Over 800 people attended the conference in Orem, Utah, where Bluehost team members gave more than 12 presentations, many of which were standing room only. Bluehost also supplied conference volunteers, turned out in force to support Perl, MySQL, OpenStack, Women in Technology WordPress and Learning Python for Kids events, and sponsored dinners for the Utah PHP Users Group and the Utah Perl Mongers.

Bluehost presenters included:

• The How and Why of Hash Switches and Back Mapping - Jason Van Patten
• Selenium for Automation and Testing - Daniel Fackrell
• Using Software Collections to Install Newer Perls on EL5/EL6 - Doran Barton
• An intro to API development with Mojolicious - Matt Monsen
• Practical Slow Query Log Analysis using Perl - Rob Van Dam
• Linux on ARM — the next big thing? - Jared Smith
• Using OpenStack In A Traditional Hosting Environment - Jun Park, Mike Wilson
• Getting Started with Drupal - Jared Smith
• Using Shorewall For Robust Linux Firewall - Doran Barton
• The Current State of Gaming In Linux - Timothy Longwell
• A Brief History of Open Source - Doran Barton
• Child themes and post format support - Mike Hanseng

Click here for local press coverage about the conference: http://bluho.st/kStmI 

Since the beginning, Bluehost has been built with open source technology. You could say it’s in our blood. So to expand our products and to support our customers with the best hosting services possible, we have been pioneering implementation of new, cutting edge OpenStack technology.

Recently, several members of our admin team attended the 2013 OpenStack Summit in Portland. While there, two of our senior systems architects, Jun Park (Ph.D) and Mike Wilson, presented on how we’ve been pioneering the use of OpenStack to power and revolutionize our hosting platform. The presentation was a hit so we’ve uploaded the slides here for anyone interested in reviewing the information. We’ll upload a video recording of the presentation soon. Enjoy!

**UPDATE: The video of the presentation is now available! Check it out:

 http://www.slideshare.net/junparkearth/blue-host-openstacksummit2013

At approximately 6:22 PM MST our primary Data Center experienced an electrical transient. An Automatic Transfer Switch on one of our legs of power failed, causing some servers to lose power. Our systems are designed with multiple, redundant sources of power that automatically transfer as needed to ensure servers stay up and running. In this instance, however, the switch itself failed. It also sent a spike back to one of our transformers, causing additional problems. Our technical teams of Data Center Technicians, System Administrators, and power experts responded immediately and worked continuously to bring all our customers back online.

Our data center utilizes many redundant systems including backup generators and 4 different UPS legs of power. These are tested every two weeks and regular maintenance is performed on all systems in order to provide the most reliable service possible. However, tonight our services did not live up to your—or our own—expectations. We are evaluating every aspect of this particular failure to eliminate the possibility of recurrence.

We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding reliability and an unbeatable customer experience. Any feedback on how to improve our platform and services, as well as suggestions on how we can better communicate with you in the future, is welcome and appreciated. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we resolve this issue.

If you run a business, chances are you’ve at least considered using video to enhance your website. After all, video is a fun, immersive medium that engages prospective customers in a way mere words and pictures cannot. But even the most viral video doesn’t necessarily lead to more customers. The trick is to create engaging content that also includes a compelling call to action. This means you need to ask the viewer to do something, whether it be buying a product, calling a sales agent, ordering a free trial, or simply signing up for your newsletter.

Those who have created a video will agree, good calls-to-action are often more art than science. But this is in part because video itself  can’t contain the actual action item…it can only refer to it. After all, the video is just that, a video. Calls-to-action are executed in other places like forms, buttons, shopping carts, surveys, etc… So even if you have a super compelling call-to-action in your video, viewers still have to leave and go perform the action somewhere else. Well, not any more!

We recently discovered a new tool called Viewbix. It lets you overlay any video with all kinds of calls-to-action, including buttons, text, links to external website, email submission forms, and more. It even lets you embed the weather!

Basically Viewbix helps with a big chunk of this equation, and it does so more than anything we’ve recently found. So if you’re creating video content for your website, consider how much more effective it would be with super clear calls-to-action that live right in the video itself.

And one other big benefit: with Viewbix enabled, you can embed your video ANYWHERE without having to worry about placing adjacent action items on the same page. After all, the call to actions are now part and parcel of the video player itself! You can even share your video and your action items follow right along with it!

If you’re interested in learning more about Viewbix, you can visit their website. Also, we’ve decided to run a FREE live webinar today (12pm MST) to show you how it works and how it can help your videos be much more effective. Sign up now so you don’t miss out!

]]> http://www.bluehost.com/blog/educational/video/video-calls-to-action-with-viewbix-1683/feed 1 http://www.bluehost.com/blog/bluehost/clean-up-online-business-listings-with-yext-1664?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=clean-up-online-business-listings-with-yext http://www.bluehost.com/blog/bluehost/clean-up-online-business-listings-with-yext-1664#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:36:31 +0000 Bluehost http://www.bluehost.com/blog/?p=1664 The size, capacity, and possibilities of the Internet are infinite. But with such a vast medium, it’s becoming more and more difficult to track of everything being said about your business. It’s even more difficult to control how and where your information is displayed. So how do you tackle this problem? Keep reading to find out!

A quick Google search for your business will likely return results that you didn’t know existed, is out-of-date, or flat out inaccurate. This happens because “data aggregators” pull information through numerous directory or local search engines to get information for their listings. Typically there is little control over how these aggregators operate. In his article, “A Closer Look at the Local Search Data Providers,” David Mihm, provided a great illustration of how this all happens.

Looks complicated, doesn’t it? This where Yext can help. Yext gives their customers control over the information displayed about their business on the Internet. They simplify the process, allowing business owners to tell them what information they want displayed online and then Yext does the rest. The results go from a convoluted messy process to something more like this:

Much less and intimidating, right? Yext is a great tool for businesses to control how their information is displayed online. The best part? Yext is offering a free business scan to all Bluehost Customers! This free scan shows you where your business stands on the world wide web.

To get your free business scan, click here or visit www.yext.com/pl/chur and answer a few short questions about your business. No obligation, no purchase necessary.

For more information or learn more about Yext visit, www.yext.com.

photo courtesy of The Weather Channel

We’ve received many inquires from our customers as to whether our Bluehost headquarters has been affected by the storms caused by hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, our offices are located on the opposite coast and our servers and our staff are clear of the hurricane’s path.

However, our customers in the Eastern United States are affected by the storm and its aftermath. Many are experiencing severe damage to their homes, the loss of valuable possessions, and risks to their personal safety. We understand this is a difficult time and our thoughts are with everyone in harms way.

We want to do what we can to help, so for the next week Bluehost will be extending upcoming expiration dates for all customers located in states where the storms have hit the hardest. This includes: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington D.C. In other words, for the next week, accounts that are expired will not be deleted and expiring accounts will remain active.

We hope this will be one less concern for those dealing with the aftermath of this storm. This delay is planned to extend until Tuesday, November 6, 2012, but if it appears additional time would help, we’ll consider extending it even further.

If you are a customer adversely impacted by Hurricane Sandy and have any questions regarding your account, contact us whenever you want, 24/7 at 888-401-4678. We’ll eagerly do what we can to help.

Stay safe!

We were recently at a conference in Florida explaining some of our services to potential clients. As luck would have it we also got to meet a lot of people who use and love Bluehost as much as we do. It was a blast. One great customer we had the opportunity to chat with was Sarah Metzger, a small business owner. It was exciting to learn more about Sarah, her endeavors, and what her experience has been like working with Bluehost. 

[from left] Steve Handy (Bluehost), Sarah Metzger, and Grant Hansen (Bluehost). 

Sarah is an online media professional and has been leveraging her experience to start a consulting practice. She is dedicated to helping businesses leverage today’s technologies and information outlets to successfully promote their vision. She provides small business owners with tools and guidance so they can successfully grow their online presence.

“I was overwhelmed with the prospect of building my own website for a Coronado Real Estate business I was re-launching with my partner. Building an engaging real estate website was a lot to manage on top of the day-to-day tasks. Bluehost made the entire process so much easier than I had expected and I am so glad I found them. I can’t recall how many countless nights I have been up at 2am on the phone with one of my friendly Bluehost contacts. I don’t personally know any of the Bluehost support team employees but I always get off a call feeling like I talked to an old friend.” – Sarah

She creates WordPress websites that are optimized with high-quality content designed to engage customers and helps her customers through a step-by-step process of defining their brand. How great is that? Go Sarah!

“I am hugely passionate about helping business owners. Bluehost has helped me help other grow their personal projects and businesses. I am eternally grateful.”  -Sarah

It’s such a treat to meet our customers and hear first hand how we were able to play a role in their success. So if you’re a Bluehost customer and you see us at a conference somewhere, we hope you’ll stop by and say hi. We’d love to meet you!

Web hosting is one of the most important decisions you make as you begin the process of building your website. But what is hosting exactly? And how do you decide which host to go with out of the hundreds available? 

Think of hosting as your website’s home. Without web hosting, your website wouldn’t be online and available to users around the world. Hosting companies, like Bluehost, provide space on their servers for customers to store websites, thereby making them accessible through the internet 24/7.

But with the hundreds of different web hosting providers, how do you choose? How do you know you’re picking the right one? Here are a few factors to take into consideration.

Price

This is where most people start when they’re deciding on a hosting provider. But while it’s a good place to start, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor.  It’s important to remember: you get what you pay for. More often than not, the cheapest option isn’t always the best. Take a look at the fundamental needs of your site and compare hosting options that satisfy those needs first. Otherwise you will likely end up spending more in the long run in terms of money, time, and even frustration.

Technical Specifications

Not all web hosts are created equal. Many hosts make similar claims, but there are often big differences “under the hood” that translate into significantly different hosting experiences. And as most websites these days feature a lot of content, it’s more important than ever to find hosting providers with the hardware to back up their claims. First off, find a hosting provider that builds and operates their own hardware. Find a host with enough RAM, processing power, and disk storage space for your website’s needs. Finally, look for information about reliability and server up time. This is important so as to ensure your website is always up and running when visitors come.

Support

This is a big one. If your site ever experiences problems you can’t fix, the fastest way to get things up and running is usually to speak with a real person who knows what they’re doing. Make sure your host provides great customer service. See what contact options are available when you need help (i.e. toll-free phone number, email, chat, etc.) Also consider when are they available and whether their support is in-house or outsourced.

Interface (Control Panel)

Make sure your hosting provider has an interface that is easy to understand and use. If you can’t figure out what you’re working with, it’ll make building a website much more confusing then it needs to be. Tasks such as installing WordPress, setting up email, configuring FTP accounts, etc… should be easy to find. Some hosting providers let you play with a demo hosting account, so take advantage of the opportunity to test their platform before you sign up.

Features

Finally, consider what makes your top hosting choices special. Do they offer extra features if you decided to host with them such as regular backups, a free domain name, etc. Are their tools up to date and easy to use? Do they offer upgrades and add-ons in-house to make it easy to expand your hosting account when you need to?

These are just some of the important factors to consider when selecting your web host.  As you outline your website, you’ll start to understand more about what should matter most to you. We hope you find these tips useful. Let us know if you have any additional questions in the comments below.

Tiffany
Bluehost

p.s. Want to learn more or to see if Bluehost is a fit for you? Give us a call at (888) 401-4678. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have.

Did you know one out of three women and one out of two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime? It’s true. More than 562,000 Americans are projected to die of cancer this year alone, with over 40,000 of these deaths due to breast cancer.

These numbers aren’t just faceless statistics, these are people we know. Our friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues are those who struggle to overcome this tragic disease. Fortunately, thanks to the regular support given over the years to increase awareness and find a cure, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. have been steadily decreasing by about 2% per year.

At Bluehost, we want to do our part to help continue and even speed up this trend, so for the entire month of October we pledge to donate a portion of the proceeds we receive from every new customer to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The Huntsman Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading cancer research facilities. They maintain the largest, most comprehensive population database used for biomedical research, consisting of over 12 million records. At any given time, 215 or more clinical trials are underway, pushing the medical envelope of progress.  Thanks to their research, dozens of new treatments are now available as a “best, last hope” for those battling late stage cancers.  Last year, through Phase I clinical trials, HCI was able to offer dozens of new cancer treatments to patients who had been told their prognosis was terminal.

We at Bluehost are excited to be able to make a contribution to the fight against breast cancer. If you’d like to make a difference, consider a personal contribution today. 100% of donations are directed to research (not towards overhead or operating expenses.) Simply click here to help the Huntsman Cancer Institute find a cure.

While there are several things you’ll need to help get your site online, nothing is more important than first clearly defining your goals. Doing so, more than anything else, reveals which requirements are most important for your website so you can make a comprehensive plan that will take you successfully across the finish line. So what are key factors to consider?

As when starting a business, launching your business website should begin with a plan. Determining key information early on informs the entire site building process and inevitably saves you a lot of time, energy, and resources. While each business is a little different, we’ve listed three key points that everyone should consider when preparing to create a business website.

1. Determine your Goals. 

Before you can begin to solve a problem, it helps to know what the problem is. Ask yourself questions to identify what your website is intended to accomplish. For example: What kind of website do I want? Should the website serve principally to present information? Does this information need to change regularly? Will my website sell a product online?

Also consider what changes may happen over time. Ask yourself what future plans exist for your business. Answering questions like these is the first step toward outlining the type of website you should build.

2. Understand your message and your audience.

Your website will present a message to each and ever visitor, so it is important to think about what you want to communicate. The message you craft will help you not only identify your target audience, but will affects your website’s look and feel, design, content, presentation, etc… So it’s important to determine it as soon as possible. Make sure your messaging is clear, concise and easy to understand.

And remember, nothing should influence your messaging more than the audience to which it is intended, i.e. your future website visitors. Think about both who will visit your site as well as who you want to reach. Will existing customers visit your website? Potential customers? What is the goal of your messaging?

TIP: A good technique to get new ideas is to study websites of competitors or other businesses striving to achieve similar goals as you. Visit these sites and ask yourself questions like: What is the purpose of this website? What are they selling? Is the message clear? Did it compel me to learn more? A good website should be able to answer these important questions immediately.

3. Time and budget.

It’s great to have a vision of the perfect website, but remember to factor in real-world constraints. Be realistic about your budget and the amount of time you have to invest in building your website. Will you be building the website yourself? Will your site feature an e-commerce feature? Don’t forget to factor in the cost of web hosting, domain names, and advertising. We recommend writing everything down and adjusting different factors based on your allotted budget. Some areas may have more flexibility then others depending on your priorities.

There are several more factors to consider as you delve into building your website, but these are some great places at which to start the process. With a strong understanding of these three considerations, you’ll be better equipped to craft a strong plan. And remember, the more detailed your plan, the less likely you will run into snags as you proceed.

Tiffany
Bluehost