New Host - Holdfire
Jul 17, 2008 Reviews, WWW 5 Comments
I know it was only a week ago since I asked you guys for hosting recommendations, and I had planned on taking my time as I searched the web for some more reviews and possible new candidates. However, Cirtex failed me again recently, which really got me wanting to move out ASAP. For some reason, the Awstats in my cpanel hasn’t been updated since last Sunday, and nor has the bandwidth been increasing. It’s as if my site was dead or something o_O. Their live chat takes forever, and I really didn’t have the patience to open a ticket, so I imed them through AIM. Now usually they don’t reply, so you can imagine how surprised I was when they did.
The first solution gave me didn’t work, so they just told me they’d fix it themselves and I should check back in 15 minutes. Sure enough, they fixed it in less than 5. Really, I don’t know what there is to complain about, asides from the slow speed that day and the support team’s terrible grammar, because Cirtex has been a decent host. Their prices have gone up though, and they no longer allow custom packages, which is a real shame 
Anyways, I figured with the $25/year I’m spending on Cirtex, I could get 2 years worth of hosting elsewhere. I checked out Holdfire, and they have something really unique called contract buy out. What is means in a nutshell is that they’ll credit the remaining months you have with your previous host for up to $50! I contacted Jordan, owner of Holdfire, about this, and she credited me back about $10 for my remaining months at Cirtex, so my first year of hosting with Holdfire ended up being only $2! Not only that, but she helped me transfer all my files and databases over 
The ticket response speed was excellent (not to mention in proper English) and their replies were professional.
It’s only been 2 days with Holdfire, but everything has been great so far. I will keep you all updated on my new host as time goes on. Cheers and thank you to those who recommended me hosts!
Tags: Cirtex, Holdfire, hosting reviews, web hosts
Hosting Recommendations Anyone?
Jul 11, 2008 Blogging, Reviews, WWW 7 Comments
Yesterday, Ever After received the biggest spike in visitors it has seen in a long time. While the numbers themselves aren’t all that impressive (about 800 unique visitors, 3000 pageviews, and 28000 hits), it was certainly enough to drive wordpress crazy.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if it just gave me the white screen of death, because then at least I could look it up and find fixes to it. Nope, it had to be sneaky and make me think that everything was ok, when in fact, it wasn’t. The footers for my blog and for my wordpress admin panel wouldn’t load. Ok, so maybe I could let that go, but then it got worse. It was like my site was melting from the bottom up, because things from the footer on would just start disappearing one by one. I was pulling my hair out while I disabled and enabled my plugins over and over again.
I think I managed to stop the meltdown of my site by disabling a couple obsolete plugins and installing WP Super Cache, a plugin which claims to make your wordpress Digg-proof. But now I think back about it, this all seems like one big joke.
- The “spike” in traffic I got is the traffic many popular sites get daily.
- My site wasn’t even on the front page of Digg, or any other popular social media site.
My conclusion? Something is wrong with my host. Don’t get me wrong, because Cirtex Host has been great, with affordable prices and all, but if a measily little spike in traffic like that is going to mess up my site, imagine what would happen if my site was on Digg! What annoyed me even more was when I tried talking to their support through chat and AIM (both were “available”) and they made me wait for an hour. One whole gorgeously fat hour. And they probably would’ve kept me waiting had I decided to stick around. So I left a ticket complaining and asking them what was going on, and they replied this morning saying
The server load is normal and there is no server Spike, could you please double check with your end, if you still have problem let us know with the exact URL and logins. Thank you.
I thought the reply was dumb and redundant because I obviously checked everything on my end and realized something was wrong to have left a ticket. But my site stopped melting away and the footer is back, good relief, but the load time for my admin panel is still as slow as ever. Funny everytime something goes wrong, they never reply on the spot (though they are “available”) and their ticket reply is always “everything is sunny side up! :D”. My conclusion? Cirtex Host is good if you have a small personal site/blog looking for a home. However, if you’re looking to use a lot of scripts and databases, or you’re looking to seriously expand your site, you better find another host.
Which is why I’m saying a big fat bye bye and moving out once my plan ends with Cirtex. I’m debating between Holdfire Network’s custom plan and Xfluro’s $10 promotion. Opinions, comments, reviews, and even new host recommendations are ALL WELCOME. I’m getting desperate here. :O
Ever After Is Listed!
Jul 10, 2008 Tips & Tricks, WWW 2 Comments
I logged into my wordpress account today, and on my dashboard, I see a new incoming link from Most Inspired, a CSS showcase gallery/weblog. Guess what, Ever After got listed as one of the recent inspirations! That’s not all. I visited the site just because it’s awesome to see my blog being featured, for the first time, on a CSS showcase gallery. I found out from Most Inspired that my site was also featured on CSS Mania, yet another showcase gallery! Ok, so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised because I did submit my site in, but I was shocked that they’d actually feature it.
Obviously, I’m happy that my site is being featured out there, but at the same time, I know that this isn’t my design. I’m using a premade theme. So really, those sites are giving props to the original creator of the theme, not me. Well, I tweaked it here and there and I added banner, but really, it’s not saying much. :/ So I try to look on the bright side, and it’s that my site is up on those galleries to stay! Yay to quality backlinks.
I’m going back to submitting my site to other galleries now. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of those incoming links on my dashboard as time goes on. You guys should do it too. Even if your site doesn’t get listed, it still gives the reviewers an opportunity to check your site out. More traffic and pageviews! 
[UPDATE] Ever After is also listed on Light On Dark and on CSS Star now! Visit and leave a good rating? I’ll give you a cookie in return 
My Blog DOES NOT exist solely for payment
May 19, 2008 Stupid People, WWW 5 Comments
Dear Customer Love at Social Spark,
As of now, you should be reviewing my blog for the nth time, and you will keep reviewing it unless you can give me a damn good reason explaining why my blog was rejected. To tell me that it was because my blog exists solely for payment or to post referral links is complete bullshit, and I will not accept that as an answer. One, I have a total of 9 paid posts in my entire blog. 9 out of 85 posts. How can you say my blog exists solely for payment when I don’t even get a PENNY for more than 8/9 of my posts?
I also took off my Google adsense ads, not to convince you. but because Google is an ass much like you are and I’ve made a total of $0.00 in the last couple months. So much for having a blog solely for payment purposes you twat. So really, I am baffled at how you came up with the idea that my blog was solely for payment purposes. It amazes me how an idiot’s brain works at times, and it’d be fascinating if I could find out what your logic was, if you had any.
Now onto the second part of your argument, about the referral links. I admit, I have some in the money making section. But I didn’t know that was illegal. Even a huge stick in the ass like Google is fine with that, so why shouldn’t you? The links are there, but it’s not like I’m forcing or tricking anyone into clicking them. Oh wait, unless the said person was someone from the customer love of social spark, then just maybe they might be dumb enough to somehow click on those links unknowingly and then cry saying that referral links are bad. But even that doesn’t make sense. See, I’m trying so hard to think like an idiot, but it’s just not working.
So if you’re going to be an ass like Google, at least be a logical and rational ass. As much as I don’t like Google, I can understand where they are coming from and why they do what they do. But you? You’re just being an all-around twat. So either give me a damn good reason why my blog isn’t approved, or better yet, approve it. The last thing Izea needs is another person up their ass. Isn’t Google and their annoying pagerank slapping doing a good job at that already?
No love,
Mimi
Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
May 17, 2008 Rants, Stupid People, WWW Leave a comment
In order to refer more people to sign up for Revolution Money Exchange and get s free $25, I posted the offer at the Smorty Forum. Since referral links weren’t allowed, I told the members to leave me their emails so I could send them the invitation link. I could’ve just left the url to the site, but why not make some extra cash while I’m at it. I’m so greedy, but with $10 for every person you refer, I wasn’t about to pass it up.
Now most people got the message and left their emails, but there just seems to be idiots everywhere, especially when it comes to making quick cash. I’m not saying there’s necessarily something wrong with their IQ, but they are either illiterate or lacking common sense:
- They ask me to PM them. What for? Just so I can ask you again to leave your email? I thought I made that clear already I’d need it, but it doesn’t hurt to explain it again.
- They still ask me to PM them. This is when I’m starting to wonder if they are truly stupid or if they just don’t bother reading. I’m now annoyed and can’t believe that I’m repeating myself again.
- Even when I make a post saying that the $25 promotion has ended,some fools still post their emails, and one fool even asks me to pm them.
- Some people don’t even bother posting a reply. They just pm me and asks me to pm them the details. The only thing I pm-ed was pms. Those lazy fools.
- This idiot doesn’t even know what he’s talking about. I highly suspect he’s talking just for the sake of talking. Or he had an idea but then it ran away while laughing at his lack of intelligence.
- Some dimwit even had the nerve to tell me to leave her a message on his site. Har har, nice try. I was tempted to say something mean, but it turned out to be some 13 year-old girl. Which brings me to my next point…
I have nothing against elementary and middle school kids blogging and doing whatever they may be doing on the internet. I’ve been there, done that, looked like an idiot, but I’ve learned a lot and come a long way. But as much as an fool I’ve been, at least I refrained my stupidity to just on my blog and other silly 13-year old online friends. If I was posting in a forum with older people, at least I knew to control my giggling and other childish behaviors.
I could go on about this all day, but the point I’m trying to get across is that as free and uncensored as the internet is, please put away your childishness when you’re in a forum consisting of members from all age ranges. Do not assume that everyone will appreciate your “OMGZKAWAII” and think “OMGZ she’s so KAWAII”, do not pass go, and do not collect $200. I actually had to purge a former message board of mine because members were butchering the Japanese language in the most distasteful way and adding “NYA” or “KYA” to the end of every sentence while screaming things like “SUGOI DESU!”. People should be jailed for this, seriously.
On a lighter note, I’m still looking for affiliates and link exchanges Please contact me if interested! Thanks.
