Reliability:
In my opinion, the main thing your host needs to be is reliable. If your forum is up every second of everyday, you're maximizing the chance of success. Downtime is THE MOST deadly source of failure. It will kill your forum if it's down multiple times a day, due to reasons you can't control, and there's nothing more frustrating as a Webmaster. So do your research about the hosts reputation, and check reviews etc, then you'll minimize the chance of moving to a host with lots of downtime.
Support:
Every Webmaster needs support with things they can't control. If your host provider offers great support, then your relationship with them will remain positive. What makes good support? Well, it's not just answering your questions. It's answering them thoroughly with detail, giving you advice as well and the easy solutions which will help you in the future. Once again the best way to find this out is with research, or taking advantage of a money-back guarantee deal the host might offer (always look for those). Don't be afraid to make a pain of yourself, don't be embarrassed if you don't know something, it's their job to help you.
Timing:
As I've said in every paragraph, you need to do your research. When you do research, you will know how long your desired hosting company has been around for. If you sign yourself to a company that's been up for a month, you're more likely (almost definitely) going to run into frustrating problems. You should be on hosting that has been around for a while, and this kind of fits in with the reliability part.
Compatibility:
Different people have different software needs for their web site, so this has to be looked at on an individual basis. If you have a web site designed in ASP, or you plan to build it with ASP, for example, you will have to make sure your Internet web hosting service provider has the ability to support ASP. Or has a CGI bin, or has PHP support, etc., etc., whatever software you intend to use with your web site. Once again; you'll need to research this, and if you can't find it you should directly ask the host provider them-self.
Other things you'll be looking for is a high bandwidth allowance and lots of storage space. They're not necessary and only you will know how much you need, just don't buy into a hosting company which doesn't offer much, because when you go over they'll most likely suspend you without notice and that's frustrating.
In my opinion, the main thing your host needs to be is reliable. If your forum is up every second of everyday, you're maximizing the chance of success. Downtime is THE MOST deadly source of failure. It will kill your forum if it's down multiple times a day, due to reasons you can't control, and there's nothing more frustrating as a Webmaster. So do your research about the hosts reputation, and check reviews etc, then you'll minimize the chance of moving to a host with lots of downtime.
Support:
Every Webmaster needs support with things they can't control. If your host provider offers great support, then your relationship with them will remain positive. What makes good support? Well, it's not just answering your questions. It's answering them thoroughly with detail, giving you advice as well and the easy solutions which will help you in the future. Once again the best way to find this out is with research, or taking advantage of a money-back guarantee deal the host might offer (always look for those). Don't be afraid to make a pain of yourself, don't be embarrassed if you don't know something, it's their job to help you.
Timing:
As I've said in every paragraph, you need to do your research. When you do research, you will know how long your desired hosting company has been around for. If you sign yourself to a company that's been up for a month, you're more likely (almost definitely) going to run into frustrating problems. You should be on hosting that has been around for a while, and this kind of fits in with the reliability part.
Compatibility:
Different people have different software needs for their web site, so this has to be looked at on an individual basis. If you have a web site designed in ASP, or you plan to build it with ASP, for example, you will have to make sure your Internet web hosting service provider has the ability to support ASP. Or has a CGI bin, or has PHP support, etc., etc., whatever software you intend to use with your web site. Once again; you'll need to research this, and if you can't find it you should directly ask the host provider them-self.
Other things you'll be looking for is a high bandwidth allowance and lots of storage space. They're not necessary and only you will know how much you need, just don't buy into a hosting company which doesn't offer much, because when you go over they'll most likely suspend you without notice and that's frustrating.
