For some reasons, you may need use VPN service. If you do not have a VPN provider, you can install your own PPTP VPN server on Linux machines in about 5 minutes. This post gives step-by-step guide on how to install and configure a PPTP VPN server on Redhat, CentOS and Ubuntu. It should also work on SUSE, Fedora and many other Linux distros. In this post, I will share with you how to connect to the PPTP VPN server…
Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the most effective way to bypass access control, the censorship, and network spying. It is also a safe way to connect to the internet to protect your privacy. It is usually better than using web proxy. For example, when you are on a business visit to Asia, very likely, you are not able to access your Hulu Plus contents, or Amazon Prime unless you use a VPN connection to a server located in US. The…
As a free hosting provider, you budget is always tight. Even if you have a deep pocket, you may still try to find some free lunch. The good news is that there are many different ways to advertise your hosting services without spending a single cent. No, I am not talking about social media (twitter, facebook, Google +....), which is over-talked everyday. Besides social media, you can still find some more efficient ways to get free advertisement. Here are the…
404 page can be your invisible cash cow!. As I mentioned in the previous post on how to use popup ads wisely for your free hosting services, you can put some ads on a 404 page. 404 page refers to the "Page not found". When a page is requested, your web server will serve the page to the web browser if it exists. If it is not existing, the web server will issue a 404 error. By default, most web…
Some consultants may tell you as a free hosting provider, you should stay away from popup or pop-under ads, because such ads may drive genuine users away. This is not always correct, at least it is often misleading. Using popup ads wisely can monetize your traffic without affecting genuine users. Yes, you should not put popup ads in normal pages, or your own pages, because most users do not like popup windows. However, these pages are perfect for popup or…
Most people believes that a good domain can attract and retain users for your free hosting services. But what is a good domain name? Here are 5 rules you should follow to find a perfect domain for your website, especially free hosting sites. Rule #1: Use meaningful words, or keywords in your niche. Meaningful words are easy to memorize. Your free hosting service need new users, and retain users. If the words used do not have any meaning, the chance…
When you hunt around for a free hosting provider, You will find that finding a reliable free hosting provider is not an easy task. But before checking free hosting providers, you need ask yourself a few questions to avoid future disappointment. #1 What resources do I need? The common error most free hosting users make is looking for wrong resources. For example, if you just want to start a simple blog, you do not any fancy things. You can immediately…
In the how to make money from your free hosting service post, I told you there are many ways to generate revenue to offset your cost. Google Adsense is the first choice of many free hosting providers Adsense usually can generate reasonable revenues for your free hosting service. As Google does not require minimum traffic, and international traffic is also accepted, you can use Adsense from the beginning. As mentioned in the checklist for free hosting providers, it is unlikely…
For most hosting providers, after the first initial growth period, you will find your reseller hosting account is not sufficient, as I discussed in a previous post on whether a reseller account is sufficient for you. Then, you need a dedicated server. There are so many dedicated server providers. Therefore, a lot of free hosting providers chose the wrong ones. Here are the top 5 rules to ensure you find a reliable provider. Rule #1: Stay away from resellers. There…
WordPress is simple to use. It is also simple to provide free WordPress blog hosting as explained to in previous post. But once your WordPress is setup, you need some plugins to make it work better for you. If you are providing free WordPress blog hosting service, you need install them so that your users can use. So, here are the 10 must-have free WordPress plugins. They will help you broadcast your posts, stop spammers, engage with readers, and improve…