A couple of weeks ago I found the following in an email from my webhost:
Your web hosting account for bradgrier.com has been deactivated (reason: site causing performance problems).
Although your web site has been disabled, your data may still be available for
up to 15 days, after which it will be deleted.
After a quick call to the ever-helpful customer service line, I'd learned that I'd exceed my allocated CPU or SQL cycles. With my simple little Wordpress blog.
It seems that a plugin (or two) had taken too many resources too many times for them. They are a very large (perhaps the largest) webhost offering unlimited everything...except CPU and SQL cycles.
At the time, I did my research and they seemed like a very good choice. Great customer services, few complaints, and always rated highly in the reviews.
Perhaps a little more research would have been in order. It seems the 'unlimited' web hosts build their business model on overselling resources, hence the jealous guarding of those two resources -- should one customer (me) take too many, then it impacts others. I'm now a liability and expendable.
So much for unlimited.
Then they asked me to leave. Jilted. Expended.
I wasn't given the opportunity to fix the issue, they just wanted me gone and I had 15 days to transition. I was not a happy camper.
Luckily I'd setup an automated backup system for my blog. Posts and comments were safe. I'd just be experiencing downtime on the blog, lost time in my search to find a new host, and lost time as I set up the new account.
To make a long and tedious story short and snappy, here's a few things I'd learned as I rebuilt this blog.
Backup
Again, I can't stress this enough. Backup's are essential. Without it, you lose every bit of value you'd built. You lose your long tail. Automated backups are easy to set up. There's no excuse for not having a current backup of your blog.
Why are you here?
What niche does your blog fill? Now's the perfect opportunity to reflect. Are your personal rewards enough to justify the move and rebuild process? Should you change your blog focus, design, layout, niche, whatever? As long as you're going to be changing hosts, look at what else you can change while your site is in transition (I changed the theme and invested in Thesis. More on that later 
)
Ask for help.
Enlist your friends and members of your social media network. I put out a call on Twitter and received a bunch of favourable recommendations to follow up. Your friends are usually a great resource.
Know what you're looking for, and what you'll settle for.
I thought I'd done a lot of research before selecting my past one. I had, but I'd been searching for the wrong things. I was dazzled by unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, unlimited unlimitedness! I didn't understand that in order to offer unlimited (almost)everything, they'd severely limit CPU and SQL cycles.
In my case, I've changed my needs. I shopped for a specific package that LIMITED bandwidth, storage, etc. By doing this, a provider and customer know their bounds and expectations are managed.
It also helps to open a dialogue with your prospective 'business partners', rather than simply signing up. In my case, I asked about resource usage, suspensions, and the ability to fix issues, rather than simply 'being expelled'.
The end is the beginning.
So here I am, on a new web host, a leaner and meaner blog. You'll see it develop over the next few weeks as I continue refining, and learning about the Thesis theme.
Stay tuned, and feel free to leave your thoughts!
Image courtesy Locator
Related posts:
- In Transition — as the page says
- Server burp…
- 2 More Simple Home Backup Solutions
- First Impressions…
- Four solid tech-news sites I use regularly
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, Brad! Katharine here. Polite, diplomatic soul that you are, I notice that you don’t specify either your old host or your new one in this post. However, I’ve been considering starting a dining blog, and I’m currently slowly scoping out hosts. I know you’re busy, but if you have time to just zap me an e-mail, I would value your input greatly. Many thanks!
Actually, Brad, I think you’re being diplomatic to a fault here. Name names! I’m about to set up a new blog and am thinking of changing from my current host, but don’t want to get trapped as you did.
Names! Names!
Ouch. So when some of these hosting companies over unlimited transfer, its pretty much meaningless. Really they mean sign up, pay us, and if you don’t use to much, we’ll let you stay.
@Kat: Hi! Watch your email, and thanks for the kind words.
@Matt: Thank you too. Frankly, while it would feel good for me to name my old host, I won’t. Part of the fault lies with me and my lack of adequate research / rushing into it. What I will do is say this..If you’re looking for a web host, make sure you understand your OWN needs first. Then find someone who will give you what you believe you are paying for.
In my case, all I needed was a simple web host. I was dazzled by the Unlimited Everything, and low cost to sign up. So I did. But what I needed (Customer Service, understanding, forgiveness?) wasn’t part of the package.
When searching for my new host (ASmallOrange.com — I have discount coupons if you like
I explained my existing situation (hostless, requiring feedback, and a grace period should I FUBAR things) and they basically said no problem. We’ll see how it goes but for the last few days (heh) I’m happy.
@Fred: Yep, that seems to be the business model they’re using. I appreciate that businesses are in the game to make money, but customer service should be rolled into the business plan — Web 2.0 requires it
Well, good on ya’. Actually, I like this approach, as it keeps things positive. Like I said, I’m looking around for a new host–and also for hosts to recommend in an upcoming series I’m preparing for the blog–and pointing out hosts that we’ve heard good things about (and I have about asmallorange.com) is the way to go.
I must say, I like A Small Orange’s little emo support guy.
@Matt, Thanks! ASmallOrange is the second smaller host I’ve been with. Both smaller hosts have been great at customer service. I know it’s only a sample size of three, but in my experience, I’m sensing a trend
Heh…yeah, funny emo support guy. I didn’t notice that at first.
Brad — thanks for the warning. Please ping me with your host so I don’t get dinged too. I have just setup one blog, and am about to setup another.
I scooped the Thesis theme too, last week. Nice pick!
@Johnn, thanks, Thesis has been gaining a lot of traction online. Now I just need to make time to
stealbecome inspired by the great designs out thereOh, by the way, I’ve discovered that I’m able to offer an A Small Orange discount code — save 15% on your hosting by using BG-15 as the code when you sign up.