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Frank's Adventure in Free Web HostingDo you ever wish you could eat your words? Take back something that was said in the heat of the moment and came out all wrong?The online version of that icky sensation is being relived every day by website owners who find out that their site is saying things they'd rather it didn't. And they have no power to take it back because they opted for free website hosting. That means they got: Free web design. Free hosting. Free search engine submissions. Free ads on their site that they have no control over. Free headaches for the foreseeable future. "Frank" used one of those free hosting services to upload his Christian website. Frank didn't read the fine print. One day, Frank opened up his browser and was greeted with a casino pop-up that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then, when his site loaded, he was shocked by the surreal image of a gambling banner flashing and blinking directly above his weeping Jesus image, like a corrupted star of Bethlehem pointing the way to Vegas. These days, Frank has some very un-Christian things to say about his web host. Frank is fighting the good fight, but he faces an uphill battle if he hopes to get rid of those incongruous banners. Why? Because there's no such thing as a free lunch. The price he had to pay for his free website hosting and all those other goodies was a slew of ads that he can't control. It's a trade off Frank made right from the beginning, even if he wasn't aware of it. If you have a business site, this scenario could be seriously damaging. Having your own domain name is vital to your credibility. And credibility is vital to sales. So save yourself the grief and regrets of saying something you don't really mean. Whether your site is personal, non-profit or business, be aware of the conditions that usually accompany free hosting deals. Read the fine print. Check out sites that use that host. Are they plastered with ads you wouldn't want to see on your own site? Research the costs involved in getting your own domain name and web host. It's not that much. Then make your decision carefully. Because you could end up like Frank, losing control over that most priceless commodity: your credibility.
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