shopping for web hosting

Thinking out loud here about web hosting. I’m pretty happy about the web hosting for djchuang.com at TotalChoiceHosting, but their basic service doesn’t offer multiple domain name hosting. So I’m starting to shop around for a new web host, and there are thousands of them out there. It looks like a very crowded playing field, and it’s hard to tell from the comparison websites whether those are just promotional deals or legitimate comparisons with objective ratings. My hunch is that people go with a web host that they first hear of, or get referred to. It’s difficult to make an easy apples-to-apples comparison b/c every web host lists their best features and conveniently hides the features that competitors do better at delivering. But here’s what I’m looking for at a price point of $7 per month with no more than 1-year pre-pay and no setup fee: WordPress hosting (PHP, mySQL), 12 domain names, sufficient web space and bandwidth (the going rate seems to be 10GB disk space and 20GB monthly bandwidth), domain POP email and webmail, FTP access, web-based admin, phpMyAdmin, weblog statistics, responsive tech support, reliable uptime.

I do prefer web hosts that are more transparent about their people and operations, such as having a support forum with open message board, CEO’s who blog, disclosure of data center and office locations.

Here are web hosts that have caught my attention, but don’t quite have all my wished-for ingredients:

• DreamHost.com allows unlimited domains for $7.95/mo 2-year pre-pay, and 1 blogger’s multiple database connectivity issue shouldn’t be a problem for me.
• BlueHost.com allows 6 domains for $6.95/mo 2-year pre-pay, has a blogging CEO, $7.95/mo for 1-year pre-pay.
• Site5.com has a Flashback function that automatically keeps older version of changed files so you can roll back changes, like that Undo button in a word processor, except for a website.
• www.globat.com/ allows 6 domains for $4.95/mo 1-year pre-pay, has a blogging CEO, but slower response time.
• StartLogic allows 10 domains for $4.95/mo, but one blogger had database connectivity problems and switched to HostGator — which has almost everything I’m looking for except price and space.
• GeekHosting.com has 10 domains for $5.95/mo with 6 GB space.
• [update] WebHostingBuzz.com has it all – $7/mo 7 GB space, unlimited domains (heard about them from Slacker Manager)

Am I being too demanding? It’s just a numbers game, in some respect, and I think my numbers are do-able.

This article about Overselling hosting is eye-opening; the whole website WHreviews.com has good stuff. Have to read more.. WebhostingTalk.com is an active discussion forum / message board that has more threads than I can read. HostingTech.com allegedly is a website for those in the web hosting industry.