Top 50 Web Hosting Blogs To Follow This Year

These days, the dotcom crash seems more like a forgotten fender bender along the Information SuperHighway. If the record-attendance of 1,200 industry professionals at the recent HostingCon 2007 (the largest annual Web hosting conference and tradeshow in the U.S.) is any indication, then the online industry is booming for those who man the tollbooths along the ISH. Web hosting provider Verio was recently selected as a finalist for the “Best Customer Service Organization” in the 2007 American Business Awards – dubbed the business world’s Oscars by the New York Post – which has further enhanced the industry’s legitimacy and rise to success. Hosting is a fast-paced and rapidly changing industry. Professionals involved in Web hosting are often left looking for the latest news and developments in order to stay up with (or ahead of) the competition. After sifting through the numerous squatters who have pitched hollow tents along the Highway, we selected the Top 50 blogs (listed in no particular order) that serve Web hosting professionals with useful tools, advice, and news. General

1. The Whir delivers a smorgasbord of Web hosting information. It provides general news, expert opinions, and online resources for Web hosting, resellers, domain names, Internet Service Providers, and telecom professionals.
2. Quintextual – Site5 Web Hosting Blog provides in depth and fun to read articles on how to get started in Web Hosting, along with advice and tips that even the most seasoned Web Hosting professional will find informative.
3. Web Hosting Unleashed provides a little of everything for everyone, from newbies to old pros: industry updates, coupons, search and comparison tools, and reseller guides
4. Dan Grossman the owner of Awio Webservices.shares ideas about internet marketing and web development.
5. Web Hosters features breaking news, articles, and a multitude of helpful white papers for Web hosting professionals.
6. Matt Heaton tells it straight from the hoster’s mouth: As President and CEO of Bluehost.com, he uses this blog to share his personal thoughts and experiences regarding the Web hosting industry.
7. Jesse Rasch Good, though sometimes infrequent advice about the industry and entrepreneurship from someone who has actually founded web hosting companies.
8. Daw Web Hosting Blog was launched by Dimitar Avramov, a six-year Web hosting veteran who addresses provider and industry issues from a more personal perspective.
9. Tucows may be a massive Internet services behemoth, with a global network of over 7,000 hosting companies, ISP’s, other service providers, and provisioning of millions of email boxes and domains; yet it manages to provide an informative company blog with general industry updates and a personal feel.
10. JaguarPC is a company blog that includes industry news, as well as a few online open-source resources for webmasters.

Industry News

11. Web Host Blog gets straight to the point with frequently updated, no-nonsense Web hosting industry news, tips, and reviews from industry veterans like Ron Dunlap, Founder and CEO of Red Orange Incorporated.
12. Web Hosting Talk is the online version of “coffee talk”: “served fresh daily,” this blog compiles the most relevant Web hosting news and features from the industry’s most respected news organizations.
13. Isabel Wang, a 10 year Web hosting veteran who co-founded ISPcheck, served as Vice President Communications at EV1Servers, and is currently Editor and Publisher of Web Hosting Magazine, provides comprehensive, in-depth insight on the impact that emerging Web technologies have on the Web hosting industry and its related markets.
14. The Hosting News has daily hosting news including dedicated web hosting server reviews, data center information, reseller web hosting comparisons, virtual private server tutorials, web hosting news, tutorials and articles.
15. The PingZine Web Hosting Magazine blog relies heavily on articles written for “The Hosting News” by Derek Vaughan, Chief Marketing Officer with TechPad Agency (a marketing agency that caters to the Web hosting industry) for post content, but at least Mr. Vaughan does a good job of keeping both publications’ readers well-informed on industry updates.
16. Domain Name News claims to be “the industry leading source for daily information about domain sales, domain company news, and other domain industry news and views.” Started by Adam Strong and Frank Michlick, this blog features guest contributors from industry veteran domainers to investors to attorneys, who provide professional domain-related insight and editorial content.
17. HostReview‘s “Editor’s Desk” by Maria Mitsova provides regular Web hosting industry updates in an easy-to-browse news headline-style format.
18. NetCraft, an English Internet services provider, publishes Web hosting and industry-related statistics and news on its company blog.
19. Hosting Diary offers a more international view of the industry, with coverage of both general and country-specific industry news.
20. Great Responder purports to deliver fast answers to readers’ Web hosting needs, but its strength is in providing industry news and updates.

Resellers

21. The Reseller Roundup Blog corrals numerous tips and resources into one spot to help resellers build and promote their businesses successfully.
22. Hosting Fu is the enlightening path to a blackbelt in Web hosting for resellers, with highly informative, detailed, and specific news and knowledge from Grandmaster software architect Scott Yang.
23. Reseller Guide serves as a comprehensive primer with everything you need to know about reseller Web hosting, from how to get started, to hiring, to setting up automatic account creation, to monitoring tools, to choosing a host.
24. BloggerHolic states its purpose is to help bloggers make money online, but its many marketing tips and online resources are just as useful for resellers who want to promote and maximize their business.
25. DoshDosh may seem like a KidRobot confection, but it’s really a good place for newbies to start learning about reseller business.
26. The Associate Reference is a truly helpful, comprehensive guide blog (by the mysterious “Raj”) for resellers who participate in affiliate programs.
27. Cirtex‘s company blog helps resellers by providing marketing advice and tips with more universal applicability than many other companies’ blogs.
28. Robert P. Cichon, President of CrystalTechTM Web Hosting Inc., helps resellers and Web hosting providers alike with his Whir blog on customer acquisition, merchant services, affiliate marketing, and related issues.
29. Peter Damato, Vice President of Business Development at InternetMerchant, is Cichon’s tag-team partner at Whir, rounding out reseller and provider help with posts on charge backs, Internet fraud, merchant services, PCI compliance, and online security.
30. iPowerWeb‘s company blog focuses on providing its resellers with answers to their FAQ’s, but much of its advice and tips can be used by any reseller for their own accounts.

Reviews

31. Reliable Web Hosting Reviews delivers on its title, offering company screenshots and site-by-site Web hosting reviews with a sidebar listing of top-rated hosts.
32. Web Hosting Review Blog gets straight to the point with insightful Web hosting reviews in an organized, regularly updated blog.
33. Web Hosting Handbook proviides very organized, no-nonsense Web hosting reviews by industry experts, rankings and comments by actual users.
34. HostJury attempts to avoid any hint of bias or kickback by borrowing the Amazon model and encouraging peer review rather than single-blogger posting.
35. Hosting Review is inundated with Google Ads; but if you have the patience to pick your way through them, you’ll find that this blog actually provides reviews of web hosting providers.
36. Free Website Hosting offers reviews of free Web hosting for newbies who want to try before they buy.
37. Veritas Web Design breaks the monotony of hosting reviews with a smattering of social news and non-profit cause postings.
38. WHReviews This site has a wide selection of reviews and comments to help you pick the right hosting company. You can also find actual customer comments about specific hosting companies as well as reviews.
39. Web Hosting Sites Reviews is a new blog with promise, as it does a decent job on reviewing its first few providers.
40. Web Hosting Info Zone is the tapas of hosting blogs, dishing up a little industry news and hosting reviews, sprinkled liberally with links to online resources.

How-To’s, Tips, and Resources

41. Helm Blog steers you in the right direction to start your own successful hosting business with practical and informative how-to’s, and a dash of industry news for good measure.
42. The Web Hosting Show is a refreshing break from traditional hosting blogs as it utilizes video clips and podcasts to provide industry news, tips, and discussions.
43. The Website Resource Blog features tutorials and news roundups for people who just getting their feet wet in the hosting business.
44. Web Hosting Blog Review provides insights from Web developer Andre White’s “real life experience” to help newbies make informed decisions when selecting a Web hosting provider.
45. Temi – Webmaster Internet Web Hosting & Domain Name Blog offers British and international information, resources, and editorial opinion on Internet related topics such as Web hosting, domain name registration, website marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
46. RK Web Portal is a Reservoir of Knowledge (not necessarily what the RK stands for, but if the shoe fits…) for Web hosters and resellers seeking tools and resources to improve and promote their services.
47. Web Geek 2.0 is another good resource for Web widget, gadget, and other tool tutorials.
48. Flizard Technologies is company blog that offers useful poststo help beginners select an appropriate Web host.
49. Web Explosion has pulled together some great Web marketing and SEO tips to help hosters and resellers promote their online businesses.
50. Lunartics may be the company blog for LunarPages Dedicated, but it focuses heavily on providing Web hosters with tips and resources on how to optimize their offerings.

If you are are new to the Web hosting industry or are considering entry, take caution when seeking information online. There are many sites that serve simply as AdWords delivery vehicles and just regurgitate information without providing any real insight. Your best bet to finding the most substantive and useful information on the web hosting industry is to start with the top three blogs on each categorical list, explore the resources within them, and work your way out from there…after all, content and linkage are what blogging’s all about!