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Shared Web Hosting — FAQ

This is a list of questions frequently asked by customers looking into Speakeasy hosting services. Once you become a Speakeasy hosting customer, you will receive access to our comprehensive knowledgebase system via our Hosting Control Panel.

If you are currently a hosting customer, please login to access your account and more FAQs.

Check here to view all questions and answers.

  • General Questions
    • What do I need to use Speakeasy's Web hosting services?
      A computer and a web-browser, it's that easy! Using Speakeasy's Webmail, you can read and manage your hosted email accounts. Using Speakeasy's Hosting Control Panel through MySpeakeasy, you can manage all aspects of your hosting services, billing, support contacts, and search for helpful articles on maintaining your services.
    • Once I place my order, how long does it take to get my site up and running?
      The moment you place your order, you will receive an email at the email address you provided detailing your new account log-in information, as well as the next steps for your account creation. You may log into your Hosting Control Panel at MySpeakeasy to create and manage email addresses, manage your DNS, and learn how to set up your website immediately. Complete activation typically takes between 2 to 3 business days.

      Our hosting support team will verify your order processed completely and update your account once the activation has completed.

    • I am a Speakeasy customer. How can I add a hosting service to my account?
      If you are a current Speakeasy customer, you can view packages and pricing information here. Once you have decided on a package, follow the instructions on that page to order the service, entering your account information when prompted to.
    • What level of support does Speakeasy provide?
      We are committed to providing excellent, timely support for nearly all your hosting needs. Our highly-trained technical support staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure your service is working, and the tools you need to use the service are available.

      There are limits, as with anything, to what we can help you do with your hosting service. Our support team will be more than happy to help you set up your hosting mail, fix any site outages, and generally understand your services with Speakeasy. They cannot, however, help you design your website, learn how to maintain your SQL databases, or fix your scripting problems.

      Please feel free to ask for help when you need it. If our staff is unable to help you, they will be more than happy to point you to a Speakeasy FAQ with the answer you need, or an alternative reference website for further help.

    • Are there any guidelines, rules, or restrictions on the content of my website?
      While we support liberal policies and the free exchange of ideas on the Internet, there are simple, straight-forward rules and restrictions for your hosted website with Speakeasy. Please read through our Hosting Terms.
    • Can I have more than one domain? Can they both point at the same Website?
      Yes, you can have more than one domain. Further, they both can point to the same website by setting up your DNS properly in our Hosting Control Panel.
    • Does Speakeasy offer non-profit hosting discounts?
      Speakeasy does offer a discount for 501c3 non-profits. To obtain this special pricing, please contact our Hosting Sales department at 1-877-638-3473.
    • Do you build/create web pages for customers?
      While we can provide helpful knowledgebase articles, useful tools, and links to popular Internet design websites, Speakeasy does not provide website design services.
    • What are the differences between the Windows Package and the Unix package?
      Both packages and platforms offer excellent reliability and ease of use, but there are key areas where they differ:
      1. Our Unix package does not provide access to Microsoft FrontPage.
      2. The Windows platform does not allow for as many free/open source software solutions.
      3. There is an additional monthly fee for the Windows package.
      4. Both platforms offer similar applications and features, but differ on how those features are made available to you. For example: creating databases for your website is possible with the Unix platform using MySQL and PHP, or by using MS-SQL and ASP on the Windows platform.
      Given these differences, we recommend that you choose one of our Unix packages unless you will need the features afforded by our Windows platform (such as FrontPage, ASP, MS-SQL, Windows Media Hosting, or MS Access).
    • How do I know what hosting package is right for me?
      The major differences between our Standard, Premium and Professional hosting packages are in regard to the amount of included domain email accounts, file storage space and allowable monthly throughput. Also, the Premium and Professional packages include some valuable add-on's, like mailing lists, that you may need. For more details on the differences between packages, please visit our comparison table.
    • Do I need specific software on my computer to run the Unix or Microsoft package?
      The Unix and Microsoft distinction on our packages only applies to which application we are running on the server that will host your account. You do not need any special software to use the Unix platform, even if your computer network is running on Microsoft Windows.
  • Domain Names
  • Mail
    • How can I check my email?
      Speakeasy offers three options for your hosting email account:
      1. Speakeasy Webmail is a secure, web-based email system. You can log into Webmail from any computer on the Internet to read and send email, as well as use our web-based calendaring system to track your important dates.
      2. Configure an email client of your choosing to read and send your email. We provide helpful configuration guides for Windows, Mac, and Linux email clients.
      3. Access your email via your hosting shell account to read and send your email with a text-based email client like Pine or Mutt.
    • Do you provide Spam filtering?
      Yes! All Speakeasy hosted mail, including your domain email, has optional spam filtering available. This accurate filtering is turned off when your email account is created, but can be turned on and managed through your Hosting Control Panel. Additionally, this filtering can be accessed via MySpeakeasy's email management tools by logging in with your domain email account.
    • Do you provide virus filtering for my email?
      Yes! All Speakeasy hosted mail, including your domain email, is screened carefully for email viruses. If a virus is detected, the message is quarantined before it ever reaches your inbox, and you receive a notification that the message and virus were apprehended.
    • Can I use mailing lists?
      Customers ordering our mailing list package extra are allowed to run mailing lists with up to 1,000 subscribers. Pricing and ordering information is available here.
    • Do you provide email forwarding, email aliases, and auto-responders?
      All Speakeasy email accounts, including your domain email, come with these features. Not sure what these features are? Read on for a short description of what they can do for your email:
      1. Email forwarding: This simple to use tool allows you to forward email from your hosted email account to any other email address on the Internet. For example, if you had an email address for your website but wanted to read the mail at your Hotmail email account, you simply create the forward using the tool available in our Hosting Control Panel.
      2. Email aliases: An email alias is a nick name for your email account. You set up a fake name (such as info@yourname.com), but email sent there actually goes into an email box of your choosing (such as joe@yourname.com). This allows you to create unlimited email "names," without using multiple email boxes.
      3. Auto-responders: Create an automatic response that will be sent to people emailing you. Our customers like to use this feature when they are going on vacation, or when their business needs to let customers know their message has been received.
  • Hosting Management
    • Where can I manage my hosting service and account information?
      Speakeasy offers a fully-featured account management portal called MySpeakeasy. This secure portal includes:
      1. Hosting Control Panel - manage all aspects and features of your hosting package, including the ability to change, add, or delete domain email addresses, email aliases, passwords, and DNS or MX records.
      2. Contact management tools - change what email addresses we use to contact you, when we contact you, and your address and phone information.
      3. Online support - submit a support inquiry online using our unique service ticket system, and receive email and online updates when updates are made.
      4. Knowledgebase - search hundreds of helpful FAQs and configuration guides for answers to any of your questions.
    • What tools do I need to manage my website?
      FTP Program - An FTP program allows you to upload HTML, images, and other files to the web space provided with your hosting package. We maintain complete information about which clients are frequently used by our customers, where to get them, and how to configure them in our Knowledgebase.

      HTML Editor - If you are comfortable creating your HTML (the language of web pages) in a text editor, feel free to do so.

      Some customers also use third-party HTML editing software. Some of these free clients available for download on cnet.com, tucows.com, and shareware.com. There are applications, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft FrontPage, which can be purchased as well.

    • Do you provide website usage statistics?
      We provide statistical reporting as well as raw usage logs. For more information about these services please contact our Hosting Sales department at 1-877-638-3473.
  • Website Publishing
    • How will I publish and manage my website with Speakeasy?
      You can publish and manage the pages in your website either using an FTP application or by using your WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website builder. You also have the option of editing and updating your files directly on our servers through your shell or FTP account.
    • Are there restrictions on file names?
      Speakeasy allows all standard file names for your website, but some general guidelines apply:

      .htaccess, .htpasswd files will be parsed by the server. All files that begin with .ht will be ignored during a directory listing.

      robots.txt will be parsed by most spidering search engines.

      Index files that will be parsed include:

      index.cgi
      index.html
      index.shtml
      index.htm
      index.phtml
      index.php
      default.html
      default.htm
      default.cfm
      welcome.html
      welcome.htm

    • Can I make directories?
      Yes, you can make as many directories and sub-directories for your web space as space allows. For example, you could create a directory for "Pictures," and then a sub-directory for "Family Pictures," to organize your website.
    • How long will changes to my website take to show up on the Internet?
      New files and changes to existing files should be visible immediately after you publish/upload them.
    • Can I password protect pages of my website?
      Yes! You can protect one page, or the entire thing, with a required log-in and password. Detailed information is available to current Speakeasy hosting customers in our Knowledgebase.
    • How can I tell who has been coming to my website?
      We provide you with reporting on usage statistics for your website. Just want the raw data to analyze on your own? We can provide you with your site's basic statistics, ready for your analysis.
  • Advanced Topics
    • Do you support SQL?
      Depending on the hosting solution you choose, SQL may be included. We support both MySQL as well as MS-SQL.
    • How do I connect to my SQL database?
      A connection can be made to either type of SQL database using either the management tool provided with the version of SQL, or by using one of the connection tools in any number of popular website design applications (such as Dreamweaver).
    • Does Speakeasy provide support for databases?
      We will ensure that our servers are set up to properly create and maintain your database, as well as provide you with help connecting to your database. However, we cannot provide technical assistance or step-by-step instructions for the creation of databases.
    • Can I run CGI/PERL/PHP/ASP scripts?
      Yes you can! Speakeasy supports .cgi, .php, and .asp extensions. We also provide an extensive catalogue of scripts with setup details available via our Knowledgebase. You are free to run your own scripts, provided they adhere to our Terms of Service.
    • Can I run a secure server?
      Yes you can! Depending on the hosting package you select, secure server (SSL) may be included. If not, you can purchase this functionality as an add-on to your hosting package.
    • Can I host an e-commerce (web store)?
      All customers are welcome to build an e-commerce site, however we recommend using SSL certificates for secure credit card processing.
    • Can I add video/audio to my domain hosting?
      We do not currently offer streaming video or audio capabilities. You are welcome to host video or audio files, within the terms of our hosting service.
  • FrontPage
    • Does Speakeasy allow Frontpage Extensions?
      Speakeasy provides hosting of Front Page 2002 extensions for our Windows hosting customers. To set this up, request to have this added to your hosting package during signup.
    • Can I use Microsoft FrontPage? Which version?
      Speakeasy provides FrontPage hosting for our hosting customers on our Windows hosting servers. These customers can use version 2002 or 2003 of FrontPage.
    • What are FrontPage extensions?
      FrontPage extensions are special web-scripts within the application that enable you to use certain components that FrontPage has to offer. With FrontPage Server Extensions, administrators can view and manage a website in a graphical interface. Authors can also create, edit, and post web pages to IIS remotely.
    • How do I publish with FrontPage?
      There is a "publish" function in the FrontPage application that uploads your website to the server.
    • Will FTP conflict with FrontPage extensions?
      If you publish to your website with FTP after already setting your website up for FrontPage extensions, you will break the extension functionality. We recommend you choose a single, consistent method for uploading your site.
    • Will CGI scripts conflict with FrontPage extensions?
      No, you can use cgi scripts with FrontPage extensions.
    • What FrontPage support will Speakeasy provide?
      We are committed to providing you top-notch customer and technical support for all your hosting needs. FrontPage is a third-party application, and while we will make all efforts to ensure that you can use the application with our servers, we cannot provide you with information on how to actually use the application beyond your site settings for configuration. We will setup your website with FrontPage 2002 extensions upon your request.

We hope these pages help answer any questions you have, but please feel free to call our hosting department at 1-877-638-3473 if you have a question not covered in this FAQ.