10 Things You Should Know When Choosing A Web Hosting Service For Your Website

We live in the age of the web. Sooner or later you will find yourself in a situation where you’ll need to consider building your online presence. That’s when you’ll need to consider a web hosting service.

There are companies out there trying to lure you by promising features like unlimited resources, 24/7 technical support, virtually 100% uptime, etc. But beyond all the technical mumbo jumbo, there is still an informed decision you need to make.

So, here are 10 things you should look into before considering a particular service.

1. Pricing

There are numerous service providers that provide similar services for different prices.

Of course there always are many different factors determining these variances in services, but you should still consider looking into a number of different choices before choosing one.

If you’re hosting a simple webpage and don’t expect a lot of concurrent traffic or bandwidth; it is always wisest to go with the cheapest of the available services. If you’re looking to host a more complicated website, consider other features too.

2. Tech support

Another important feature you need to be looking for is the tech support that the provider gives. This is a biggie for most. Imagine if your website goes down at peak traffic hour and you have no idea why or how to address the issue quickly.

Of course one could always refer to manuals for support but nothing feels as reassuring as having a real human being you can talk to and ask for help. Most services guarantee this. So you need to make sure you’re not being scammed out of it.

There are several factors you need to look into. For instance, are they available 24/7? Is the call toll free?

3. Hardware

For most of us, this part may not make much of a difference since we are looking to host small webpages with small to medium range traffic and predictable bandwidth. However as the complexity of your web project increases and you’re going to need to do a lot more than a simple page display, you’ll need to start considering the hardware.

The CPUs, the GPUs, the RAMs, and the type of Storage (Solid State Drive vs SATA) are just a few considerations. How much computation does your web application require? And how much traffic do you expect? These are the things you need to consider beforehand.

4. Email features

This is another feature you need to consider. What email features does the provider guarantee? Regardless of what you may have heard/read about social media having replaced the purpose of web email, trust me, email is still going to a big part of your web presence.

You need to make sure that the email service you get with your hosting comes with important features like spam control, time travel feature etc. For example, many providers offer unlimited email forwarding and auto response service. It’s always a wise decision to ask the provider beforehand.

5. Control panel

The control panel is the user interface that you use to control/administer your website. It is yet another feature that your web hosting provider offers and you need to make sure you’re getting the best control panels.

If the control panel is too difficult and you need to call the hosting company every time you need to make a small change that could be a huge inconvenience for you.

So, make sure your service provider uses cPanel, Plesk or a similar services. At least make sure the control panel isn’t something you can’t figure out.

6. Shared vs private

This is another thing you need to consider. What kind of hosting are you looking for? If you’re looking to host a simple display webpage, then you’re probably going to be OK with a shared hosting service. They are cheaper and for the most part easier to operate and deal with.

Basically a shared hosting service is like sharing a server with a number of other website owners, kind of like sharing a personal computer. But if you’re looking to host a more professional or a more complicated website, private hosting is what you need.

They may be a little hard to work with and they are more expensive but it’s the price you pay for more professional hosting.

7. Scalability

This is another important thing you need to consider when you have your business in mind. If you’re hosting a growing business, you can expect your web presence to grow with it. And a growing web presence requires an upgrade of your service. This includes everything from your hardware to the tech support.

Anyway some services like the Amazon Web Services provide automatic scalability, meaning your system is automatically updated if your current system cannot handle the incoming traffic/bandwidth. Anyway you need to be sure what kind of scalability service your provider offers.

8. Backup

This is a very important feature. Imagine what would happen if all your web articles, posts and other data were to be deleted as a consequence of some accident. Most service providers try to make their facilities highly reliable, but nobody plans for accidents.

For example, you could accidentally delete content yourself. In either case, most good web hosting service providers offer a solid backup feature. You need to make sure yours does too. Ask your prospective provider about their disaster recovery plan. One hosting provider, A Small Orange, for example, creates free automatic backups daily.

9. Parking service

This is sort of a bonus but it’s a great feature to have. Find out if your provider can park some of your other domain names. For most of us this might not seem like much of a big deal but it could mean a lot if you’re running a business.

Most business tend to buy a lot of domain names, usually the misspellings, the alternative names etc. of their current name. With parking services you can have all these under one control panel. This is a huge plus in terms of brand management. And it is also a great way to ensure that you never lose any traffic.

10. Exit strategy

This is a big one. You may be satisfied with your current provider but in time you could have a change of mind. You may want to host your website someplace else and in this scenario you need to be able to do that with the minimal discomfort. You should be better off choosing hosting providers like Arvixe which offer free website transfer when moving from another host.

Make sure you read the initial agreements including the fine print properly and make sure your web hosting service provider offers a viable exit strategy. Trust me, this is more important than you think it is.

Imagine what could happen to your business if your website were to go down for days just because your current provider wants to make it difficult for you to leave. You’re not having that!

Featured photo credit: Pexels via static.pexels.com

The post 10 Things You Should Know When Choosing A Web Hosting Service For Your Website appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://ift.tt/1MvgHPF

7 Tips For Good Dental Health

Having close-to-perfect, pearly white teeth is an asset that everyone wants. A perfect set of teeth adds a lot to a person’s self-esteem. With it, one can smile comfortably and with confidence — even if the receiver of said smile is a complete stranger. If you want to achieve great dental health, then here are a few tips you need to follow.

1. Brush regularly

Brushing serves as the main component to keeping our mouths and teeth clean. The simple process removes food particles stuck in our gums and teeth, eliminating possible bacteria buildup and helping us have fresh breath all the time. There are two types of toothbrushes that you can use for brushing: the traditional one or the modern electric toothbrush. The latter is obviously more expensive, but both can still be efficient and effective as long as you dedicate a couple of minutes for each brushing session and brush at least twice a day.

2. Floss daily

There are areas inside your mouth that cannot be reached and cleaned by brushing alone. In order to thoroughly clean your mouth from food particles, particularly in between your teeth and gums, you must floss. Flossing once before you go to sleep is enough to observe good dental health.

3. Make regular trips to the dentist

Even if you do brush and floss regularly, you still need to visit your dentist once every four months — not just when you are suffering from dental problems and other issues involving your teeth. If you visit the clinic regularly, the dentist is able to foresee possible dental problems or gum diseases and treat them right away. Also, keep in mind that there are other oral health risks, such as HIV and mouth cancer, that only professional dentists can spot. If your dentist’s clinic is too far from your residence, don’t hesitate to transfer to a new dentist that would be more convenient for you to visit. You only need to give your new dentist your dental health history to keep them updated.

4. Maintain a healthy diet

The types of food that you eat play a very crucial role in your overall health. When it comes to taking care of your oral health, include a lot of calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, in your diet. Calcium is an element that is known to strengthen bones and teeth. You can also try chewing on citrus fruits that are rich in vitamin C, as this can boost the health of your gums. Aside from eating right, you should also avoid foods that greatly contribute to the deterioration of your oral health. Always avoid foods with high sugar contents. Minimize sweets such as candies, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, etc. Bacteria love to feed off leftover sugar that gets stuck in the crevices of your teeth. They easily multiply this way and eventually give you tooth decay or gum problems.

5. Quit smoking

According to a study in the Journal of Periodontology, smokers are four times more likely to suffer from gum diseases than non-smokers. You should quit smoking right away if you want to avoid suffering from periodontal diseases. This is easier said than done, but all the health risks that go along with cigarette smoking, along with the dental problems, should be more than enough convincing for you to take action on dropping this vice. There are a lot of tips out there that will help you get through the process of quitting smoking.

6. Whiten your teeth

Even though the benefits of whitening your teeth are purely for aesthetic purposes and not for health reasons, it is still a great idea to beautify your mouth (as long as the process is not harmful to your teeth and mouth!). White teeth give an impression of good hygiene, which can instantly boost your confidence. There are already a lot of teeth whitening products that you can simply purchase over the counter without the need of a medical prescription. However, it is advised that you should seek professional advice first before using any whitening products.

7. Take advantage of dental procedures

The world of dentistry has really progressed over the years and more and more dental procedures have been developed. Advanced and technical dental procedures that can fix teeth problems are already available. These days, it seems that nothing is impossible when it comes to fixing dental issues. If you have naturally imperfect teeth, dental technology can surely fix that problem for you. Also, if you want to further enhance your looks by improving the aesthetics of your teeth, there are a lot of dental cosmetic procedures that you can take advantage of. However, most of these dental procedures, particularly cosmetic ones, can be quite expensive. Consider it an investment if you are thinking of getting any dental cosmetic procedures.

There are a lot more oral health tips out there, but these seven are arguably the most important. Try implementing these tips and you will achieve perfect teeth in no time.

Featured photo credit: Good Dental Health via lifehack.org

The post 7 Tips For Good Dental Health appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://ift.tt/1VXgIgJ

20 Healthy And Delicious Easter Recipes You Should Try This April

1. Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Sprinkled with feta cheese and drizzled with garlic-dill butter you can substitute potatoes in place of the sunchokes in this delicious Easter side dish. Jerusalem artichokes are also called sunchokes. They are nutty, flavorful, starch-rich roots that are native to Central America. They have a high-quality phyto-nutrition profile which includes dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, and copper.

Recipe Source

2. Tsoureki

Use organic eggs in this braided crown of Greek Easter bread. As per custom, the eggs are dyed a scarlet red, but you can skip the chemical coloring if you want to make it healthier.

Recipe Source

3. Pomegranate-Glazed Ham

Pomegranates have plenty of vitamins, fiber and minerals. Regular intake of this anti-oxidant rich fruit is said to keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control.

Recipe Source

4. Steamed Fish with Cucumber, Borage, and Tahini Sauce

A healthy protein source with crunchy fiber. You can garish this Easter dish with fresh cilantro sprigs. Borage flowers have medicinal properties that are helpful in reducing fever and cough.

Recipe Source

5. Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots

The carrots are packed with vitamin A, while the garlic helps fight both bacterial and viral infections.

Recipe Source

6. Creamy Spring Peas with Bacon and Mint

A scrumptious blend of refreshing tastes and textures with sugar snaps, sweet green peas, salty bacon, mint and cream sauce.

Recipe source

7. Preserved Lemon Roast Chicken with Freekeh Salad

A rich citrus flavor accompanies this yummy roasted chickened served with spring onion spiked freekeh. Freekeh is toasted and cracked young green wheat. A single serving has more protein and twice as much fiber as that of quinoa.

Recipe source

8. Asparagus Casserole

With two kinds of cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mushrooms and onion, this rich and velvety Asparagus Casserole is topped with crunchy fried onion.

Recipe source

9. Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Red Wine, Shallots & Wheat Berries

Portobello mushrooms, spinach and hazelnuts make this a very healthy and delicious cauliflower roast. Baby portobello mushrooms  are a nutritional powerhouse with many vitamins and minerals including selenium.

Recipe source

10. Ricotta-Pea Spread

A novel and refreshing presentation of minty fresh peas and ricotta served on toasted baguette slices.

Recipe source

11. Brown Butter Potatoes Au Gratin Tarts

The perfect Easter side dish these crunchy puff pastry squares are topped with an incredible cheesy potato mixture.

Recipe source

12. Roasted Carrots and Asparagus with Almond Gremolata

Roasted almonds, lemon and garlic impart such amazing flavor to this crunchy asparagus and carrot salad.

Recipe source

13. Warm Spring Vegetables

A healthy green side dish of courgettes, peas, broad beans and parsley dressed with olive oil and lemon.

Recipe source

14. Accordion Potatoes

Loaded with fiber, vitamins, iron and potassium, these roasted red potatoes are sprinkled with thyme and parsley.

Recipe source

15. Avgolemono

Creamy and lemony chicken broth that is bursting with healthy nutrients.

Recipe source

16. Herby Salmon with Salad & Crushed New Potatoes

Rich with omega 3, this delicious salmon recipe includes potatoes and green vegetables.

Recipe source

17. Easter Carrot and Walnut Cupcakes

Protein rich cheese and healthy butter top these mini cakes filled with the goodness of carrots and walnuts.

Recipe Source

18. Leg of Lamb with Delicious Gravy

Roasted lamb flavored with herby butter and served with mint sauce and celeriac mash.

Recipe source

19. Broccoli & Goat Cheese Souffle

Serve this cheesy souffle with a tomato and fennel salad. Bake and serve immediately before its deflates. Goat milk cheese is easier to digest and lower in cholesterol than cow’s milk. It is a good source of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin K, and phosphorus.

Recipe source

20. Pistachio, Yoghurt & Elderflower cake

An Easter treat with Almonds, pistas, greek style yogurt and free range eggs.

Recipe source

Featured photo credit: http://ift.tt/1zkoLpO via 144f2a3a2f948f23fc61-ca525f0a2beaec3e91ca498facd51f15.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com

The post 20 Healthy And Delicious Easter Recipes You Should Try This April appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://ift.tt/1VXgIgB

When Is A Good Time To Refinance Your Student Loans?

Student loan debt. Those three words are more important to people in their 20’s and 30’s today than any prior generation. The cost of education has continued to rise alongside a growing expectation that most individuals seeking decent salaries should go well-beyond a high school diploma.

It’s increasingly common now to hear presidential candidates address student loans, and eventually one president will propose a comprehensive solution, especially as recent undergraduates and post-graduates begin their careers, start families, and, above all, become the primary voting bloc.

Federal Refinancing Isn’t An Option…Yet

One solution that has been proposed is a federal refinancing option. If you are unfamiliar with the term, refinancing essentially means getting a new interest rate and new repayment terms. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exist for federal student loans now, and may not for a while.

There are, however, many for-profit companies that offer refinancing for those with private loans, and for those with federal loans who are willing to go with a private company to get a lower interest rate.

Should I Refinance My Student Loans?

You may be one of those graduates wondering if now is the best time to refinance your student loans. The answer is both short and long: it depends. Refinancing could be a smart move, particularly for students who have private loans with high interest rates. Federal student loans can’t be refinanced with the government and therefore require you to go private.

Nevertheless, although you may successful lower your monthly payments, no private company offers the generous terms the government offered when you took out the loan. Remember, the federal government is a non-profit entity, whereas private lenders are for-profit.

How To Determine If Refinancing Makes Sense

Figuring out whether refinancing makes sense at first requires a bit of math, but there are many sites out there that can help you see the different ways you can approach repayment.

If you think about your student loan as one large payment (with principal and interest included) instead of many monthly payments, it’s easier to understand why refinancing may be useful for some borrowers.

To put it simply – each month, interest on the loan is calculated and added to the principal. When you make a payment, you pay off the accrued interest plus a small portion of the principal. Sometimes, those with a particularly high interest rate can feel like they are paying and paying and their balance never seems to budge.

When that interest number goes down, the amount you owe is reduced a little as well. At the most basic level, the benefit of a lower interest rate is that, over the life of the loan, the total sum of all your payments will be smaller, thus saving you money.

Factors To Consider Before Refinancing

Once you know what your rate options are, how do you determine if now is the right time to refinance your student loans?

Employment

First, you should take honest stock of your current employment status and your future earning potential. These are important factors, because refinancing and exchanging a federal loan for a private one can remove some flexibility in your payment schedule. Stability in a current position as well as the likelihood of a promotion with salary increases work in your favor when refinancing because they allow you to plan with confidence.

Terms and Conditions of the New Loan

If you feel like you could be laid off or terminated in the near future, or if you are seeking a career change, it might not be a great time to refinance. One way that a new set of terms could be less forgiving than your previous ones is that you might not have the forbearance or deferment option. Forbearance allows you to temporarily postpone or reduce your student loan payments.

Another factor may be that the lender requires a loan to be paid off in 10 years instead of 20. Even if you get a lower interest rate, the accelerated payments will result in a higher monthly expense.

Your Credit Score

When considering the option of refinancing your student debt, it is important to research your credit score. If you’re in a good credit score range, you will be eligible for the lender’s lowest interest rates and most generous terms. On the other hand, a bad credit score might force you to hold off until your credit is better.

Fixed vs Variable Rates

Also, take some time to mull over your fixed versus variable rate options. Fixed rates are great if you lock in a low one, meanwhile variable rates are adjustable. Given that we are in a rising interest rate environment, your variable rate is likely to increase significantly over time, so it is best to focus on refinancing for the lowest rate possible.

Read The Fine Print

If you have federal loans, and refinancing them into private loans seems to make sense after the aforementioned considerations, be careful and read the small print. There are a number of programs and perks that came with your federal loans that don’t apply to private loans. These include income-based repayment and loan forgiveness.

For example, if you are employed by a non-profit and you are working toward complete loan forgiveness in 10 years, remember that once you refinance your federal students loans to become private, you will lose that opportunity. In fact, your current employer may even have a program to help pay off your student loans that you aren’t even using yet.

Long-Term Financial Goals

After you do research and know your options, think about your 5 and 10 year plan, both personally and professionally. If you are in a place in your life where you anticipate some bigger purchases, such as a house, car, or business, you should factor those potential buying decisions into the equation. And don’t forget – it’s always best to start saving for retirement early, even if you have to invest with little money.

Similarly, marriage and children maybe critical elements of your future financial planning. The extra few hundred dollars a month that you might be putting toward student loan repayment might be better spent on a down payment for a home or toward saving for costs associated with a growing family.

Final Word

If refinancing makes financial sense for you, do it sooner rather than later. Each month that you pay your old, higher interest rate is another month that money could have been allocated to something else other than an inflated interest expense. If, after researching your options, you decide that refinancing your student loans might not be a smart move right now, there are still things you can do to make good financial decisions.

If you can afford it, pay more than your monthly payment. The more you can put toward prepayment, the more your principal will be reduced each month and the less you will pay in the long-term.

The choice of if or when to refinance student debt is a personal one. This decision is best made by weighing the pros and cons of all options. You can control some things in life, but not everything, like interest rates. With dedication to smart research and a bit of good timing, you could be on your way to a lower monthly payment that could save you thousands in student loan interest.

The post When Is A Good Time To Refinance Your Student Loans? appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://ift.tt/1VXgI08

How To Make Inexpensive And Fashionable Last-Minute Gifts

Do you know that feeling when you wake up feeling awesome, the birds are singing, the sky is blue, you go to the kitchen and you get a glimpse of the calendar… and your stomach drops? It’s your aunt’s birthday! And you completely forgot to get her a gift! Yikes! You rush through your morning routine and run out to go shopping.

If this doesn’t sound like a good solution to you, you could just get some inspiration from this list of the most fashionable and inexpensive last-minute gifts!

A different way to give flowers

Let’s start with the simplest gift ever: flowers. Because you want the person who receives them to forgive you for not buying an actual gift, you can twist the flower bouquet.

You will need a glass container, food coloring, flowers, and a printout of the label of a famous perfume (you can pick the favorite perfume of the person who receives the gift). What you have to do is print the label and glue it on the container. Make sure the container resembles the actual container of the real perfume. For example, for Chanel No. 5, you’ll need a cube container. Then, mix a tiny amount of food coloring in the water to achieve the color of the perfume – in our case, yellow – and put the flowers inside.

Vintage candles

Scented candles make for plain last-minute gifts, so here is how to DIY them to make them really memorable. Take a vintage teacup set (or buy a teacup set which looks as vintage as possible), candle wax (you can buy simple candles and melt them in a saucepan), candle wicks, and essential oils. Mix the wax with the essential oils to create a pleasant aroma, then place the wicks in the middle of each cup and pour in the perfumed wax. Repeat with every teacup and then pack them back to resemble a regular set of teacups.

The gardener’s trick: a gift bucket

Okay, it’s not actually a bucket and it’s not for gardeners either, but it’s one of the best last-minute gifts! All you have to do is buy a cute container — an object which was never intended to be a container, nor to hold gifts, such as garden lantern or a birdcage — and stuff it with items you know the birthday person loves. What type of items? Anything! Think about the passions of the person who will receive the gift. You can buy chocolates, makeup stencils, succulents, a USB charger, etc.

“Hey, I brought you a bottle of bread!”

If you are looking for last-minute gifts for a grill party, here is what can save your day with minimum hassle. Take a mason jar and stack in it all the ingredients for bread, cake, or any other food which suits the party. Of course, you will only add the dry ingredients for a cake or the wet ingredients for a cocktail. Take a ribbon and a piece of paper, write the recipe on the paper, and then tie the paper on the mason jar with the ribbon.

The new home gift

When you visit a friend who just bought his or her own house, you have to bring a gift for the new home. Instead of shopping for one, you can make one last minute that saves you a lot of time and money. Bottle lamps are a great gift for this scenario.

You will need a whiskey bottle with the label still on, a lamp kit, and a clip-on lamp shade. You might need some help, as you will have to drill a hole in the lower part of the bottle to insert the lamp kit. Once the system is inside the bottle, the switch returns to its place on the cord and the lamp becomes a real lamp as you put the shade on. If your friend is not keen on having whiskey bottle lamps, you can strip the label and fill the bottle with clear pebbles.

Get the party going with this homemade cocktail

Probably the least-expensive gift on this list and the most popular: homemade booze! Take a bottle, fill it with cranberries or other berries, then add vodka, the juice of a lime, and couple of mint leaves. By the time you arrive at the get-together, the mixture will taste heavenly!

Another recipe in a jar

If you don’t want to give alcohol, here is another adult option when it comes to delicious last-minute gifts: hot chocolate! This is not just a simple hot chocolate, as you may have already suspected. In a mason jar, put chocolate powder, marshmallows, and close the lid. Tie a mini Irish cream bottle to it and you have a delicious gift!

The last resort: money!

If none of the above are likely to work, just give money, but in style! You can go for the old photo album trick or be more creative. For example, buy a box of tissues, empty it, and put money inside, then glue a buck to a tissue and put it inside, leaving the tip of the tissue out. Another idea is to buy a pizza and find a way to cover it with money without damaging the bills. The possibilities here are endless — just be creative!

The post How To Make Inexpensive And Fashionable Last-Minute Gifts appeared first on Lifehack.

from Lifehack http://ift.tt/20Djj03