Definition of ASP
ASP stands for Active Server Pages. ASP is a scripting language developed by Microsoft, and is free for downloading from Microsoft. It is an open language and can be used with any HTML document to build dynamic web sites and does not have to have a specific editor to create ASP scripts but can be edited with any text editor. There are some tools which make it easier to create ASP scripts and are available from Microsoft. The only limitation with ASP is that you need to have hosting which can provide the ASP functionality on the server (a Windows-based server). ASP hosting is generally a bit more expensive and not as widely available as other hosting, but is a very popular scripting language with web developers.
Web Hosting Resources
There are many web hosting resources available today. Your web hosting provider will generally offer some free options such as hit counters, web templates and Webmail. Some web hosts offer free clip art or graphics, guestbooks and chat rooms. When searching for a web hosting provider, check and see if they offer free resources. Do they give you instructions on how to build an effective web site? Do they offer shopping carts or e-commerce resources? Do they offer bulletin boards, or message forums? What about blogging software, mini polls, site search and mailing lists? With so many web hosting resources out there you should make a list of the ones you want and either find a web host that will provide them or one that will allow you to add them yourself.
Web Hosting Services
It seems that there are so many choices today in cheap web hosting services. Should I use virtual hosting, dedicated hosting, managed hosting, collocated hosting? What does my web hosting company provide and what do I really need? When searching for a good cheap web hosting provider, you should consider your level of expertise, how much money you want to spend and the type of web site you want to create. Do you want a custom site with e-commerce? If so, your needs will be different than if you want to build a site showing photos of your new baby to family and friends. Other web hosting services to consider include search engine submission, web site templates, design services, free domain registration, web mail, maintenance, control panel software, preinstalled cgi scripts, site search and customer service.
Web Hosting Customer Service
There are a few things you should consider when evaluating your web hosting customer service. The first is response time. If you send an e-mail asking for support and it takes more than 24 hours to get a response, you should look for another web host. Time is crucial. Find out if your support has technical expertise by asking a few questions and seeing how they respond. If you get a nice response without actually answering your question, or get a rude response, look for a different host. You can tell a lot about what kind of service you will get from a web hosting provider, by what type of customer support they offer. You can also look and see if your web host offers FAQ and technical support documentation online. Many issues you have can be resolved this way and it can be a very valuable time-saving resource. These resources take time and effort to create and maintain and show your web host has committed to helping you resolve problems quickly.
Best Web Hosting Control Panel
It is difficult to state that one control panel is the best. However, you can find a control panel which will work best for you. It is easiest to find the panel best for you by viewing demonstrations on various web hosting sites as well as viewing control panel software vendor¡¯s websites. There are quite a few software options for a web host to use. It is good to research what other customers have said about various web hosting control panels and ask questions if you are not sure something will work for you.