Archive for Technical Support
Managed Web Hosting for Serious Online Businesses
Posted by: | CommentsThe success of your online business is directly derived from the amount of time, money, and hard work you pour into it. If you already own an offline business then you are certainly familiar with this concept. It is not foolish to want the best for your website, as this will be your virtual home, and a digital representation of your business. Price should not be an issue when constructing an online empire, as it is important to remember that quality produces success in any venue. However, the main problem people have with web hosting is that the best plans seem to require the most knowledge to operate. For example, dedicated hosting gives you access to a private server with an immense amount of resources at your disposal. However, an unmanaged dedicated hosting plan would be quite useless to most online business owners. The solution to this problem is managed dedicated hosting.
What is Managed Dedicated Hosting?
Having a dedicated web server is almost pointless if you don’t have the ability to use it to its full potential. Web servers require frequent maintenance in order to perform optimally, and unless you have the ability to perform such maintenance yourself you’ll be paying for a hosting plan that is of very little use to you. Managed dedicated hosting offers you complete technical assistance, which means your hosting provider will handle the server administration tasks for you, allowing you to focus on the more serious tasks.
Fully Managed Vs. Partially Managed
Before you rush into purchasing a managed web hosting plan, it is important that you realize the various types of managed hosting. Some web hosting providers advertise managed hosting plans, however many of these plans still require a great deal of maintenance. What some hosting companies consider fully managed may be partially managed in the eyes of other companies. A good rule of thumb is – the cheaper the plan, the less technical support and server administration assistance you’ll receive. If you want an automated server solution then your best bet would be to find a reputable hosting company and purchase their most expensive managed dedicated hosting plan.
The Boundaries of a Managed Hosting Plan
Although you should feel entitled to quality support and superior server administration, there are some tasks that your hosting company is simply not responsible for. It can be easy to blur the line between web hosting and other internet-based industries such as web design and programming. Many people get upset when they find out their web hosting company cannot help them with a certain problem. It can be extremely frustrating to find out that you’re paying for a top notch hosting plan and there is simply no department dedicated to helping you with your problem. To prevent this disappointment you need to understand the boundaries of your managed hosting plan before you purchase one. It may help to speak with a customer service representative to find out which parts of your online business are dealt with within your hosting plan.
How do you choose your ideal web hosting provider? Are there specific questions to ask when looking at different web hosting plans? What are the key elements to look at when evaluating a web hosting solution?
Photo credit: Francesco Bisignani
This web hosting providers guide has been designed to help novice web publishers identify and select their ideal web host. It includes:
a) A reference table showcasing key features and price ranges you should expect to get from any qualified web hosting provider.
b) A mindmap illustrating the key criteria and features to pay attention to when analyzing alternative hosting solutions.
c) A detailed list of the above key selection criteria and features with a clear explanation for each.
d) The best available online articles and reports which provide useful information on all relevant aspects of selecting an ideal web hosting provider: from the technical stuff to the economic and legal issues.
Here all the details:
How To Choose The Ideal Web Hosting Provider – Comparative Table
Inside the comparative table below you can find four recommended setups for different kinds of web publishers, from bloggers to online entrepreneurs, that are looking for a web hosting provider. The first three setups refer to a shared hosting solution, while the fourth setup is advised for a professional publisher who needs a dedicated hosting server.
Key Selection Criteria For Choosing a Web Hosting Provider
Here below, a list of key selection criteria to help you choose the ideal web hosting provider. These are all critical features that identify what you should request and expect from your hosting provider to save stress and time.
- Customer service: Check if your hosting provider has a customer service that is competent and ready to help if you have a problem. Send your requests and see how quick the customer service replies. If your hosting provider claims to have 24/7 support, test it by sending an e-mail during the weekend. You may also want to be sure that you receive help by friendly people, who are not there just because you are a paying customer.
- Online reputation: Sign up with a web hosting provider that has reputable credentials that can be trusted. Reputation can be measured just by looking at these simple things: reviews the hosting provider receives from customers, comments inside the forum of the provider web site and whether the hosting provider has been short in business.
- Money back guarantee: Pay attention to the refund policy of your web hosting provider. Does your provider give your money back if you are not satisfied with it? Do you get a full refund or just a part of your money? Make sure you read your contract very carefully.
- Guaranteed uptime: Look for a minimum uptime of 99.5%. 99% is too low for a web hosting provider that claims to be reliable, because a 0.5% of downtime translates into several hours when your site is down and unreachable. Notwithstanding this, keep in mind that you will need clear and documented proofs to show your hosting provider it has not matched its promise.
- Monthly, not forced yearly pre-payments: Choose a monthly solution to pay your bills to the hosting provider. When you are still testing different options and companies, you might opt to go monthly and not to pay in advance for a year-long contract. By paying monthly, you can switch to another hosting provider whenever you want, without feeling forced to stay with a company for a fixed time. You might consider to pay in advance for a yearly plan only after you have long tested your hosting provider.
- Quality of user control panel: To manage your web hosting files you need a control panel, which is a personal web page that you use to upload files, scripts and perform other operations on your site. Having a user interface that is clear and understandable for anyone, and not just for geeks, is very important to avoid stress and mistakes. Request a demo or a screenshot of the control panel and judge for yourself if it is the right solution for your competences.
- Monthly bandwidth: Check whether the hosting provider gives you sufficient monthly bandwidth to ensure efficient data transfer. The bandwidth is the amount of data that goes in and out of your server when your viewers watch a video, read content, make a purchase or do anything else on your site. Make sure that the amount of bandwidth supported by your hosting plan matches your needs.
- Disk space: Be aware of the amount of disk space you get from your web hosting provider. Even though providers tend to give you way more space than your web site needs, you should be concerned if you publish lots of videos, offer large files for download or manage content that requires several disk space to be hosted.
- Log file analysis tool: Check with your hosting provider which software is used to analyze log files and generate statistic reports. The standard in the industry is Webalizer, but your hosting provider may go for a different solution. Also check if you are able to export log files to your computer and use your own tool to manage statistic reports.
- E-mail management and support: Look at the e-mail management solution your hosting provider gives you. All providers support e-mail management, but not everyone has advanced features like auto-responders, mail forwarding, virus protection or junk mail filters. Check also the number of separate mailboxes you are allowed to create inside your domain.
- Number of separate FTP accesses: Having different FTP accesses allows you and your collaborators to manage your web site independently. The site owner can thus allow other people to work on her site without giving away her personal credentials.
- Publishing platform integration: Verify if your hosting provider supports a pre-installed publishing platform like WordPress or Movable Type. You may save the time and stress of setting up a publishing platform on your own and also receive support from the same customer service of your hosting provider.
- Backups: Having persistent, automatic backups of your data is highly recommended. If something goes wrong, you can always recover your data and start again without losing hours or even years of work. Be sure to check with your hosting provider which data is backed up (files, databases, server settings, etc.), how often (daily, weekly, monthly) and where backups are stored (off-server or off-site).
- PHP, Perl, MySQL support: Make sure your web hosting provider supports fully and explicitly PHP, Perl and MySQL databases. You will need all of these elements to run a professional web site which needs advanced customization and scripting.
The Web Hosting Providers Guide
How To Choose a Web Host – by Ben Coleman – Real Free Websites
What Beginners Should Check To Pick a Web Hosting Provider
Looking through hundreds of free hosting providers out there and feeling overwhelmed? Learn how to choose the best free hosting provider for your needs and identify the key concerns of using a free hosting solution.
How to choose the best free web hosting companies (Factors to consider) – by mrbrigante80 – eHow
Basic Tips On How To Choose a Web Hosting Provider
If you are a novice in web publishing, choosing a web hosting provider can be somewhat intimidating. There are so many aspects to consider that deciding which one is best for you may be very confusing. In this article you can find some basic tips to help you gauge which web hosting provider is the best for your needs.
How to Choose a Web Host – by Tung Do – WPdesigner
How To Choose Your Hosting Provider If You Are a Novice Or a Pro Blogger
Getting the wrong kind of hosting for your site can be a costly mistake. If you get something too powerful for your needs, you could wind up paying far more than you need. Also, if you get something not powerful enough, you might be frustrated by downtimes and lost business. Read on for some good tips to make the right choice.
What’s the Best Web Hosting For Your Site? – by Jonathan – WhoIsHostingThis?
Tech Specs To Consider When Looking For a Web Hosting Provider
In this article, the author suggests a set of advanced criteria to select a good commercial web hosting service. Your main concern should be focusing on a web hosting provider that is reliable and does not leave you in trouble when disappearing after just one month of service.
How to Choose The Best Commercial Web Hosting Service – by Setya Putra – SetyaPutra.Org
Crucial Differences Between Dedicated and Shared Hosting Services
There are basically two different types of web hosting: shared and dedicated. A dedicated solution gives you a personal web server to host your site while the hosting provider is responsible for all the support and maintenance. Shared hosting instead, works by having your web site co-exist with other sites inside a common web server. With a shared hosting solution, all the oversight and control of your site is up to you. Read on to discover in more details the specific differences of each web hosting alternative.
12 Crucial Differences Between Dedicated and Shared Hosting Services – by Amy Armitage – Web Host Industry Review
How To Determine If a Hosting Provider Is Reliable
Before you sign-up a contract with a web hosting provider, you must ensure that your provider is reliable and will not leave you in trouble along the way. Here are 5 tips that will help you evaluate the reliability of your hosting provider.
How to Find the Best Possible Web Hosting – by Gregory Go – About.com
Common Pitfalls When Choosing Your Web Hosting Provider
Have you noticed how many hosting providers are out there? The answer is simple. In most cases, what you see is not web hosting, but rather reselling. What this means is you often get a second-hand web hosting plan run for you by a middleman provider. Learn in this article how to spot resellers from real web hosting providers.
How to Pick a Web Host – by John Stone – Dev Mechanic
How Not To Get Screwed By Your Web Hosting Provider
There are several sad stories on the web of people who got screwed badly by their hosting providers. In this article there are 15 suggestions to protect yourself and learn how to spot bad web hosting deals.
15 tips on how not to get screwed by your web host – by Jerry Low – Web Hosting Secret Revealed
Free vs. Commercial Hosting Providers: What To Look For
What is the difference between free and commercial web hosting providers? In this article you will find a list of the key recommendations to keep in mind whether you are choosing a free hosting solution or a paid plan.
How to Choose a Web Host – by Cristopher Heng – The Site Wizard
Economical and Legal Aspects On How To Choose a Web Hosting Provider
In selecting your web hosting provider, you must pay greater attention to those economical and legal aspects which may not be so obvious at a first glance. Read this article for an overview of some of the aspects of your contract you should not overlook when signing up with a web hosting provider.
What To Look For In A Web Host, an Important Decision – by Mathew R. Miller – Code And Coffee
Originally prepared by Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on September 14th, 2009 as “The Web Hosting Providers Guide: How To Choose The Ideal Hosting Solution For Your Web Site“.
Photo credits:
What Beginners Should Check To Pick a Web Host – Ewa Brozek
Basic Tips On How To Choose a Web Host – Pete Favelle
How To Choose Your Host If You Are a Novice Or a Pro Blogger – felinda
Tech Specs To Consider When Looking For a Web Hosting Provider – Zbigniew Kosmal
Crucial Differences Between Dedicated and Shared Hosting Services – Gunnar Pippel
How To Determine If a Web Host Is Reliable – Sergei Didyk
Common Pitfalls When Choosing Your Web Hosting Provider – Aris Sanjaya
How Not To Get Screwed By Your Web Host – s-dmit
Free vs. Commercial Web Host: What To Look For – Geoff Byrne
Economical and Legal Aspects On How To Choose a Web Host – stustock
Free Web Server Monitoring Tools: Guide To Best Online Services
Posted by: | CommentsMonitoring automatically your web server allows you to be alerted anytime the server “goes down” or when there are some serious performance issues with it. This is crucial especially when you run a commercial business online and your business depends on the ability of your web visitors to access your content without hindrance. In this guide I have reviewed and compared the best free web server monitoring services available online.
Photo credit: Alexander Sabilin
By utilizing a web server monitoring service you can see at anytime the health status of your server, its ability to serve rapidly your content and the impact that the traffic is having on it. Plus, when there are serious issues, or your web server “crashes” for one reason or another, you can be immediately alerted in one or multiple ways (RSS, e-mail, SMS, IM, etc.).
In general, an automatic web server monitoring service works by running periodical tests (every 1, 5, 30 or 60 minutes depending on the service being used) by collecting specific data that is organized into reports, and by launching alerts and notifications when specific parameters or values are not met.
More specifically, web server monitoring tools send so called “pings” to the designated server(s) to make sure that data is received correctly and to measure its specific response time. If the ping is not successful, or if the conditions you have set are not fully met, the monitoring service sends you a notification via e-mail, SMS, RSS or via telephone, depending on your selected tool and preference.
Key traits that make for a good automated web server monitoring service are:
- Multiple testing sources: The service tests your servers from multiple worldwide monitoring stations for better accuracy of the results.
- Thorough reporting: You get detailed and persistent reports on the status of your web server. This might be useful to foresee potential issues.
- Multiple tests: The monitoring service allows you to monitor not only your web server but also mail servers, FTP and authentication processes to have complete control over all the activities of your site.
- Access from multiple platforms and mobiles: Keep track of your web server from anywhere, even via a mobile phone.
If you are ready to take these free web server monitoring tools for a spin, here are also the additional criteria I have used to compile this mini guide reviews and comparison table:
- Notification channels: Server alerts distributions via SMS, e-mail, RSS or other.
- Multiple servers monitoring: Number of web servers you can monitor at the same time.
- Monitoring Intervals: Time interval at which web server tests are run.
- Registration-free: Service can be used without registering.
- Pro features: Advanced features available with premium paid accounts.
Here all the details:
Free Web Server Monitoring Tools Comparative Table
Free Web Server Monitoring Tools
- HostTracker
HostTracker is a free web server monitoring tool. You can check up to two web servers every 30 minutes. HEAD / POST / GET HTTP-methods are all supported as well as operations on CGI scripts. Your servers are checked from multiple locations across a global network of 71 nodes and 48 hosting partners. Registration is compulsory to utilize the service. No notification channels are available at a free level. With $4.99/month, you can upgrade to a starting premium plan and have up to five servers monitored every 10 minutes, receive 10 alerts via SMS if your web server goes down and also obtain detailed reports about the status of your web servers. HostTracker homepage also allows you to check whether a website is up or down by sending a ping request to a specific URL.
http://host-tracker.com/ - Mon.itor.us
Mon.itor.us is a free monitoring tool that lets you monitor one web server in real-time. You can either check HTTP / HTTPS / FTP web sites, TCP ports, Pings as well as DNS, UDP, POP3 and IMAP mail servers. If your web server goes down, you get immediate notifications via e-mail, IM, RSS or through a widget installed on your Mac or PC. With mon.itor.us, you can also track your visitors in real-time from multiple locations using the same dashboard that monitors your web server performances. The service provides a free API that allows developers to build useful add-ons or extend Mon.itor.us current features. Registration is mandatory. No premium plans available.
http://mon.itor.us/ - Pingdom
Pingdom offers free accounts to utilize its web server monitoring tool. Available check types are: HTTP / HTTPS / TCP port / Ping / DNS / UDP / SMTP / POP3 and IMAP. You can track the performance of one server with time intervals spanning from one to 60 minutes. You also get free email notifications and 20 SMS alerts to be warned if your web server goes down. Web servers are persistently monitored from multiple locations. Registration is necessary to use Pingdom monitoring tool. With a premium account priced at $9.95, you can check up to five web servers with 1-minute monitoring intervals. Additional features inside premium account include the ability to purchase more SMS alerts and get detailed reports about the status of your web server.
http://www.pingdom.com/ - Montastic
Montastic is a free monitoring tool to check up to 100 web servers at the same time. You can either check HTTP / HTTPS web sites and port numbers. The service tracks the status of your web server from six to 20 times per day. Servers are monitored from two different locations for better accuracy of results. Any downtime is reported through alerts via e-mail, RSS or a widget you install on your Mac or PC. Montastic requires a registration process to be used. Premium accounts are not available.
http://www.montastic.com/ - Free Network Monitor
Free Network Monitor from Paessler is a Windows software that lets you check your web server in real-time. Free Network Monitor utilizes 10 sensors to monitor the health of your web server, including PING / HTTP / SMTP / POP3 and FTP. You can extend the range of monitoring sensors from 10 to 20 by placing a link back to Paessler on your web site. The service also allows you to receive alerts on the status of your web server via e-mail, SMS and pager. No registration is required. First level of premium account unlocks up to 100 monitoring sensors, detailed reports and advanced features to control web server uptime and downtime for $195.
http://www.paessler.com/prtg/download - BasicState
BasicState is a free monitoring tool to check an unlimited number of web servers at the same time. Only HTTP and HTTPS web servers are supported. Each web server is checked every 15 minutes. In case of a downtime, you get an immediate alert via e-mail and SMS. Public interest e-commerce sites are checked every 5 minutes. BasicState also provides you with a detailed report of your web server conditions. Registration is required to utilize the service and no premium accounts are available.
http://basicstate.com/ - Site24×7
Site24×7 is a monitoring tool that allows you to check the status of one web server free of charge. Each server is checked from a single location every 60 minutes. If the web server goes down, you get a quick alert via e-mail, SMS and RSS. Site24×7 also lets you check your web page content. Registering to the service is mandatory. Premium accounts starts from $1/month per URL and allow you to monitor not only your web servers, but also web apps, mail servers and DNS servers. With a premium account you reduce the monitoring time from to 1 to 60 minutes as well as having your web servers checked from multiple locations. Additional SMS alerts are available upon request.
http://site24×7.com - FreeSiteStatus
FreeSiteStatus allows you to check the status of your web server from 13 worldwide monitoring stations. Free of charge, the health of your web server is tested every 60 seconds. If a downtime occurs, you receive an e-mail to take immediate action. FreeSiteStatus runs only on Ping and HTTP (limited to port 80) web servers. Registration is compulsory. Upgrading to the Professional Account ($2/month) allows you to decrease the monitoring time of your web server to one minute. You also get advanced monitoring tests and unlimited e-mail contacts. Additional SMS alerts are priced at $0.25 each.
http://www.freesitestatus.com - Are My Sites Up?
Are My Sites Up? is a free, ad-supported web server monitoring tool. You can monitor up to five different HTTP web servers. No other web server types are supported at a free level. Your web servers are tested in time intervals of 60 minutes each. If your server experiences a downtime, you are immediately alerted via e-mail or SMS. Registration is needed to utilize the service. If you need further options regarding your notifications, you must purchase a premium plan. Starting from $35/year, the first level of premium plans offers you up to 25 web servers monitored every 30 minutes, RSS and Twitter notifications and an iPhone app with push notifications. Premium plans also support HTTPS web servers and are ads-free.
http://aremysitesup.com/ - Monpage
Monpage is a free web server monitoring tool that checks the status of your servers and the responsiveness of your web pages. The service checks up to 3 different web servers every five minutes, but it is not clearly specified which kind of web servers you can test (HTTP / HTTPS / FTP / etc.). Monpage website interface is optimized for mobile phones and you can access detailed reports on uptime / downtime of your web servers. Registration is mandatory. No alerts nor premium accounts are available.
http://monpage.com/ - PA Server Monitor
Server Monitor by Power Admin is a free software for Windows that checks the integrity of your web server. You can run your tests at custom time intervals. In case your server goes down, you are immediately alerted through e-mail. Registration is needed to utilize the service. PA Server Monitor checks include HTTP / HTTPS, Ping and mail servers. To access advanced monitoring tools, receive notifications via SMS or pager and also get detailed server activity reports, you need to purchase a premium license starting from $49.
http://www.poweradmin.com/ServerMonitor/Free.aspx - Observu
Observu from Moving Labs is a free monitoring tool for web servers. You can keep track of an unlimited number of servers in real time. If one of your servers goes down, you are promptly alerted with an e-mail. You need to register to utilize Observu and premium plans are not available. It is not specified which type of web servers you are allowed to monitor.
http://www.observu.com/ - Livewatch.de
Livewatch.de is a free monitoring tool that you can use to check the status of your web server. After registering, you select one server to have it tested every 5-10 minutes. No details are give on the type of web server you are able to monitor. If your server experiences a downtime, you can choose to receive alerts either via e-mail / SMS / Twitter or IM. Please note that with a free account you have only 10 SMS available and that you can use just 1 SMS per month. If you need to monitor more than one server or have reduced monitoring time intervals, you can upgrade to one of the premium plans that start from around $4/month. With a premium plan you also have up to 8 SMS alerts per month and 3 phone calls notifications. Registration is needed to use Livewatch.de.
http://www.livewatch.de/en/ - Service Uptime
Service Uptime is a free web server monitoring tool that allows you to test and receive alerts if your server is not responding. The service checks your web servers every 30 minutes and alerts you via e-mail and SMS in case your server is down. You can test HTTP / HTTPS / FTP / Ping servers, POP3 /IMAP mail servers and much more. Registration is needed to utilize Service Uptime. By purchasing a premium plan (starting from $4.95/month), you get multiple alerts, a facility to perform schedule maintenance on your server and you can also set custom monitoring time intervals.
http://www.serviceuptime.com/free_monitoring.php
Originally prepared by Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on September 7th, 2009 as “Free Web Server Monitoring Tools: Guide To Best Online Services“.
Co-Browsing Tools: Guide To The Best Online Services
Posted by: | CommentsCo-browsing is the ability to navigate a web page simultaneously with other people without needing to use a screen-sharing app. Though the difference with screen-sharing tools is little known and considering the wide availability of these and
of the bandwidth needed to use them effectively, it may seem as co-browsing may have its days numbered. But maybe not quite yet. In this guide you can find all of the true, classical co-browsing services that are still available online.
Photo credit: Tamás Ambrits
The cool thing with co-browsing is that you can achieve good results even when in presence of very slow, model-like Internet connections. Something altogether not possible with most present-day screen-sharing tools.
Co-browsing is one of the oldest real-time collaboration technologies and also one of the simplest. To make its “magic” work, a co-browsing system simply makes all participants use a common, stripped-down browser, and sends each URL selected by the “host” or presenter, to all other participants connected to the session.
This is why co-browsing requires only normal computer and a minimal Internet connection speed.
Co-browsing tools work by distributing in a synchronous fashion the URL(s) being visited by the presenter to the browsers of all participants.
What are then the key advantages that still justify the use of traditional co-browsing tools? Here the key advantages of co-browsing when compared to screen-sharing solutions:
- Fast to use even over a slow Internet connection. If your participants live in developing countries or for some other reason do not have ADSL-type, broadband connections to the Internet they can still have a reliable co-browsing session.
- Maintain privacy of what goes on your computer screen. When running a co-browsing session, you maintain full control of your computer and desktop privacy. Sharing your screen instead, exposes all the activities on your computer to other people. You are unable to control if a distracting IM pop-up will be shown or if your anti-virus software notifies you of a possible threat. In a co-browsing session you just do not have to worry about any of these issues.
- Collaborate on editing wikis or filling forms even with adverse, low connectivity. Some of the co-browsing tools in this guide provide you with the facility to fill a form simultaneously with the browser of your participants.
To review, compare and analyze the co-browsing tools and services included in this guide, I have selected the following features and traits as key comparative criteria:
- Page Push: Force a specific web page to appear on the end user screen.
- Co-browsing: Browse between URLs and web pages simultaneously with the end user.
- Co-scrolling: Scroll web pages in real-time on the end user screen.
- Co-filling: Allows presenter and participants to fill together a common web form.
- Session control: Allow the end user to take control of the co-browsing session.
- Text Chat: Communicate in real-time with the end user inside the co-browsing session.
- Live Annotation: Take notes, draw, and highlight words while co-browsing.
- Price: Choose between a free solution or a paid service with a free trial.
To evaluate which may be your ideal co-browsing solution, please take a good look at the comparative tables and mini-reviews listed here below and if you are still not convinced that co-browsing may be the ideal solution for your needs, you might want to check the recent MasterNewMedia screen-sharing tools guide, listing the top 25 best screen-sharing tools available out there.
Here all the details:
Co-Browsing Tools Comparative Tables
Co-Browsing Tools
- Twiddla
Twiddla is a free co-browsing tool with live annotation capabilities. Just create an online meeting and start browsing a web page with other users. You can also push a specific URL to your attendees, but not browse web sites simultaneously. Co-scrolling and co-filling features are not currently available. Inside a Twiddla session you can chat with other invitees using voice and text. Using live annotation features you are able to draw lines, shapes and also write text on the web page you are co-browsing. Other features include file-sharing, image-sharing and the ability to insert mathematical formulas. No session control. Registration is not mandatory.
http://www.twiddla.com/ - ShowDocument
Showdocument is a free online collaboration service that sports a co-browsing facility. You can push a URL to other participants, but not collaboratively browse web pages or hyperlinks. Also, you cannot scroll or fill a web form simultaneously with another user. If you want to interact on a web page in real time, live annotation features let you highlight, write or draw on any region of the browser. Other core features include: session control, file-sharing, text-chat, document editing and also the ability to share YouTube videos and Google maps from the Showdocument interface. Registration is needed to utilize the service.
http://www.showdocument.com/ - Clavardon
Clavardon provides you with a free co-browsing tool to navigate a web page in real time with other users. The co-browsing experience is simultaneous and you see right away any cursor movement of the presenter as well as the scrolling of a web page. You can also highlight text, fill a form and text-chat with other invitees. To offer your audience the co-browsing facility, you can even add Clavardon to your website and assist visitors who are browsing your pages. URL push and session control are not supported. Registration is compulsory to use Clavardon and the service is available both in English and French.
http://www.clavardon.com/ - Brosix
Brosix is a free instant messaging software for Windows with the ability to co-browse web pages. You can use Brosix as an alternative to communicate with your teammates or co-workers without using a standard IM solution like MSN Messenger. Brosix co-browsing supports standard features like co-scrolling, co-filling and simultaneous browsing. Moreover, you get the typical features of an instant messaging solution like text-chat, audio and video chat, offline messaging, file transfer, and much more. Brosix also offers live annotation features to interact in real time on the web pages you are co-browsing. URL push and session control are not available. Registration is required.
http://www.brosix.org/ - PageShare
PageShare provides a full co-browsing solution for Windows machines. A demo is available to test the service before purchase. With PageShare you see two browser windows co-existing side-by-side on your screen where the mouse cursor of the presenter is displayed in real time. You can also collaboratively fill a web form and co-scrolling pages simultaneously with other users. If you need to bring your invitees to a specific URL, use the URL push feature. Session control is available to switch presenter inside a co-browsing session. Text chat and live annotation features are not available. Registration is needed to utilize the service. To get pricing information you need to contact a PageShare representative.
http://www.pageshare.com/ - Voxwire
Voxwire is a web-conferencing tool enhanced with co-browsing features. A free 30-day trial is available to test the service which is priced starting from $39/month. At the lowest price you are able to create online meetings, communicate using voice and video chat, record your meeting sessions, share your screen and much more. Co-browsing features of Voxwire allow you to push a specific URL to attendees and also browse in real time the same web page. Co-scrolling and co-filling are not permitted in the current version. Advanced features like session control to manage presenters, and live annotations to take interactive notes on web pages are fully supported. Registration is mandatory to use Voxwire.
http://www.voxwire.com/
Originally prepared by Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on August 24th, 2009 as “Co-Browsing Tools: Guide To The Best Online Services“.
Are you tired of giving away your personal e-mail address to those sites you know you’ll visit only once? In this mini-guide you can find a way to create anonymous, temporary e-mail inboxes that expire right after you used them, helping you avoid letting your private personal email out for spam bots to harvest.
Photo credit: Mike Flippo
E-mails are the currency of the Web. Each time you register for a service, join a forum, or browse sites which are not secure, you expose your personal e-mail address to be caught in the net of spammers.
What you can do to drastically reduce the quantity of junk messages you receive is to set up an anonymous, temporary e-mail inbox to use anytime you don’t want to give away your private address.
Most of the sites which allow you to create a trash-away mailbox are free and do not require registration. You simply go there, create your anonymous, temporary email address in a few clicks and select an expiry date establishing when the disposable email service will delete all the messages you received.
Obviously if you plan to join a site that sends information which may possibly come in handy in the future, do not use an anonymous temporary mailbox, but rather stick to your personal address.
Curious? Do you want to know more about anonymous temporary e-mail services?
In this mini-guide I have collected the best services out there to create an anonymous and temporary, disposable e-mail address.
Here below the set of key basic characteristics that I have utilized to compare the tools I hand-picked and reviewed, so that you can easily find the best disposable email service to fit for your needs:
- Price: Find whether the service you need is free or not.
- Registration: Indicates if you need to register to use the service.
- Duration: Specifies whether the service allows you to choose when your temporary address will expire.
- Check ways: Some service offer different ways to check your inbox: RSS, web widgets, Firefox extensions, and more.
Here all the details:
Top Disposable E-Mail Services And Tools Comparison Table
Top Disposable E-Mail Services And Tools
- Melt Mail
Melt Mail is a service that allows you to create a temporary e-mail address that can be used for one-time registrations, or to avoid giving away your personal address. You can even specify how long your temporary inbox will last. Free to use and with no registration needed, Melt Mail allows you to check the expiration of your mailbox in a handy auto-updating pop-up window.
http://www.meltmail.com/ - MailExpire
MailExpire is a service to create disposable inboxes that you can use to filter the spam at your personal inbox. You can use it to register to those sites you plan to visit just once in your lifetime. Your temporary inbox can last from 12 hours to three months. Mailinator is free and no registration is required to use the service.
http://www.mailexpire.com/ - Incognito Mail
Incognito mail is a clean, simple service to create a disposable e-mail address that you can use for one-shot registration purposes and avoid spam to reach your personal e-mail address. Completely free and without registration. You can check your 1-hour temporary inbox via RSS feed or iGoogle gadget.
http://www.incognitomail.com/ - Mailinator
Mailinator is a service that lets you avoid spam messages the easy way creating a temporary e-mail inbox to receive all the unwanted messages you get. Free to use, no setup nor registration required, and you can check your disposable inbox via web, RSS, or the Mailinator widget.
http://www.mailinator.com/ - Jetable
Jator is a free online service that lets you create a temporary e-mail inbox to receive the messages you don’t want to be delivered to your personal address. Your inbox can last from one hour to one month. The web interface is available in different languages. No registration required, and you can check your trash-away inbox via web or the Jetable Firefox extension.
http://www.jetable.org/ - spambox.us
spambox.us is a service that allows you to create a temporary e-mail inbox for all your unwanted messages. You can choose an expiry date up to one year. spambox.us is completely free to use and no registration is needed. The web interface is available in different languages.
http://www.spambox.us/ - Yopmail
Yopmail is a free service that lets you create a disposable, anonymous e-mail address. Messages on your temporary Yopmail inbox are stored for 5 days and you can check them via a dedicated Firefox extension or widget. No registration process is needed.
http://www.yopmail.com/en/ - temporaryinbox
temporaryinbox allows the creation of a free anonymous, temporary e-mail address that you can use to receive spam messages. Your disposable address will expire automatically after six hours. The site is available in different languages. Checking your mailbox is possible via web, Firefox extension or Opera dedicated widget. No registration required.
http://www.temporaryinbox.com/ - GuerrillaMail
GuerrillaMail allows you to create a free disposable e-mail address that helps you to filter spam messages. You can check your GuerrillaMail temporary inbox via web or customed iGoogle gadget. No registration required. The web interface is available in different languages.
http://www.guerrillamail.com/ - KasMail
After registering for an account on KasMail, you’ll get a temporary inbox to receive and store all those messages that you prefer to keep separate from your private e-mail account. You can decide when the disposable mailbox will expire, or even choose to keep it forever. Free to use.
http://www.kasmail.com/ - spamfree24
spamfree24 is a free service that lets you check a temporary inbox where you can receive all junk mail. You cannot indicate an expiry date for your trash-away inbox, but on the sites it says that messages to your disposable inbox will be deleted “after a few hours“. No registration is needed.
http://spamfree24.org/ - Mailboxable
Mailboxable is a free service that lets you generate a disposable e-mail inbox for one-shot registration purposes or any other situation where you don’t want to give away your personal address. Completely free, you don’t need any registration process to use the service. Messages in your disposable inbox are stored by Mailboxable for 7 days.
http://mailboxable.net/ - LiteDrop
LiteDrop provides you with a free disposable e-mail address which expires in 1 hour, although you can get another free hour just by clicking a button. You can use it to receive all those e-mail messages that you don’t want to be delivered to your personal address. LiteDrop is a registration-free service and you can check your anonymous inbox via web or RSS feed.
http://www.litedrop.com/ - myTrashMail
myTrashMail is a free service that allows you to create a temporary e-mail inbox to filter spam and any unwanted messages you receive. RSS checking of your inbox is activated by default. Upgrading to the PRO version you can extend the expiry date of individual e-mails up to 30 days and get extra features like secure temporary email or automatic forwarding to your trash-away inbox.
http://www.mytrashmail.com/ - MailCatch
MailCatch is a free service to create an anonymous, disposable e-mail inbox to filter spam messages. Easy accessible via web or RSS feed, MailCatch inboxes last “from a few hours to a few days depending on the traffic“. No registration is necessary.
http://mailcatch.com/ - MailEater
MailEater helps you fight spam creating a disposable e-mail address that will automatically expire after 4 hours you create it. Free to use, no registration nor setup is required to use MailEater.
http://www.maileater.com/ - 10 Minute Mail
10 Minute Mail creates for you a random temporary e-mail address that you can use to receive junk messages instead of using your private address. The inbox auto-expires in 10 minutes. Free to use, no registration needed.
http://10minutemail.com/ - TempEMail
TempEMail is a free online service that lets you create a temporary, anonymous e-mail inbox that will last for 14 days. You can use it to receive one-time messages from sites that you won’t visit again in the future. No registration nor setup is required to use TempEMail.
http://www.tempemail.net/ - Tempinbox
tempinbox allows you to create a random receive-only, temporary e-mail inbox. Unlike other similar services, tempinbox does not allow you to choose an expiry period. Completely free to use and without registration. You can access your inbox even via RSS or Atom feed.
http://www.tempinbox.com/ - SpamMotel
SpamMotel is a free, simple disposable email address service. After registering for the service, SpamMotel allows you to create a temporary anonymous email address to help you filter the quantity of spam you get. Although the service is fully accessible via Web, it can be used via a small Windows application as well.
http://www.spammotel.com/
Originally prepared by Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia and first published on January 9th 2009 as “Best Anonymous Temporary Email: The Top Disposable E-Mail Services And Tools – Mini-Guide“.
Video Production Tips And Tools For Professional Video Bloggers
Posted by: | CommentsWhich camcorder is best when it comes to making videos for the web? What can you expect from the latest generation of digital camcorders that record on microscopic hard disks or on high-capacity SD memory cards? How good is the quality after you upload their videos to the Web?
While at LeWeb08, this past December, I run into two passionate video bloggers: Nicholas Charbonnier and Teemu Arina. Nicholas has actually a blog fully dedicated to video technologies at TechVideoBlog.com, while Teemu is a new media explorer who likes to explore and test out new ways for communicating and sharing valuable know-how.
I then suggested to them to try out a “collaborative” video interview, in which we would have shot each other simultaneously while sharing in turn some good tips and suggestions about video blogging. They did not need to be convinced and in a matter of seconds we were all ready to shoot while capturing each other answers from different angles.
As I reviewed later on this material, I realized that what our readers may have liked to know more about would have been actually the equipment that each one of us was using during the interview, as to get a little perspective on popular options among video bloggers while being able to also see the results that they produced.
And so, I got back to Teemu and Nicholas and asked them to share with me a bit more of their video shooting setup and the specifics of their video reporter toolkit.
In this video information report you can find both some useful tips for your video production as well as specifics about the camcorder models and brands and other accessories that the three of us typically use when shooting video for the web.
Here all the details:
Video Production Tips and Tools
Duration: 6′
Full English Text Transcription
Intro
Allright, we’re at LeWeb08 here in Paris.
I’m speaking in my microphone, and you have the microphone inside the camera, and we’re doing a collaborative project, the first time in the world: we’re going to speak with three cameras at the same time, and it’s going to be totally crazy.
Here I’m interviewing Robin Good.
First time I saw you was in a live video on Mogulus. You were sitting and you were talking during the iPhone launch, I suppose. It was really good, really funny, and there was this crazy guy from Mogulus, in New York and he was doing live broadcasting and commenting.
What do you think about LeWeb?
You had this… presentation? A really cool presentation…
I’m making a video and putting it on techvideoblog.com, like TechCrunch, but with “videoblog” instead.
Robin Good: Be Invisible
Can I ask you Robin Good, what do you think about video and Internet please? What is your your best secret? What do you suggest people should do with video and Internet?
The thing that I suggest is to make yourself invisible. I think that is one of the best suggestions I’ve learned by doing video.
- Use your camera always in a modality where people are not going to notice that you’re shooting them.
Do not hold it at high level, like you guys are doing right now, but hold it more down when pointing up to people.
- Second thing: Close the f**, hem… close the nice lid where you have the video so the people don’t think you’re shooting because you’re not looking inside.
- Third and last one. Take some black tape and put it on the red light that you may have on your camera. If you don’t have it you’re a lucky guy, and if you do have it, just put some black tape on it, so they never can tell whether you’re shooting or just trying out something.
Teemu Arina: Always Share
Let me ask myself now to Teemu Arina, what is his tip about video production that he wants to share with people that normally doesn’t tell anyone?
I got interested in video production because of you. I was interested in this stuff and I’m giving presentations all the time. Over a hundred presentations last year and still giving them.
I like to share my presentations. My recommendation for everyone who’s speaking at any venue (if it’s five people, 50 people, 500 people, 5000 people, it doesn’t matter), is to put your stuff out there. Record it, and just go on with it.
When you put it on the Internet people will find it. Some of my slide presentations for example, have been featured on SlideShare. They have been seen 25.000 times, and that’s incredible compared to the audience who I gave those things in the first place.
Regarding the equipment, to make it more enjoyable for your friends, refer to MasterNewMedia.org, that’s the best source for information. That was for me. Especially the tip on external microphone input. Thank you Robin.
Nicholas Charbonnier: Go HD
But I have here Nicholas Charbonnier.
Here you’re displaying some nice equipment as well, so how did you get into the video camera stuff, shooting podcast in the first place. What have you learned?
First, I think that we need to change the media. It’s getting boring.., the CNN, you watch one-minute CNN and then it’s three-minute advertising. Come on!
I think people should film more videos in HD and put on YouTube. And I think YouTube should do a lot better work in doing voice recognition and putting subtitles automatically, and now the HD, that’s really… whoa, it’s cool!
I’ve been putting my videos in HD on Internet since 2005 on techvideoblog.com, but most people watch still YouTube because Google is…
…it’s the preference
…yeah. I also put my videos on the other sites. I use Hey!Watch.com (in reality he meant to say Hey!Spread), and it just clones the video and it sends it to 50 different sites at the same time.
I’m just spamming the whole Internet with my videos, so when you search for a guy and I made the video, I’m first search result in the first page. It’s YouTube and all the place. I don’t get any money, but that’s great.
That’s the problem: they should really monetize. We are waiting for the monetization, we have cameras and where’s the money?
Yes, and since this conference it’s all about love, let’s have our cameras make love to each other!
Bye-bye guys!
Video Toolkit Setup
Robin Good
Click on the camcorder to go to the technical specifications page on CNET Reviews
- Camcorder: Canon FS-100
- Lens: Canon
- Additional lens adapter: None
- Recording format: .MOD (= MPEG-2)
- Recording data rate: 9Mbps
- Microphone: External wireless Audio Technica ATR-288W
- Memory: Memory Card Transcend 8GB SDHC
- Additional Comments:
The recording format of the Canon FS series is a little bit of a problem if you do not have any technical video expertise. The Canon FS series records in a strange file format with the extension .MOD. In reality this is just a MPEG-2 file. To make these video files work you simply need to rename them from .MOD to .MPG on a PC, or if you are on a new Mac iMovie 08 will just read them straight as they are with no problem.
Battery time is excellent on the Canon and recharging it is also pretty fast.
Teemu Arina
Click on the camcorder to go to the technical specifications page on CNET Reviews
- Camcorder: Canon Vixia HG-21
- Lens: Canon
- Additional lens adapter: 0.5x wide angle lens (Japanese generic brand) + UV-filter
- Recording format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
- Recording data rate: 24Mbps
- Microphone: Directional Stereo Microphone Canon DM-100
- Memory: 120GB Internal HD
- Additional Comments:
I also have two wireless microphones (AudioTechnica ATR288W) for interviews and I use a mini passive 2-channel mixer to record both in stereo, another speaker in left channel and another in right channel, helps a bit in the editing phase.
If I have a fixed set, I will run the audio through a DBX 1066 Compressor and a mixer before entering my camera to make sure that levels are what they are supposed to be, in order to save time in editing (Levelator and what not).
Charbax
Click on the camcorder to go to the technical specifications page on CNET Reviews
- Camcorder: Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000
- Lens: Sanyo
- Additional lens adapter: Wide-angle Sanyo VPC-L07W
- Recording format: .MP4
- Recording data rate: 9Mbps MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
- Microphone: External wireless Azden WM-Pro
- Memory: Memory Card 16GB A-Data SDHC
- Additional Comments:
There is a new better model of camcorder out that does 1080p instead of 1080i – the Sanyo HD1010.
I do not recommend the Azden VW-Pro external wireless microphone, somehow I am getting a lot of interference on it, and I am currently looking for a better quality microphone system, or perhaps I just need to use another input volume setting or something to remove that interference.
The memory card from A-data has SDHC compatibility issues with other of my devices, because it was too cheap when I bought it. But it works fine with the Sanyo HD1000. Though now you can get better Kingston, Transcend, and other brands of 16GB cards.
Compare Video Quality
Robin Good – Canon FS-100
Teemu Arina – Canon Vixia HG-21
Charbax – Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000
Additional Resources
The Ideal Camcorder For Small Independent Video-Makers: The Canon FS and HF Series – Wow!
How To Convert .MOD Video Files To MPEG-2 On Mac And PCsBest Portable Wireless Microphone Kit For Your Video Production Needs: Robin Recommends
Originally prepared by Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia and first published on February 2, 2009 as “Video Production Tips And Tools For Professional Video Bloggers“.