Finding a good web host can be a challenge, because there are just so many out there – how are you supposed to pick? One way to choose is through Web Hosting Choice, which lets you put in a few search parameters and it returns matching plans. There are also other good ways to use the site, including the advanced search, which lets you input a bunch of search parameters, and the plans directory, which lets you browse all the hosts that have a particular feature. I’m not sure about the “reseller hosting” button, because that just points you to HostGator, and I know there are a lot of other web hosts that offer reseller plans! In fact, that’s how most hosting directory sites stay afloat – they are actually resellers. I was a little surprised to find that my host, which is a major player on the market, wasn’t in their system at all, and neither are a couple of other hosts that I know of. I’m a little puzzled by their advanced search results, though. I put in for a host that was no more than $10/mo and $0 setup fee, with at least 5GB of space. They returned a few that matched, but they also returned several that were more than $10/mo. On the whole it seems like a pretty good service, though, especially the fact that you can specify a variety of features in the advanced search section.

I found a cool free web host for bloggers who know what they’re doing. My weight loss blog, DietGrrl, was not happy in its home at BlogSpot. This is mainly because BlogSpot sucks for commenting purposes, and HaloScan doesn’t e-mail notification of new comments to free users. So I was looking for an alternative commenting solution and/or alternative host, and I came across BlogSome. Every user gets a free WordPress installation automatically, with immediate setup and full access to the software. WordPress isn’t for everyone, as the templates can be a little scary for non-coders, but it works great for someone like me who can handle some scary stuff. (Yes, I did find BlogThing as well, but they appear to lack any sort of tech support.) So I hand-ported everything from BlogSpot over to DietGrrl’s new home, copied the comments over, and got everything all set up to run quite well.