In our Digg nightmare post, I may have volunteered myself to be skewered by the Web Hosting Consortium Concerned With Propagating Misunderstood Buzz Words (or WHCCWPMBW for short). That consortium may not actually exist, but the hosting industry is full of fully qualified, prospective members. As a rapidly-growing web host, Site5 negotiates great deals with our vendors. This allows us to get incredible servers for low prices, and we subsequently pass the extra dough on to our customers (for examples, visit our Specials page). An unfortunate side-effect of offering “Totally Ridiculous” deals in web hosting is the common assumption that your service to these deals will be horrible (both server-wise and support-wise): A “You get what you pay for” mentality. Site5 has been extremely successful simply because we try to provide the most hosting value per dollar in the industry.
I am sure if you opened this post with the expectation of hearing what I have to say about overselling, you are thinking that I will dance around the issue for another few paragraphs, but I just have one more bit of dancing before I get to overselling:
Now that Will The Thrill and Bugaloo Shrimp have primed the pump for me, I can explain the post title’s reference. If you don’t need me to explain where the title came from or what the next four words in the script were, you get twenty-seven bonus points and an automatic friendship with me. For the majority of the people reading this post that find my random movie references annoying and overly-obscure, I will shed light on the quote and add another “must see” movie to the growing list you started if you are an avid Site5 Weblog reader: The quote is from Antitrust:
“The answer is not in the box, it’s in the band.”
Now I am not much of a programmer (though I do find it funny that they scroll HTML in the opening credits of a programming-themed movie), so I am not sure how that programming thought fit into the nurv+ synapse contraption, but it is extremely functional in describing the common overselling misconception.
Overselling, simply, is selling more of some thing than what you have available currently (commonly in web hosting: bandwidth and disk space). I have seen people debate the practice of overselling in several web hosting forums, and often I see posts that say “overselling isn’t a problem… managing the overselling is a problem.” It’s a matter of overselling v. overcrowding/overloading. There are bottlenecks when it comes to a server’s performance, but those bottlenecks aren’t related to the bandwidth available to the box or the amount of disk space on the box.
As some other authoritative blog posts have explained, usage among customers on a single box varies dramatically. Our plan limits are based on historical usage averages and a detailed evaluation of the competitive industry landscape, and the industry has clearly proven disk space and bandwidth to be commodities to be sold in bulk. Joe Not-Overselling’s server will not necessarily perform any better than Jane Oversell-Like-Crazy’s server, and even though you feel all warm and fuzzy inside about having your own dedicated space on an essentially empty server (if our historical numbers are any indication), you are in a shared environment, and shared environments can get a little messy if people are allowed to hog the server’s resources…(As a side-note, this is the first time I have used the verb “to hog” since I was in 3rd grade and we had an ice cream party at the end of the year, and for reference, Jason did hog the Cookies ‘n’ Cream, so he brought it on himself.)
If the answer’s not in the box, then what is the band?
If the bottlenecks are not at the disk space or bandwidth levels, where are they? That’s where we cannot reveal too much information. The Site5 management team was taken to a secluded island in the Pacific to be taught the intricacies of hosting dynamics by Pei Mei’s web hosting cousin, Pei Yu. Needless to say, after carrying buckets of water up ridiculously steep stairs for no real reason whatsoever, we shall not forget what we learned in our training… We have a homegrown automated system that monitors, evaluates, and notifies us of any server activity that may jeopardize the performance of any of our boxes; we hand-pick the best hardware and software technologies to build each of our servers; we provide extensive service quality guarantees to all of our customers. What more can you ask for?
If you are snickering in the back of the class, whispering “No one else on my server” to that rhetorical question, imagine I am giving you the stern “The teacher knows it is you that was talking, but instead of calling you out on it, he/she will just burn a hole through your head with his/her eyes” glare, and I will discuss our prices (and if you weren’t snickering or whispering, you have my permission to give an upward-inflected “oooOOOHHHH” as you would do when someone got busted in elementary school).
Site5’s $5 Hosting Deal is phenomenal. It is unbelievable. It is not, however, “too good to be true.” Our pricing structure is simple:
We know the cost of maintaining an account of each type on our servers.
We don’t spend ridiculous amounts of money on advertising, which translates directly into lower prices without sacrificing any of our product’s greatness.
We price our plans competitively in the industry.
Things get cheaper, and we offer even better deals as time goes on.
Customers like what they see and frequently sign up.
The Bottom Line
Not much rocket science is involved in web hosting. However, in the event that we need to consult a rocket scientist on a hosting question, Matt has a dedicated line to a NASA employee with the necessary connections to get the question answered… assuming he didn’t recently neglect her for 48 hours while on a programming binge.
Site5 has a commitment to providing a quality hosting experience. Site5 gets good deals on good servers. Site5 has empirical proof to back up our current plan limits v. customer volume strategy. Site5 keeps non-hosting-related expenses to a minimum. You, the customer, get an inexpensive plan on a quality server with money-back guarantees to ensure your happiness. You should sign up with Site5.
by Matt Lightner, November 20th, 2006 | 11 Comments
I’m one of several people who watch Site5’s careers email address, which means I see quite a few job applications–especially with our current search for systems administrators. The quality of applications we receive obviously varies, but I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: terrible (or entirely absent) cover letters. And I’m not even being picky here. I’m not expecting a full, formal cover letter; I’m referring to essentially any writing that accompanies a resume, even if it’s as simple as: “Hi, my name is Joe Smith and I’m interested in the position.”
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I don’t even get as far as opening the (hopefully) attached resume on probably 90% of the applications we receive. While I expect all applications to include a resume, I also expect that said resumes will contain their fair share of BS (hey, I’ve helped people write resumes before). But when an applicant’s basic introductory paragraph is littered with grammar errors or ridiculous diction, it’s straight to the round file. If someone can’t formulate a few fluent, human-sounding sentences for a job application, I absolutely don’t want them interacting with our customers, much less having administrative privileges on our servers.
Now I know this is just giving away our secret screening process and will only make our selection process more challenging, but I feel compelled post a few “tips” for would-be applicants:
Make sure your application is free of grammar errors! I can’t stress this point enough. Grammar errors on a job application are a dead giveaway that the applicant either a) isn’t educated, b) isn’t even intelligent enough to fake it or c) doesn’t have command of the English language–all of which are requirements for working at Site5. You’d be amazed how few error-free applications we receive. Here’s a big hint: if any part of your application is grammatically incorrect, you will not get the job. It’s as simple as that. There are tons of resources that will help you here. I have Paul Brians’ common English errors catalog set as a Firefox quick link. If you have even half of those down, you’re in pretty good shape!
Don’t just send us a blank email with your resume attached. Write at least a paragraph explaining who you are and why you’re interested in the job. We don’t want someone who is simply shotgunning their application to as many companies as possible. If you don’t even have the time tailor your application to the job, you’re wasting our time. Indicate in some way that you, in the very least, looked at our website before applying.
Don’t use absurd language. The use of phrases like “Dear Respected Sir or Madam” and “esteemed organization” is a red flag. It tells us that you probably don’t know much English. I’m not sure if someone, somewhere is actually advocating the use of this odd verbiage, or if it’s just the result of a poor Babelfish translation, but at Site5 we look for people who speak and write like, well, like real people. You’re not applying for a Shakespearean actor position, so don’t write like one (although we will have such a position opening up soon).
Don’t be cheesy or overly-flattering. I know Site5 is a great company, but I have a hard time buying that it’s been your lifelong dream to work here. You can just be honest: “I know of Site5 and I like what I’ve seen.”
Don’t use your stock email signature. It’s tantamount handing someone your business card at an interview… or something weird like that. I don’t want to know what you do right now–a job application is more about want to do in the future (which, since you’re applying, I assume to be “get a job at Site5″). Besides, you should already have your current position listed on your resume. Instead of a 10 line signature with all of seven of your phone numbers (or 12 if you’re Todd, our COO), your current job title and your employer’s tagline, close your emails with a simple “Best Regards,\nYour Name” (oh, and you should know what “\n” means if you’re applying for a systems administration position).
Use an email address that matches your name in some way. Don’t email your resume from 1337h4×0r@yourdomain.com, and definitely don’t sign your emails with some kind of handle or nickname. Remember, you’re applying for a job. As in… a job. I guess there’s no other way to put it. Save your leetspeak for your IRC buddies.
Double check to make sure your resume is actually attached. First impressions count, and nothing says “I’m careless” like forgetting to attach your resume to a job application.
Be creative, and a little bit informal (but still professional). We’re a fun and creative group here. Writing an impersonal, formal cover letter isn’t nearly as impressive as writing a letter that conveys both your personality and professionalism. This is where we can very easily tell the good candidates from the average ones.
And remember: these are just the bare minimum expectations. This isn’t a secret formula that guarantees you a job, or even an interview. It’s simply a way to ensure that we spend more than 2.718 seconds looking at your application.
Have your own tips on what to do and what not to do when applying for a job? Post a comment and share your wisdom!
So… I was sitting at my computer at about 10:30pm PST tonight, and I noticed in a Digg-watching widget on my homepage that a story was called “$5 = 55GB (web space) + 5TB (transfer) + 55 (domains),” and it was at the top of Digg’s front page. I thought to myself, “Self (because that’s what I call myself when I think to myself), Site5 has a deal just like that one… That’s funny…” I voyaged over to the Digg page about the story and saw that it was, in fact, talking about our “Totally Ridiculous $5 Web Hosting Deal.” It was awesome to see the attention our plan got when someone (Digg user d0rmsl0b, actually) dugg the deal and it garnered the attention of the all-seeing, all-knowing Digg monster.
Recently, our corporate blog was dugg to the front page when we posted an article about “Apple’s Time Machine, Site5’s Flashback, and a 1981 DeLorean,” so we were anticipating the throngs of Digg fanatics checking out our hosting deal… PHP on Site5’s Corporate Site was not anticipating those throngs, though. About 15 minutes into the digg, we were still at the top of the front page, but the tides turned… Our site’s Digg changed from being “A Web Host’s Dream” to being “A Web Host’s Nightmare” in the blink of an eye (and destruction of a server).
You can read the comments from the Digg users about how horrible of a web host we are for not surviving the Digg Effect (called “The Slashdot Effect” in the Wikipedia article for the same reason, referring to a similar traffic spike coming from Slashdot.org), and you can bet that we were both frustrated and embarrassed by our corporate site’s server going offline as a result of the tidal wave of traffic. Coincidentally for us (and perhaps an act of the internet gods), at this time, the story dropped off of Digg’s front page either because some kind soul at Digg wanted to hide the web hosting company’s site crashing or some of the often-hesitant Digg users thought that we submitted the deal to Digg ourselves as some kind of advertising spam. While we did not submit that story ourselves, it is a bit of a blessing in disguise that the story was buried when it was, given the server’s crash… Speaking of servers crashing, if you haven’t watched our Server Toss in a while, you should go check it out again… it’s always good times.
What happened?
Essentially, PHP PHPwned us.
Our site predominantly consists of .php pages, and each one of those pages dynamically connects to our server/databases to pull our site’s index content. This process is exceptionally useful to maintain a dynamic site, but with a flood of traffic, PHP essentially ate several GBs of RAM and closed off all connections when the server ran out of available memory. The result: www.site5.com is inaccessible, and every user on Digg smiles to him/herself with the intention of writing a witty “Man, they should probably get a new web host that can handle the traffic” comment. These jabs are certainly well-deserved, and we can’t do anything but take them in stride.
How did we fix it?
While we are not immediately throwing down the gauntlet for Digg with the message, “Do Your Worst,” the Digg incident brought about immediate changes in the way our site is hosted (following an immediate wake-up call to a few of the folks working for Site5 on the East coast). We have cached several of our highest-trafficked dynamic .php pages into .html files that do not communicate as extensively with the page’s server, and we are using this traffic-induced crash to re-evaluate our entire site sub-structure.
Thank you to everyone that dugg the $5 Deal. We hope we can be a bit more accommodating to your traffic the next time the elite of digital world notice Site5’s deals.
Now we know how Costco.com felt after being taken down for several hours following their initial sale offer of Sony’s Playstation 3 yesterday.
P.S. People continue to try and call us out for overselling when they see our $5 hosting deal. While I tried covering the topic in a previous post and several other hosting companies have done the same, I will write a post to explain the “Why?” and “How?” of Site5’s plan structure and hosting prices along with several overselling myths and truths within the next week or so. Until then, please understand that Site5’s goal has always been to maximize the productivity of each server and provide an excellent hosting experience for each customer.
Shhh… Be vewwwy vewwwy quiet… We’re Hunting Linux/cPanel Systems Administrators (Remote / Telecommute)…
Site5 is once again on the hunt for some very exceptional people. If you’re looking for a challenging career in the web hosting industry as a Linux System Administrator, Site5 is the company for you. One thing to keep in mind–-Site5 is not your average company. Site5 is filled with talented people and teams that like and want to work. Site5 is progressive, original and proactive. Site5 is exceptional and we’re in need of exceptional people.
How do we create such a dynamic and enjoyable work environment?
We only hire great people.
Our employees are dependable and reliable.
We encourage learning additional skills.
The management team actually cares.
Sound like a company you’d like to be part of? Excellent–because we’d love to meet you!
System Administrators at Site5 are an integral part of our success. Our administrators keep our site, our clients sites and our infrastructure in amazing condition. You will be responsible & part of a shift based team that analyzes and finds solutions for daily issues that arise in our server fleet.
System Administrators are also responsible for direct, front-end support for all of our valued clients. Our clients expect & deserve the best possible support when an issue arises with their account/service/server, etc.
Like most employees at Site5, you will sport many hats throughout your day. Some include, but are not limited to, Site5 evangelist, customer service guru and master Linux sysadmin. Edit: Removed duplicate sentence per Rob’s comment on this post.
Our work environment is fast paced & progressive. The prerequisites for this position include strong troubleshooting / problem solving skill (Linux & basic hardware), a hardcore knowledge of Linux & networked environments, impeccable customer service abilities as well as the ability to learn / pickup new applications/concepts/ideas at a very rapid pace.
Very strong communication skills, interpersonal skills & scripting skills are paramount.
Essentials to apply for the Site5 Sr. System Administration position:
2+ years experience as a Linux Systems Administrator in a production environment.
Experience on help desks is a plus.
Experience in the web hosting industry.
Proven technical troubleshooting experience.
Experience with Apache 1.3/2, PHP 4/5, MySQL 4 or Exim is a plus.
Excellent written & verbal communication skills.
Hardcore Linux experience in a production environment is a plus.
We are currently looking to fill all shifts.
Please send a text (ASCII) or HTML version of your resume to careers (at) site5 (dot) com with the subject line: Systems Administrator - Remote (2QT-11132006).
Selected applicants will receive a one-time cash bonus upon successful completion of our initial probationary period. Cash bonuses range from $2,000.00 USD - $5,000.00 USD depending on shift & qualifications.
Site5 Internet Solutions, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
Site5 does NOT accept resumes from agencies or similar. Please do not remit invoices to our contact email address, physical mailing address, fax or to any of our employees or contractors. Site5 will not be held responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/correspondence.
Star Date: 1312.4: A look at what Flashback can do for you.
I don’t know why I started this post with “Star Date,” but it seems like a good way to express the inner-geek in all of us. Based on my 8-second Google search, I chose (with a 50% confidence level) the first “Star Date” mentioned in the Star Trek series. Ardent Trekkies will probably have me shot and killed if that claim is made incorrectly, so I am open to correction if it is found to be necessary.
Back to the real intent of the post: “What can Flashback do for you?” (What’s that you say about some United Parcel Service tagline? Never heard of it…) Our initial re-announcement about Flashback, a certain cult-classic car, and an upcoming release from what would seem to be a very large fruit company garnered a bit of attention from the tech universe, but a resounding sentiment was echoed back to us:
“That looks like awesome system, but I don’t understand how I could use it.”
Rather than go through miles of paperwork with the folks at the United Artists studio to secure Tom Cruise in what I believe to be a great idea for Mission Impossible 4: Explaining what Flashback Can Do Without Excessive Marketing Hype, a blog post may be a bit quicker and a lot less religiously charged.
Three Simple and Practical Uses Of Flashback
A Life Saver for Website Updates
Whether you are a webmaster-in-training or a seasoned veteran, you know the trials and tribulations inherent in making major changes to your website’s code. Flashback can function as a “Peace of Mind” resource in case your site didn’t quite come together in a production environment as you laid it out in Photoshop (or in a more “What you see is what you theoretically should get” app like Frontpage).
Seasons of Sites
Without going to the Clark W. Griswold school of Seasonal Decoration, you can make subtle changes to your site during seasonal period and easily revert back to the original look later.
You would upload the seasonal images, “overwriting” the current versions and flash back to the originals when you are done with the seasonal images. IMPORTANT NOTE: This functionality does not mean it is okay to have crazy blinking graphics or eye-sore colors at any time of the year.
Track the Changes to Your Site
With Flashback, you will be able to monitor the changes being made to your site and reverse them if necessary. This could be particularly useful if you work on a site with other people and sometimes have the need to undo the damage they have done… Newton’s first law of motions (or website damage) says that an object in motion (or website that gets ruined) will stay in motion (or stay ruined) until it is acted on by an unbalanced force (or webmaster with l33t Flashback skillz). You can’t argue with physics… Unless you are Chuck Norris.
These are only a few of the ways Flashback will make your hosting life easier. Whether you want to have a pink version of your site (which we have had in the past) or you like the idea of being able to return to a stable site if you get a little too ambitious with your site changes, Flashback will be there to help you out.
P.S. The title is only semi-related… This post talks about what Flashback can do for you, but a statement like that is just inherently humorous.
