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Hi readers, I am excited to be blogging with Christmas only 3 days away!  This year has flown by and has brought with it many exciting changes in the hosting world.  Today I want to discuss three web hosting headlines that took place in 2011 and discuss how each were game changing.

Headline #1:  Endurance Group Acquires Bluehost.com
This was a huge headline that may have slipped under the radar for many; however, the story is big for many reasons.  The endurance group is the owner of several large web hosting brands, including but most definitely not limited to:  iPage, FatCow, Justhost, Hostmonster, FastDomain, iPower, and the list goes on-and-on.  This company over the last few years have operated with one mindset... BUY out the competition!

The cool part about the Bluehost acquisition is that it pushed the Endurance group into the lead for hosting the most websites on the web... It is quite an accomplishment to say you are literally the biggest web hosting provider on the web.  GoDaddy still remains the registrar with the most domains hosted; however, Endurance has mastered the hosting side of things.  I have reviewed many web hosting companies in my day and I am very impressed by Endurance Brands, I am very shocked that they can maintain quality support with such fast growth... But they have done just that, so Endurance I applaud you!

With that being said, I am also a fan of competition.  I believe that competition makes individuals and corporations work harder to improve the overall experience for the user (which is a good thing), so I would hate to see Endurance acquire many other large companies... Sure that may be a bit selfish of me, but I think having a HostGator out there to compete separately against EG cannot be a bad thing.

Overall, this was big news for the hosting world!  I have several friends over at EG so I congratulate you guys on this big achievement!

Headline #2:  Continuing Towards a World of Cloud!
The trend didn't necessarily start this year but it definitely kicked into full gear over the past 12 months!  Users are finding the cloud to be a much more flexible, fast, and reliable solution to host their websites and startups.  Major companies like Apple are even allows their client base to back up important data like documents and phone numbers to the cloud.

Sure, compared to shared hosting and dedicated hosting the cloud is still just infant; however, mark it down that Jonathan Burdon predicts that in 5-10 years most every company will be making a shift to the wonderful world of the cloud!  Or wait... Will the cloud be old news in 5-10 years?  Who knows.. Don't you just love how technology gets better with every second!

Headline #3:  Massive move towards getting web hosting affiliates to follow FTC guidelines.
As one of the larger web hosting affiliates on the web this headline really intrigues me and quite frankly I think is a good thing.  I will be the first to admit, before the FTC started cracking down, AlreadyHosting.com really didn't have any disclosures on it that said it received commission.  I really wasn't trying to deceive anyone, I honestly guess I didn't see any harm in earning a commission by providing users with useful information as long as the user was not put out in any way.

With that being said, after a major crack down on affiliate sites in other industries, major web hosting providers took matters into their own hands.  After discussing legalities with the FTC these web hosting companies came up with standard language and disclosures that should be listed throughout affiliate sites like mine (AlreadyHosting.com), the disclosures would tell readers that the site does receive commission for referrals and are independent of the hosting company itself.

When I was told that these notices needed to be added to my site, I actually had no problem with it... To me the more a user is informed the better decision they can make.   My sites now have the disclosures and I didn't see any drop in sales as a result of adding the extra language.   I really feel good about this push for added disclosure, too many people have a misunderstanding and misconception of what affiliates do thus resulting in a negative view by many; however, reality is affiliate marketer are essentially the driving force of the entire online economy!  Added disclosure is a win/win for users and the hosting company, so I give major shout outs to the hosting providers who led the charge!

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Personal note from Jonathan Burdon of AlreadyHosting.com: I hope you enjoyed this article discussing three news stories relating to the hosting industry in 2011!  Some of these stories may have slipped under the radar, but I think they were all game changing and ultimately shifted the direction of the hosting industry in some way.  I am excited to see what 2012 has in store!

Contrary to popular believe building a website and hosting it on the web does not have to be expensive!  In fact, one thing that all of these professions have in common (Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Etc.) is that everyone is looking for the best service as the most affordable rate.

Lucky for each of you, our research shows that our top 3 web hosting providers each provide World Class support at a UNBELIEVABLE price!  No matter which profession you are in I would highly suggest that you sign up and get your domain name and hosting with one of the following three web hosting providers:

1. Bluehost.com
2. iPage.com
3. Hostmonster.com

Each of these hosts are widely known to be among the best in the world... In fact, they are actually some of the web's largest web hosting providers!  The main reason I love these three hosts is because they are versatile and will work with individuals from any profession.  For under $4 a month you can get unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, a free domain name, world class support, and much more!

Clicking on our exclusive referral links about will enable your special promo pricing rates for these companies!  I full endorse each of these hosting providers and would recommend them to any one from any profession including (but not limited to): doctors, lawyers, teachers.... Basically everyone!

It is important to understand the difference between web hosting and domain names because you need both.  Web hosting is the space that you buy on a remote computer to store your website files.  When you purchase web hosting you are basically renting space on a high-powered server somewhere in the world.

A domain name is the actual name of your website (ie. www.MangoOrange.com).  The domain name will point to your web hosting account.

SOMEONE TYPES DOMAIN NAME ----> POINTS TO WEB HOSTING ACCOUNT ---> SITE LOADS

A lot of times companies want to charge you for both domain names and web hosting accounts; however, we have found a list of a few hosts that will give you a free domain name with the purchase of web hosting.  The following is a list of some great hosts that will give you a FREE domain name when you purchase web hosting:

• Bluehost
• Hostmonster
• iPage
• FatCow
• Justhost

Each of these hosts have been tested by us and are all quality web hosting providers.  As you can see (by clicking on the links) our exclusive partnership with these hosts will get you some great discounts on your hosting purchase.

Creating a website is actually an easy task but the first step is to sign up for a web hosting account!  If you have any questions about web hosting or domain names be sure to e-mail us using the "contact us" link at the top of the page.

So if you are looking to save on web hosting and would like to help support MangoOrange.com take a second to sign up for web hosting with Bluehost or Hostmonster.

All you have to do to get the discount and help us out is click on one of the exclusive banner below:

Best Web Host
For the month of October, Hostmonster has the most users sign up for their web hosting.  Hostmonster has been very successful with customers from the United States and is known for their great customer support.  Hostmonster also has the lowest cancellation rate meaning that their customers are VERY happy.  Hostmonster was called the best web hosting provider of the year by AlreadyHosting.com.

VISIT HOSTMONSTER

Fastest Growing Web Hosting Provider
Last month FatCow was the fastest growing web hosting provider; however, the month iPage.com (a sister site to FatCow) has proven to be the fastest growing web hosting provider in the market.  iPage was launched just a month or two ago and has seen a rapid growth in traffic over the past month... Don't believe me?  Check out the traffic chart below.

Cheapest Web Hosting
Congratulations to WebHostingPad.com for once again being the cheapest web hosting provider.  WebHostingPad continues to offer unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, and a domain for only $1.99 a month!   You will not find this type of deal with any of the other web hosting providers.

No-Contract Web Hosting
One web hosting company that continues to be successful is HostGator.com .  Hostgator has been around for a long time and provides a premier web hosting option.  The reason this host continues to be so successful is because the offer a no-contact web hosting option, meaning you will not be required to pay for a whole year of hosting all up front.  With Hostgator you simply pay month-by-month, which is preferred by many.  If you use the link above and the coupon code "alreadyhosting" you can get your first month of hosting for only $0.01 .

• Review of FatCow web hosting -  FatCow Review
• Get Free WordPress Installation - Free WordPress Installation
• Find Available Domain Names - Domain Name Availability Tool
• APTHost Review - APTHost Review

Be sure to check out our top 10 web hosting list at AlreadyHosting.com if you are in the process of researching web hosting.

The greatest part about HostGator is that you are not required to sign any long contracts, this means you literally can get 1 month of hosting for only $0.01 !

The HostGator.com $0.01 (1 Cent) coupon code is:    AlreadyHosting

Read a full review of WebHostingPad

**Visit BlueHost.com**
Current BlueHost Promo:  $3.95 /month

BlueHost

BlueHost Features:

• Unlimited Bandwidth
• Unlimited Disk Space
• Unlimited Domain Hosting
• FREE Domain Name Forever
• $3.95/month

My Personal Review:

I have used BlueHost and HostMonster to host all of my personal websites throughout the years.   BlueHost is by far one of the most reliable web hosting providers on the web.  When choosing a web host I always look at the host uptime.  BlueHost servers are hardly ever down; in fact, I cannot remember any instance when my website was down.

BlueHost is also know for their unlimited hosting and bandwidth.  Having unlimited resources makes BlueHost.com a great hosting option for business sites, churches, videos,  blogs, and personal sites.  This host is also known for their sitebuilder and Simple Scripts application which makes it very easy to build your own website.

To end my review I want to say this, with BlueHost you really cannot go wrong.  BlueHost is offering you web hosting for only $3.95/month which is perhaps the cheapest on the web.  Still nervous?  Don't be.. If you are not 100% satisfied with your hosting account you can get your money back with the BlueHost 30 Day Money Back Guarantee!

What Are Others Saying About BlueHost?

AlreadyHosting.com Says: BlueHost is an all around good web hosting company that provides excellent customer support.

Valerie Stevenson Says: BlueHost has excellent customer service and features, keep it up!

Sacha Loughton Says: Just wanted to say thank you. I love Bluehost. I love that I can refer my clients to a hosting company that not only has humans on the phone, but also one that lets us know how long we have to wait. I LOVE IT! Really really.

BlueHost Customer Support:

As you can read from the reviews above BlueHost has one of the best web hosting customer support teams on the web.  This hosting company provides fast, helpful, and friendly support 24/7.  In fact, as soon as you sign up for hosting with BlueHost you will receive a welcome phone call from the support staff.   Customer support staff can help you switch your hosting to their company, help you set up your site, or help you with any other web hosting related questions.

About BlueHost:

BlueHost has been providing hosting solutions to thousands of business and personal web sites since 1996. Our internet hosting package helps businesses and individuals get high-powered service at a fraction of the cost.

BlueHost is here to secure your business. We are confident we can provide you with the highest level of support with our friendly and patient support staff waiting to address your needs. Our veteran hosting team knows what it takes to be the best and how we can help make your site a success.    Visit BlueHost.com!

BlueHost Is Award Winning:

Here is a list of just some of the many awards that BlueHost web hosting won:

• 2009 Best Web Hosting - AlreadyHosting.com
• 2009 Best Web Hosting - WebHostingClue.com
• 2009 Best Web Hosting - BestWebSiteHosting.com
• 2008 Editors Choice - Web-Hosting-Top.com
• 2009 Best Web Hosting - UpperHost.com

BlueHost Coupon Codes:

BlueHost.com does not offer any coupon codes; however, they have given us an exclusive promo link which allows you to purchase hosting for only $3.95/month.  This is a saving of three dollars each month, which can really add up.

BlueHost Agrees To Help Out Our Site!

Not only does BlueHost provide an excellent web hosting service but they also want to support our site (MangoOrange.com).  They have agreed to make a donation to us everytime someone signs up for hosting through our site.   If you enjoy our free wordpress themes and services and want to help us keep going, sign up for BlueHost web hosting.  We all win!

Visit BlueHost.com