How I know your hosting or VPS company isn't real in 30 seconds.

[drmike]

Busy slapping people right and left.  Let me spell something for those of you SMALL hosts who just aren't gifted in business.  This is how I quickly size up companies in the space.  It's not perfect and nothing is.  This is flawed to slight degree since so many hosts operate in some secretive Knight Rider mode where they pretend to be invisible or something.

Goal simply is to determine if a host is legitimately operating or another fly by night hosting business in-a-box photocopy.

1. About Us - Do you have one?   Does it actually say anything real?  Do  the people in your company actually have names or exist?  Or do you have McBullshit filler content giving customers a bad virtual handjob?

2. Policies - is there wrong company info in there?  I've seen too many times, copy and paste botch jobs with company they stole policies from therein.  Do the policies go over legal venue?  Is the venue remotely correct (right country, state, etc.)?  Can I copy and paste interesting sub sections into search and find a single match other than your company?  If so likely ends up being another of your owned companies.

3. Network and Datacenter - do you use funny terms like "our network" and "our datacenter".  If so, the virtual handjob isn't working on me, I get you are likely a poser.  Do you lack speed test and other network info?   Is your test IP your providers test facility?

4. Where in world is your corporate information - owned by whom? Incorporation info?   What sort of corporation?  I am fine with you being unincoprated big picture, just expect me to sue you and take possession of your dog and your favorite slippers.

That's where I'll start this.

 

[tonyg]

So drmike, you are giving the shitty hosts something to grab hold and fix.

This going to make it more difficult for us to pick out the, shall we say, sub-par hosts. lol.

 

[DomainBop]

My list is longer and more intrusive.

everything on DrMike's list plus a combination of any (or sometimes all) of the following:

google

nexis

google maps (which often leads to zillow)

state / country databases (which sometimes leads to court records and ucc filings)

linkedin

archive.org

business directories

D&B DUNS

tl;dr 99% of my hosting purchases are for business and I want to make sure my data will be safe so I'll generally know what a new provider ate for breakfast before I sign up with them...

 

[Hxxx]

You nailed it. @DomainBop.

tl;dr 99% of my hosting purchases are for business and I want to make sure my data will be safe

Is not even downtime the problem, is the data.

 

[drmike]

My list is longer and more intrusive.

everything on DrMike's list plus a combination of any (or sometimes all) of the following:

google

nexis

google maps (which often leads to zillow)

state / country databases (which sometimes leads to court records and ucc filings)

linkedin

archive.org

business directories

D&B DUNS

tl;dr 99% of my hosting purchases are for business and I want to make sure my data will be safe so I'll generally know what a new provider ate for breakfast before I sign up with them...

Oh I end up at those, when someone starts to check out and might be remotely legit   I think we are comparing gray hairs

So drmike, you are giving the shitty hosts something to grab hold and fix.

This is true.   But,  all I just said involves this thing called work or paying someone competent to produce such for you and actually providing real details.  I see the morons taking notes and complying, not very soon.

But, maybe a few will and make it more challeging.

 

[Amitz]

drmike - Define 'holiday'.

 

[drmike]

Hahaha @Amitz.  Holiday hosts, they are those folks in US that start around the November end and continue through Christmas and try to survive that extra week until the new year.  Basically they last one billing cycle plus overrage due grace period.  6 weeks roughly.  That's of course specific to US...

There is a similar uptick in such around spring break time.

This is what "smart" albeit it typically lazy students/youths due when they perceive some idle time.

When you contact support they aren't around, they are on holiday (perhaps literally or just mentally). 

 

[Amitz]

I was more referring to you and your proclaimed holiday "with more absence from the forums"... ;-) I wonder why you even told us about your holiday while you still seem to spend the same time here as before.

 

[drmike]

I was more referring to you and your proclaimed holiday "with more absence from the forums"... ;-) I wonder why you even told us about your holiday while you still seem to spend the same time here as before.

Ahhh!!!!!!!!!!!! DERP, egg in my eye

Yes, I've been slammed IRL (in real life) and all my favorite pet hosts / networks picked a mighty funny time to go doing all sorts of silly.  Like a good parent, I couldn't let the kids run around behaving like such.

They might have thought my absence would allow for lack of resistence, but I think they see others get I've never been making hats out of foil and other folks have started chpping in (which I am grateful to see).

Vacation is officially put off for a month.  I did get a day here and there away in past few weeks.  I need a 3 day spat of no hosting I think, no online (hard with work and everything being done online) and relaxing in a cabin somewhere. 

 

[Hxxx]

in a cabin , oh no... why would you want that... just turn off all electronics for a week in your home/ enjoy peace. Maybe some tv.

 

[raindog308]

traceroute to your home page.

If I see you're hosted on OVH...forget it.

 

[drmike]

in a cabin , oh no... why would you want that... just turn off all electronics for a week in your home/ enjoy peace. Maybe some tv.

Talk to me in another 20-30 years about that cabin   Home here is in no way is peaceful.  Have family, neighbors, random whatever interruptions, noise, etc.  Plus all the work that has infected my home (work at home is meh - do that for a decade or more and perhaps with other folks in your home doing the same and you'll see).

Cabin in my world is no cell coverage, no work bothering, everything and everyone I don't want to be interacting with left behind.  Fact is I've been in the market for a farmette or a cabin on some land for a while   Just haven't found the right place yet (remote, but still ongrid option or a heck of off grid power system in place, well water with proper conditioning, waste water management on land, a barn or garage would be nice, as would farmable land and of course a chunk of forested land).  Cause I haven't the time as-is to be building more stuff myself, although I'd like to.

As for TV, I don't and haven't watched it in decades. Always had a TV around, but years where it wouldn't even be turned on. Other folks in my home use the TVs.   Closest I get to such is some online video clips here and there.

Yeah cabin in the forest as a week rental would do wonders.  But I may not come back