I’ve Got 99 Problems, but a Host Ain’t One - Maintain a Good Working Relationship

The third step is maintaining good rapport with your hosting company. Once a host passes all the tests and you have signed up with them, be sure to remain very cordial. The people on the other end have a lot of power over your site's uptime and how quickly and thoroughly they respond to your needs. However, if you find that your host is being overbearing or snide, you must make them believe that you are crazy.

If the domain you registered with them is something like luvmypets.com, you absolutely must register a second domain and have it pointed to your account. The second domain should be something like, mercenarykillersclub.org or satanismycopilot.net. Whenever you call about your account, don't use the nice name, use the crazy name. It's worth the $12 a year fee.

Don’t mess around with this step or you might find yourself being talked down to by the typical arrogant systems administrator who will be working on your account. If you even hear a hint of condescension in the tone of voice on the other end of the phone, start talking to yourself and say things like, “I hope I don’t have to drive over there. That means I have to steal some gas and stop by Bubba’s first.” Then act as if you didn’t say anything and say, “What did you just say?” Make sure you sound completely annoyed. You're probably wondering if I am serious or kidding. That's exactly how you want to make a testy web hosting support person feel so that you don't get walked all over while keeping them on their toes.

If you follow these tips you can avoid being a turnip on a web farm. If you spend the time to really refine your approach, you may find that the support people immediately jump on your requests. Remember, it’s the year 2004 and if you want good hosting service, you have to have game. Good luck!