This year we are letting the terrible twosome Software Developer, Music Blogger and SXSW veteran, Ricky Lam, as well as our resident Twitter chick and all around trouble maker, Melissa Smich, go wild at the conference.

About SXSW
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery. Conference registrants also partake in a full agenda of provocative, informative panel discussions and celebrity interviews featuring hundreds of speakers of international stature.

About the SXSWI (where our team will be)
An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the SXSW Interactive Festival brings together the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators, content producers, programmers, widget inventors and new media entrepreneurs. Five days of captivating keynote presentations and provocative panel sessions provide hands-on training as well as big-picture analysis of the future of this industry.

Have any tips for where these two should go? Places to go? Sessions to attend? Food worth trying? Things you want covered on here?? Drop us a line and let us know!

Don’t forget to follow Ricky Lam and Melissa Smich’s antics on twitter with the #myhostingsxsw hash

For our SXSWI blog coverage, pictures, videos and other random maddness, click here.

For our official myhosting.com SXSW page and info, click here.

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What do you do if a great blogging idea hits you when you are on the go? You can’t run around to find a computer every time you have a bright idea. The solution to this problem is using phones to blog. Several blogging services allow people to post blogs via their cell phones. However, to do so, you need the services and features of a smart phone.

Several text-based blogs allow you to send entries via emails to specific addresses about which only you have knowledge. The advantage of posting your blog entries through email is that this method is very smart phone friendly. If you have installed the settings for sending out an email using your smart phone, you don’t need to be online to create a blog entry. You can do this using the messaging feature. Once your entry is ready, you can send it to your blog using the GPRS connection of your phone. The process will cost you only a few cents.

Here’s a look at how you adjust the settings of your blog service to be able to blog via your smart phone:

Go to the Settings option of your blogging services provider and click on the email tab. Here you can enter an email address where you want your blog posts to be directed to when you email your entries. Add this email address as a contact on your smart phone. Next, go to write “New Message” and in that go to “Email”. Select your blog email address as the recipient and type in your blog post on the phone. The “subject” of the email becomes the title of the post automatically and the rest of the text is the body of the post.  When you press the send button, your blog entry move to your outbox. Go to your outbox and press the send button again. Your blog entry is now online on your blog!

Most popular mobile blogging tools allow you to send blog posts as texts or pictures through email, SMS or MMS. New posts can also be merged with existing entries. The Wordpress Mobile Edition allows you to install a plug-in that detects mobile visitors automatically, and show you the list of visitors who visit your website.

By D’transcriptors

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Social media devices and techniques can take various forms, such as blogs, forums, microblogging sites (Twitter, Jaiku), social networking sites (Facebook, LinkdIn), social bookmarking websites (StumbleUpon, Delicious), wikis (Wikipedia), photography sharing website (Flickr), video sharing websites (YouTube)

Another recent development has been the increasing use of social media for search engine optimization. In fact, the two terms – social media and search engine optimization – have been combined to produce an entirely new term in the marketing lexicon – social media optimization. This new discipline, social media optimization, or SMO in short, seeks to achieve the benefits through social media. Indeed, SMO is the bridge between SEO and social media.

Just as SEO takes into consideration both on-site (internal) factors and off-site (external) factors, social media optimization (SMO) also has two different components – In-content SMO and Off-Content SMO. In-content SMO constitutes the social media features that are embedded in the content itself. These include features like RRS feeds, polls, images and videos from third parties and ‘Share This’ buttons. Off-site SMO includes features such as blogging and commenting on blogs, participating in forums and discussions and use of social networking sites. The term ‘viral marketing’, which has gained such a currency in the field of internet marketing, is nothing but a form of SMO.

How to do SMO For Your Website

SMO, as a matter of fact, shares many of the characteristics of the SEO process. In many cases, what you need to do for good SEO for your website is also what you need to get good fair SMO results. In brief, to get get SMO benefits for your website, you need to take the following steps -

1. Add more and more fresh, unique and compelling content, which a lot of people and websites will like to link to. Many gurus like to call this ‘linkbaiting’.
2. Create content in different formats – blog posts, podcasts, videos, e-books, white papers.
3. Add “Share This’” buttons to your website and/or blog.
4. Provide more visibility to blogs/websites that link to your website and content. This is like rewarding those websites that link to you, thus encouraging more inbound links to your website.
5. Try to gain a complete understanding of your target audience. This will help you to produce suitable content, which will encourage your target audience to share your ideas.
6. Participate actively in the conversations that your content generates.
7. Keep it up.

SMO is a a rather new concept, as is social media. The concept will continue to keep evolving over the future, and it will indeed be interesting to monitor its future progress. Whatever may be its outcome, one thing is fairly certain – SMO is an invaluable tool for increasing the visibility and ranking of your website.

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The internet uses a wide variety of browsers, such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, etc for browsing the internet. Cross browser compatibility, or the adaptability of the website to different browsers that are used, is an important issue in website design. It is a known issue that most of the websites do not resolve well in all the different browsers that are available and used by the internet users. Not only does the website have to adapt to different varieties of different browsers, it has also to adapt to the different versions of the same browser that may have been introduced at different points of time.

An average internet user is not aware of the limits of the websites to adapt to all types of browsers, and it is expected that the website will look good in any browser, when it is clearly not the case. In other words, web users are expecting that websites will be compatible with their browser. This makes it all the more important to design cross browser compatible websites. This issue can be resolved by integrating the following web design elements in the construction of the website:

1. Simplicity – Keeping the website design as simple as possible is the best way to deal with multi-browser compatibility issue. This will mean using one or two columns, and simple header and footer designs. The excessive use of nested elements in the markup should be avoided. Visual formatting should be done with CSS, while the use of HTML should be limited to content (and not styling).
2. Code Validation – Running your code through validators will help to weed out invalid codes, which in turn will help in ironing out many problems in browser compatibility. There are a number of online services that can be used to validate the codes, such as W3C Validator. The HTML Validator add-on in Firefox can also be used.
3. DOCTYPE – Including a valid DOCTYPE (document type declaration) in your webpages will prevent many browsers from switching to the so called “quirks mode”, which essentially renders your page in a non-standard manner, thus causing compatibility issues.
4. Test Your Website in Different Browsers – Web developers adopt a simple approach – they develop a website completely in one browser, e.g., Firefox, and then test it across other browsers such as Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari etc. This helps to fix any compatibility issues that crop up.
5. Use Website Analytics – The website analytics data can be used to analyze the trend of visitors and which browsers they have been using. This will give a fair idea of the most important browsers for which the website should be optimized, and the rest can be simply ignored. This will help to save a lot of costs and efforts.

What would you add to the list? What are your biggest web design pet peeves? Let us know!

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This procedure speeds up name resolution as the various look-ups are done to similar addresses as the ones you’ve searched for in the past while browsing the web. That means that while visiting a site a second time, the client of DNS will have already the name mapped and will quickly retrieve the mapping.
At times, a bad entry of DNS will be cached and you will require either flushing of DNS cache for getting rid of it or waiting until 24hrs for it to be automatically dropped from the cache. There are various benefits of flushing the DNS.
DNS flush resets the content of the client of DNS resolver cache. While the troubleshooting of DNS, the process can be used for discarding entries of negative cache from the cache, and any other entries that have been dynamically added. The command of flushdns/ipconfig offers the means to flush.
The cache resetting does not get rid of entries that are being preloaded from the Hosts file that is local. From the cache, to get rid of those entries, it should be removed from this file. The other benefit is that though the command ipconfig is offered for Windows earlier version, the option of /flushdns is obtainable for use on computers that run Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 operating systems.
To flush DNS cache in Linux:
- Restart the nscd daemon
- Type /etc/rc.d/ init.d/nscd restart in terminal
- Run the command
To flush DNS cache in Microsoft Windows
-Start->Run->type cmd
-Type ipconfig/flushdns
To flush DNS cache in Mac OS X:
- Type in your terminal dscaheutil-flushache for flushing the DNS resolver cache
- Run the command
To flush DNS cache in Mac OS X Leopard
-Type in your terminal lookupd-flushache
- Run the command
On local system the caching of DNS makes sure for the fastest speed for resolving any domain name and reduces hits then, load directly and burn the servers of DNS name. Yet, this creates few issues like few web pages and website not connected or contacted or loaded when browsing, caused by changing of nameservers or IP address that has not been refreshed and reflected on local copy. It is more obvious when the web browser is set by the user to use proxy for surfing the internet and these sites can be loaded, correctly now.
When coming across any not accessible or not able to load the issue of web page, the best solution is to try to flush DNS cache on the system.

Submitted by:
Pallavi Kant

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Hence, a proxy server is a server acting as a mediator between the server (the computer on which the information is being requested by the user displays) and the client (user’s computer).

When the data are requested by the clients from a resource of internet, traffic goes from the web application/browser first via the proxy before reaching the sources of request and back via the proxy and finally the data are transmitted to you by the proxy.
A proxy server stands between a real server and a client application like Web browser. It catches requests of all to the real server to check whether the requests can be fulfilled by it. In case, it does not the request is being forwarded to the real server.
The work of proxy server is actually to connect, respond and receive traffic from the internet. The proxy server acts on behalf of the computer of the client. It works on the higher of the OSI (Open System Interconnection) mode or the transport layer (layer 4.)
The work of proxy server

On the internet when the request is made by the computer out to the internet like as retrieving a Web page from a Web Server- the computer internally contacts the proxy server that in return contact the server of the internet. The Web page is sent by the internet to the proxy server that on the internet forwards the page to the computer.
All traffic is being logged by the proxy servers between the intranet and the internet. It can log each IP address, time and date of access, number of bytes downloaded, URL, and so on. Such information can be used against the network, for analyzing attacks launched. It can help the administrators of intranet build good services and access for employees as well.
Few of the proxy servers should work with proxy clients that are special. The best approach is using clients that are off-the-shelf with proxy servers. When used this way, it should be particularly configured for working with proxy servers from a configuration menu. Then, as usual the client software is used by the intranet employee. To achieve the data, the client software goes out to a proxy server, rather than going to intranet.
Proxy servers can do much between an internet and the intranet. Security schemes can also be implemented. They can be used for speeding up few of the performances of the services of the internet as well by catching the copies of data-keeping of the requested data.
Proxy server can be divided into two sections:
1) transparent: It tells the IP address of your computer to the remote computer. These offer no privacy.
2) Anonymous: It is used to block the remote computer from knowing the computer’s identity using the proxy server for making requests. This is further divided into a disguised proxy server and an elite proxy server.

Submitted by:
Pallavi Kant

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There are a number of uses of the traceroute report. This report is used to solve many networking issues. You can easily troubleshoot problems with poor network connectivity using this report. This report will show you the exact place where the problem lies. Using this report, you can get clarity of the way in which how the computers are connected to each other over a network and also how internet is provided to you by your internet service provider (ISP).

A traceroute is nothing but a small program that has been designed to track the route your information takes. As this program moves along a particular path in the network, it calculates the amount of time taken by any information packet to reach a particular system on the network from your systems.

There are a number of critical details that one can obtain from the traceroute report. This report shows the IP address and the name of the website of the hops (also called hubs be a few) it visits. It also shows three instances of time which is measured in milliseconds and includes the time taken by the program to reach that hop and the time taken to get a response. It also provides you with the count of hops taken between the host computer you are placing a trace on and your computer.

There are two routes that are taken by computers accessing the internet. One route is the one taken by the information to travel from the host to your computer and the other from your computer to the host server. Any concern with any of the routes can be traced using the traceroute report, thus easing the troubleshooting process. A few years ago, the concept of reverse tracking was rampant; however, over a period of time people began to abuse this and hence, reverse tracking took a backseat. In modern times, the only way in which you can establish a reverse traceroute is by running the program on the host server.

In conclusion, a traceroute report is now an indispensable part of networking. If networking professionals are able to fix certain network related issues in a jiffy, it is all thanks to this information-rich report. If you want to pursue a career in the field of networking, then, having a thorough understanding of this report will give you an upper hand over the rest.

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While the person who executes this is at fault, a part of the mistake also lies with the domain owner not being agile and fast. Every domain name is purchased only for a certain span of time. Once that span of time elapses, the domain name comes back on to the market and is made available for all. The moment the domain name comes up for registration, it is purchased by another party.

One of the best ways to prevent domain name hijacking is by ensuring that you update your domain name ownership periodically by keeping a check on the expiry date. As soon as you receive an email notifying you about the proximity of the expiry date, ensure you pay up the renewal charges well in time to prevent losing the name to someone else.

The hijacking process is simple and straight forward. First of all, they gain access to the personal information of the domain name owner. They use this confidential information and impersonate the owner and get in touch with the registrar of the domain. They send a request to modify certain critical data and get the name transferred to a different registrar. Once this is complete, the hijacker can easily misuse the domain name since it is completely under his control. This is nothing but a form of identity theft.

The original holder to the domain name will face loss not only in terms of reputation, but also costs. This is mostly in cases where the owner is getting a substantial amount of income from the many websites he has hosted on the domain. The hijacker can resort to phishing using the domain name and this can have devastating effects because he will be able to gain access to confidential data of customers trying to perform some transactions online.

While there is a possibility of the original owner regaining the ownership to the domain name, the chances are rare. If the name has been transferred to a domain name registrar outside the boundaries of a given country, you can forget the possibility of getting it back.

In conclusion, ensure you don’t give room to domain name hijacking by staying up-to-date on all aspects. This little effort from your side can save you from a lot on unwarranted misery.

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There are excellent tools available online that help you manage your mail in the cloud. Email is likely to be one of the most popular tools in cloud computing as it is a resource guzzler on local machines and tends to tie you down with a specific PC. Other than that, email on a cloud also helps you tackle the issue of loss of emails due to any downtime or PC crash as well as security since the email is not downloaded on a local machine. Cloud computing for email has resulted in data mining as well as emails becoming searchable and now emails act as a repository of data for the business.

Apart from email…what else forms our computing cloud?

Various document management tools and office suites are excellent examples of document management on the cloud. The advantages of putting documents in a cloud include seamless sharing of documents with the relevant people, version control and no dependency on a specific hard disk. Documents that are being worked on are generally updated in real time, so even when multiple people are working on the same document, there is little chance of duplication of work. An increasing number of businesses use cloud computing as a tool for reporting within the organization as well.

Many enterprise level apps are also moving to the cloud. Since internet bandwidth has been increasing exponentially, it is easy to put supply chain apps and sales tools like Salesforce.com on the cloud. Collaborative tools like Basecamp.com also form part of the growing corporate cloud which is driven by sales personnel. Online HR management tools and project management applications are also extremely popular. Now that high-speed internet is a reality for many, cloud-based applications are getting more and more sophisticated and diverse, offering better solutions for their customers. And from the customer’s perspective, it takes translates into headaches avoided and money solved because they don’t have to shell out big money overhauling their systems to accommodate the new applications, as the apps are all stored in remote servers.

Simply put, cloud computing allows for quick changes that can be implemented across the board in one sweep and makes the management of security, upgrades and addition of new tools very easy for both small and large applications. It saves time, money and a lot of headache for everybody concerned.

Apart from the serious stuff, one of the growing elements of the cloud which impact our daily lives is social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a host of other well known Web 2.0 platforms thrive in the cloud and make photo sharing, video sharing and document sharing plenty of fun. Online browser based games have become incredibly popular with thousands of people logged into virtual worlds where they are busy adventuring with friends, building gardens or rescuing princesses.

All said and done, each one of us is increasingly using cloud computing for better results, lower costs and meaningful computing. The internet is finally turning into a true global network of resources and services that can be accessed from anywhere. And with mobile data also getting on the cloud, it is no surprise that most people are finally jumping on the cloud computing bandwagon.

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Microsoft Exchange Server is the server side of a client-server, collaborative application product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure solutions. Exchange’s major features consist of electronic mail, calendaring, contacts and tasks; support for mobile and web-based access to information; and support for data storage.(Source: Wikipedia)

As per the definition Microsoft Exchange not only provides an excellent email management tool at client-server level, it acts as a productivity console for users that are looking to collaborate within a set infrastructure. Developed as a complex tool meant for businesses with at least a certain number of employees, the Exchange Server needs to be installed on dedicated servers and companies looking at deploying Exchange not only incur the significant costs of the software but also bear the hardware costs associated with it. Help is at hand with good quality hosting service providers as they offer not just web based e-mail, but also mail access from your smartphone like the Blackberry or Palm.

Microsoft Exchange has been through six upgrades and the current version on sale is Microsoft Exchange 2010 which is available in an enterprise edition as well. This provides a host of improvements on the previous version, Exchange Server 2007. Benefits of the Exchange Server 2010 include:

1)      Cloud computing concept at its best

2)      Decreases cost of backups

3)      Outsourced management to hosting company reduces in-house costs

4)      Increases efficiency of employees on the move

5)      Creates a searchable database of information

As a business interested in setting up Microsoft Exchange, you can start by checking out hosting providers that offer services, compare costs of the software and internal hosting set up and then take a call. Software and hardware costs can be obtained from vendors and third party hosting providers pricing can be benchmarked by checking out the hosting providers’ websites.

If your business is predominantly Microsoft on the software front, then it makes a lot of sense to use Exchange as it seamlessly works with all Microsoft products and you are likely to get good quality support for it as well.  For mobile users, there is a universal inbox where they can access their SMS, mail and stored IM conversations. Moreover, with web hosting services, all the headache of server maintenance, upgrading, backups and storage space can be passed on to the service provider. Microsoft Exchange hosting services also include mobile based email services enabled by Microsoft ActiveSync.

One of the key benefits in the new versions (specifically after Version 7) of Exchange Server is the ability to integrate mobile-based emails for business users. On the collaboration front, Microsoft Exchange 7.0 and above provide SharePoint Services as well and that acts as an excellent tool for integrating communication with project management. Every single mail that goes out of the exchange server is encrypted, providing the highest level of security.

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