As the League enters its 10th month in the blogosphere, we find ourselves with more traffic than I think any of us had anticipated. We also find ourselves rapidly approaching the date upon which we need to either find a new, more expensive sitehost or re-up on the existing sitehost and accept the occasional downtime and cutbacks on features resulting from our traffic levels. So, with that in mind, we wanted to ask the commentariat for some suggestions on the following:
1. Recommendations for new site hosts that may well suit our needs and format without costing a small fortune; and
2. Fundraising suggestions for paying for a new and improved host.
Any and all suggestions will be much appreciated.
Will adds: Also, feel free to throw out any suggestions for the site in comments. As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve added some new features over the past few months – podcasts, guest authors, interviews – and we’d appreciate any feedback on the blog’s direction.
I think you should put this on the main page, Mark.Report
Shouldn’t there be government stimulus money available for getting a better host???? I would support that.Report
Is this something that $20 would help with or are the amounts that would seriously help beyond what I could give without a discussion with the CFO?Report
At this point, every penny counts. We may set up a tip-jar judging by the responses so far. Stay-tuned. Question is – would advertising diminish the overall quality of the site? Would relying on donations be better for readers?Report
I just started coming to this site, and I like it. I would toss in a few bucks. Why not do a fundraiser and see how you do?Report
Thanks, Miriam. We may just do that….Report
I would prioritize
a) Finding a host that gives you shell access to your account without excessive constraints or red tape
b) Finding someone(s) who can use that access to optimize your existing installation to better handle traffic
On the a) front, Dreamhost and MediaTemple both allow robust shell access in my experience.Report
You looking for a gig or something, sidereal? 😉
Heard much about Laughing Squid? I hear Media Temple is good, for sure….Report
Heh. My current gig takes priority as it, you know, pays.
But I am willing to help, yes. And if that means occasionally looking through php error logs until my eyes go chartreuse.. well, that’s the life I chose.Report
Hey – any help is always welcome, and I appreciate it! (Things have been running pretty smooth lately, though…)Report
I use WordPress – is that even an option for this type of blog?
As for fund raising, perhaps some kind of virtual carwash? Oh wait, we don’t hardly have any girls around here. Now I’m thinking of that scene in Dodgeball. Must-go-wash-image-out-of-brain.Report
Mike – there are two forms of WordPress. There is wordpress.com which is a free, hosted blog-service. That’s what you use. Then there is the software WordPress, which you can install on your own domain. It’s much more robust than the hosted version, but you have to pay for your own hosting. That’s what we use.Report
I donate to liberal blogs, you guys won’t get a dime.
Really, you guys are worth a C note, at least. Count me in.Report
Thanks, Bob. That’s good to hear.Report
So you all would rather a donation drive than any kind of advertising?Report
Mark, what kind of $$ you looking at?Report
It’s hard to say, Bob. Right now changing hosts to deal with traffic is not a huge priority, but we’re steadily getting busier. Better hosting plans range from $16/month to $150/month. We’d be putting all the money back into the site, I imagine, so if we were well funded we’d probably go with a top-notch hosting plan. If not, we’d go with something a little less robust.Report
I also would throw in a c-note at least. Sparring with Cheeks alone is probably worth that much.Report
Awesome, North. It’s looking like we need to set up that tip-jar after-all.Report
I wouldn’t mind advertising at all, although I’d also be willing to chip in on a fundraising drive.Report
E.D. or whoever makes the final call, I’m sure this idea won’t find a lot of support but I would be more than willing to pay a monthly “subscription.” Nothing mandatory mind you but it might be easier for readers to chip in on a regular basis, or when they have an extra $5 or $10 to send the League’s way. I have no idea if such a thing is doable, just a thought. In any case, monthly or a lump sum, I’m happy to support the endeavor.Report
That’s a great idea, to my mind, Bob.Report
I’ve generally heard good things about Square Space as a hosting provider. Their account pricing looks pretty reasonable. It’s worth noting that their not a traditional “roll you own” provider though.Report
I host a number of sites on WebFaction. They have very cheap shared plans all the way up to uber-expensive dedicated servers. Of all the hosts I’ve used, they are the quickest and most reliable.Report
I’d suggest Media Temple. It isn’t on their main site, but a buddy of mine who runs a web development company indicates that they offer free hosting to popular blogs–this would seem to count–in exchange for one of their banners somewhere on the site.
Certainly worth looking into.Report