Podcasts about a2 hosting

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette discusses the upcoming Page Builder Summit with guests Dan Maby and Nathan Wrigley. Scheduled for May 12-16, 2025, the summit aims to unite the WordPress community. Michele highlights the collaborative spirit and the importance of community engagement. Dan and Nathan share insights into the planning process, the diverse range of sessions, and the evolution of page builders. They emphasize the summit's role in fostering learning and connections.Top TakeawaysThe Summit Is Exceptionally Accessible and Flexible: The Page Builder Summit is designed to be easy and low-pressure for attendees. With free access to pre-recorded sessions for 48 hours, viewers can tune in when it's convenient for them. The optional Power Pack gives extended access and extra bonuses.Visibility for Lesser-Known Creators and Speakers: One of the summit's highlights is giving a platform to a diverse lineup of speakers, many of whom aren't regularly featured at large in-person WordCamps or other conferences. It's a space for new voices and fresh perspectives to shine.Sponsorships Make the Event Possible—and Deserve Support: Nathan highlighted that without sponsor support, the summit wouldn't happen. Sponsors like GoDaddy, WS Form, BigScoots, and many others contribute more than just funds—they provide energy, tools, and community-building support.Mentioned In The Show:WPLDNPageBuilderSummit.com MagentoDrupalAnchen le RouxKadenceElementorDiviBeaver BuilderGoDaddyKinstaMelapressBlackwallPress Forward podcastBig Orange HeartWP Coffee Talk podcastBig ScootsWeb Designer ProYour Moxie MavenWeb Designer AcademyZainatain Dynamic.oooAB Split TestBS-Free BusinessWP MavensCroco BlockWS FormsCheck ViewDroip

In this podcast episode, host Michelle Frechette interviews Kyle Van Deusen, who runs a small web agency in Richmond, Virginia, and founded "The Admin Bar," a community for freelancers and agency owners. They discuss the 2025 WordPress Professional Survey, which Kyle conducted to gather insights from web professionals. The survey, which received 1,233 responses, highlights the experiences and challenges faced by freelancers and agency owners.Top TakeawaysMany Agency Owners Lack Business Fundamentals: A lot of agency owners start by accident, not with a business plan. As a result, many undercharge and lack confidence in setting prices. Kyle pointed out that few are reaching their income goals—not due to market limits, but because they don't know what's possible. This shows a big need for basic business education around pricing, value, and financial planning.Marketing and Networking Are Largely Overlooked: Nearly 60% of respondents aren't doing in-person networking, and many aren't investing in marketing. Too many rely on being found organically, which isn't enough anymore. Kyle and Michelle highlighted that growth requires showing up, building relationships, and actively promoting your services.Community Helps Build Confidence and Clarity: Talking with peers can shift your mindset and pricing strategy. Kyle shared how learning what others charged helped him raise his rates confidently. Community support helps agency owners avoid mistakes, learn faster, and feel less alone in their journey.The Survey Is a Valuable, Underused Resource: Kyle stressed that the real power of the survey lies in how people use it. By digging into the data, agency owners can find paths others have taken to success. The more participation it gets, the more valuable and representative it becomes for the whole community.Mentioned in the Show:https://theadminbar.com/2025-survey/https://theadminbar.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/2147806538801573

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Tim Bouchard, and Ron Brennan discuss the upcoming Color Code event, a conference focused on design, technology, and marketing. Unlike traditional WordCamps, Color Code aims to be more inclusive, welcoming participants from various platforms and technologies. The event will feature a diverse lineup of speakers, interactive elements like a live graffiti art competition, and networking opportunities. Set to take place in Buffalo, New York, the conference emphasizes accessibility and community involvement, promising a dynamic and engaging experience for all attendees.Top Takeaways:Networking and Collaboration Opportunities: The Color Code event emphasizes the power of in-person connections. With a focus on creative professionals, marketers, and developers, the event is designed to facilitate collaboration through both formal presentations and informal networking (the "hallway track"). Attendees can expect meaningful conversations and potential partnerships that might not happen in a purely virtual setting.Diverse and Relevant Topics: The event will cover a range of cutting-edge topics, such as AI, content strategies, and the challenges of decoupling from major tech players like Google. These presentations, led by volunteer speakers, aim to provide valuable insights and practical knowledge, making the event a great opportunity for professionals to stay informed on industry trends.Affordability and Accessibility: With an affordable ticket price ($40), including lunch and the after-party, Color Code positions itself as an accessible event for professionals of all backgrounds. The organizers also plan to record sessions and make them available online, ensuring that those who can't attend in person still have access to the valuable content.Mentioned In The Show:Color CodePress ConfWP EngineMeetupSeneca One TowerDouglas DevelopmentLuminousGene McCarthy's

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Cami MacNamara a seasoned web designer and solopreneur. Cami shares insights into her business, Web Cam LLC, and her new initiative, "Web Designer Habits," which aims to help web designers develop productive habits. They discuss the importance of accountability, time management techniques like time blocking and the Pomodoro technique, and the benefits of joining online and local networking groups. The episode also teases a collaborative project between Michelle and Cammy involving a planner designed to support web designers in maintaining their habits.Top Takeaways:Small Changes Lead to Big Improvements – Cami emphasized the power of incremental progress, whether in business, design, or personal productivity. Tackling tasks in small steps can make overwhelming projects more manageable and sustainable.Be Prepared for the Unexpected – Michelle shared practical travel and everyday preparedness tips, from keeping essential items in the car to ensuring that your luggage complies with airline regulations. Thinking ahead can save time, stress, and even money.Documenting Processes is Key – The discussion touched on the importance of writing down systems and workflows, especially for solopreneurs. Whether through standard operating procedures (SOPs) or simple notes, having a record helps maintain efficiency and organization.Community and Support Matter – Both Michelle and Cami highlighted the value of connection in professional spaces, particularly within the WordPress and web design communities. Engaging with peers through newsletters, Facebook groups, and live discussions fosters learning, growth, and mutual encouragement.Mentioned In The Show:Web Cami, LLCwebdesignerhabits.comStreamYardWebCamiCafeGoDaddySheinPomodoro TechniqueWordPress TVManaged WPAdmin BarBeaver BuilderCalendlyWPCoffeeTalk

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Jono Alderson, an independent technical SEO consultant and WordPress advocate. Jono shares his journey of creating and submitting his first plugin to the WordPress repository, focusing on image optimization for website performance. They discuss the complexities of managing multiple image sizes in WordPress and how Jono's plugin generates images on-the-fly using services like Cloudflare, reducing server load and improving performance. The conversation also covers the environmental impact of web hosting, Jono's background, and his experience with AI-assisted coding.Top Takeaways:Image Optimization Plugin for WordPress:Jono Alderson's plugin focuses on solving WordPress image optimization issues by addressing the inefficiencies in how images are handled. WordPress often generates unnecessary image sizes, which leads to slower load times and inefficient storage use. His plugin dynamically generates the appropriately sized images for each device, improving both website performance and storage efficiency. By eliminating the need for WordPress to create multiple versions of images, the plugin optimizes the backend and frontend performance of a website.Environmental Impact of Image Management: The discussion highlights the environmental impact of inefficient image management. Storing and serving large or redundant images increases the carbon footprint due to the energy used in data centers and transmission networks. Optimizing images and reducing excess storage can help lower this impact, making even small changes in image management significant for sustainability.Jono Alderson's Plugin Submission Experience: Jono Alderson shared his experience submitting a plugin to WordPress, noting initial nervousness due to his self-taught background. After carefully following guidelines, the submission went smoothly, with only minor issues to address. Once live, Jono quickly fixed bugs and found updating easier with practice.Mentioned In The Show:YoastCloudflareWooCommerceGravity FormsSlackWhatsAppFacebookGoogle DiscoverFortniteHello BeautifulGitHubCursorJonoAlderson.com

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. Cory Miller has been at the center of two major shifts in the WordPress ecosystem.First, he sold his full ownership of Post Status to Marieke van de Rakt and Joost de Valk, who are now forming a new nonprofit entity to back it. Matt explores Cory's timeline of running Post Status after acquiring it from Brian Krogsgard.Today, he is part of the A2 Hosting acquisition by World Host Group, a private equity-backed company consolidating hosting brands. In a recent WP Minute conversation, Matt Medeiros spoke with Cory about these transitions and what they mean for the WordPress community. A2 Hosting's Acquisition by World Host GroupPrivate Equity Backing: A2 Hosting has been acquired by World Host Group, a private equity-backed company managing 14 hosting brands.Leadership with WordPress Experience: Cory highlighted that the new leadership team includes individuals with a deep understanding of WordPress, helping to ease concerns about the acquisition.Investment Over Cost-Cutting: Unlike typical private equity acquisitions that prioritize cost reduction, World Host Group's approach focuses on increasing investment in product and support.No Immediate Changes: Customers should not expect significant changes to pricing, dashboards, or service URLs in the short term, though new developments are anticipated in the coming months.Trust as a Core Value: CEO Seb de Lemos has emphasized building a trusted, globally recognized brand—something that is often lacking in the hosting industry.The Transition of Post StatusMoving to a Nonprofit Model: Post Status, long a hub for WordPress professionals, is now a nonprofit organization led by the founders of Yoast.Challenges of WordPress Media: Running a media and community-driven business in the WordPress space is difficult. Cory noted the constant challenges of securing sponsorships, maintaining engagement, and ensuring financial stability.The Importance of Support: Cory emphasized that WordPress companies have a responsibility to support independent media outlets because they provide essential industry insights, foster community engagement, and hold key stakeholders accountable. Without financial backing from businesses that benefit from these platforms, these critical resources risk disappearing, weakening the ecosystem as a whole.Final ThoughtsThe acquisition of A2 Hosting and the transition of Post Status signal significant shifts in the WordPress industry. While private equity involvement in hosting raises concerns, Cory remains optimistic about the focus on trust and investment. Letting go of Post Status was both a relief and a deeply emotional moment for Cory.After years of dedication, he now watches as the community he helped build takes on a new chapter under nonprofit stewardship. While there's a sense of closure, there's also hope that this transition will empower independent WordPress media & community in new ways.Now is the time for stakeholders to actively shape the future of WordPress through engagement and support.Chapters00:00 Welcome Back, Cory Miller!00:30 Big Changes and Acquisitions01:37 A2 Hosting Acquisition Insights02:32 Leadership and Vision at World Host Group03:51 The Importance of Communication06:46 Private Equity and WordPress10:24 AI and the Future of Tech17:08 The Power of WordPress Distribution22:27 Immediate Changes at A2 Hosting26:17 Struggles with WordPress Community and Content Creation27:15 Reflecting on Acquiring PostStatus28:38 The Importance of Community30:47 Challenges and Gratitude34:28 The Future of WordPress Media40:25 The Human Touch in WordPress News43:32 Balancing Community and Business49:32 Final Thoughts and FarewellRelevant Links Mentioned in the ConversationA2 Hosting's new parent company: World Host GroupA2 Hosting: a2hosting.comCory Miller's website: CoryMiller.comPost Status community: PostStatus.comWordPress media efforts: The WP Minute & The RepositoryUpcoming community conference: PressConf Support us for as little as $5 to join our members-only Slack group. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Michelle Frechette chats with Bernard Mayer, the Senior Director of Communications and Creative at Omnisend. Bernard, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, shares his diverse background and insights into Omnisend's innovative marketing strategies, focusing on email and SMS marketing. The discussion highlights the importance of effective customer engagement and the significant impact of automated emails. Bernard also delves into his involvement with the WordPress community, particularly through WordCamps, and emphasizes the value of creativity and community in marketing. The episode concludes with excitement for the upcoming WordCamp Asia and its enriching experiences.Top TakeawaysThe Value of Organizing and Attending WordCamps: Both Bernard Meyer and Michelle Frechette emphasized the benefits of organizing and attending WordCamps. While it's a lot of hard work, the sense of accomplishment, networking opportunities, and camaraderie with other organizers make it a fulfilling experience. Bernard highlighted how it allows remote collaborators to meet in person, which adds an exciting dimension to professional relationships.Creative Marketing Through Humor and Engagement: Bernard discussed Omnisend's approach to marketing, which involves using humor, music videos, mockumentaries, and playful storytelling. These creative strategies make their marketing campaigns memorable and engaging, showing that a bit of fun can effectively capture an audience's attention.The Accelerated Nature of Event Preparation: Both speakers noted how quickly time seems to pass when preparing for large events like WordCamp Asia. Bernard highlighted the rapid pace from early-year planning to the event date, while Michelle described it as a snowball effect that builds momentum. This reflects the importance of staying organized and proactive during event planning.Mentioned In The Show:OmnisendStellarWPRytis LaurisWPCoffeeTalkWordCamp AsiaWordCamp GermanyWordCamp USSuno AIThe PIC

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Ryan Logan from Influence WP, a platform aimed at fostering connections within the WordPress community. Ryan shares his background in IT and his transition to WordPress, highlighting Influence WP's focus on partnerships and consumer benefits. The platform offers exclusive deals and a unique "bad actor bounty program" to address industry issues. An unnamed participant contributes by asking questions and providing feedback. The discussion underscores the importance of collaboration, transparency, and community engagement within the WordPress ecosystem, showcasing Ryan's dedication to making a positive impact.Top Takeaways:About InfluenceWP: InfluenceWP is a platform designed for WordPress users, businesses, and partners to collaborate and share resources. Members can create unlimited listings to showcase deals, services, or projects. The platform aims to foster connections and encourage community growth rather than focusing solely on generating revenue. Additionally, it offers features like viral giveaways and opportunities for cross-promotion among members, making it a valuable tool for collaboration.Membership Details: Membership on InfluenceWP caters to both consumers and partners. Partners can list their offerings, such as deals and resources, while consumers benefit from accessing these opportunities. Notifications about new listings are sent through newsletters, keeping members informed and engaged. Ryan Logan, the founder, emphasizes that members are encouraged to maximize the platform's features, including interlinking listings for added visibility.Opportunities for Advertisers: InfluenceWP's newsletter presents a unique opportunity for partners to promote their offerings through paid advertisements. This feature is especially beneficial during sales periods like Black Friday, where deals are abundant. By integrating advertising into the platform's ecosystem, InfluenceWP provides an additional revenue stream for itself and its members, while also enhancing the visibility of partner contributions.Future Plans: Looking ahead, InfluenceWP aims to expand its offerings through collaborations and community-driven initiatives. Ryan envisions a future where the platform includes projects like user-generated podcasts or sponsored content. These initiatives would allow contributors to share in the success of the platform while bringing fresh ideas to its ecosystem. Ryan is committed to keeping InfluenceWP open to diverse forms of collaboration.Mentioned In The Show:influenceWPPatchstackTwitterBlueskyLinkCentralBug Bounty ProgramStellarWPWP WeeklyWP Wonder WomenMark WestguardWS Forms

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, host Michelle Frechette interviews Marcus Burnette to dive into the many exciting features of WP World, a community platform designed for WordPress professionals. Marcus, the creator of WP World, walks listeners through its dynamic features, including customizable profile pins that reflect user specialties, a robust hosting review system, and privacy options for those who prefer not to share their location.Top TakeawaysUser-Friendly Features in WP World: Marcus Burnette highlighted various user-friendly features in WP World, such as the ability to customize profile pins based on user specialties and the option to hide locations for privacy reasons. This ensures the platform remains flexible and inclusive, especially for those who prioritize privacy or are digital nomads.Community-Driven Feedback and Development: Michelle Frechette shared how user feedback directly influenced the development of WP World. For example, her suggestion to add "accessibility specialist" as an option was quickly implemented. Marcus encouraged users to request features, showing that the platform is shaped by the needs of its community.WP World's Hosting Review Platform: Marcus introduced a comprehensive hosting review system where users can rate various aspects of hosting providers, such as performance and security. This community-sourced rating system provides valuable insights for people choosing WordPress hosts and ensures transparency by preventing paid listings.Playful and Engaging Design Aspects: Marcus, as a designer, has adding fun products like the "Capital P, dang it" mug. He also shared how events like WordCamps feature their own unique " u" mascots, contributing to the platform's lighthearted and engaging atmosphere.Collaborative Community Spirit: Both Marcus and Michelle emphasized their close collaboration and support within the WordPress community. Their plans to meet at WordCamp US to further discuss ideas highlight the strong, community-driven spirit behind WP World and its events. They also invited the audience to connect with them and grab stickers at the upcoming event, showcasing their approachability.Mentioned In The Show:WP WorldWP Coffee TalkWP SpeakersSeriously Bud? PodcastBud KrausChatGPTHeroPressJavi GuembeTopher DeRosiaElementorDo the Woo PodcastWP WonderWomenWP Career PagesWordPress.orgNexcessKaty BoykinKadence Amplify

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, Michelle Frechette Danielle Zarcaro, and Isla White discuss their roles and experiences with WordPress Accessibility Day. Michelle, the lead organizer for marketing, expresses her excitement and facilitates the conversation. Danielle, a web developer, emphasizes the importance of web accessibility for all users and shares insights from her three-year involvement. Isla, the project manager, highlights the event's global impact and the collective responsibility of ensuring web accessibility. The speakers also discuss the significance of the 24-hour event format, the practical aspects of implementing accessibility, and the importance of community and sponsorships in making the event successful.Top Takeaways:Register Early for WP Accessibility Day: The event registration is open, and participants are encouraged to sign up early, even before the speaker list is finalized. This allows attendees to receive updates and stay informed about the event.Seek Guidance and Explore Accessibility: Danielle Zarcaro emphasizes the importance of seeking help and asking questions when starting with accessibility. She encourages exploring different aspects of web design and accessibility to enhance knowledge and skills.Diverse Perspectives on Accessibility: Isla Waite highlights the value of attending talks from international speakers. Gaining perspectives from around the world can greatly enrich understanding and appreciation of accessibility work.Accessibility and Aesthetics: The discussion challenges the misconception that accessible websites are inherently unattractive. Both Danielle and Isla argue that accessibility does not preclude beauty and creativity in design. They stress that accessibility can be integrated with design principles to create functional and appealing websites.User Control and Preferences: There's a focus on allowing users to control their experience, such as providing options for dark mode or animation toggles. This approach respects users' preferences and improves accessibility by accommodating different needs and settings.Mentioned In The Show:WP Accessibility DayLainey FeingoldStructured NegotiationLinkedInUnderrepresented In Tech

In this episode, Michelle Frechette and Corey Maass  engage in a lively conversation about their experiences at WordCamp US, their recent t-shirt purchases, and a collaborative project related to WordPress. They discuss the progress of their project, which involves creating a directory for plugins or products, and the challenges of designing a logo that is clear and recognizable. They also brainstorm creative ideas for the logo and share their strategies for promoting their project. The episode highlights their enthusiasm for collaboration and their commitment to making the project a success.Top Takeaways: Iterative Brainstorming Process: Both Corey and Michelle value the process of "splashing around" in ideas, acknowledging that not every concept will be a winner, but it's essential to explore and iterate to find the right solution. They emphasized the importance of keeping ideas alive and evolving them over time.IPAWP Rebranding: The Independent Plugin Alliance for WordPress was rebranded as the Independent Product Alliance for WordPress (IPAWP) to better reflect the broader scope of products they want to include. They're still in the early stages of developing this alliance and are actively seeking input and collaboration from others.Grassroots Development: Both OMGIMG and IPAWP are in grassroots development phases, with Corey and Michelle being open to new ideas and contributions. They're focused on building these initiatives in a collaborative, community-driven manner, emphasizing low-cost marketing strategies and mutual support among small WordPress product creators.Mentioned In The Show:Ross MorsaliSearch & FiltersIPA WPWP SpeakersWP Coffee TalksWP TavernWP Wonder WomanCanvaFiverr

In this episode of the Post Status Happiness Hour, Michelle Frechette sits down with Doc, a professional yo-yoer and creator of engaging content around the Fediverse. They delve into the evolution of social media platforms, exploring how different channels like Twitter, TikTok, and Mastodon offer unique ways to connect with various audiences. Doc shares insights on integrating WordPress with the Fediverse and discusses his work with Automatic, including the quirky and creative content he produces. They also touch on the importance of local community engagement and the future of social media platforms. Tune in to learn about the latest in WordPress, social media trends, and how to embrace the diverse digital landscape.Top Takeaways: Evolving Social Media Landscape: Social media platforms continually evolve, with newer platforms like TikTok and Mastodon offering different ways to connect and engage compared to older ones like Facebook and Twitter.Importance of Platform Diversity: Using a variety of social media platforms can help reach different audiences and fulfill different purposes. Doc Pop highlights the benefits of embracing both mainstream and niche platforms to connect with specific communities.Fediverse Integration: Connecting WordPress sites to the Fediverse through plugins like Activity Pub can enhance visibility and engagement within decentralized social networks, allowing content to reach broader, niche audiences.Creative Content Production: Doc Pop discusses the value of producing creative and engaging content, such as hand-drawn animations and cheesy puns, to make technical topics more accessible and enjoyable.Community Building and Local Engagement: Building and participating in local communities, whether through small events or local meetups, can be rewarding and impactful. Doc emphasizes the importance of fostering these connections in both the WordPress and yo-yo communities.Mentioned In The Show:Torque MagazineDoc PopularFacebook XTikTokMastodon ThreadsActivity PubBuddy Press FediverseReddit Automattic The VergeDoc Popular About PageFediverseThe Fediverse Files

Say thanks and learn more about our podcast sponsor Omnisend. In this episode of WP Minute+, host Matt Medeiros sits down with Cory Miller, founder of iThemes and current owner of Post Status. Cory shares insights about his new role at A2 Hosting, the challenges of burnout in the WordPress ecosystem, and how Post Status continues to operate without his day-to-day involvement.This episode provides valuable insights for WordPress professionals on navigating career transitions, managing burnout, and contributing to the WordPress ecosystem. Cory's experience as both an entrepreneur and now an employee at a hosting company offers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities within the WordPress community.Key Takeaways for WordPress Professionals:The importance of recognizing and addressing burnout in entrepreneurshipTransitioning from being a full-time entrepreneur to working for a companyThe challenges of running community-focused businesses in the WordPress ecosystemThe value of in-person events like WordCamps for community buildingThe need for sustainable funding models for WordPress media and eventsThe importance of detaching personal identity from business rolesRecognizing the changing demographics of WordPress users and community membersThe balance between taking from and giving back to the WordPress ecosystemImportant URLs mentioned:A2 HostingPost StatusiThemesCory on XChapter Titles with Timestamps:[00:00:00] Introduction and Cory's WordPress Background[00:04:00] WordCamp Canada and Community Building[00:12:00] Cory's Experience with Burnout[00:23:51] Transitioning from Entrepreneur to Employee[00:29:00] Cory's Role at A2 Hosting[00:38:00] Hosting Companies' Role in the WordPress Ecosystem[00:43:00] The Future of Post Status[00:46:00] Changing Demographics in the WordPress Community[00:49:00] Giving Back to WordPress ★ Support this podcast ★

Zach and Carl are joined by Justin Mazzi from A2 Hosting to chat about all things hosting, performance and more.

Zach and Carl are joined by Justin Mazzi from A2 Hosting to chat about all things hosting, performance and more.

Bryan finds A2 Hosting celebrating their 20th alongside WordPress. And that is 20 years of hosting stories and experience.

Bryan finds A2 Hosting celebrating their 20th alongside WordPress. And that is 20 years of hosting stories and experience.

Intro Randy weighs the options of starting your own social network, vs joining a paid operation that guarantees your privacy. The main Social Media Sites (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok) are garbage - Dumpster fires for Privacy. My solution that has worked well is to not use them, while experimenting with my own! You don't necessarily have to have a home server setup like I do Find a super-affordable web host (I've done that for this week) because I've tried about half a dozen. A2 Hosting is my now favorite, killer choice. I know a lot of techies out there would probably recommend against shared hosting, but it doesn't hurt to try it out. It's the best shared hosting I've seen. They office Softaculous auto installer for your websites that you host with A2. It works amazingly-well and saves you from all the steps that you'd do when hosting from your home network. Plus, you don't have to worry about network security as much as you would if you were hosting from your basement like I do. The installer has some social Media apps, notably HumHub, which is flat-out awesome. Or you don't have to host your own site at all. You could sign up for an account with something such as Zion, which is a social network built on Bitcoin. Another one is MeWe. Both Zion and MeWe have something that Facebook-Instagram, Twitter, Google, TikTok, etc ,etc don't: The ability to guarantee that your data isn't being sold. My conclusion is going to be that, while those privacy-centric networks I've mentioned are awesome and worth trying, the person that you likely trust the most is yourself. It's just a matter of whether or not you'd like to get your hands dirty with this kind of work. In my opinion, privacy with a side of learning is worth it! Follow our Podcast If you're a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Visit our website and leave a comment. Feel free to send me an email to randy@randyhanley.com

Rob Cairns talks about the issues with A2 Hosting, Their Backup Server and Why you need your own Backup server,

Rob Cairns talks about the issues with A2 Hosting, Their Backup Server and Why you need your own Backup server,

Erik and Bob take your questions. Pirated streaming devices are filled with malware, researchers say. South Carolina government website had a security flaw that exposed password. Cloud service provider A2 Hosting has outage for days due to malware. National Security Agency purportedly to retire telephone surveillance program. Our first caller with a nine-year-old laptop asks about recommended specifications for a new laptop. We recommend having 8 gigabytes of RAM, an Intel i7 processor, and a solid state hard drive as minimum system requirements for a new laptop. In addition, we like the HP Envy line of laptop computers. Tesla company explains their approach to self-driving cars in their "Autonomy Day" video. A caller explains his difficulties printing documents from the Internet while not on-line; we recommend using the Windows "Snipping Tool" in Windows or a "Print to PDF" function to accomplish this purpose. A user wis having slow speed issues using his computer on the Internetdespite a very fast Internet connection. We suggest he check his Ethernet cabling and configure OpenDNS for added security as well as check his Internet speed.

Interview with Bryan Muthig, CEO of A2 Hosting.

In this episode of Divi Addicts, we have the hosting battle showdown!!! A2 Hosting goes head to head with Flywheel. We discuss the pros and cons of each platform, then we give our opinion on which one is the WINNER! We want to continue this conversation with you over on twitter so find us here and let us know what you think about our winner... unless you disagree :). Just kidding, let's have a real conversation because this winner is the winner for our situation and that may not be the case for you. We want to help you choose what's right for you. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode is a Deep Dive and we're going to talk about affiliates… everything from the tech I recommend using with your own affiliate products to when, if and why to become an affiliate for another product or service. Let's start with a definition… according to Wikipedia: Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's own marketing efforts. Or in other words, Affiliate marketing is when a product or service is sold by other businesses, marketers or entities for a portion of proceeds or other compensation. Affiliate marketing is one way to extend the potential reach of your product or service outside your immediate sphere of influence. I am a huge proponent of affiliate marketing when it's done right, because then it's a win-win-win situation. On the resources page, you'll find a number of recommended tools. Most of the links on that page are affiliate links, which means that if you were to click on one, the back-end systems will track you as having come through my link and should you elect to purchase that software, service or product, I will be financially compensated by the company. Many of the virtual summits that I run with my clients include an aspect of affiliate marketing – because it's a win-win-win. Generally, the affiliate opportunity is extended to the speakers as a form of compensation for sharing their time and knowledge. The summit host extends his or her reach into the audience of the speakers and the speaker receives financial compensation. The third win comes for the purchaser from the speaker's audience, because they are signaling to the summit host that this speaker is providing value. So… how does all this affiliate tracking and stuff work? I'm so glad you asked – affiliate marketing is done through link tracking and within the browser using cookies. Cookies are tiny bits of code that sit inside your browser and transmit information from a webpage back to another website or service. These tiny bits of code don't impact the browsing experience, they are designed to provide information back to the website owner. Cookies are used everywhere, not just in affiliate marketing and tracking. But because they are browser based there are hoops that people can jump through to avoid having the cookies attached to their activity. There is actually nothing that can be done to prevent this, so affiliate marketing and other cookie tracking systems are at the mercy of best practice. A couple more things to know about cookies before we move back to affiliate marketing – since they are browser based, they don't cross from one browser to the next (like Safari to Chrome) and they don't transfer between devices which means you can have the same cookie in your phone browser and your laptop browser and they will report independently. This cookie shortcoming is the primary reason that people don't always trust their affiliate numbers… which is also the reason why good affiliate tracking systems use link tracking as well. The best way to describe link tracking is that it's the origination url for the cookie. Let's look at an example. Back in 2017 when I ran the Biz BFF Summit, I extended the affiliate opportunity to my speakers. If they chose to become affiliates, they signed up on my system and in turn, they were provided with a special and unique link to share the summit. Anytime this link was used, my affiliate tracking system tracked that click back to my affiliate, and then went on to set a cookie on the clicker's browser. My affiliates were able to put their unique link in emails, on social media, in advertising and so on. They were also able to create branded links using pretty links or shortened links using a service like bit.ly. I look for affiliate systems that use both the link tracking and cookie methods. If you're interested in setting up an affiliate program, we can do that in a Tech Strategy session. We've scratched the surface of affiliate management technology… now let's discuss the different types of technology that can help you with affiliate programs. There are four models that I'm familiar with: Third Party Shopping Cart Systems like ThriveCart Affiliate interface within your Stand-Alone SaaS product, like Thinkific or ClickFunnels WordPress plugin model, the most popular one of these is AffiliateWP Affiliate Marketing Networks like ShareASale and CJ Affliates or Commission Junction as they were previously known For your business, I would recommend using either a third party shopping cart system or the affiliate interface built into your store or content delivery platform. The key is to make sure that your affiliate piece is tied directly into the payment piece… so depending on where and how you take payments right now, that will change up how you might add affiliates into the mix. We want to keep our affiliates as close to our point of sale as possible, for simplicity and accuracy sake. If these are disparate systems then more manual processes will be required to issue affiliate commissions and to track everything, and since this is something new, it's best to start with the simple! There is one decision that needs to be made when setting up your affiliate system and that's whether to pay on “FIRST CLICK” or “LAST CLICK”. Which essentially asked the question, do you pay the first person who piqued a purchasers interest to learn more about your product or service or do you pay the last person – this is the one who gave the final nudge for your new client to actually make the purchase. For virtual summits, I recommend first click, because that incentivises speakers to send out their promotional material earlier. And in the summit model, we're sending traffic to a free summit and then giving them the opportunity to purchase extended access. For higher ticket items, such as courses or membership sites, I usually recommend last cookie because in many cases there is a greater amount of work required by your affiliates to get to the sale. We can discuss the pros and cons as we put together your affiliate system – both can and do work, it's all about making sure that your affiliates feel cared for and appreciated. One caveat -- Not every product or service is a good product or service to setup with affiliates. And not all products or services need to have the same arrangement with affiliates. Affiliate marketing can be very expensive – and in my opinion should never be used for one-to-one services or services that have a one-on-one component.  It's just too hard to generate the right amount of income from one-on-one services when you're giving an affiliate a percentage off the top. This is different than a referral fee, which can be a great marketing channel – but that conversation is for another time. I am excited and happy to discuss setting up your affiliate systems and programs, but I encourage you to work with a marketing professional to determine what offerings you have are best suited for different types of promotions. The other side of affiliate marketing is being the marketer. ... as in promotion of someone else's product with the intention of receiving compensation. On the resources page, I mostly list software and tools that I am an affiliate for. I try to keep the list concise because it doesn't benefit either of us for me to promote conflicting products. So, while there are other SaaS companies that I think are right for some clients, I want to keep my references page clean. I've said it many times on this podcast and with clients, I'm very tool agnostic. I have my favorites and those are mostly what you'll find on the resources page. I always strive to implement the best tool for you and your business now and into the future. That's why I did an entire episode on Zapier last week – and they don't even have an affiliate program available. When it comes to affiliate marketing, the number one thing we must always remember to do is to fully disclose any relationships we undertake. So, you'll see on the resources page that I have disclosed that many of the links on that page are affiliate links. Affiliate links can be used inside email as well as on website pages or anywhere else you can share a link… it's important to consistently and regularly disclose that you may be compensated. I think it's pretty easy for you to understand how, when and why I use affiliate links within my business – quite simply, if I'm already recommending a product and they offer to pay me for leads I send to them then it's advantageous to me to setup the relationship. There are affiliate opportunities that make sense in just about every industry. I challenge you to come up with 3 possible affiliations that would benefit your business and your audience. Share those in the Tech of Business community on Facebook which you can access from https://techofbusiness.com/community/ As always, I have a reason for creating episodes on the podcast – in episode 38 we discussed why crowd sourcing your tech might not be the best way to get tech recommendations and to lean on your trusted adviser and inner circle instead. And affiliate relationships are part of the reason this is extra important. Both from the side of not wanting to get recommendations based solely on compensation for the recommender and for making sure that compensation does occur for the people who you rely on for advice and recommendations. My top three affiliate relationships are Thinkific, ActiveCampaign and A2 Hosting. When I share these services with you, and you choose to sign up for them, I sincerely hope you will thank me for the recommendation by clicking through my unique affiliate link. Sure, I like the compensation, and have an affiliate revenue goal each year, but the other reason I appreciate your clicking through from my link is to show the service provider that I'm a valuable affiliate. Let's wrap up with this... Affiliate marketing's distinct advantage is that it is built on trust between the marketer and their audience. The product or service being promoted benefits from this high level of trust. As you get into affiliate marketing, remember that it's all about trust. Pick products or services that you can get 100% behind and share those authentically and enthusiastically and regularly! And in your business, if you have products you'd like to setup with affiliates, be sure to know what types of audiences you want to reach and find the best affiliates to partner with. And, when new tech needs arise in your business, please reach out to me as your trusted tech adviser and together we will find the best right tech for your business – whether affiliate relationship or not. Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you inside the Tech of Business Community!

This episode is a Deep Dive and we’re going to talk about affiliates… everything from the tech I recommend using with your own affiliate products to when, if and why to become an affiliate for another product or service. Let’s start with a definition… according to Wikipedia: Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's own marketing efforts. Or in other words, Affiliate marketing is when a product or service is sold by other businesses, marketers or entities for a portion of proceeds or other compensation. Affiliate marketing is one way to extend the potential reach of your product or service outside your immediate sphere of influence. I am a huge proponent of affiliate marketing when it’s done right, because then it’s a win-win-win situation. On the resources page, you’ll find a number of recommended tools. Most of the links on that page are affiliate links, which means that if you were to click on one, the back-end systems will track you as having come through my link and should you elect to purchase that software, service or product, I will be financially compensated by the company. Many of the virtual summits that I run with my clients include an aspect of affiliate marketing – because it’s a win-win-win. Generally, the affiliate opportunity is extended to the speakers as a form of compensation for sharing their time and knowledge. The summit host extends his or her reach into the audience of the speakers and the speaker receives financial compensation. The third win comes for the purchaser from the speaker’s audience, because they are signaling to the summit host that this speaker is providing value. So… how does all this affiliate tracking and stuff work? I’m so glad you asked – affiliate marketing is done through link tracking and within the browser using cookies. Cookies are tiny bits of code that sit inside your browser and transmit information from a webpage back to another website or service. These tiny bits of code don’t impact the browsing experience, they are designed to provide information back to the website owner. Cookies are used everywhere, not just in affiliate marketing and tracking. But because they are browser based there are hoops that people can jump through to avoid having the cookies attached to their activity. There is actually nothing that can be done to prevent this, so affiliate marketing and other cookie tracking systems are at the mercy of best practice. A couple more things to know about cookies before we move back to affiliate marketing – since they are browser based, they don’t cross from one browser to the next (like Safari to Chrome) and they don’t transfer between devices which means you can have the same cookie in your phone browser and your laptop browser and they will report independently. This cookie shortcoming is the primary reason that people don’t always trust their affiliate numbers… which is also the reason why good affiliate tracking systems use link tracking as well. The best way to describe link tracking is that it’s the origination url for the cookie. Let’s look at an example. Back in 2017 when I ran the Biz BFF Summit, I extended the affiliate opportunity to my speakers. If they chose to become affiliates, they signed up on my system and in turn, they were provided with a special and unique link to share the summit. Anytime this link was used, my affiliate tracking system tracked that click back to my affiliate, and then went on to set a cookie on the clicker’s browser. My affiliates were able to put their unique link in emails, on social media, in advertising and so on. They were also able to create branded links using pretty links or shortened links using a service like bit.ly. I look for affiliate systems that use both the link tracking and cookie methods. If you’re interested in setting up an affiliate program, we can do that in a Tech Strategy session. We’ve scratched the surface of affiliate management technology… now let’s discuss the different types of technology that can help you with affiliate programs. There are four models that I’m familiar with: Third Party Shopping Cart Systems like ThriveCart Affiliate interface within your Stand-Alone SaaS product, like Thinkific or ClickFunnels WordPress plugin model, the most popular one of these is AffiliateWP Affiliate Marketing Networks like ShareASale and CJ Affliates or Commission Junction as they were previously known For your business, I would recommend using either a third party shopping cart system or the affiliate interface built into your store or content delivery platform. The key is to make sure that your affiliate piece is tied directly into the payment piece… so depending on where and how you take payments right now, that will change up how you might add affiliates into the mix. We want to keep our affiliates as close to our point of sale as possible, for simplicity and accuracy sake. If these are disparate systems then more manual processes will be required to issue affiliate commissions and to track everything, and since this is something new, it’s best to start with the simple! There is one decision that needs to be made when setting up your affiliate system and that’s whether to pay on “FIRST CLICK” or “LAST CLICK”. Which essentially asked the question, do you pay the first person who piqued a purchasers interest to learn more about your product or service or do you pay the last person – this is the one who gave the final nudge for your new client to actually make the purchase. For virtual summits, I recommend first click, because that incentivises speakers to send out their promotional material earlier. And in the summit model, we’re sending traffic to a free summit and then giving them the opportunity to purchase extended access. For higher ticket items, such as courses or membership sites, I usually recommend last cookie because in many cases there is a greater amount of work required by your affiliates to get to the sale. We can discuss the pros and cons as we put together your affiliate system – both can and do work, it’s all about making sure that your affiliates feel cared for and appreciated. One caveat -- Not every product or service is a good product or service to setup with affiliates. And not all products or services need to have the same arrangement with affiliates. Affiliate marketing can be very expensive – and in my opinion should never be used for one-to-one services or services that have a one-on-one component.  It’s just too hard to generate the right amount of income from one-on-one services when you’re giving an affiliate a percentage off the top. This is different than a referral fee, which can be a great marketing channel – but that conversation is for another time. I am excited and happy to discuss setting up your affiliate systems and programs, but I encourage you to work with a marketing professional to determine what offerings you have are best suited for different types of promotions. The other side of affiliate marketing is being the marketer. ... as in promotion of someone else’s product with the intention of receiving compensation. On the resources page, I mostly list software and tools that I am an affiliate for. I try to keep the list concise because it doesn’t benefit either of us for me to promote conflicting products. So, while there are other SaaS companies that I think are right for some clients, I want to keep my references page clean. I’ve said it many times on this podcast and with clients, I’m very tool agnostic. I have my favorites and those are mostly what you’ll find on the resources page. I always strive to implement the best tool for you and your business now and into the future. That’s why I did an entire episode on Zapier last week – and they don’t even have an affiliate program available. When it comes to affiliate marketing, the number one thing we must always remember to do is to fully disclose any relationships we undertake. So, you’ll see on the resources page that I have disclosed that many of the links on that page are affiliate links. Affiliate links can be used inside email as well as on website pages or anywhere else you can share a link… it’s important to consistently and regularly disclose that you may be compensated. I think it’s pretty easy for you to understand how, when and why I use affiliate links within my business – quite simply, if I’m already recommending a product and they offer to pay me for leads I send to them then it’s advantageous to me to setup the relationship. There are affiliate opportunities that make sense in just about every industry. I challenge you to come up with 3 possible affiliations that would benefit your business and your audience. Share those in the Tech of Business community on Facebook which you can access from https://techofbusiness.com/community/ As always, I have a reason for creating episodes on the podcast – in episode 38 we discussed why crowd sourcing your tech might not be the best way to get tech recommendations and to lean on your trusted adviser and inner circle instead. And affiliate relationships are part of the reason this is extra important. Both from the side of not wanting to get recommendations based solely on compensation for the recommender and for making sure that compensation does occur for the people who you rely on for advice and recommendations. My top three affiliate relationships are Thinkific, ActiveCampaign and A2 Hosting. When I share these services with you, and you choose to sign up for them, I sincerely hope you will thank me for the recommendation by clicking through my unique affiliate link. Sure, I like the compensation, and have an affiliate revenue goal each year, but the other reason I appreciate your clicking through from my link is to show the service provider that I’m a valuable affiliate. Let’s wrap up with this... Affiliate marketing’s distinct advantage is that it is built on trust between the marketer and their audience. The product or service being promoted benefits from this high level of trust. As you get into affiliate marketing, remember that it’s all about trust. Pick products or services that you can get 100% behind and share those authentically and enthusiastically and regularly! And in your business, if you have products you’d like to setup with affiliates, be sure to know what types of audiences you want to reach and find the best affiliates to partner with. And, when new tech needs arise in your business, please reach out to me as your trusted tech adviser and together we will find the best right tech for your business – whether affiliate relationship or not. Have a great rest of your day and I’ll see you inside the Tech of Business Community!

In this episode, Jason and Bridget discuss the partnership with Jetpack and A2 Hosting and how it impacts the WordPress space. Who benefits and why. Marketing to agencies or end users? Who is the audience and what does Automattic and A2 Hosting have to gain?Jetpack announces strategic partnership with A2 Hosting - bizjournals.com - Partnership will allow A2 Hosting customers to use Jetpack Personal at no additional costDreamHost to include Jetpack Professional with Advanced DreamPress Packages - globenewswire.comWPWebHost to Include Jetpack Premium with its Managed WordPress Hosting - prweb.comRecommended WordPress and Jetpack Hosting Providers - jetpack.comCheck the comments on Bridget's post on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/bridget.willard/posts/10156775585801614 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SUMMARY: Welcome to Remove Before Flight where we help prepare Veterans to start, grow or scale a business. Every Sunday Kevin will share an interview with a successful business owner, or a service organization which can help you along your journey, when possible the interviewee will also be a veteran or Remove Before Flight will feature a marketing training to help you make you business a success.  If you liked this episode please share with your friends and family!   In this episode things get real. Paige is back and this time she is the host of the show spinning the table around by interviewing her dad about entrepreneurship.   IN THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: Learn our host, Kevin Fairbanks' views on Entrepreneurship Keeping Yourself Educated Kevin's Golden Rule     LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Get Your Copy of Head Space and Timing: Veteran Mental Health from a Combat Veteran Perspective Today! Purple Heart Day: Honoring Our Soldiers a blog post I had the pleasure of writing for EarQ.   FREE Website SEO Audit Visit PinkTieTech and click on the pink button in the bottom right corner that says "Send a free SEO audit report for my site".   Veterans Hearing Study   RBF NATION: You listen to the show, now JOIN THE NATION Book A Call With Kevin (Veterati) Be A Guest on Remove Before Flight Hire Kevin for your Website or Marketing Needs Veteran Entrepreneur Mastermind PinkTie Technology Group Social Media Posting Plans  - Coupon Code: RBF-001   A2 Hosting   Give back to Veterans who give back to Veterans!    Hey, It's Eddie and Bennett! Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section or you can leave me a message about this episode by going to http://ChangeYourPOV.com/AskEddie   If you enjoy the show I sure hope you'll subscribe and download a bunch of episodes on iTunes.   All these shows are free to download and listen to and we don't ask for donations or anything to create this show. But if you'd like to totally make our day... we would be forever grateful if you would be so kind as to leave an honest review on iTunes.   If you are new to reviews and need a little help, you can go to LEAVE A REVIEW and we will walk you through that step-by-step. Thank you in advance for doing that!  – plus, we read each and every one of them! Please share this episode with your friends and family!

This week I share how and why to customize your Post Title and Post content area Upcoming Events WordCamp London  – March 17th – 19th WordCamp Bordeaux – March 18th WordCamp Atlanta – March 18-19 WordCamp St. Louis – March 18 Segment 1: In the News Clef to shut down. A2 Hosting now auto installing…

This week I share how and why to customize your Post Title and Post content area Upcoming Events WordCamp London  – March 17th – 19th WordCamp Bordeaux – March 18th WordCamp Atlanta – March 18-19 WordCamp St. Louis – March 18 Segment 1: In the News Clef to shut down. A2 Hosting now auto installing…

This walks through the process of signing up for our preferred web hosting partners. In this second screencast of this series, Dan signs up for a hosting account (and domain name) and published a website with A2 Hosting. http://c.karelia.com/a2