Behind the Scenes Look @ Web Hosting
An Interview with Web Hosting Expert  Mr. Travis Burnside

Please briefly describe QWK.net Communications.

QWK.Net Communications was founded in April of 1998. It was founded as a response to the dearth of truly quality web providers out there. The mission here is not to become a huge, multinational company with billionaire principles - it's to create a moderately sized, strong, web provider with a supremely happy customer base. We try to cut through the smoke and mirrors that are so pervasive in this industry, and present a real and factual approach to business. We deliberately lack some of the "slick" commercial polish one might be expecting, but we find that the straightforward, blunt approach is much better for the conscience in the long run.

What are the typical questions that people ask about Web hosting?

Quite a few of the questions that come through our mailbox are of the nature you'd expect: questions about domain name registration, capabilities of our service, and other standard questions. We get a lot of very confused people that have just been bouncing from one page of hype to another. The Internet and the Web are still very new to most people, and we like to help take the mystery and the hype out of it. People need a real picture of what to expect from their web site in terms of results. (You'd be surprised how many people with business sites fail to consider what their business *objective* is with putting a site up. It's still seen as a magic silver bullet to many people.)

Interestingly enough, though, we also get more technical questions than you
might think. The word has gotten out that we have a very technically
inclined staff here, and we seem to also be attracting more experienced
developers. We can and will help with anything from choosing the right HTML
editor to solving a difficult CGI programming issue.

Why is a good Web hosting service important to businesses and individuals?

No matter what the nature of your business, a web presence is almost essential these days. Whether your site is simply an online brochure, or you're doing all your sales through the web, your reputation is on the line. Poor design, unreliable web hosts, bad network connectivity - these things can all impact your business's appearance. The smallest business can look better than the "big boys" on the Web, and that's the power of the medium. But it doesn't happen by accident, and you need to work with competent people to make it happen.

Why is reliability (i.e., uptime) so important in the Web hosting?

It's paramount. You need absolute reliability above all else. If your web host can't deliver 99.99% uptime or greater, you're losing business and exposure, as well as reputation. Web surfers are an impatient lot. If you're getting any kind of traffic to your site, any downtime equals lost business or exposure. Nothing will frustrate web surfers more than not being able to reach a site. I've found that people tend to remember frequent downtime, and it can reflect poorly on your organization. Also, these days, many businesses are relying on paid advertising to direct qualified traffic to their site. Every moment your provider is down is advertising money down the drain.

How can a Web hosting service improve (or harm) a business?

With a thoughtful strategy and well-laid-out site, a business can generate leads, improve market recognition, and generally get results well beyond the cost of the medium. All this is for naught, though, if your site isn't hosted on a quality provider. People need to be able to reach you. You certainly wouldn't expect your toll-free number to be unavailable for an afternoon, and neither would your callers. It shouldn't be any different on the web. Lost business is lost business, and neither of us want that.

What are your thoughts on e-commerce and secure servers?

E-Commerce is still in its infancy, but it's here to stay. I firmly believe that it will replace 90% of telephone or catalog order sales within the next ten years. With the web, you can address the same audience, but you can offer much more information to your customers in a much more interactive medium. All this adds up to increased sales.

Given your "behind the scenes" view, what do you think makes a Web site great?

The best web sites avoid the temptation to "jump on the bandwagon." Historically, the best sites have almost always arisen out of the need to fill a gap. It's tempting to see a successful trend and want to try your angle at it. However, the web is already getting very crowded, and it's becoming more and more difficult to differentiate yourself (and get traffic to your site.) The best business principle is still innovation, and this hasn't changed on the web.

How do people use server logs and cgi-scripts to improve Web sites?

Server logs are crucial in seeing where your traffic is coming from. Did your ad agency really send all the visitors to you that you paid for? Is that free exposure doing you any good? Traffic is king on the web, and you need to know if your efforts are working.

CGI scripts can add interactivity to your site, which is great for capturing the attention of surfers. People like buttons. Give them a useful tool to use on your site, and you're guaranteed to keep them there longer and get their attention.

Any final thoughts or comments?

This is a very new market, and everything I said could be wrong next month. Once the shakeout is finished, though, I think we'll all see that the web is just a new (albeit very powerful) expression of old ideas. It will be an interesting ride.

(This interview was conducted via email by John S. Rhodes)