We're happy to announce our new and improved Affiliate Program which can be found on our website at http://www.hostnine.com/affiliates/

This new program is powered by iDevAffiliate which is much better than the software we previously used. With this software we can accurately track and pay commissions without going through custom scripts. The software we were using known as Ultimate Affiliate has not had an update since 2004 so it was very limited to what we could do with it.

Some key features in the new software are the management abilities it provides us with when it comes to your referrals. We can generate invoices and checks on the fly along with simply clicking a button to complete paypal payments. Due to the complex system we were using before we will need you to recreate your affiliate account at https://www.hostnine.com/affiliates/signup.php

If you're an existing affiliate, once your account is created simply send an email to affiliates@hostnine.com with your affiliate id so we can properly setup a forward to forward from your old affiliate url to the new url that way you do not loose any traffic / referrals. Also, be sure to include if you have unpaid commissions on your account as we will have to manually transfer them over to the new system for you and get them paid!

Another thing you will notice is the payout levels have changed. With the new software we're able to setup what they call a Performance Reward. This means once you hit 5 referrals in a month it automatically bumps your commissions up to $50 per referral rather than the standard $25. This goes all the way up to $100 per referral! This is something we were limited to and could not properly do with the old software.

On behalf of HostNine I would like to extend my sincere apologies for any payment issues/delays existing affiliates may have experienced due to poor affiliate software we were running previously. I can assure you that there will be no delays or issues when it comes to payments from this day on as this software is VERY powerful and has everything we need. The affiliate management area alone will be surprising compared to the old one. Once again I do apologize for any payment issues in the past but can assure you it will NEVER happen again. We are bringing on a dedicated affiliate manager to run the affiliate program as well as keep things up to date when it comes to banners, special coupons, and ads.

To help our affiliates we will be discontinuing the h9 coupon in the near future and have a coupon generator available that will allow affiliates to create their very own coupon to help boost their referrals. This way potential customers can find you (the affiliate) and get a coupon from you rather than directly on our website. We also have plans to introduce all-new Shared, Reseller, and Dedicated Server banners this week so stay tuned for those.

That pretty much sums it all up. For the time being I will be handling the affiliate program day to day tasks until we can fill the Affiliate Manager position. With that said I look forward to getting everyone into the new system and back up to speed with commissions.

Not an affiliate yet?

Unfortunately our Texas data center "The Planet" had a major electrical problem which resulted in an explosion in their Houston data center causing a full evacuation. Fortunately no one was harmed and servers remain in tact without any damage. They are not providing any ETA's at this time but they do seem confident that they will have things back online late this evening.

The biggest fear we've always had in the hosting world is something like this happening. Due to the fact that we lease our servers through a trusted company we depend on them to ensure network reliability and things like this are out of our reach.

On another note this is why we decided to switch to our Reseller Central product. The majority of our customers are using this product allowing them to host their websites throughout multiple data centers for this exact reason. Obviously things will happen whether we see an outage for 10 minutes, 60 minutes, or in this case 24 hours and counting. At this time it does appear that the majority of the websites hosted by HostNine are online but we still have customers on our legacy WHM servers which are located at the planet. Unfortunately all of their websites have been down during this outage. We strongly urge anyone not using Reseller Central to upgrade to it as soon as possible once things are back online by filling out the form located securely on our website at https://secure.hostnine.com/upgrade/

With Reseller Central you have the ability to host your websites all around the world in over 10 different data centers. This way if one data center has issues it may only affect some of your websites rather than all of them.

A full list of locations available at this time can be found in this map below:

This is a unique feature only found at HostNine as Reseller Central was built in house from the ground up. One of the latest features added was the Windows hosting ability so you can now host websites on both Linux (cPanel) and Windows (Plesk) platforms at the click of a button and the best part is everything is manageable from one single control panel.

A full tour of Reseller Central can be found here

The reason I mention Reseller Central in this response to the major outage at The Planet is due to the fact that we cannot stress the importance/power of this platform enough. This is not intended as a sales pitch as we do not charge for the switch/upgrade. We just feel it's a logical solution that has proven to be effective especially in this situation.

If you have any questions about Reseller Central please feel free to email support@hostnine.com

If you have any questions about the Network Outage in Texas please email billing@hostnine.com

We appreciate your patience and understanding in this unfortunate event and will be providing you with updates as we get them through our forums.

Sincerely,
Rick D. Brown
HostNine L.L.C
www.hostnine.com

HostNine (http://www.hostnine.com), a leader in Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting and Dedicated Servers, today unveiled the latest version of its popular Reseller Central control panel, enabling resellers to setup and manage client accounts from a single, robust interface. Reseller Central v2.1 introduces a variety of important new features, including support for managing for Windows and Linux hosting accounts.

With today’s release, resellers can now take advantage of new features designed to help them grow their businesses. In addition to cross-platform support for provisioning and managing Plesk 8.3-based Windows accounts and cPanel 11-based Linux accounts, Reseller Central also saves time in a number of areas. Namely, a fully restructured DNS editor system allows seamless edits of DNS settings, and account management APIs offer greater control over hosted accounts.

“Providing innovative management tools for our resellers has been a strategic goal of ours for many months, and with today’s announcement, we are excited to bring our reseller offerings to the next level,” said Ben Gabler, Operations Manager, HostNine. “We continue to see resellers as an integral component of our business, and will continue to develop software that allows them to expand their businesses in a variety of ways, in terms of both value-added features and platform support.”

Reseller Central also offers integration with WHCMS, a premier billing and automation gateway. HostNine resellers are provided with a free license of the software, valued at $249.95.

HostNine engineers are currently developing the next iteration of Reseller Center, version 2.3, to be released in the coming months. The next version will add support for integrated data protection and Windows Server 2008.

To learn more about HostNine, please visit http://www.hostnine.com.

To learn more about reseller hosting from HostNine, please visit http://www.hostnine.com/reseller-hosting/.

About HostNine
HostNine, LLC is an industry leader in web hosting, reseller hosting and dedicated servers. Running all Dell PowerEdge servers located throughout ten different data centers around the world, HostNine provides a 99.9 percent network uptime guarantee to its customers.

We're happy to announce our all-new Ticket Survey system. At HostNine we're extremely focused on our customer feedback and are constantly looking for ways to improve our service/support. With this new system it will allow our management team to get direct feedback from you (the customer) on how our employees are performing through our ticket system.

It's very important to us that we maintain a high level of customer service to ensure the happiness of our customers and smooth day to day operations in our office. We are currently implementing several different methods to improve our service and this is a huge one as it allows customers to not only grade the support the receive but the ability to request direct contact with a manager at HostNine. That's right! You can simply fill this form out, add in your contact number and best time to call and we will have a manager get in touch with you ASAP.

How do you start? Simply navigate to http://www.hostnine.com/survey/ and submit your review. Please be sure to include the ticket number that your review pertains to so we can follow up with your submission properly.

Travis and I have been doing some major development on Reseller Central V2 and expect to have a beta version available this weekend. I will list some of the new features below but there are a few major new features in the works that will really impact the version upgrade to 2.0

New Features
-cPanel Skeleton Directory
-cPanel Branding
-PHPSuExec Quick Fix to fix domains having Internal Server errors
-Improved DNS Zone Editor
-SSL Generator
-Major Code Clean up
-Migration History (displays previous migrations done within your account)

Those are just a few of the new features we have on the way for Reseller Central. What we are looking for is a few beta testers to setup test accounts on a beta install of reseller central. Please reply to the post on our forums located at http://forums.hostnine.com/showthread.php?p=8360 if you would be interested in testing.

Thank you

We will be configuring a mail gateway this evening for all of the original reseller servers to reduce the load problems caused by Exim. The gateway will have MailScanner running to prevent spam and viruses from your inbox. We will have a default SpamAssassin configuration setup as well which means SpamAssassin and Boxtrapper will be disabled on the servers.

Basically the way the gateway will work is as follows:

domain.com IN MX 0 gateway.myserverhosts.com

All incoming mail on your domain will go through the gateway before it even hits the server so it can be scanned and cleaned if needed.

Once the mail is marked as a good message it will be routed to your inbox.

Incoming Email -> Gateway -> Your Inbox
Outgoing Email -> Gateway -> Remote Mail Server

This will also allow us to cut down blacklistings as all outgoing mail gets scanned for spam as well. It makes it very easy to track down spammers and stop spam before it even hits the remote mail servers so the server does not get blacklisted.

We expect to have this live within the next 48-72 hours. We will be testing with the Pluto server.

We're happy to announce our all-new specs for our shared and reseller hosting packages. All existing shared and Reseller Central customers will be automatically upgraded to the new specs within 24-48 hours.

For resellers not using the Reseller Central system please upgrade at https://secure.hostnine.com/upgrade/ and we will apply the new limits to your reseller account through Reseller Central.

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Reseller Hosting Plans

Entry Reseller Plan
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Midlevel Reseller Plan
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Don't forget about our 50% off coupon!

For more information on these new packages please feel free to contact our sales department and we will happily assist you with any questions/concerns you may have.

We're happy to announce our new partnership with WHMCS! What is WHMCS? WHMCS is an all-in-one solution for web hosting billing software. We feel this is a better solution for our resellers as it includes several key features you will find listed below. This has a full import script to import any data existing customers may have in MB4 or MB5 as well. Not to mention the installation of WHMCS is as easy and painless as can be!

WHMCS also has a built in module for Reseller Central and will work one of two ways. One way to setup automation is to map packages within WHMCS to a location or you can add the optional dropdown to your order form allowing customers to choose from one of ten locations they wish to have their website hosted in.

WHMCS Feature Overview

WHMCS is a powerful integrated client management, billing & support system. It provides everything you need to manage your clients. Packed with features while remaining easy to use, we've tried to highlight what we feel are the most important features below. Don't just assume because you don't see something it's not supported - contact us!

Powerful & Flexible Billing WHMCS supports Hosting, Reseller, Dedicated Server, Downloadable & Other Non Hosting Related Products. Each product can have custom fields, configurable options, addons, downloadable files and custom welcome emails specific to that individual product. You can also create one off invoices with custom line items - ideal for service invoicing.

Automated Server & Domain Integration WHMCS can communicate with your servers and domain registrars to automatically provision accounts, register/transfer domains, suspend, unsuspend and terminate services, renew domains, update nameservers, modify whois contact information, upgrade/downgrade packages and more. Also supports server rotation and multiple active registrars concurrently.

Integrated Support System All clients need support and WHMCS gives you the tools you need to provide it. It features an announcements section, knowledgebase, downloads and support ticket system. The ticket system can handle both registered and unregistered clients, has full email piping and multi-department support with admin assignment.

Customer Profiles In WHMCS, each of your clients has their own profile section. This contains all their personal information, products/services, domains, invoices, transactions, email history and notes. You can see statistics about the client and manage their details from there including editing when and how much they are due to pay, payment methods and adding notes.

Payments, Gateways & Invoicing WHMCS comes integrated with many payment gateways and will automatically charge clients credit cards when due. All payments are logged in the system, invoices can be paid using multiple partial payments, clients are credited on overpayment and credit is automatically applied to future invoices. Reminders are sent before payments are due and after.

Complete Client Area Unique to WHMCS is it's client area. The client area gives clients one single central access point to manage their account with you, request support, place orders, view announcements and more... It also offers features for non-registered visitors, with a domain checker, server status summary, downloads and browsable knowledgebase. Also has multi-language support.

Statistical Reports & Summaries To asses how your business is doing, we know it's important you have the information you need. For that reason, WHMCS comes with a selection of different reports which give you statistical and financial statistics. You can also create your own reports using the modular reporting system

Customisable & Developer Friendly The client area is fully templated and unlike some systems, you don't need a degree in programming to be able to edit them! There is no PHP code in the templates - it's just regular HTML which you can edit in your favorite editor. WHMCS also has an API which allows you to connect with it from other systems and the modular design lets you add what you need.

HostNine LLC, the leading shared web hosting company announced today its number one position on HostReview.com's September 2007 Top 10 Fastest Growing companies list. The list showcases fast-moving companies that are increasing quickly in size and prestige according to HostReview.com. This is the first award HostNine has received from HostReview.com.

HostNine's Director of Operations, Ben Gabler, attributes the hosting company's success to partnerships and employees. "Everything from the partnerships we have with FastServers.Net and ModernBill to the outstanding employees we have working day in and day out has contributed to our success," said Gabler. "It's an amazing feeling to know we were hand picked for this award by the DevStart team, the team behind HostReview.com."

"HostNine is a young company whose ambition has led to terrific results after only one year of service," said Maria Mitsova, Editor at DevStart, Inc. "HostNine's use of the latest technologies and the utmost care it shows for its customers won the company the top position on the HostReview fastest growing hosting companies list." When ranking hosting companies, DevStart takes into consideration a suite of factors. Factors include customer service, new products, promotions, overall performance, and the popularity of the company's website.

HostNine's use of the latest technologies includes the launch of its new Reseller Central product in August. Since the launch, the hosting company has experienced an increase in overall performance due to substantially lower server loads. "With Reseller Central backed with top quality 24/7 100% in-house American support and our server performance increases, we have the leading edge on web hosting companies," said Gabler. "Customers sign up with HostNine because they trust us with the security of their website(s). And Reseller Central provides the ability to choose from over ten different locations around the world to host their website(s)."

About HostNine

HostNine LLC has quickly become a leading web hosting company. Founded in 2006 by hosting industry veterans, HostNine has the experience, knowledge, and dedication to build the most reliable company in the industry. HostNine consistently delivers innovative technology and solutions across its multiple products and services including shared web hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated server hosting. The Jupiter, FL based company utilizes 100% Dell PowerEdge servers and boasts the fastest 24/7/365 support response times in the industry.

For more information on HostNine, visit http://www.hostnine.com

So things are finally back to normal for me after an AMAZING convention in Chicago. Alex and I were lucky enough to meet 90% of the FastServers.NET team and man was it fun. From meetings, and cruises to Chicago Style Pizza we had a blast. We pretty much hang with the same group of the industry leading individuals that attend these events. Some but not limited to would be Aaron and Shane of FastServers.NET, Ben Welch of WebHostingUnleashed/ResellerGuide, Sean and Dan from ModernBill/dNzoom, Steven from Insider Hosting and brother Brandon, Dave and Eric from cPanel, Tito of Microsoft, Todd of SwSoft, the crazy Devin and Jeremy from PingZine!, Dave and Sean of TouchSupport, Carlos and Jess of Applied Innovations, Hal from Netwisp, Matt from WebHostingBuzz, and new friends Amy of Lunarpages, Ben from TechPad Agency, Michael from Webhostingstuff, man we met so many people in Chicago it's hard to list them all. We even had the chance to meet a few of our reseller customers which was great! It really gave us a good perspective of our our customers view our company and operations which is always a good thing in my eyes.

If you didn't make it to this year's HostingCon I highly recommend attending next year. Word has it that it will be in the same place the Navy Pier in Chicago (Wonderful area). This show just keeps getting better and better every year.Definitely wouldn't miss it for the world.

This year Day 1 was mostly traveling and getting situated so night 1 consisted of drinks with the fastservers team when we landed then we attended the networking reception outside the convention hall which was really nice.

Day 2 was the first day the exhibit hall was officially open so that consisted of a lot of networking with various vendors (Lots of great new things on the way for H9ers!). We also had some really neat postcards (I'll post those at the bottom) we were handing out at the fastservers booth which were a big hit. So after a day of hard work ;-) the night came and we headed to the fastservers + tophosts networking cruise which was a huge hit. Three hours of relaxing industry talk on the lake was awesome. I was really blown away by the skyline in Chicago. After the cruise we all headed to a local bar "Leg Room" with the cPanel guys which was a ton of fun.

Day 3 was a ruff one after the long night on Day 2 so we pretty much took it easy most of the time on the convention floor. Around 6PM we headed to the rooftop BBQ after a meeting with modernbill and it was great. Live music with some of the leading individuals of the industry just relaxing. No phone calls, text messages, IM's, just straight up relaxing which is what I think we all get to do about... once a year haha. Around 9PM or so the fireworks started which was really cool. Then we all headed back to the hotel and hung out with the FS.NET guys and got that Chicago Style Pizza ohhh yeah.

Day 4 I don't really want to talk about because it consisted of horrible delays and traveling haha.

Well that pretty much sums it all up. I'll leave you with some nice pictures of Chicago and of course a great picture of Alex and I on the Networking Cruise haha :-)

Can you spot the H9?