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To help celebrate midPhase's 3rd anniversary we're offering SIX FREE MONTHS of our award winning* Spamalizer service if you email billing@midphase.com and pay for one year. That's a savings of almost $20! All you have to do is contact us and request the upgrade!

* awards may exist in our minds only.

Updates and Clarifications

Maximum Overdrive

So apparently the general public likes us. So much, actually, that we've had to step up the rollout for shared servers at a record rate! Making their debut this month are esc78, esc79 and esc80! We've had a turbulent couple of weeks with issues related to the shared servers getting so many new customers and we appreciate everyone's patience through it all. Once we've migrated accounts to these new servers and smooth out all the wrinkles, it will be smooth sailing from here out!

We're This Many!

midPhase turns 3 years old this month! We started as a small two man shop in the suburbs of Chicago and now look at us - big boys wearing our big boy pants downtown! We've acquired several companies along the way but have kept our original focus and passion in customer service. In the coming months look for some really exciting new ventures from us, we're really happy with the new product offerings that are coming soon. And speaking of which...

Something in the Wind

What is coming down the pipe for midPhase? Well looking at our White Board of the Oracle, I'm seeing things like MP-SEO, AFF LGN 4 AN and My PP with various due dates. What do they mean? What do any of them mean? You'll find out in the coming months, just keep watching your mailbox for the midPhase Newsletter!

Keeping Up Appearances

There's nothing we hear more in the billing department than customers asking why we didn't send them notifications about various account happenings. The #1 reason why this happens is we have old information on file and those notices are going to email addresses that are out of service or no longer used. I know you're asking "Oh midPhase Newsletter, how can I prevent this?" It's simple! Just log into http://secure.mpcustomer.com and click Client Profile to make sure your contact information is up to date! If you don't have your login and password, just give us a ring and we can get it sent out to you lickity split!




 


Q & Looong A explained.
In this section, we will have various midPhase employees answer customer questions in each addition. As the newsletter grows, we'll do our best in also answering more questions. Send your technical, business, marketing, design/programing questions to qna@midphase.com. This months Q & Looong A is with Andy Pace - our server master commander, yet wonderful system administrator.

"I'm interested in making the leap from shared hosting to a dedicated server. What exactly am I getting myself into?" by Andy Pace.

Dedicated servers: The end all solution to any website or websites that have grown substantially and are in immediate need of more resources. In situations like this, the shared environment is not an option. Below I will describe the process of moving to¬Ý a dedicated server and the pitfalls and perks prior to the migration.

Moving to a dedicated server is as easy as purchasing an upgrade in your billing interface, or talking to one of our sales representatives. The same day, your server is built and racked into our datacenter cabinets pending the migration that night. midPhase offers to move all your data at no extra cost, but we are very strict on the scheduling of each migration -- after midnight, which conveniently works well for us, and the customer.

Migrations on our end are a daily routine, so you should not be worried about the integrity of your data. If any data is missing, your old account on our VPS or shared servers are still there, and incrementally copying that data can be done in an instant.

After your data is moved, you are entitled to many new features available via WHM (Web Hosting Manager). WHM is a web interface that makes maintenance of your dedicated server a breeze -- most root functions are available through a single click of the mouse! For demos of WHM, visit: http://midphase.com/tut/

The root user -- lets go into detail about exactly what that is. 'Root' on any Unix based system is the super user account. Root has access to modify any configuration on the server, as apposed to¬Ýour shared plans that do not offer root access. Only the VPS and dedicated servers allow such power. With this type of access, users are allowed to install any software or make any configuration modification they wish, since they don't necessarily have 'neighbors' to upset. However, if you are new to SSH or having this type of power and are concerned about what to do and what not to do, the midPhase dedicated server department can help you alleviate any worries.

Moving to a dedicated server is a lot like 'growing up'. We actively monitor each dedicated server 24/7, but if you are having small problems with, for example: mail, we are not going to actively fix it.¬Ý We need to be aware of the situation via our ticket system, and within 15 minutes, you will have a fix from one our technicians. Of course, we always enjoy the customers that investigate the issue before submitting to the error an issuing a ticket. Initiative is key with this plan! If your server is completely DOWN, we will recognize that (possibly before you) and do whatever it takes to get it back online.

The typical dedicated server can handle up to 50 concurrent connections to your apache web server, plus email and other connections without becoming 'loaded'. However, this can have a lot to do with how your website is coded. If you upgrade to a dedicated server and your website still seems a bit 'slow', consider changing the code, or optimizing other applications that your website depends on -- MySQL for example. This is completely possible with your new 'ROOT' access as described above :) Any concerns or questions you may have -- like I've said several times already -- can be directed to our dedicated server support department.

I hope the above not only answers some questions about the move to dedicated but also encourages this important decision. It's the smart move for anyone hosting high traffic websites, or a reseller hosting several hundred domains requiring that extra bit of power.



Client:Jennifer Dohner
Url: http://www.islandjenn.com
Hosting Plan: midPhase MEGA-PHASE Package

Her name is Jenn, aka Island Jenn. She is a photographer specializing in the music industry. People have said she's a cross between Howard Stern & Mother Theresa. How does that happen? She loves what she does, living your dream is always a good thing and she has busted her ovaries to get where she is. She currently freelances for 4 different magazines as well as a major Seattle Radio Station. As glamorous as it may seem to hob-knob with the rock stars, it's a lot tougher than it appears. Her shooting conditions for live performance is very restricted, therefore challenging her skills constantly ( not to mention the acquired¬Ý ability to dodge flying bodies/boots/water bottles and even underwear). She's not restricted to music, it just happens to be where her passion resides. Her site offers a diverse range of projects that she has done, she tries to mix it up as much as possible. She's just plugging along in the hopes that one day a major magazine-rolling stone (cough cough), hires her.

So the questions...

1. What brought you to midPhase to begin with?
I had a nightmare experience with my previous hosting company . I called about 20 other companies and midPhase won hands down for customer service and the ability to communicate honestly & effectively with me. They also promised to be nice to me and not rip me off like my last hosting company did.

2. What 2 adjectives would you use to describe your main website?


Visual & appealing.

3. What would you say your best trait is, physical or otherwise?
I'm persistent. I don't give up until I get it done, and get it done right.

4. Favorite kind of grape?
The kind that turns into a good bottle of pinot noir.

5. Sum up your existence in 5 words and two punctuation marks.
Charismatic creative humble? Photographic genius!

6. You have exactly 10 minutes to pack a bag to take with you to an island for the rest of time. What goes in it? My camera with unlimited memory cards, mp3 player (already loaded of course), computer, and a credit card with no limit so i can order whatever else i need =)

7. What would be your ideal shameless plug?
I am good at what I do in a very male dominated industry that also happens to be extremely competitive. I'm holding my own and can only hope my work will continue to speak for itself.

I touched on it above but I want to elaborate on it down here. midPhase hasn't lost any of its fire for the business. We wake up every morning and drink down a big cup of determination for providing the best web hosting around. Around the clock we strive to give our customers the best service possible and we'd like to think we're doing a good job there. Affiliate signups are at an all-time high, people are coming to midPhase in droves to see what all of the buzz is about. Nothing makes us happier than positive chatter and with what we've been hearing lately, we've been quite happy indeed. Thanks for making midPhase the company it is today!

(mid)Phase Out!