newbie impressed with MDDHosting, looking for decision points

[Steven Avery]

quite impressed - looking for points to compare

Hi,

 

MDDHosting has a fine rep around the web.

Kudos.

 

Right now I have a UK host for a vBulletin forum that in the short or medium I would like to bring over. And a local host that is too pricey, prices going up over 50mb, so I can not really use and may have to leave. I could not even install MediaWiki.

 

So I need one solid host for most or all of what I do and plan.

 

I am looking for a shared hosting, maybe soon have a Joomla and my own pages, about 3-5 domains over time. Something where I can have fun, learn and set up some real content (Bible version discussion is one main theme). Note: I am a mini-computer programmer in another world.

 

Reasonable price, but not necessarily el ultra-cheapo.

 

A forum like this one here is virtually a necessity (not for good operation, it is needed for fun and learning and sharing, I get a nice fuzzy feeling with the personal interaction with the company and other users) -- which puts aside a good % of the possibilities. A number of companies with a good rep do not go the extra mile of a forum. It shows a real dedication and willingness to be "out there".

 

Also the company should have a good rep for keeping up with and helping with tech on things like blogs Wordpress, Joomla, etc. Although I would try to install everything myself, with the possible exception of stuff like vBulletin. I saw you stay away from .ASP but that should be fine by me.

 

One good potential host, Arvixe, I put aside because they had a page inviting adult content (actually inviting is over the top for my comfort zone). I did let them know, since they were clearly otherwise a good host possibility.

 

The personal touch from a medium size company is helpful, pretty much putting aside the Gators and the Monster type companies (even the ones with a good overall rep).

 

A couple of companies (e.g Rochen, Futurequest) look pretty good, but at an extra premium, without any clear indication that they would do a better job for the extra money than MDD for a small-moderate situation like my hosting needs. Anyway, the main purpose is to develop a nice long-term relationship in the comfort zone of hosting.

 

So, surprisingly, with my specs, I am almost down to two, MDDHosting and KnownHosting, with similar specs and cost, both with fine reps. You give more for the package in terms of gigabytes and domains, both are basically fine though. Both work by ticket support, not phone or afaik live chat?

 

So .. can you tell me what differences I might look for, where you really shine, stuff like that ? I do not mind if you speak positively of your own skills, just be fair. Whatever I end up doing, I will say that I was very impressed with what was written about MDD.

 

And I am hoping to decide before lunch!

Well, a late lunch.

 

All are welcome to comment!

 

Thanks.

 

Steven Avery

Queens, NY

[joshualoy]

Adult content is prohibited using the litespeed web server due to the licensing agreement, so there shouldn't be any issues there.

 

As for live chat it really isn't needed, since my tickets are responded to usually within 5 minutes.

 

I went through roughly 3 web hosts before I found MDD. The main problem I had with other hosts is that they would attempt to hide the fact that they were having issues. MDD readily admits when they are having issues, and keeps customers updated as to what they are doing resolve it.

[Scott]

I'm fairly baised, but I think MDD > Everyone.

 

Have you tried asking for feedback on a forum like WebHostingTalk.com? You may get more useful feedback there.

 

To address your question about phone/live chat support: We do not offer these as they tend to slow us down and be difficult to work with. Support tickets work best, allow for easily copy/pasting, allow uploading of files and screen shots, allow us to prioiritize and queue the work we do, keep working on another issue while waiting to hear back from a client, etc. Also, when was the last time you heard hold music you liked?

[Steven Avery]

Hi,

 

I agree that phone support can be more obstrusive than helpful. Yes, it was checking places like WebHostingTalk that narrowed the field down to about two, one of which is MDD. And your "adult" situation is ok, I was just upset with one company that was seeking out that business, even in shared hosting I gather.

 

Maybe I will put a post in on WHT, now that the field has narrowed.

 

Steven