Family Web Hosting - The Next Big Thing?

I remember a time not long ago when books were the primary resource for homework and families kept in touch with friends and relatives by mail and telephone. Today, where would we be without our instant messaging, online libraries, ecommerce and email? The internet facilitates a whole new level of learning and connectivity, changing the lives of people who use it.

But is that all it offers? Have connected families reached the pinnacle of what the web can do for them?

I don't think so. The families of today keep the internet at arm's length, never really interacting or contributing to what could be a truly global community. I believe the next step for families is to establish an identity online, whether it's to tell the world about themselves, to bring friends and family together, or even just to protect their family name.

Family web hosting is a niche industry getting far too little attention. The big problem is that few families know anything about web hosting or what it can do for them. Perhaps they see it as something for businesses to worry about or that token amount of web space that ISPs throw in with their accounts. Or, perhaps it represents the fancy Flash site that a neighbor's tech-savvy child put together for a school project.

Sadly, families with this mistaken impression are missing out on an explosive opportunity for learning and family growth. Just what can web site hosting offer the connected family? Well, let's start off with the domain name. A domain name secures and protects a family's online identity, bringing with it an entirely new level of personalized communication. With their own domain names, families have a portable address that they can keep no matter what ISP or job they're with, and it makes email addresses so much easier for family and friends to remember. Not only that, but hosting companies offer far more storage than ISP accounts. Large files can be sent easily by email and families will no longer have to worry about their mail boxes overflowing while away on vacation.

Continue to Page 2