Personal Website

[kevsboredagain]

The former belongs to someone else and the latter to me.

And this is a good thing. So long as you've got a backup of your website, if your hosting goes down then you can always move your backups to a new host and change the domain name to point to the new hosting server.

If your developer loses interest and walks off with the name, how do you obtain a backup? Some sites are not so easy to backup if they include databases or configuration files. You would need full cooperation from your developer for this part too.

[Vince]

And this is why I keep banging on about CMSs. I use akeeba for Joomla, which does a total zip of all php files, databases etc into a .jpa file and moves the whole lot, daily to my Amazon S3 account.

To date I must have 4 months of backups on there, each about 60mb in size. The cost of all this storage? Last bill was a whopping $1.25!

I know my hosts do backups 4 times a day to offsite storage, but it doesn't help to have my own backup too. None of it was difficult to setup and it's lovely to have that extra peace of mind.

[kevsboredagain]

And this is why I keep banging on about CMSs. I use akeeba for Joomla, which does a total zip of all php files, databases etc into a .jpa file and moves the whole lot, daily to my Amazon S3 account.

To date I must have 4 months of backups on there, each about 60mb in size. The cost of all this storage? Last bill was a whopping $1.25!

I know my hosts do backups 4 times a day to offsite storage, but it doesn't help to have my own backup too. None of it was difficult to setup and it's lovely to have that extra peace of mind.

I too make automatic backup of sites and databases, every day, if a change is detected, to cloud and remote storage but this doesn't mean the client receives them or would have any idea of what to do with them even if they did have them.

I would say the developer has almost total control here.

[Vince]

I would say the developer has almost total control here.

The bill payer (i.e. the client) is the person paying for the service and they'd be wise to insist something similar to ensure they have regular backups of the site which are under their own control.

[Nemo]

I have a weekly back up to dropbox, set up by my webguy. I doubt I could do what was needed with it, but at least I've got it and could pay someone else to produce a new site with it.

[Casscat]

I'm sorry, this is WAY beyond me. I don't have a 'developer'. I am a simple person with simple needs. I have a web site which is hosted via PMP - with which I am very happy and for which I pay a modest subscription. I know that if I do not pay my subscription they will consign my web page to the flames and I will have to start from scratch somewhere else. Aside from that I have my domain, and again having paid for that I can carry it around with me for as long as I pay my subs. Where exactly is my risk? I'm not so dumb that I cannot recreate a web site somewhere else if my current one fries and it might actually shake me up and cause me to be more inventive. I've seen web sites that look like they haven't been updated since Bill Gates was in short trousers.

[kevsboredagain]

I'm sorry, this is WAY beyond me. I don't have a 'developer'. I am a simple person with simple needs. I have a web site which is hosted via PMP - with which I am very happy and for which I pay a modest subscription. I know that if I do not pay my subscription they will consign my web page to the flames and I will have to start from scratch somewhere else. Aside from that I have my domain, and again having paid for that I can carry it around with me for as long as I pay my subs. Where exactly is my risk? I'm not so dumb that I cannot recreate a web site somewhere else if my current one fries and it might actually shake me up and cause me to be more inventive. I've seen web sites that look like they haven't been updated since Bill Gates was in short trousers.

The discussion had turned into what would happen to not only your domain name but your web site if it was designed by someone else. This doesn't really apply to PMP. If PMP vanished, so would your site. You already know that and accept that as your risk, which is fine.

I think if the client has all these worries about someone they've paid to make a site for them, then they've chosen the wrong person. There has to be trust on both sides. That's how business works.

Legally, the client should have little problem retaining a domain name they have paid for, whether they are the current registered owner or not. There are procedures in place to ensure developers don't steal domain names. All you have to do is prove you have paid someone to take out the name on your behalf and make your site.

[kevsboredagain]

I think it's clear that there are a 101 ways to create a website for a holiday rental and each has pros and cons. The pros and cons are not the same for everyone.

Therefore, you must decide what exactly you need and evaluate different options for these needs. The choice will also depend on your own technical abilities, your own time and your budget and maybe even future plans.

There is no one best solution for everyone and we all agree on that.

[Normandie]

I think if the client has all these worries about someone they've paid to make a site for them, then they've chosen the wrong person. There has to be trust on both sides. That's how business works.

This may have been touched on earlier in the thread, I can't remember (and am too lazy to go back and look) but it would also be sensible for anyone whose website is managed by a one-person developer to enquire what arrangements are in place should developer suddenly be taken ill or die.

It's not that I'm the eternal pessimist (quite the opposite ) but in view of a discussion we've had on another thread about what we'd do if we were suddenly unable to run our businesses, this also applies to small businesses who are paid to do things for us - like web designers / developers. It's one thing if the local boulangerie closes down - I'll go elsewhere for our morning baguette - but if a website suddenly became unavailable for updates, for eg, because the designer wasn't available for a while, it would be... irritating.

So if you have a one (or even two) person band managing things for you, it might be worth enquiring what arrangements they have in place should they have a personal emergency.

[Nemo]

Very true Normandie. This was brought home to me this week when a friend suddenly died within 10 days of a cancer diagnosis.

Casscat, don't worry about your situation, as said with PMP you're reasonably safe, but for many others reading this now or at a later date, it's really worth understanding these issues when creating a website. I spent months building mine last year as it's relatively complex, being the follow on site to my very simple, easily reproduced, site I first created four years previously. I'd be up the creek as they say, if I lost control of it.

[kevsboredagain]

I think if the client has all these worries about someone they've paid to make a site for them, then they've chosen the wrong person. There has to be trust on both sides. That's how business works.

This may have been touched on earlier in the thread, I can't remember (and am too lazy to go back and look) but it would also be sensible for anyone whose website is managed by a one-person developer to enquire what arrangements are in place should developer suddenly be taken ill or die.

Very valid point. With the "user manual" I give to clients, I also document all logins and passwords required. This includes the control panel, with a warning that it should not be used unless you know what you are doing. This would be enough information for someone else to take over or take backups of the site.

[lolita]

How very informative, must say I m wiser now with regards to the subject matter. apologies for my rather late input but I ve only just followed up and have to read some parts again to be able to grasp all the techie details. Been too busy following up on reservations and spring cleaning apartments.
I definately have a much better idea now thanks to you all. Well done and wish you all a lucrative year with your rentals☺