There are 2 parts in this continuing series that I will be covering here.

• Choosing a web hosting service
• Installing your weblog

First, lets look at the different kinds of web hosting services available today. Depending on the web hosting service, different web-based control panel systems are available such as: cPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, InterWorx, Helm, H-sphere, Ensim, Sphera or one of many other control panel products. The most common and one I would recommend for compatibility and ease of use would be cPanel on Linux. Plesk and InterWorx allows web developers more flexibility. Web hosting services usually provide either or so know that your preferred system is provided before you sign-up with the web hosting service.

Shared Hosting:

By far the most common option chosen by most bloggers and webmasters alike, a shared web hosting service or virtual hosting service or derive host refers to a web hosting service where many domains and weblogs reside on one web server connected to the Internet. Each site “sits” on its own partition, or section/place on the server to keep it separate from other sites.This is generally the most economical option for hosting as many people share the overall cost of server maintenance.

The hosting service includes system administration since it is shared by many users; this is a benefit for users who do not want to deal with it, but a hindrance to power users who want more control. In general shared hosting will be inappropriate for users who require extensive software development outside what the hosting provider supports. But on the other hand, shared hosting is cheaper than other types of hosting such as dedicated server hosting.

All said, many web host that offer shared hosting companies today allow you to have multiple add-on domains. Meaning to say, should you decide to purchase another domain in the future for a new weblog, you do not have to sign-up for a new web hosting service.

Dedicated IP addresses used to be an option available for a low price of USD2 a month. Today, many web hosting services feature this as an additional benefit to their overall service. Suggested shared hosting services below:

• Blue Host
• HostGator
• LunarPages
• 1&1
• AN Hosting

Load Balanced Hosting:

The advancement in today’s hosting technology allows for load balanced hosting or cluster hosting or fail-over hosting. This form of hosting solution eliminates all single points of failure. By load balancing on multiple servers, your weblog will have multiple paths to its destination.

This technology was previously only available to large corporations hosting mission-critical sites. Today, load balanced hosting has been made very affordable. There are multiple paths for a visitor to access your weblog at any given point.

Loading of your weblog is distribute across multiple physical servers. In the event a web hosting server goes down for any reason beside regular maintenance, your weblog stays online. This is very useful especially if you are intending to build an e-commerce weblog. Usually costing no more than an additional dollar or 2 more than traditional shared hosting services, This services is recommended if having your weblog online with ‘zero downtime’ is critical to you. Suggested load balanced hosting services below:

• PowWeb

Dedicated Hosting:

A dedicated hosting service, dedicated server, or managed hosting service is a type of Internet hosting where the client leases an entire server not shared with anyone. This is more flexible than shared hosting, as organizations have full control over the server, including choice of operating system, hardware, etc.

Dedicated hosting service comes with an equally high subscription ranging from USD99 to USD300 a month depending on configurations. Server administration can usually be provided by the hosting company as an add-on service. In some cases a dedicated server can offer less overhead and a larger return on investment. That of course is dependent on how much sales is generated by your weblog. I will only suggest dedicated hosting to those who intend to build a large portfolio of products and services for online sales and genuinely want to start a long term online business.

Dedicated servers are most often housed in data centres, similar to co-location facilities, providing redundant power sources and HVAC systems. In contrast to co-location, the server hardware is owned by the provider and in some cases they will provide support for your operating system or applications. Suggested dedicated hosting services below:

• Blue Host
• HostGator
• LunarPages
• 1&1
• AN Hosting

Reseller Hosting:

Similar to all the above, except that you will be able to sell web hosting services on top of hosting your own weblogs. Reseller hosting services allow you to reseller shared hosting, load balanced hosting and dedicated hosting via private label. This means a customer buying from you will not be in contact with your original hosting provider. This is also known as ‘white labelling’ or ‘private label’. Most reseller hosting services offer you special templates for your reseller hosting services. With minimal editing, your web hosting shop front is online and ready to open for business.

Reseller hosting services offer a good way of starting a web-based business with minimal capital investment. If you package your services right, having 2 or 3 customers will in most cases pay for your reseller hosting services fees, literally making your own weblogs hosted for free.

Some web hosting services offer technical support if you purchase a reseller hosting package from them. Depending on the reseller hosting provider, technical support can be offered to your customers via email by actual support technicians and your customers wouldn’t even know the difference. Otherwise, you will have to be sufficiently well-versed to sort out kinks when your customers’ sites go ‘offline’. Suggested reseller hosting service below:

• HostGator
• LunarPages
• PowWeb

Installing Your Weblog:

The de-facto blogging platform / software today is none other than WordPress. Numerous 3rd party companies and even new start-ups continuously develop their products and services around the WordPress platform. Sure, there are other blogging platforms but none beats the adaptation, user-centric focus and flexibility that WordPress offers. Download the latest WordPress build below:

• Download WordPress

If you are using a cPanel enabled web hosting service, Fantastico will help you install your weblog in 3 clicks at most. Updates for the WordPress platform are also distributed through Fantastico thus m

aking your upgrades just as painless and 1 click less. The only setback is upgrades via Fantastico may take awhile longer to be deployed in Fantastico. In some cases, 8 weeks after it was released. All this is dependent on your web hosting service.

Like me, if you prefer not leave the fate and security of your weblog to Fantastico, I will suggest self uploading and installation of your weblog via your FTP program. Suggested FTP software below:

• WebCEO

It gets a little tricky here but if you get it right, you should have you weblog up and running in 5 minutes or less. There are a few things involved here including:

• Creating Database
• Creating Database User
• Creating Database User Password
• Assigning Database and User
• Uploading WordPress
• Editing WordPress config.php file
• Web-based WordPress on-screen installation

Unfortunately, there is just too much information on the above for me to post here. Your web hosting service will usually have a FAQ or tutorial in creating and assigning databases and users. As for uploading, editing the WordPress config.php file and on-screen installation, WordPress should present you with sufficient information to start you up in the 5-Minutes Install. Else, a little reading and poking around will help you at the WordPress Codex Main Page.

If I could suggest something here, I would recommend you get yourself a copy of WordPress Adsense System v2.0. This product walks you through everything you need to know in WordPress from installation via cPanel through configuring it to your preference and also, integrating Google Adsense to drive your weblog revenue. Most importantly, this product provides you detailed steps including screen-shots in every phase. With the WordPress Adsense System v2.0, you will be able to install more than just WordPress on your domain. In fact, WAS v2.0 will put you many steps ahead of what will be covered here in this series in the coming weeks.

Tweaking WordPress:

In WordPress, there are generally 3 main areas where you can configure.

• Themes
• Plugins
• Individual Sections

All the above are located in your ‘wp-content’ folder upon successful installation.

WordPress Themes:

There are numerous themes available for free download. Hundreds of thousands I would believe. Themes usually come in various formats such as:

• 1 column
• 2 columns
• 3 columns
• 4 columns
• CMS / Magazine styled

Whichever you choose, Find one that suits you best. Themes can be changed at the click of your mouse so, don’t worry if you realise that you are not entirely happy 2 weeks down the road. You can search for a theme you like via the WordPress Theme Viewer.

Alternatively, if you prefer some character and more advanced themes, Content Management System (CMS) and Magazine Styled themes is recommended. Fully functional and optimised professional themes are available too.

• Graph Paper Press
• Woo Themes
• Revolution Theme
• WP-Remix
• WordPress Dream Theme

WordPress Plugins:

There are countless plugins that will enable you to tweak your weblog and add features above regular weblog. These plugins are available for free and distributed under the GPL/GNU licenses. plugin developers constantly upgrade these plugins. A comprehensive list of plugins are available at WordPress Plugin Directory. Only your imagination will limit you on what you can do with WordPress.

WordPress Individual Sections:

Individual sections of your chosen WordPress Theme can be edited to include certain codes for customisation. Again, there is no limit to what you can do here. Those who are proficient in CSS will be able to fully exploit the flexibility of of the themes. For novice bloggers, the authors of your theme usually include a readme file when you first download the theme. Refer to those for tips and hints on where would be a good place to edit and install codes. The general rule is to backup a file before you decide to tweak it. Again, the WordPress Adsense System v2.0 will come in handy here.

That’s it for this series, go ahead and start building your unique weblog today. Have fun and remember to backup your files before you edit them, that way, if something breakups, just upload the backup file and try again.

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