“A contract is a risk, but if you feel good about the company which is offering it then it might be a risk worth taking.”Is your cyberhome a bit crowded these days? It might be time to consider a dedicated server. Dedicated servers can be surprisingly affordable, and if properly used can even be cheaper than virtual website accounts.

The first web host I ever used was a sweet deal. The company had a few quirks, which was common for web hosts back in 1\’\’7. Still, they gave me all the disk space I needed, and better yet – they forgot to charge me. After the first two months I figured there was a simple oversight. I reasoned that a huge bill would be thrust on me at any time, so I called them on it… not wanting it to go three months. Yeah I know, not getting a bill seems like a blessing, but being asked to pay for five months at once wasn’t something I wanted to do. So I emailed them every few weeks reminding them to send me a bill. After six months and still no bill, I started to announce that I had no intention of paying for six months or more all at once. Still no bill. Again, on the surface this seemed like a good thing… but the fact was that I relied on my websites as my primary source of income. I needed an ISP that I could count on. If my non-billing host chose to suddenly delete all my websites, what grounds would I have to complain? After all, it wasn’t like I was paying for their service. In 1\’\’7, a few days downtime meant a lot of money down the cybertubes. I knew I needed a new host.

I started to shop around – but there were few companies that impressed me. Most of the mainstream hosting companies strictly prohibited adult material – yeah, many of the same companies that now happily accept our business now that their dot com dreams proved to be a bit less financially sounds as they once hoped. As for the adult hosts – well, their prices left a lot to be desired.

A Temporary Home
So it was after quite a bit of effort that I can across a little California-based company called World Office. I started to move my most important websites off the “free” host and over to individual accounts on World Office. Sure as shit, maybe a month after I had moved all my sites to World Office, that “free” server suddenly ceased to operate. My foresight had saved me two days of anguish.

Despite my new cyberhome, I was restless. My new host was adequate, but my business was expanding to the point where I needed more flexibility. I needed my own server. The problem was that most dedicated server offers were entirely too expensive. I kept my eyes open for a decent offer, and eventually came across another company called Hurricane Electric. They were friendly to adult businesses, and their prices were reasonable. I decided to take the plunge… to land my own server… and let me tell you, now that I’ve grown accustomed to my own server, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dedicated servers aren’t the answer for everyone. If you only have one or two websites, then it’s doubtful that you would find value in your own server. If you’re not sure if you could benefit from a dedicated server, check your monthly hosting bill. If you spend more than two hundred a month, yet don’t have your own server, it might be time to make like the Jeffersons and move on up! Here are a few tricks you can use to make a dedicated server more affordable:

Beans Don’t Burn In The Kitchen…
Share the cost of a dedicated server with another webmaster. In my case, I actually share my server with two other webmasters – both of whom are friends that I trust. Dedicated servers often have a minimum bandwidth bill that’s higher than virtual server accounts. Let’s assume your server comes with a minimum bill of $400 per month, which includes a certain allotment of bandwidth. If you were spending $200 on virtual accounts, then it’s unlikely that you will go past the allotted bandwidth each month. If you share your server with two other friends and split the bill evenly, that’s a saving of over $60 on a much better machine.

“A contract is a risk, but if you feel good about the company which is offering it then it might be a risk worth taking.”

Another tip – keep an eye out for special offers. Hosting companies often recruit new webmasters by offering special deals on dedicated servers. It’s not unheard of for a hosting company to waive all setup fees in exchange for the signing of a long-term contract. Weigh your options carefully. A contract will limit your ability to jump ship immediately if you find yourself unhappy with the service you receive – but you can’t exactly expect a hosting company to serve up a free dedicated server only to see you bolt after one month, can you? A contract is a risk, but if you feel good about the company which is offering it then it might be a risk worth taking. If the company you’re interested in using isn’t advertising any special promotional offers then ask them for a deal. The worst they can do is say no, and more often than not you’ll find that they’re eager to work with you.

There are all kinds of reasons why a dedicated server might be a good fit for your business. Maybe you have several hundred domain names and don’t want to have several hundred separate accounts. Perhaps you’re sick of waiting for someone to get back to you whenever you want to activate a new domain name. Maybe you want the freedom to change the “www” in your URL to a more descriptive keyword. Maybe you have special CGI scripting needs that are difficult to achieve on a virtual host. Maybe you’re just sick of sharing bandwidth with fifty other webmasters. Maybe you need a lot of hard disk space. Are you starting to see the possibilities here?

Connor Young is Editor-in-Chief of The ADULTWEBMASTER MAGAZINE. He lives in Northern California, where he has worked in the adult industry for the past four years.