Web hosting is the service provided by an ISP to publish your web pages on the internet. In order for your web pages to be visible on the internet, a web server (hardware and software) must be permanently connected to the internet so that it can send pages to people who request them.
In it's simplest form of sending HTML pages when required, web hosting is not complicated or expensive, but the modern trend is to build more sophisticated web sites with dynamic (automatically changing) content. Dynamic content sites are made possible by web servers able to execute scripting computer languages such as ASP, PHP or PERL. In most cases scripting languages also require access to some form of database to retrieve and store information like catalogue items, user names and passwords and so on.
The role of your ISP is to maintain the web server, keep it secure (protect your site from malicious damage or viruses), keep it online on the internet, and to provide you with technical support and advice and faq pages like this one.
How does one "publish" a web site?
Web sites are "published" (ie made available to the internet) by uploading files to the server.
Most people use HTML authoring software such as Microsoft FrontPage or Dreamweaver to design their web pages on their PCs. Once this design process is completed, the pages must be sent (published) to their web server to be made visible to the internet.
Almost all web authoring software enables one to publish pages by using FTP (file transfer protocol), while Microsoft FrontPage uses a bit simpler but proprietary publishing mechanism. Your web server must be able to support FTP and/or FrontPage Server Extensions to make the publish process easy and transparent for you...in most cases you will simply press a "Publish" button and the software will do the rest. (All of these products have their own faq pages where you can learn more about them)
Naturally your web server will require you to supply a user id and password (supplied by your ISP) before it allows you to publish to the server.
How often can I update my site?
As often as you can provide new content! :-)
There are no limits on how often you can update your site, in fact, it is a good idea to update at least once a month by adding new information, removing old or outdated info and making sure that everything is current.
This will not only improve your search engine position, but it will also ensure that first time visitors are never "turned-off" by old or incorrect information. ("Dead" web sites with old and out of date information is a sure-fire way to loose potential clients)
What is a "web page" and HTML?
A web page is a text file with HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) commands. HTML "commands" in the file enable you to change fonts, bold, underline, set margins and so on...in other words to format the layout of your page.
In most cases you will never have to work with or understand HTML because most modern web page editor software "hides" HTML completely by presenting you with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get interface - almost as if you are working in a word processor program.
There are a great many resources on the internet to help you with site design and writing web pages - but the basics are a no-brainer. Given the right software (eg Microsoft FrontPage or Dreamweaver) you will be producing a web page in 5 minutes.
How will people find my web site?
This is the essence of web marketing, and quite an evolved subject. For the sake of brevity we can cover only the basics here - if you need more information, or contact us.
If you have an established business, you will draw visitors to your site by publishing your web address on your business cards, letterheads and everywhere where you would normally publish contact information.
In addition to this both new and established businesses list their sites with the major search engines (www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.altavista.com, www.msn.com, etc) by visiting the engine and filling in a form asking to be "indexed" because while your site is new, people will mainly find your site by searching for keywords on search engines.
There are several issues involved with getting a good listing on the engines - like selecting the "right" keywords for your site, optimizing your pages so that the search engine software rates them as important, etc. These are not computer technical issues, but they do require careful and creative analysis of what you intend to achieve with your web site and who your target market (or audience) is.
(Your ISP should be able to do this for you or provide help if you need it. At Cozahost we provide articles and e-books to help you understand the process, hands-on direct and practical help to improve your listing and we will list your site on your behalf on the major search engines if requested)
How / where do I find an ISP to host my web site?
You are looking at one. ;-)
Other ways of locating a ISP to host your web pages are by asking your friends / contacts for recommendations, searching for key phrases like "web hosting" on the search engines.
Evaluate the ISP carefully - your internet business depends on their reliability, service and advice. We always recommend that you contact the ISP before you do business with them. If you have to wait a day before they reply to you...
Visit their web site. Is it friendly fast, and, most importantly, does it contain valuable advice and information or is it a SELL-IN-YOUR-FACE knock-off of a glossy magazine page? In other words, do they understand the issues of doing business on the internet? Remember: anyone can be an ISP, but only experienced, reputable companies can help YOU be successful.
Last rule of thumb: Don't go for the cheapest service you can find, unless you believe that it is a good strategy to have a haircut at the cheapest place you can find too. :-)
Price and value is not the same thing.
Does it matter where in the world my ISP is located?
Mainly it does not matter, but there are some practical issues you should consider:
Depending on your level of experience with building and maintaining your web site, you may need to be able to telephone your ISP's support department. In this case you need an ISP that is roughly in the same time zone, but preferably in the same country to avoid international telephone costs.
Currency fluctuations and money transfer issues (if you can't use your credit card) may make it difficult or unexpectedly expensive to pay your service provider if they are in a foreign country.
Other than the above issues, there are no technical reasons that would prevent you from selecting an ISP on the other side of the world if you so choose: Even response time is not an issue - for example a Cape Town to Washington transfer would be about 1 or 2 seconds slower than Washington to New York - not a big deal if you are browsing the web.
In some cases you might be forced to host your site in a foreign country to circumvent local laws and regulations. In the United States we have very liberal freedoms of speech and expression enshrined in our constitution.
- Follow me
Playing Games For Money
It's common knowledge that you can gamble online, but games of skill are also becoming a very popular way to put your money where your mouse is. Along with the usual single-player Web games that offer cash prizes, a growing number of sites are now letting users compete for a wager in multiplayer games and tournaments. As enjoyable as a free game of online chess or pool can be, having a little money riding on the outcome can certainly make it more thrilling.
Casual games and traditional board games are the mainstay of this industry, which earns revenue by several means, including both through advertising and competition entry fees. Word games like Bookworm and puzzle games like Bejeweled are quite popular. Arcade, trivia, and card games are also frequently played for a wager or prizes.
Winning Big, Losing Small
Although there is usually no limit to how much you can win, there are often limits to how much you will be allowed to lose in given period of time. Tournament payouts can be quite substantial,but don't expect to make a career out of it, because most games are played over relatively small wagers.
To participate you will need a credit card or a PayPal account.Assuming you come out ahead, this is how you collect your winnings. Some sites start you out with 5 dollars worth of "practice money," which gives you a chance to try out the system without taking any risks. Once you have an account with the site, you can usually still choose to practice or play in free tournaments to hone your skills.
Isn't That Gambling?
The legality of playing online games varies from one region to another. In the U.K. they have adopted a regulatory approach to the online gaming industry rather than passing laws against it. In the U.S. rules governing sweepstakes, contests, and tournaments with entry fees or prizes are determined by each state, not the federal government. For this reason, skill game sites generally do not offer their services to residents of Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland and Tennessee. Some states equate all forms of online gaming for money with gambling.
Online gaming is a relatively new activity, so in many areas the technology is still ahead of the law. Few precedents have been set, and there is ongoing debate about the distinction between games of skill and gambling. For example, some states consider poker a game of chance, while in others it is labelled a game of skill. Consult a local authority if you want to know for sure what the legal status of playing online games for money is in your area.
Fair Play
As you would expect, all the leading sites that allow you to compete for cash have policies in place to discourage cheating and do what they can to enforce these rules. They are constantly watching for players that are using computer scripts or other methods to gain an unfair advantage. At the same time, cheaters are always looking for new ways to abuse the system, so undoubtedly, a certain amount of cheating still goes on. In some cases the game sites have been accused of banning accounts and withholding winnings from alleged cheaters with no evidence. There aren't really any simple solutions to these problems. I recommend playing on a site that you trust and reporting any suspicious activity you come across.
Antivirus and Antispyware
Antivirus software programs that are commonly available in market are Norton, McAfee, and SOPHOS. Among all, Norton continues to be the bestselling antivirus program, and has proved its mettle in detecting viruses.
Likewise, there are super antispyware software programs. They are used solely for detection and removal of spyware. These software programs follow different techniques to complete their task. They either scan files to identify known viruses matching definitions in their virus dictionary or track suspicious behavior shown by files and programs stored in computer. For examples: A program trying to write data to an executable program can create doubt. However, such a diagnosis generally covers data captures, port monitoring, and other tricks.
Always install such an anti-spyware program that works effectively with your operating system. Its main advantage lies in its efficiency to provide high quality protection against complex spyware attacks. Most of these programs offer complete security by scanning not only e-mails, but also all traffic generating from diskettes, USB sticks, and Internet.
There are specific antivirus programs that the user can easily install. Also, they are available for free on the Internet. But it is always recommended to buy a software package as it will have additional features for an efficient PC protection.
Some antispyware software can reduce your PC’s performance to a large extent. You may disable the antivirus protection to avert performance loss but it will increase the risk of infection. If you are unsure of which Antispyware program to buy, you can consult with technicians offering computer support online. Apart from providing the best advice, they can install the most suitable Antispyware in no time.
Many companies offer services like installation and timely up gradation of antivirus software program, troubleshooting PC errors, email support services, support for all operating systems, and other related benefits as a part of their computer support package.
Likewise, there are super antispyware software programs. They are used solely for detection and removal of spyware. These software programs follow different techniques to complete their task. They either scan files to identify known viruses matching definitions in their virus dictionary or track suspicious behavior shown by files and programs stored in computer. For examples: A program trying to write data to an executable program can create doubt. However, such a diagnosis generally covers data captures, port monitoring, and other tricks.
Always install such an anti-spyware program that works effectively with your operating system. Its main advantage lies in its efficiency to provide high quality protection against complex spyware attacks. Most of these programs offer complete security by scanning not only e-mails, but also all traffic generating from diskettes, USB sticks, and Internet.
There are specific antivirus programs that the user can easily install. Also, they are available for free on the Internet. But it is always recommended to buy a software package as it will have additional features for an efficient PC protection.
Some antispyware software can reduce your PC’s performance to a large extent. You may disable the antivirus protection to avert performance loss but it will increase the risk of infection. If you are unsure of which Antispyware program to buy, you can consult with technicians offering computer support online. Apart from providing the best advice, they can install the most suitable Antispyware in no time.
Many companies offer services like installation and timely up gradation of antivirus software program, troubleshooting PC errors, email support services, support for all operating systems, and other related benefits as a part of their computer support package.
Prevent a Coffee Shop Wi-Fi Attack
The world just got a bit riskier for us “road warriors.” You see, there’s this perfect storm of risks lined up to make our lives a little more dangerous. Here’s why, and here’s what we can do to fight back.
In the last couple years, a new breed of mobile user has sprung up. Thanks in large part to the iPhone (and the iPhone-wannabees), the world now has a lot more mobile devices hungry for a live (and free) Wi-Fi connection. Sure, we’ve been using Wi-Fi for years, but at least for many of us, what was once the casual and even occasional laptop login has become a more convenient and far more frequent quick check for email, stock reports, headlines, etc.
We’re using our hyper-mobile devices all the time now. Standing in line at the coffee shop, we quickly fire up our pocket-sized devices to see what’s going on in the world.
Now, here’s where the risk storm comes in.
When you point your Wi-Fi interface at a local wireless access point (WAP), you’re implicitly trusting it. Say, for example, you’re in your favorite coffee shop and turn on your mobile device and see there’s a Wi-Fi net present—say, something like “Acme-wireless.” You see it’s not using WEP, so you blindly and courageously take the leap of faith and connect to it.
How could that have happened, you ask? Well, when you signed onto “Acme-wireless,” you trusted that it was indeed “Acme-wireless” and that it is operated by an honest business.
The only proof you had that it was indeed “Acme-wireless” was that it said so.
You’ve been duped.
Yes, it’s easy to do. It would be absolutely simple to configure a laptop PC to masquerade as “Acme-wireless” and then to collect login credentials from unsuspecting mobile users seeking a free Wi-Fi fix. After all, the Wi-Fi standard provides no mechanism for the user to authenticate the server. None. Nada. Zip.
And that’s just one kind of Wi-Fi-based attack. It gets worse. When you connect over Wi-Fi, a lot of relatively sensitive information (e.g., passwords, session IDs, cookies) is routinely passed unencrypted and is thus open to being trivially sniffed by anyone else on the same Wi-Fi site. That person sitting next to you in the coffee shop could well be running a sniffing tool like Wireshark and collecting anything sensitive that your browser or email client emits.
Now, combine all that with the fact that our hyper-mobile devices are getting smaller and smaller, while at the same time becoming more and more capable as powerful computing devices. Further, we’re starting to trust them more and more for connecting to sensitive network services, including financial services and such. That is to say that they are without a doubt becoming serious targets by the miscreants of the world who want to liberate your money from your wallet.
How can we protect ourselves? Fortunately, there are a few relatively simple things we can do to make things safer.
Start by being a little paranoid. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, right? Additionally, here are a few more things you can start doing today to improve your wireless risk exposure:
• Be familiar
When you’re in a location you haven’t been to before and you want to use their Wi-Fi, look (or ask) for instructions on how to connect to their SSIDs. This is no guarantee, of course, but it’s a good start, as you’re more likely to find legitimate WAPs this way.
• Wi-Fi credentials
If you use a Wi-Fi service that requires you to enter your account information before you can connect, double check that you’re actually connected to your provider before entering the information. More than likely, the login screen that your browser automatically takes you to will be SSL encrypted over HTTPS. Take a moment to view the SSL certificate—if your mobile device lets you—and the URL to double check that you’re talking to your Wi-Fi provider and not a rogue web site set up to collect your credentials. That is, don’t trust the login page until you know it is legitimate.
• VPN
Once connected to the Wi-Fi, invoke a secure VPN connection. Strong VPNs should be IPsec-based, but even PPTP will suffice. The point is to encrypt all of your traffic that goes through the local Wi-Fi, even if the Web pages and other network content are not otherwise encrypting. This will prevent the sniffer-in-the-coffee-shop attack from successfully stealing your sensitive data. If your company doesn’t have a VPN to use, consider using a public VPN services.
• SSL
Especially if you didn’t heed my warning regarding VPN usage above, you really want to ensure all your sensitive information is being encrypted while it transits the local Wi-Fi net. That means SSL typically. To the extent possible, make sure all applications that send/receive sensitive information, login credentials, etc., are configured to use SSL for all sessions. And, as in the case of the Wi-Fi provider login page, take a moment to validate SSL server certificate validity whenever you connect to an SSL-based service.
• Free Public Wi-Fi
It’s not uncommon to see a Wi-Fi connection dubbed “Free Public Wifi.” It is in fact neither. Instead, it’s due to a Windows bug and should simply be avoided.
These tips are just a starting point, of course. The main message is to be a little apprehensive when using your hyper-mobile device. A little bit of mistrust here will go a long way to protecting you.
