-•- HomeOfficeDigest.com Newsletter - Issue 137 -•-
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THE HOME OFFICE DIGEST NEWSLETTER
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BE YOUR OWN BOSS
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Set a budget and stick to it! Many of us entrepreneurial types can
have blinders in our pursuit of instant success. Often times in
that pursuit we end up spending more money than we can truly afford
in the hopes of making it one big score. Yes, it is a good thing to
spend a good portion of your income on advertising and product
improvement in the hopes of building your business, but you have to
do your spending wisely! I know that some of you are reading this
and wondering who I'm directing this to, but trust me, there are
plenty of people out there who are spending way more than they're
actually brining in just waiting for that one big windfall. Take
a hint from all the big dot-coms that have been going under left
and right, spend wisely and build your business slowly. Spending
beyond your means will only lead to failure!


FEATURED ARTICLE
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Migrating smoothly from one web host to another
by: Alec Ellis

Changing your Web Host can be an expensive, time consuming and
difficult practice; being the main reason why many dissatisfied
customers prefer to stay and put up with an awful hosting service.

During most website migrations, through lack of knowledge or
experience, many website owners end up loosing clients and damaging
time-built company images, because their sites are unavailable for
days or weeks on end. Another problem is loss of emails, some
crucial, making migrations very expensive and even dangerous.

Migration from one web host to another is not difficult; it can
be fast and safe when one knows what the experts know. By following
the steps below you will stand a better chance of a smooth transfer.

The most important start to website migration is finding another
web host, one that will not give you reason to migrate again, or
soon. A whole book can be written on how to choose a web host; or
by searching on 'choosing a web host' in a major search engine,
there will be many articles available.

The steps below will give you an idea on how to start and how to
avoid a lot of the pitfalls.

· First, make a list of all the features your website uses or
requires, and will require in the future, be prepared

· Make a list of web hosts who offer these features; you can
find hosts in web hosting directories, message forums, or by
searching on a major search engine

· Read the information on their websites carefully, specially
their terms and conditions

· Avoid any long-term contracts and full-payments in advance

· Ask questions about all things you have a doubt about

· Email their support department at various times (both day and
night) and check the response time.

· You will find customer reviews on hosts in web hosting
directories. (Unfortunately they may not be the most accurate
due to much web host guerilla activity, but greater scrutiny
will often help.)

· Talk to people in web hosting related message forums; you may
find useful information on hosting companies by their existing
or past, customers.

Sign-up an account with your new host. Upload all of your files,
databases and test your site using the IP address given to you
with your new account. Make adjustments in the coding, necessary
for the change in the server environment. Then check each and
every page, link and image on your website.

On your new mail server, re-create all email accounts currently
in use; and set up auto-responders, forwarders and aliases at
the same time. If available, enable the "catch-all" feature; this
will help you to retrieve all emails sent to a non-existing email
account; which you may have forgotten to create! Remember though,
the new email addresses will only work after the transfer of domain
is complete. Unfortunately, there is no way to test them on new
server before the transfer.

The next step is transferring the domain; to do this you need to
start by changing the DNS server details, which is pretty easy
to do. Obtain the Primary and Secondary nameserver details from
your new web host. Go to your domain registrar's site (the site
from which you registered the domain name) and login into your
control panel, offered by most of the domain registrars, to
maintain your domain name. In the control panel, look for the
'DNS', 'Nameserver' or 'Delegation' option and change the
previous nameserver details, with the new one (you just obtained
from your new host).

Some domain registrars confirm these changes by sending an email
to the address you nominated while registering that domain. You
will need to reply using that email address. Most of the hosts
offer a free domain transfer service and will be happy to make
the necessary transfer changes for you. The domain transfer can
take 24 to 72 hours to be confirmed by the domain registrar; and,
so too for the new host, if doing this service for you. If it
is not transferred within 72 hours, it is advisable to contact
the domain registrar and look into the matter.

Once your domain is transferred you will start receiving emails
from your new mail server and see your website from your new
account. Leave your old web hosting account open for 3 or 4 more
days, just to ensure you receive all emails, including those
losing their way in the domain transfer and directed back to your
old email account.

After a few days, ask your previous web host to cancel your
account. Make sure you follow all of your previous host's
closing procedures, and leave cleanly. You will find that the
transfer should go smoothly and all parties will be more helpful.

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iAlec Ellis is a Director and Partner of the Web Hosting Company
M6.net, Graphic Designer for 18 years, and Internet Article
Writer for over 4 years. Based on actual experiences in promotion
and facilitating trade on the Internet, Alec writes articles that
are useful to others in this field. More information can be found
at M6.net - http://www.m6.net or by emailing mailto:alec@glopro.com
- any questions are welcome.


DOWNLOAD OF INTEREST
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The download I'm recommending this week is most likely already on
your system, but if it's not you should get it right away. On the
web, and in business, the standard for legal type forms and high
quality documents is an Adobe .PDF file. PDF stands for Personal
Document Format and chances are you'll run across a number of
these files if you haven't already! In order to read, print, and
save these files you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. To get
this program, which is free, go to http://www.adobe.com and click
on the products link, then downloads. This program is a MUST have
if you plan on doing any type of business on the web. Do yourself
a favor and download this program right now!


WHAT ARE THEY THINKING
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I've seen a number of websites that have "Live Chat" icons posted
on their pages recently. I'm all for live chat, and an improved
version of customer service, but many website owners are missing
the point! When there isn't an operator/helper on the support
end of the live chat it seems that many website operators are
forgetting to turn their live chat buttons off! There are few
things that will drive away customers faster than poor technical
support and/or slow answers to questions. Although the idea of live
chat is a good one, what are the owners of these sites thinking
when they leave the chat icon flashing with no one to answer the
calls? When you advertise or promote a service you had better be
able to deliver otherwise your simply setting yourself up for
disaster!


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