New Year, new web host for my site.

For 8 yrs, I was with a web host, for my site.  In 2005, I changed plans with the same host, and had to RELOAD ALL of my files, even though it was the same host.

Let's talk about the files.  To date, I had 72 web pages, on the host, prior to the change of hosts, AND about 600 images...YES, 600 images, and...I didn't use but 5% of my storage.  Ok...let's talk about the amount of time and energy it takes to, first, make a webpage...it takes at least 1/2 day, if not up to 2 full days, depending on what I'm doing, what I have on the page.  To do 72 WEBPAGES, plus all the changes, new versions, etc....AND to format/upload/crop all 600 images...that's not counting all that I did, in the 8-9 yrs of biz, that's just what I put up.  All the work behind making the products, to photograph....it's alot.

Well, I was cringing last week, after the holidays I KNEW that I was in for the challenge ahead, all Christmas week, prepping myself, pulling pages and images, making sure I had them on file, offline, matching things up as far as where is the file offline?  What's that file again?  Do I really need it?  lol  I back up things on cd, of course, plus I had the files on my hard drive.  Anyway, my concern was, that I had to RELOAD all these webpages and images onto my new host.  I prepped myself Saturday, going to my domain host, getting the dns server links to provide to the new host of my website, so that my webpages have a home.  I almost forgot my password to the domain host.  I foujnd those files for all kinds of passwords and ids to this that and the other.  That alone is alot.

Why I changed is because the old host was going to charge more, I'd have to buy 2 yrs for their new low plan, which actually went up $3, and with the new one, I bought 1 yr for $56 and change.  If I buy 2 yrs, I'd pay $108, versus $167 and change with the old host.  PLUS, the old host wasn't the greatest.  Like clockwork, every January, they'd reset their site, which in turn caused the sites that they hosted to be down, plus getting to log in was a problem.  And customer service wasn't the greatest.  Yes, they got back to me within an hour, usually, but they had a crappy attitude.  I like to see my site stats, and on some days, I couldn't.  I'd constantly email the support, and I'd get, "Well, you can get Google Analytics".  Yeah, great customer service.  Or the time that I added a spam assassin thingie, for my emails there, and there was a glitch, I didn't know, I go to email a bunch of potential clients, and the glitch ade my email replicate, like, 100 TIMES!  So, I'd get calls that day, saying that I sent someone 100 of the same emails!  And it's like the host didn't care.  I mean, like now, this past month, they didn't even send me an email reminder, saying, "Your hosting is up next month."  Nothing.

And everyone recommended the new host I have, especially my artist colleagues, who have boat loads of images on their sites, critical sites that attract big biz to their sites.

I'm still getting used to certain things, and that was expected.  I have few questions to ask the new host. I was expecting an email for the stats, but didn't get it, but nothing earth shattering to worry about.

So, currently, yesterday, I uploaded 72 webpages, and almost 400 images.  I will be adding more later, of course.