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On-line Manual
The problem with buying web space, for most people, is that they don't really know what they're looking at when they buy it. They simply buy what sounds like the "biggest" package they can get on their budget, or they buy the first package they see, and think they are all alike.
You need to determine your needs and shop accordingly. Do you need Unix or NT hosting? Both have their advantages. For most sites, Unix is preferred since it is the most stable platform for web applications. If you need to run ASP (Active Server Page) applications, then you should be looking for a NT host.
A package that claims to have "Unlimited" web space, and transfer may sound like the biggest "package" you can get, but rest assured, there are many more important features, and considerations in buying web space. If space and traffic is a major concern, you should be looking for a dedicated server to meet your needs - not a virtual package.
Space... The "Unlimited" Trap.
When shopping for a web hosting company, keep in mind that many companies offer MUCH less space than what's in our packages, and call it "unlimited." In making this claim, the company will cover themselves with some tiny, well hidden fine print (look real close!), or simply rely on their customers not using all of what they are paying for. When the customer doesn't use all of what they pay for, they can use that space to cover another customer who is using more than what they thought they might. One of the problems with this technique is, they have to cheat all the customers that don't use more space than they expected, to support those who do.
What do we mean by "cheat"? Read the fine print closely with the "Unlimited" packages. You'll almost always discover that you won't be allowed to to resell, or even give away "YOUR" web space. In other words, should you decide to make your best friend a web site, or let them use your space to build it in a subdirectory ... it is prohibited. The explanation usually is because people would abuse the "Unlimited" space these companies generously give you. To a certaint extent this is true ... BUT, what effectively happens, is "YOUR SPACE" is limited to exactly what you need for your site. Note: Some companies will even go as far as deleting your files, and pictures, if they are not linked to a page in your site! A few hosting companies take it a step further. It's not enough to limit you to exactly what you need, but they'll limit you to whatever THEY happen to need to run their servers smoothly! Instead of moving some domains to a less crowded server, they restrict YOUR "UNLIMITED" space and bandwidth so that they can pack more accounts on the same server.
Here is an example of the above principle at work. This is a direct quote from another host's web site:
*The unlimited traffic and disk storage policy has been established for the ease of use and enjoyment of all our customers. We reserve the right to limit your disk usage and/or traffic if your site is negatively affecting the performance of our other customers.Limit it to what??? EXACTLY how much?? They don't say ... pretty much leaves how much space and traffic you can use for your site up to the hosting company. Apparently, it sounds good for them to say "NO LIMITS!" in their ads, and they probably fool a lot of people who don't read the fine print.
With BCSWebCo, not only do you know EXACTLY how much space and bandwidth you have, but YOUR space is YOURS! We don't care if you back-up your hard drive on it! You paid for it, and it's yours, period! With options such as extra telnet/ftp/pop accounts, your customers/friends can have their own password, to edit their sites.
Sure, we could say "unlimited" because the odds are, you'll never use all the space that comes with your package. Our philosphy is simple ... top-notch customer service means being up front, and honest with customers. You should always know exactly what you are getting, with no hidden charges. We don't want to cheat, or overcharge "the little guy", just on the off chance that another customer might actually use more space than we thought they would. It's plain dishonest and bad business!
In reality, space itself does not make the package. Even if hosting companies could offer you unlimited space (yes, it's a physical impossibility, but let's pretend), you're still just getting a huge shell of a "vehicle". What's important, is what comes with it! Just as a huge roomy bus with no engine, no air-conditioning, no power steering or brakes, would be horribly un-fun, and difficult to drive... so it is with a web site with lots of space and no features.
Traffic... They Said it was "unlimited"!
Just as "unlimited space" is a physical impossibility, so is "unlimited transfer". Beware of companies that offer this as a feature, as there is almost always some type of fine print that releases them from actually giving you "unlimited traffic". One common stipulation, is to offer you "unlimited traffic" with a little link to the fine print of:
"If you use more than 20% of system resources, you don't qualify for 'unlimited traffic'. "Bottom Line: if you are limited to a percentage of system resources, then it's nothing short of a lie to represent a hosting package as having "unlimited" traffic! There are other stipulations, and deceitful methods that many companies use to give you the illusion of unlimited traffic, and once you sign a contract for a year, you can't even back out of it, and find a respectable hosting company.
The only stipulations BCSWebCo places on traffic, can be found in our policies, and it limits certain types of sites (file distribution sites; shareware, image, sound, and multimedia archive sites, etc..) to a maximum of 3000 megs of traffic per month. Most sites only use 100 megs per month so, check with us if there is any question as to whether or not your type of site would be limited. As we said before, we don't want any hidden fine print, or charges. We want you to know exactly what you're getting for you money.
Cgi-bin... Do you need it or not?
It's important that you understand before you buy web space, exactly what is offered in any given package. This means understanding each feature, so that you'll know if you want or need it, that is available to you. Just because you may not know how to write your own cgi-script, doesn't mean that you won't be able to install a script that you get elsewhere!
For example:If you know you're going to want a guestbook, then select a hosting package that either comes with a guestbook, OR gives you your own cgi-bin, so that you can either get your own guestbook script to run, or write your own. We provide you with both...already set up! Why? Because if you want a guestbook, but don't know how to write your own, you'll have it.
Having your own cgi-bin is extremely important, because cgi-scripts are used in so many ways to do so many things. Almost anything interactive on a web site is done with cgi-scripts. With your own cgi-bin (not just access to a community one) you have the option of using scripts that are needed to run your site. There are many free versions of just about any script you can imagine all over the net. With our packages you can either use the ones we provide or install your own. Here are a few examples of some scripts:
We don't require that you have your scripts pre-approved. In fact, with BCSWebCo, you get your OWN cgi-bin! Don't settle for having "access" to a hand-full of scripts that some hosting company piled there for everyone to use. Even if you know nothing about cgi-scripts, with a little reading, and some practice, most scripts that you find (for free) are easily implemented into your web site.
Email Features... How much is enough?
100 - 500 - Unlimtited POP acounts!! Wow ... such a deal!! Now think about it (And read the fine print on sites that offer unlimited POP accounts) - How many POP email boxes do you really need. You probably already have one with your dial-up provider - maybe a few free web-based accounts as well. Unless you're running a site for a company about the size of Microsoft™ chances are you'll never need more than 3 to 5 POP email accounts for your site. If you do - we can provide them at an additional charge. Most email needs can be handled through alias functions and forwarding and most web site customers prefer it that way.
Be sure to check what other companies charge for autoresponders, email aliases, email forwarding, and mailing lists (usually 5.00/month each, IF they even offer the mailing lists) when comparing prices (we say "other" companies because ours are free, and unlimited) Now hold on! ... you said unlimited was impossible?? True! Better use the number 500 for email aliases, forwarding, autoresponders, and mailing lists. Even though any mail sent to whatever@yourdomain.com comes to you, without you having to change a thing, there's probably a limit to the number of combinations of keys and numbers on any given keyboard.
These are extremely important features that most companies charge an arm and a leg for! If you had to pay 5.00 each for these features, and you only bought five of each, you'd pay $100.00 per month for these features alone.. that's not counting any web space, traffic, an email account, or anything else. In short, you're much better off not buying these features separately, because they add up quickly. If we charged only 5.00 each, and use a low number like 100 as a ceiling for "unlimited" (That's only 25 of each for email aliases, forwarders, autoresponders, and mailing lists) these features would cost $2,000 PER MONTH!
Misc Features... What do they do?
Secured Socket Layer
Check to see what they charge for SSL access (if you ever decide to accept credit cards on your site, you'll HAVE to have it). Here's one "unlimited" hosting company's quote:
"$449 One time setup fee, and $20 monthly fee The secure server setup includes the purchase of a $349 Digital ID from Verisign."
At BCSWebCo, we don't try to sell you your own certificate from Verisign, because there's no reason why you can't just use ours, and save your money! We give you FREE Access to our site certificate, and SSL encryption. There's no charge to set it up, and no charge to use it, no matter how much you use it!
MSQL2 Support
Useful for creating and maintaining databases on your site. BCSWebCo provides this feature at no cost to you. You simply set it up through the control panel. We allow 4 databases per account.
Server Side Includes
Used for many purposes, such as site-wide traffic counters, banner rotation programs, and much more! (see the cgi-section for another example) BCSWebCo provides this feature at no cost to you.
Microsoft Front Page Extensions
An extremely popular program written for web page design, for people who don't know how to program the code to make web pages, and professionals alike. BCSWebCo provides support for this program at no cost to you. We will set up your account to be compatible with Front Page extensions at your request.
Support... Can you reach them when it counts?
Almost all web hosting companies offer some form of support. The important questions to ask are:
All of our technical support staff are highly trained, and experienced in every aspect of your service. You can rest assured that they are more than qualified to handle support for your account and actually enjoy helping you.
We handle support requests through email, web based form inquiries, and fax. Some hosting companies advertise 800 live support to their customers. From expereince, we've found manning a 24 hour support phone line is not cost effective and we wouldn't trust a contractor to handle the calls. With a world-wide customer base, live 800 support just isn't practical. Besides - the last thing we want is to have our customers sort through some silly phone menu and then have to wait "for the next support representative to handle your call." Our staff is usually able to answer questions by email in 12 hours or less, many times getting you the information you need in just minutes! In fact, if you haven't heard from us in 24 hours, we want you to email Emergency@BCSWebCo.com and let us know about it! We'll make it a priority!
If for some reason you can't contact us by email (email down, keyboard problem, modem problem, what have you) BCSWebCo has a TOLL FREE 800 number that you can use to contact us for support! This is not a live service, but a reporting line. A great many web hosting companies won't give you a phone number at all, much less a toll free one.
If for ANY reason, you are not completely satisfied with our performance, we want to hear from you! Email Complaints@BCSWebCo.com and tell us what's wrong, and how we can make it right for you!
They said I'd get a free toaster!!
Well, you'd probably find a better one at K-Mart. In order to draw customers, a few hosting companies are now offering "Free" Airline Tickets, Computers, and other merchandise (we really haven't seen a toaster yet). We respond, once again, with "Read the Fine Print". You'll most likely find a catch that makes the deal just about worthless:
We're in the hosting business and figure that that's why you stopped by!The airline tickets are for limited dates and/or require you to stay a minimum number of nights at specific hotels charging high rates. You'll never use them. The computer doesn't have a name (did they say it was new?), modem, CD-drive, or includes just a few megs of RAM. You'd spend more trying to upgrade it than if you bought a name brand online