Good Free Website.

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Good Free Website.

Postby NLAlston » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:10 am

I am very interested is setting up a website, for my startup slide show business, but (at least for now) it will have to be a free one. I know that any such sites will be plagued with ads, and such, but ANY vehicle which would aid in building awareness of my business could only be considered a plus. I am hoping that there are some members, here, who are using a free website, and who wouldn't mind sharing their experiences. I know that there are a number of free sites out there, but (like with anything else) some would be better than others. I have tried a couple, and the only one whose name I can recall, at this time, is WIX. But I wasn't too thrilled about that one, and even less of the others I had briefly looked into.

I know not to expect too much from a free website, but there just may be one - or two - out there that I HAVEN'T come across, and that might really fit the bill for me.

Any suggestions on what might be worth my looking into would be most appreciated.

Blessings,
Nathan

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby NLAlston » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:53 am

Sorry about posting this in the Business Applications section. I had forgotten that there was a Personal Website area that this would have better belonged in.
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Nathan
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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby Livonne » Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:35 am

I used WIX for mine but even though i was happy enough with it, it did have some drawbacks. I was paying for it though as I wanted to use my own domain name but it was pretty easy to use and did the job till i could afford to get a better one built. The good thing about it was that you could upload your slideshow links to youtube which meant i could give people examples of the work I do.. :)

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby glyn53 » Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:49 am


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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby NLAlston » Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:11 am

Thanks, Livonne & Glyn.

You know what? I couldn't sleep, last night, so I got back on my computer and did a fair bit of researching. But I wound up back at Wix. I thought that (just MAYBE) it might have been ME, instead of an issue with that site. What I know about websites, and the sort, you could put on the hair of an ant - and still have room to play with :). But I fooled around at that site, and think that I just may be able to make it work for me, at least until such time as my pockets can handle a paid account.

But we have to start somewhere, right? :)

Thanks again, you two.
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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby MagicMike » Fri Aug 24, 2012 7:08 pm

First off let me say I am not affiliated with the webhosting company listed below. I am just a very satisfied user and HATE to see people overcharged for webhosting. Having said that, when you are ready to move up to a paid site be sure to check out www.bluehost.com and decide on the plan for yourself. I hope you will notice there is no affiliate link or anything in the above address so I will not get any credit or fee for sending you there.

I suggest them because in the past I have used a number of Free hosting sites and also low cost hosting sites I found on Ebay. Neither worked out very well. The free ones often went down within 6 months or changed their policy so often that I got sick of moving the sites from one to another. Then I tried finding one on Ebay and one actually worked out for a year and a half. However,they sold out and things went bad very rapidly. I went back to Ebay several times and always thought I finally found a reliable hosting company only to be let down within a few months.

Finally I found www.bluehost.com about 3 years ago and I have not had a problem since then and have sent friends and family members to them and have never had a complaint. You can actually host more than one domain on your account if you want to try out various designs at the same time, etc.

If a free hosting site does work out for you that is the best solution and you may be able to make it work.

Anyway, good luck with your search and I hope you eventually find a reliable hosting company no matter where you find it. Again, I am not part of this company and don't get anything if you go with them or not.

Mike

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby BarbaraC » Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:31 am

Mike, just one question: Why did you look on eBay for hosting companies?

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby NLAlston » Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:06 am

@Mike,

Thank you for that information. I am certainly going to look into it. Wix, thus far, doesn't seem too bad, but it would be interesting to see what this 'Blue Hosting, business is about.
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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby texbrandt » Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:33 am

I have used Bluehost for several years and have been quite satisfied with them. Don't know what other outfits are charging, but it would be hard to beat the $5 a month for unlimited everything and a free domain name.(this is I think and introductory deal, but it won't go up much if it does)

There are a number of programs out there for building your web site for under $50, that are wysiwyg so you don't really have to know any html.
For blogs you can use you web space to host Word Press or something like it.

I looked at a number of freebies and didn't feel like they were worth the money. (pun intended)

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby BarbaraC » Sat Aug 25, 2012 9:59 am

Between $60 and $65 for the first year is very common with web hosts, but even after that it isn't at all expensive. The extra $10 a year I pay has gotten me more speed, a responsive help desk, and friendliness toward business software, which isn't at all the rule amongst hosts.

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby Mac » Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:04 pm

Here's an anti-recommendation: justhost.com. I used them to host a site to share information and memories for an old air force station where I was stationed 30-some odd years ago. Got it all online, put up pictures and some stories and all of a sudden they suspended the account. There was absolutely nothing objectionable or copyrighted or anything of the sort. I emailed them to ask why and received no response. I called and was told to email. I told the rep that I already had emailed and didn't receive a response, and he said to email anyway. I started getting upset and then the subject changed to the fact that I was upset and if I didn't stop getting upset he would hang up on me, which he did. The absolutely worst "customer service" I ever experienced in my life!

My other anti-recommendation would be godaddy, just because I find their advertising using cheap sexually suggestive ads to be absurd and preposterously lecherous. Outside of these personal vents, I hope you find what you're looking for! :lol:
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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby BarbaraC » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:39 am

My other anti-recommendation would be godaddy, just because I find their advertising using cheap sexually suggestive ads to be absurd and preposterously lecherous.

I have inside experience with GoDaddy that turned me forever against them. They could have the finest, most upstanding ads, but it wouldn't change my mind in the least. A little explanation: Most, if not all, businesses that deal with digital downloads do so with software written in the PHP language. GoDaddy handles PHP very poorly and to the detriment of all the small businesses who aren't able to pay a lot more per year. If called on it, they deny it. After the developer of my software recommended A-2 Hosting, I moved my entire site, and it's where I found a good home. I think the underlying problem with GoDaddy is that they're no longer lean and hungry in the way they probably once were. Smaller hosts are probably a better bet, but we have to vet them thoroughly before going with any of them because being lean and hungry doesn't automatically create an appropriate business model. JustHost is apparently a good example of a bad model. Live and learn. :(

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Re: Good Free Website.

Postby MagicMike » Fri Jul 12, 2013 7:07 pm

Wow, hard to believe it is almost a year since I replied here. Sorry for not answering sooner.

I checked Ebay because I had seen some great deals on web hosting but soon found out that most of these companies do not last very long and then you have no way to contact them or get a refund on your hosting fees, etc. Somehow I stumbled on a review of web hosting companies and the author really sounded like he was serious about Bluehost being a great hosting company. If he had posted an affiliate link to Bluehost.com I would have figured he just said it because he wanted a commission for people signing up. However, since there was no affiliate link I figured he had nothing to gain by sending people there. That in itself is why I don't post an affiliate link. If I were making money every time you signed up then people would realize I am only doing it for the money. I have seen people paying crazy amounts for hosting and just hate to see anyone overpay when they don't have to.

It is now almost a year later and I am still pleased with Bluehost. I would suggest doing a search on Google for Bluehost and see what others are saying and don't just take my word for it. Just because I am happy doesn't mean it may fit everyone's needs. For instance, I don't use a database so they may not be the best for that kind of hosting but by doing a search for other reviews you can find out more for yourselves.

Good luck no matter where you host.

Mike

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