With the growing popularity of rich media applications on the Internet, there are a number of reasons why you should select a web hosting provider that supports streaming audio and video files. Internet users are hungry for fresh information and there is little doubt that video and audio formats will continue to grow in popularity as delivery methods for that information. Therefore, if you are not currently incorporating these rich media files into your company’s web site, you may soon find you are leaving money on the table.

There are many ways you can improve your customers’ online experience by choosing a web hosting service that supports streaming audio and video applications. For example, you can add product demonstrations, sales presentations, training programs, and live-event broadcasting to make your site more dynamic and engaging for visitors. This can help make your products and services come alive to your prospects and eliminates the need for them to imagine how your offerings can make their lives better.

The result? Your site becomes more “sticky” - and your bottom line more robust.

Although traditional web hosting services can support audio and video files via a technology called “progressive download,” there are a number of limitations to this approach. Namely, the large file size associated with audio and video files can translate into unacceptably long download times. Internet surfers aren’t known for their unlimited attention span, so this variable can definitely prompt web traffic to scramble for the back button. With streaming applications, your files can start playing right away, without needing to wait for the file to download first.

In addition to faster start times, streaming has several additional advantages over web-hosted files. For starters, your web visitors will be able to access any part of the file at any time. Unlike with hosted media, a streaming file won’t have to download completely first, so the process is more streamlined and much faster. This means they can skip ahead to any part of the file whenever they choose without having to wait.

In addition, streaming servers generally produce a better user experience in terms of overall performance. This is because they are optimized to deliver audio/video formats more efficiently. This is especially beneficial when a lot of viewers attempt to access the files at once, as often occurs with live events. (Incidentally, streaming applications are required for live-event broadcasts). This value-added feature is not available with traditional non-streaming web hosting. The ability to feature live broadcasts offers a competitive advantage for businesses by allowing them to present information in real-time, rather than after the fact.

Enhanced security is yet another valuable benefit of streaming web hosting. With traditional web-hosted media, your audio and video files are downloaded by the viewer. Once this occurs, your information is out of your hands and you have no way to control how that information is used or distributed.  On the other hand, streaming files are not actually downloaded, so your files remain right where you want them – with you.  

When it comes to web hosting, there are a lot of options available.  With so many alternatives to choose from, you might be tempted to consider one of the many free web hosting services out there. However, there are some common pitfalls related to that approach that can end up costing you and your business a lot of money down the road. Therefore, it is important to know what these red flags are so you can avoid them.

Here are 6 great reasons to avoid free web hosting:

1. Lost Credibility. Your web site will often be the first impression your potential customers have of your business. With free hosting, you may be stuck with a very long domain name such as http://freehostingservice.com/~yourbusiness. A domain name like this is an instant signal to your prospects that your business is still in the minor leagues. It is very difficult to build trust and credibility when your web presence appears to be fly-by-night.
2. Banner Ads. The main reason these services are free is because you agree to allow banner ads on your site. So you invest the time, money and energy into driving traffic to your site and the free hosting service profits by directing that traffic away from you. Clearly not the best way to build a successful, long-term business.
3. Limited Features. Free hosts usually offer a limited number of services. This lack of flexibility can seriously hinder your ability to conduct and grow your business online. For example, if you select a free service, you may have limited or no access to email, FTP accounts, content management systems or ecommerce options.
4. Lack of Portability. When you pay to register and host your own domain, you have the option to transfer it. With free hosting services, this is usually not the case. So, if you spend a year or two building up your site and driving traffic to it before realizing how beneficial it would be to have your own domain name, your hard work may be out the window.
5. Overcrowded Servers. This leads to slow load time for pages and increased downtime for your site. Of course, both of these issues can have a serious negative impact on the growth and profitability of your business.
6. Poor Customer Service. Another major issue with free hosting services is that they offer little to nothing in the way of customer support. If there is a problem with your site, you will have a very hard time contacting anyone to help resolve it. Every minute your site is down carries with it a huge opportunity cost in terms of frustrated customers and lost sales.

Based on this list, you can see that “you get what you pay for” with free hosting services. Instead, consider quality web hosting an important investment into your business – one that will continue to yield positive results for your business long into the future.

At WRIS, we think all our clients are special.  However, there is one client that definitely sizzles more than the rest.  And by sizzles, we mean it in a very flammable way.

Ted Batchelor, a WRIS web hosting client, is the Guinness World Record Holder for "Longest Full-Body Burn with No Oxygen".  You read that right – he sets himself on fire on purpose!

A former stuntman, Ted performed his first fire stunt in 1976 and has been doing them ever since for scores of admiring (and astonished) audiences.

This past weekend Ted added a new Guinness World Record title to his belt – "Most People Simultaneously  Engulfed in Flames".  Ted led a team of 16 volunteers who practiced for months for the culminating moment, being ablaze for 43.9 seconds.  The video footage of this feat is breathtaking.

Among the flaming volunteers was Mark Simone, father of WRIS engineer Nick Simone.

Congrats to Ted, Mark and the rest of the World Record crew!

For more information on Ted’s stunts, visit tedbatchelor.com.  Also, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published a great article about the latest record.

With millions of web hosting providers available, it can be difficult to determine the best option for your business.  To complicate matters even further, there is a glut of biased hosting reviews on the Internet – all promising the best possible service at rock-bottom prices.

While it might be tempting to select a hosting provider based on price alone, there are a number of other factors worth considering.  Here are four important questions that can help you make an objective and informed decision for your business:

1.) What type of customer support do they provide? If you experience a problem with your web hosting service, will you be able to talk to a real person – or will you have to submit a support ticket and wait for someone to get back to you? If you have to wait, what is the average time frame from ticket submission to resolution? What impact will it have on your business if your site is down for an extended period of time while you wait for customer service to contact you?

2.) How long have they been in business? Do they have a solid track record of reliable service to a stable and growing customer base – or are they a relative newcomer to the field? A hosting provider that has been around for awhile offers some added credibility, especially if they are able to provide customer testimonials with actual contact names and live links back to their web sites (vs. a static generic testimonial). Even if you never contact these customers for their feedback, knowing that you could if you wanted to adds a level of trust and reliability to the hosting provider’s claims.

3.) How comprehensive are their hosting services?  Are their service offerings broad enough to accommodate your needs not only today, but also as your business grows?  Do they offer a limited variety of one-size-fits-all packages or are they able to customize their offerings to suit your individual needs? Your business (and the Internet) will change significantly over time, so it is important to select a hosting provider that can anticipate and meet those changing needs and conditions.

4.) How much does it cost?  Without question, there are many low-cost hosting companies out there. In many cases, you may find that you get exactly what you pay for as “low cost” often translates into slow or non-existent customer support and limited service offerings.  Discount hosting might not be the best solution for your business when you consider all that is at stake if something goes wrong or you outgrow your provider’s service offerings. Even so, the prices being offered should be realistic and in line with current market conditions. 

Of course, the goal is to find a web hosting provider that offers the best balance of support, services and peace of mind at a fair price. Incorporating these 4 questions into your decision-making process should help you make the best choice for your business.

WRIS client Factivity was featured in the Cleveland Plain Dealer discussing their lean manufacturing software and how it can assist companies to be more efficient during bad economic times.

...

Manufacturers will have to be able to gear up quickly or lose out. Now -- while customers are still scarce -- is when these businesses should be fine-tuning their operations to prepare for the recovery.

"They'll need as much efficiency as they can muster to be competitive," said Susan Helper, a manufacturing expert and professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School.
 
Readying to meet future demand when business is slow is no easy task. But Helper and others say manufacturing companies that started preparing for the future as soon as the downturn arrived last year will have a huge advantage.

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Factivity Inc. in Beachwood sells computerized scheduling systems to help factories coordinate machines, supplies and workers for jiffy shifts in production and efficient operation. The goal is quicker manufacturing, freedom from excess inventory, smarter use of tools and personnel and improved quality -- just what some factories need for the turnaround.

But John Leiber, Factivity's president, has found that with money tight, few companies are shelling out for new software and the touch-screen stations that run it. Just what manufacturers need -- a way to get ready for when the economy roars again -- seems out of reach to many of Factivity's potential customers for now.

Factivity is no stranger to being in the news.  They were featured in USA Today last month– not for their shop floor control software but for their love of dogs!

… among CEOs, company presidents, chairmen and founders that percentage jumps to 66, according to an unscientific USA TODAY survey. Seventy-five of 114 who responded to a USA TODAY query own at least one dog

…"Never trust a person that does not hug his or her dog … too cold and not caring," says John Leibert, president of technology company Factivity and owner of a 5-year-old wheaten terrier named Scooter.

Factivity uses WRIS for their web hosting, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click marketing needs.