dailymuscle.com Upgrade - I’m moving to SiteGround!

Yes - you read it correctly! dailymuscle.com is in the midst of switching to a new web host, and is also gearing up for a bunch of upgrades - both visually, and functionally. I’m also looking into the possibility of installing a Forum - and while there are many free forum software out there, I’ve got my eye on the vBulletinÂ® - Instant Community. And if you think it looks familiar… that’s because it is the same piece of software that is used for the bodybuilding.com Forum. This, however, will set me back by USD160 for an owned license. Do I really love my readers that much? Heh heh.. well yes.. I do. I’m looking forward to the forum being launched.. and believe that it would add a whole new dimension to dailymuscle.com.

When I first set up dailymuscle.com all by myself way back in November 2005, I never really had the intention to spend ANY money on it. So .. already hard enough, I looked for the CHEAPEST place I could get a hosting account, and ended up with godaddy.com. I can’t remember how much I paid - but it was ridiculously cheap, and I had the option to pay for my hosting on a monthly basis, therefore minimizing upfront costs of setting up this site.

However, over the years, as I occasionally did a few paid freelance jobs to set up websites for friends, etc, I started to scout around for other hosting providers - and I came to realise how lousy my existing hosting provider (GoDaddy) is in terms of account management and proper customer support - I’ll need to exchange tonnes of emails just to get ONE issue clarified and sorted out. Also, I’ve come to understand that GoDaddy is a terrible choice to host a Wordpress blog.

Over the past few months, I’ve been using SiteGround for the freelance jobs I get to set up websites - and I’ve found them to be an excellent web host to use for my assignments.

I’ve been tinkering around with this site since January this year, trying to import/export my site database, install new themes, etc, to a new host, but never was successful. I just wanted to move to a more reliable and better hosting package before I started upgrading this site. I really, really tried. Sometime last week, I even decided to contact our fellow Malaysian blogger LiewCF via his MSN - who’s blog I frequent. I told him I was willing to pay if he would help me transfer my site, but I didn’t get a respond from him. I also checked out all the 5 web hosts recommended by Wordpress, but none of them offered a FREE transfer of my current website. And then I remembered Siteground! They were the only one I could remember that actually had a FREE website transfer offer. Not only that.. they even offered a FREE compensation of unused months in my existing plan with GoDaddy - I had nothing to lose.

As a result, I signed up for 1 year account for myself, costing me USD83.40, and I get 6 months of hosting compensated and added to my account because I made the switch, and a FREE transfer by their technicians. I’ve just tested the transferred site, and it works fine!

Within 48 hours from now, you’ll be reading this page off Siteground’s servers. I can’t wait!

P.S - I also get 3 months of additional hosting added to my account for every person who signs up via the banner below. Hopefully soon… hosting for this site will be able to pay for itself.