">Social Mention, title="Notification Control" href="http://notificationcontrol.com/">Notification Control

8. DropBox – Free for 2GB of Storage

URL: title="Drop Box" href="http://www.dropbox.com" target="_blank">http://www.dropbox.com
Use: For Backing Up All Important Files

I use DropBox to backup all important website files including files, themes, plugins, logos, notes, and more. All of my files are automatically synced across all my computers and I can access important files from any device.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://www.dropbox.com">class="aligncenter wp-image-1111 border" alt="Dropbox" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dropbox.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dropbox.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dropbox-300x125.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

DropBox offer 2GB of storage free though you have the option of earning more storage through referrals. I pay per year for 100GB of storage as I backup all my photos and videos from travelling on the service.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Google Drive" href="http://drive.google.com">Google Drive, title="SkyDrive" href="http://www.skydrive.com">SkyDrive, title="SugarSync" href="https://www.sugarsync.com">SugarSync, title="SpiderOak" href="https://spideroak.com">SpiderOak

9. Greenshot – Free

URL: title="Get Green Shot" href="http://getgreenshot.org" target="_blank">http://getgreenshot.org
Use: For Taking Screenshots

href="http://getgreenshot.org">class=" wp-image-1112 alignright border" alt="Greenshot" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/greenshot.png" width="310" height="375" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/greenshot.png 387w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/greenshot-247x300.png 247w" sizes="(max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px" />

Images are a big part of blogging. Blog posts without images look dull and get shared less often on social media websites. Therefore, I take screenshots every day for my blog posts.

Greenshot is a screenshot tool for Windows that allows me to take a screenshot of my entire desktop, or of a defined area, using shortcut keys.

There are a lot of benefits to using Greenshot.

The ability to take a screenshot of a defined area saves you a lot of time cropping images within your image editor. You can even configure the application to open your image editing application automatically after taking a screenshot. Alternatively, you can save the screenshot as an image to a predefined location.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Awesome Screenshot" href="http://awesomescreenshot.com">Awesome Screenshot, title="Pixlr Grabber" href="http://pixlr.com/grabber/">Pixlr Grabber

10. Gimphoto – Free

URL: title="Gim Photo" href="http://www.gimphoto.com/" target="_blank">http://www.gimphoto.com/
Use: For Modifying Images for the Internet

For years I used Photoshop to edit images, however over the last few years I moved towards free photo editing solutions. title="GIMP" href="http://www.gimp.org">GIMP was the obvious choice but the transition to Gimphoto was easier as the menu interface was based on Photoshop’s.

style="text-align: center;">href="http://www.gimphoto.com/">class="aligncenter wp-image-1114 border" alt="Gimphoto" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gimpphoto.png" width="750" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gimpphoto.png 600w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gimpphoto-300x219.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

Gimpphoto is available for Windows and Linux. There is also a portable download option that allows you to install it on a USB flash drive. Photoshop is very expensive now and they are forcing everyone to pay using a monthly subscription. If you are looking for a good alternative to Photoshop, I highly recommend Gimpphoto. There is nothing it cannot do and it works in a very similar way to Photoshop.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Paint" href="http://www.getpaint.net">Paint (Windows), title="Photoshop Express Editor" href="http://www.photoshop.com/tools/expresseditor?wf=editor">Photoshop Express Editor (Browser Based), title="Seashore" href="http://seashore.sourceforge.net">Seashore (Mac)

11. Gmail – Free

URL: title="Gmail" href="http://www.gmail.com" target="_blank">http://www.gmail.com
Use: For Emailing, Networking & More

Gmail is the first application I open in my browser every single day. It is how I get updates about new comments on my new blogs and how I network with people on the internet. People always talk about how great Twitter, Facebook and Google+ are for networking. I do appreciate the networking possibilities that these services offer however I believe email is still the best medium to do business.

href="http://www.gmail.com">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1120" alt="Gmail" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gmail.png" width="493" height="305" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gmail.png 493w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/gmail-300x185.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px" />

I have used Gmail actively since I was offered a beta account many years ago. Most other email services now match the vast storage that Gmail offers however Gmail still excels in a number of area. In particular, its integration with other services. First part Google programs such as Google Chat, Calendar, Drive and Hangouts, are all integrated into the way Gmail works. There are a huge number of third party applications that integrate with it well, such as the note taking service title="Remember The Milk" href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com">Remember The Milk.

Worthy Alternatives: title="Outlook" href="http://www.outlook.com">Outlook, title="FastMail" href="https://www.fastmail.fm">FastMail, title="ThunderBird" href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/">ThunderBird

You now know the resources that I rely on to blog successfully every day. I am sure that many of you are surprised that Twitter or Facebook were not on the list. I do use these services but I would not consider them essential to my blogging routine. If anything, they can be a distraction to me finishing my work.

What blogging tools can you not do without? Please let us know in the comment area.

Thanks for reading,
Kevin

Page 20 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

Top 10 Resources Every Blogger Needs

alt="Top 10 Resources Every Blogger Needs" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4-e1372566132805-500x253_c.jpg" />

Like any worthwhile endeavor, bloggers need to continually educate themselves to stay up-to-date at their craft. You need to have reliable resources in your blogger’s toolkit that you can turn to for advice, tips and tutorials. The following books and web sites can keep you at the top of your game building a successful blog and may even lead towards a fulfilling and profitable business along with it.

Books Every Blogger Should Read

Here are the top 5 books every blogger should own.

Book #1. “Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income” by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

class="alignright size-full wp-image-7280" alt="ProBlogger" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ProBlogger.jpg" width="106" height="160" />
This book by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett is what I call the encyclopedia of blogging.

It contains everything you need to know, from blog set up basics, to building a “sticky” community of loyal followers, to going beyond your blog and building a business or career from it.  Examples from Rowse and Garrett’s real life blogs and websites are peppered throughout, so you are getting hands-on, practical lessons. There’s even a section on flipping your blog, so this book is a keeper that you will refer to again and again.

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Visit: href="http://probloggerbook.com/" target="_blank">ProBlogger the Book

Book #2. “Content Rules” by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman

class="alignright size-full wp-image-7281" alt="Content Rules" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ContentRules.jpg" width="107" height="160" />
Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman have created the complete guide to content for businesses. Why should you use it? Even if your blog doesn’t become your business or bootstrap your career, this book can teach you a great deal about creating content that appeals, goes viral, and sells. The book is separated into 3 parts: why content rules, how to make yours rule and successful case studies. “Content Rules” starts by helping you get grounded in why you need compelling content, continues by showing you how yours can stand out from the crowd and ends with a checklist covering all the material in the book.

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Visit: href="http://www.contentrulesbook.com/" target="_blank">Content Rules

Book #3. “Online Reputation Management for Dummies” by Lori Randall Stradman

class="alignright size-full wp-image-7282" alt="Online Reputation Management" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/OnlineRepMgmt.jpg" width="129" height="160" />
Don’t let the title put you off – as a Dummies book ambassador, I can tell you that these guides are well-written and take you from start to finish in everything you need to know. This Dummies title covers social media in depth. Why am I recommending this particular book by Lori Randall Stradman, rather than one with social media in the title? Because this one addresses your entire online presence, including protecting your reputation and how to fix things if you get into trouble – for example, you are smeared by some of your followers. Real world examples from big business failures guide you in fixing your blog-sized problems competently and professionally. In addition, Stradman gives you soup to nuts information on everything you need to know about using social media and building an online presence, including tips and tools to make it flow smoothly.

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Visit: href="http://www.dummies.com/DummiesTitle/productCd-1118338596,descCd-buy.html" target="_blank">“Online Reputation Management” at the Dummies Store

Book #4. “Digging into WordPress” by Chris Coyier & Jeff Star

If you are using a self-hosted blog with WordPress, this book is the ultimate guide. (If you’re not self-hosted, href="//localhost/blog/web-hosting-guides/the-dangers-of-free-web-hosting">here’s why free web hosting is not the best option.) This book is designed to take a blogger who has never even heard of WordPress from beginner to expert. Yes, you will learn techy things in this book but all of it is in service to running a better, more user-friendly blog – such as working with your RSS feeds, optimizing how your comments are set up, search engine optimization and managing plugins – just to name a few chapters. Plus it’s all written in clear, easy language and has a supporting website as well.

The paper version is pricy, but at , the PDF is far more useful – you’re going to be online when you go through the steps in this book anyway.

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Visit: title="Digging into wordpress" href="http://digwp.com/" target="_blank">Digging into WordPress

(Also check out Jerry’s recent href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/interviews/jeff-starr-interview/">interview with Jeff Starr.)

href="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/PhotographyForWeb.jpg">class="alignright size-full wp-image-7283" alt="Photography For The Web" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/PhotographyForWeb.jpg" width="128" height="160" />

Book #5. “Photography for the Web” by SitePoint

Now that you’re a blogger, you need to know a little something about photography, without spending a fortune on a class. This Sitepoint book by Paul Duncanson is your solution. It’s an easy, clear read with lots of examples. It guides you through all the functions on your digital or DSLR camera, and walks you through the basics and more advanced configurations of lighting, framing, color correction and more. This book will get you outside the box of using the “manual” setting on your camera and help you to maximize shots even if you don’t have a high end camera. A must-have resource for product review and event bloggers.

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Visit: href="http://www.sitepoint.com/store/photography-for-the-web/" target="_blank">Sitepoint’s “Photography for the Web” page

Blogs and Websites Every Blogger Should be Following

In addition to the latest editions of these books, you should also subscribe to and follow a number of websites. Here are the top 5 websites every blogger should be reading.

1. CopyBlogger

I’ve put in the link to their incredibly valuable blog, but you can also register for free for more resources, such as ebooks and an internet course.

These guys are the original gurus for teaching how to be a great blogger. Topics including everything from how to make WordPress faster to productivity tips to creativity – all content based around helping you to build a world class blog.

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Visit: href="http://www.copyblogger.com/blog/">CopyBlogger

2. Boost Blog Traffic

Written by Jon Morrow, the expert on guest blogging and former writer for CopyBlogger, the first thing you get at this website is “Headline Hacks,” an incredibly useful cheat sheet for writing headlines with the best chance of going viral. All his tips are focused specifically on blogging and offer manageable advice on how to get your blog where you want it to go. The posts are pretty well detailed, but also easy to read. Jon has a great style that just makes you want to read more – and often you’ll find yourself laughing.  I highly advise subscribing. Morrow doesn’t post every day, so when he does, you’re sure to get some great information and amazing tips that you never thought of before.

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Visit: href="http://boostblogtraffic.com/">Boost Blog Traffic

3. Traffic Generation Café Blog

This great little blog I stumbled on earlier this year not only does a weekly blog review of social media, marketing and SEO trends and changes, it also supplies lots of tips, tools, plugins and advice that can help you steadily build traffic and sort through your analytics. This is a great way to stay on top of news from changes in Google, the latest social media trends and general ideas on how to better target traffic for your blog.

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Visit: href="http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/blog/">Traffic Generation Café Blog

4. Social Media Examiner

A couple of years ago, I noticed that when I googled blog resources, this site would come up – with lots of information! After that, I started actively seeking it out. As you know, your blog can only be successful with quality social media engagement, and this is your go-to resource for how to achieve that. In addition, there are plenty of posts that specifically focus on blogging, many geared towards generating traffic.

Case studies, expert interviews, how to posts, videos and a weekly podcast are some of the treasures you’ll find on this site dedicated to social media best practices.

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Visit: href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/">Social Media Examiner

5. A collection of articles at SITS Girls called “Photography Tips for Bloggers”

If you’re not – and never want to be – a career photoblogger but you want to quickly reference tips on basics of photography for your blog, this page is for you. I still recommend buying the book I mentioned above, but this handy resource will provide tips that you can start using immediately.

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Visit: href="http://www.thesitsgirls.com/photography-tips/">Photography Tips for Bloggers

Last but not least

Finally, I’d subscribe to the href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/">blog here at Web Hosting Secret Revealed. href="//localhost/category/blog/interviews">Expert interviews, href="//localhost/category/blog/seo">help with SEO, href="//localhost/category/blog/web-tools">web tools you shouldn’t live without – these are just some of the topics our team covers. Remember that being a successful blog is not just about writing great content, it’s about using all the tools at your disposal to keep your blog interesting, fresh and attractive. Staying educated about what’s going on in the world of blogging is the way to do that.

Page 17 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

10 Resources for Finding Freelance Writing Work

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Now that you’ve got some blogging experience under your belt, it’s time to hit the road and href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/blogging-tips/from-blogger-to-freelance-writer/">start looking for freelance writing work. Before you get started, here are some things to consider:

What Kind of Writing Work?

Firstly, you need to determine what kind of work you want. If you are a blogger, there are plenty of blogging and ghost blogging jobs (that is, blogging without credit to your name). However, you may feel ready to step out of that box and into brand ambassadorship, writing product descriptions or copywriting. You’ll need experience in whatever area you step into, so if you have any, add it to your resume. If you know of close contacts in these fields, consider offering your services on a limited or low cost basis, once or twice, to get your feet wet. I do not advise making a habit of this but assisting companies and brands is always beneficial.

What Pay?

Pay for writing varies greatly. Some gigs pay by the word, some offer flat fees. Because competition is stiff, newbies may believe they cannot write for anything more than a few dollars. My first gig paid .05 per word, which is not great but it’s far more than for 500 words. Another thing you need to consider is that some sites pay revenue share rather than a word count – that is, you get a share of the advertising. Other sites provide reader votes or quantity bonuses, while regular pay is quite low or nonexistent.

id="attachment_8919" style="width: 760px" class="wp-caption aligncenter">class="size-full wp-image-8919" alt="Writer and Editor Hourly Rates (according to Freelance Industry Report 2012)." src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/writers-salary.jpg" width="750" height="307" srcset="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/writers-salary.jpg 750w, http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/writers-salary-300x122.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" />class="wp-caption-text">Writer and Editor Hourly Rates (according to href="http://www.internationalfreelancersday.com/2012report/" target="_blank">Freelance Industry Report 2012).