If you do not plan on learning in's and out's of web and administering your site, NT is probably your tool of choice.

Down Sides:

Provides poorer security than Unix. Because of security issues, hosting provider will usually institute tighter security measures. Cannot run all CGI scripts although this is changing.

Your needs as webmaster and your visitors needs will determine type of webhost and platform you need.

Once you have done some more research into what platform you need, stop by an independent website like: http://www.tophosts.com and choose one of top 25 hosts to fulfill your needs.

Some issues to consider while pondering which host to choose:

1.Uptime: This is probably most critical piece of information you need to know to make an informed decision. How often a server goes down means lost business and lost sales and no one needs that. Our webhost is up 99.9% of time as compared to first one we had which was more like 25% of time. 2.Bandwidth Usage: Some hosts actually charge you for amount of traffic you get once you pass a certain percentage. Why on earth would you want to be charged for that? Our webhost offers us unmetered traffic at no extra cost (this is what you should look for). 3.Server Space: Look for hosts that give 50-500 mg of space. As technology changes sites will take up more space. You should try to get as much as you can right now even if you don't use it all. 4.CGI Access: This is critical. You need ability to use CGI and especially custom CGI. If a host doesn't offer it, run screaming! 5.MSQL; Real Audio; Real Video; Cold Fusion: This is future of web and in particular web marketing. Make sure a host offers support for these applications even if you don't presently have a use for them.

You will be glad that you spent your time doing this research before you jump in and choose a host or switch to a host that provides you with nothing but problems. You deserve best, go for it.

CGI-BIN/ A very important component if you're planning on adding any sort of interactivity to your site like forms, shopping carts, etc. Usually comes as standard equipment, but I've seen some of cheaper hosts leave it out entirely.

EMAIL BOXES & POP 3 ALIASES/ One thing that's very important to me is ability to use different aliases with my domain name. For example, if your domain is ezineadauction.com, you may want to set up separate addresses to sort your mail like service@ezineadauction.com or support@ezineadauction.com. They may all funnel into same mailbox, but you can set up filters at your end, making customer service a whole lot easier.

If you have a "wildcard" account, you can set up as many aliases as you like. If you have other employees who will need their own private box, check with web host to see how many boxes they will allow.

STATS/ Once you start getting traffic, you'll want to know where it's coming from and what pages of your site are being visited. Some web hosts will throw stats tracking in with their standard package or at least give you access to your log files, which you can then use with third party software to run reports on traffic your site is receiving.

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS/:

1) If you want to use Frontpage: Do they have FP server extensions installed?

2) Do they offer autoresponders?

3) How about a secured server option for payment transactions?

4) Do they back up all websites in case of disaster?

5) Do they offer assistance in programming or design work if needed at an hourly rate?

6) Do they offer shopping cart software if you're going to be selling products?

7) Do any customized forms come standard with your account, like feedback or order forms?

8) Bandwidth- Be aware that bandwidth is how much data can be transferred in a month's time. This shouldn't be a concern unless you're getting a ton of traffic, but be aware that most hosts do have limitations on what they'll allow.

As you can see, there are many factors to take into account when choosing a web host. Your host is essentially spine of your site,so you want to make sure that one you choose is reliable and solid. Nothing can ruin a site faster than an unreliable host. I know; been there, done that.

If you'd like a list of possible hosts take a look at http://www.WebIspList.com. For a comparison of hosts pop over to http://www.HostCompare.com or to search for a host by features you need go to http://www.HostSearch.com

Remember, choosing a good host is essential to success and reliability of your online business. Do your homework and choose one that's right for you.