Web Hosting Reviews – New York, NY - BeanSprout, a platform for business development, and X-cart, a leading shopping cart software provider, today announces their partnership to help online merchants find business development partnerships. X-cart has featured BeanSprout in their marketplace for members to take advantage of their special offer of 10 free connections on the BeanSprout platform.

BeanSprout makes finding business development opportunities easy by matching companies together based on the information provided in their company profile. Using sophisticated matching algorithms, BeanSprout figures out who would make a good partner and presents it as a match. Members can then send a partnership request to their match and if there is mutual interest their contact information is exchanged to discuss the details of their partnership.

X-Cart customers can find BeanSprout in the marketing section of the X-cart marketplace. All X-Cart customers receive 10 free connections on BeanSprout to help them find distribution, marketing, and technology partnerships quickly and easily.

“Business development is an important part to building any business and e-commerce is no different,” says Alex Mulin, Sales Department Manager at X-Cart. “The addition of BeanSprout in the X-cart marketplace will help our customers grow their business in a new way.”

“There really were no tools to help companies find the right business development opportunities before BeanSprout,” says Alex Kehayias, Co-Founder of BeanSprout. “X-Cart clearly sees the opportunity to help companies grow their companies with business development and we’re glad to be partnering with them.”

About X-Cart
X-Cart is well-known PHP shopping cart software with tons of features, fast, SEO-friendly, easy to customize. It powers tens thousands online checkout worldwide. For more information visit www.x-cart.com.

About BeanSprout
BeanSprout is a business development platform that matches companies together for business development partnerships such as channel, reseller, distribution, and technology partnerships. BeanSprout is free to join and start making connections. For more information visit www.beansprout.co.

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Web Hosting Reviews – Calgary, Alberta, Canada - SKGOLD™ Hosting is pleased to announce that the Canada web hosting company is in the midst of an massive project to release an extensive library of online video tutorials. According to Sergey Krongold, founder and CEO of SKGOLD™ Hosting, the release includes approximately 100 new files and is being implemented throughout the month of May to help customers utilize their web hosting accounts to the fullest.

“We believe the video tutorials are great tools for our clients, especially those who learn by watching and doing. Active learners can now browse through our list of video tutorials and follow along with the ones that are most applicable to each individual’s hosting account needs,” says Mr. Krongold.


The video tutorials are designed to help learners master a variety of tools and techniques and to maximize the value of their web hosting accounts at SKGOLD™ Hosting. The list of titles covers a wide range of topics, from subjects associated with the company’s SiteBuilder tools to assistance in using WordPress and webmail addresses to cPanel issues. Within each broad category, the videos focus on specific tasks. For example, included in the cPanel videos are instructions for logging in, creating an email account, and changing a cPanel password.

According to Mr. Krongold, an extensive, but not exhaustive, list of headings includes file transfer (FTP) topics; email-client applications; mobile email client applications; phpMyAdmin instruction; and a selection of titles that do not fall naturally into one of the other topics. “We want to put plenty of information out there so that our customers can handle their common web hosting tasks like the pros do.”

SKGOLD™ Hosting will continue to support their static online web hosting knowledgebase for customers who prefer reading to watching; the topics are very similar to the video tutorials. In addition, people who need assistance with a particular question or task can submit a support ticket to work with the Help Desk.

For more information on SKGOLD™ Hosting and to view a complete menu of video tutorials, visit www.skgoldhosting.com/web-hosting-video-tutorials.html

About SKGOLD™ Hosting
SKGOLD™ Hosting is a Calgary-based Canadian Web Hosting company. Founded in 2003, the company is a division of SKGOLD™ Marketing Ltd., which provides Internet marketing services such as Web design, Web hosting and SEO (search engine optimization) for individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses.

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Web Hosting Reviews – This is a cautionary tale for all web hosting, SEO and web development companies. A recent precedent-setting case has put these types of companies in serious jeopardy of being sued.  The case, Roger Cleveland® Golf Company, Inc. v. Prince (et al.), centered on the sale of a website selling counterfeit Roger Cleveland golf clubs operated by www.copycatclubs.com (Copycat) that was hosted by Bright Builders, Inc.  After the jury issued a verdict of trademark infringement, the judge in the case assessed damages against Prince Distribution and Bright Builders.

The complaint stated Prince Distribution/Copycat sold or otherwise contributed to the sale of counterfeit Cleveland Golf brand golf clubs and were therefore liable for direct and /or contributory infringement of the golf club trademarks.

In a most astonishing move though, Bright Builders was issued a judgment in the amount of $770,750 for contributory infringement, despite the fact that Bright Builders had no knowledge of or control over what was posted on the Copycat site. Prince Distribution, the counterfeiter, was only ordered to pay Cleveland Golf Company $28,250.

Cleveland Golf Clubs originally sought from Prince damages for acts of willful trademark counterfeiting in the amount of $2 million per counterfeit mark, including triple damages where appropriate as well as attorney fees and costs.  So, the jury awarded Cleveland Golf Clubs considerably less and reserved the harshest penalty for Bright Builders.  The order against Bright Builders essentially put the company out of business.

In a press release issued about the case, Stephen Gingrich, Vice President of Global Legal Enforcement and HR for Cleveland® Golf/Srixon® stated “companies like Bright Builders who can amplify the impact and scope of this problem are even more dangerous. Counterfeiting has existed for thousands of years but has been a localized issue.  The Internet, ease of global shipping and payments, combined with SEO’s and web hosts injecting steroids into the situation has brought the issue into every consumer’s living room.”

The inflammatory remarks about companies like Bright Builder masks the real issue in this case, which was counterfeit golf clubs.  When the counterfeiter declared bankruptcy, the complaint was amended to add Bright Builders. Although they were not the original target, the judge and jury placed principal blame on a web hosting company.

This  sets a dangerous precedent by placing Internet providers in serious jeopardy of being ordered to pay huge judgments and being put in a position to undertake the impossible burden of monitoring everything posted to the sites they host or build and being responsible for taking action to report illegal activity.  Now, these companies are liable for policing what is posted to the sites they host in the context of trademarks, which is an impossible burden. Service providers simply cannot verify that every product sold on a third-party site they host is not counterfeit.  Ironically, other recent cases have reached the exact opposite conclusion in the context of copyrights.

In light of this case, hosting companies and others must take the wake-up call and ensure they have policies and disclaimers in place to shield them from this kind of liability.  It’s not enough to have indemnity clauses in contracts. Bright Builders had an indemnity clause, but Copycat went bankrupt and the plaintiff went after Bright Builders.  What’s necessary now is for companies to have policies and contract clauses in place to specifically deal with contributory infringement.

What can you do to protect yourself? Contact legal counsel specializing in information technology and e-commerce immediately to put protective policies and procedures in place.

_________________
David Shaw (dshaw@kmclaw.com), a business attorney specializing in information technology and e-commerce and a Shareholder with Kirton & McConkie (www.kmclaw.com).

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Web Host News – Herndon, VA — Network Solutions® is inviting business professionals to attend an information-packed seminar that will show them how to use search engine marketing to attract new customers. Taking place at Philadelphia’s Hilton Garden Inn on May 4 and St. Paul’s Continuing Education & Conference Center on May 6, the seminars will run from 8 am -12 pm.

The Network Solutions Search Marketing Seminar focuses on the use of search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) advertising. Attendees will gain an understanding of the ways these online marketing strategies can help them succeed online by bringing a steady stream of customers and making them competitive with businesses of all sizes.

“Our seminar is designed to help business professionals understand how major search engines like Google® and Bing® can bring them new customers,” said Randy Windsor, online marketing coach for Network Solutions. “We provide information that they can use today to make their business more visible to potential customers.”

The half day seminar will cover important topics such as building a website marketing strategy and creating Web pages with the elements necessary to attract the search engines. Tips for boosting search engine ranking, budgeting marketing dollars and outsourcing SEO and PPC will also be shared.

“We’ve looked closely at feedback from our previous search engine marketing seminars,” added Windsor. “Our attendees feel strongly that they leave this seminar with the knowledge they need to market their business on the web.”

Register today to attend a Network Solutions search engine marketing seminar in Philadelphia or St. Paul.

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Web Host News – JACKSONVILLE, FL - Every online retailer knows that when it comes to eCommerce, one size does not fit all, which is why Web.com (Nasdaq:WWWW), a leading provider of online marketing for small and medium-sized businesses, is introducing a breakthrough line of eCommerce products designed to help its customers reach more online shoppers and increase their online sales.

The products integrate best-in-class eCommerce shopping cart features and SSL certificates with online marketing tools such as email marketing, affiliate program management, custom domain names and built-in search engine optimization. In addition, the products are PCI (Payment Card Industry) certified and compliant, which means they adhere to the highest standards established by the PCI Security Standards Council to protect consumers from cardholder fraud or data theft.


“With record levels of consumers shopping online, we saw an opportunity to give our customers access to secure, uniquely bundled eCommerce products that integrate our proven online marketing tools,” said David Brown, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Web.com. “The 2009 statistics are telling for small and medium-sized businesses: eCommerce accounted for approximately 10 percent of all U.S. retail sales, up from 6 percent in 2008 — and holiday shoppers spent $29 billion online, a 4-percent increase over the holiday season in 2008.* With our expanded eCommerce product line, we’re continuing to help small and medium-sized businesses succeed in the online marketplace, which we’ve been doing for more than 13 years.”

The three new products are designed to provide just the right mix of eCommerce shopping cart solutions and online exposure for merchants — at any stage in their lifecycle. eCommerce Express features basic eCommerce functionality, eCommerce Standard includes eCommerce and online marketing tools, and eCommerce Pro offers a full-featured solution with the ability to sell unlimited products.

Web.com’s expanded product line is a breakthrough in eCommerce because it offers the highest level of security and the most robust combination of features available, including:
• Shopping cart that allows you to display your products in a storefront
• Professionally designed, contemporary templates that you can customize for your business
• Integrated email marketing, which allows you to tailor autoresponders and other emails based on your customers’ preferences
• Affiliate program management tool that’s integrated with your store and automates volume and payment reporting
• Advanced upsell features that include coupons, ad tracking and in-line product upsells, providing an additional revenue generator following a customer’s initial purchase
• Automated product submissions to comparison shopping sites (product search engines), which keeps your products in front of online shoppers day in and day out
• Checkout process that’s integrated with your store and customizable for your product line
• Capability for selling both physical and digital products online
• Accurate, real-time shipping and tax calculation that takes the guesswork out of the process
• Integration with more than 50 payment solutions, including all major credit cards and PayPal™
• Comprehensive management and reporting tools for products, orders and customers

Businesses that are interested in adding eCommerce capabilities or enhancing their current online strategies should call 1-800-GET-SITE (438-7483) or visit www.web.com/ecommerce.

About Web.com
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW) is a leading provider of online marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. Web.com meets the needs of small and medium-sized businesses anywhere along their lifecycle by offering a full range of online services and support, including website design, logo design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, local sales leads, general contractor leads, franchise and homeowner association websites, shopping cart software, eCommerce website design and call center services. For more information about the company, please visit www.web.com or call 1-800-GET-SITE (438-7483).

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Web Hosting Wire – Austin, TX - PubCon, the social media, Internet marketing, search marketing conference and expo, is announcing a one-day, two track SEO/SEM Training Program and Workshop to take place Tuesday, April 13th, a day before its PubCon South at Dallas conference April 14 – 15, 2010 at the Richardson Conference and Civic Center, Dallas, Texas.

The PubCon South Training Program and Workshops will have two simultaneous tracks of in-depth sessions, led by some of the industry’s most respected professionals. Track one will be on Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Pay-Per-Click (PPC), and Paid Search Marketing, with track two on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).


Brett Tabke, PubCon’s organizer said, “I’m delighted to announce the return of these workshops after the fantastic success of the event at PubCon Las Vegas. That event was a sell-out, and we expect these sessions to sell out, too. These are the industry’s leading experts presenting hands-on, practical, educational and topical content. It really is one of the best ways to train and educate for in-house specialist or external consultants.”

Brian Massey heads up the track dedicated to the paid search landscape. Brian is from Conversion Sciences, and teaches businesses the science of turning Web traffic into leads and sales. Also on the SEM and Paid Search side of the isle will be noted author Tim Ash, the president and chief executive of SiteTuners.com. Tim is the author of Amazon.com e-commerce bestseller ‘Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide To Testing and Tuning for Conversions.’

The topics in this track will include: – Define and Understand Your Audience. Landing Page Conversion Best Practices. Live Audience Case Study, and Ask The Experts. Covered within that will be advanced PPC ad creation and optimization, landing page optimization, multivariate testing and optimization, understanding your quality score, click fraud identification, landing pages that convert, and specific hands-on time with the students.

The SEO and Organic Search Workshop is in the second track of sessions, headed by Joe Laratro, president of Tandem Interactive, an experienced training professional and PubCon’s lead moderator, who has written and spoken extensively about SEO content. Joe is joined by Michael Gray, president of Atlas Web Service, and Carolyn Shelby, the director of natural search at Cshel.com.

Shelby will present SEO Basics: Architecture, Content, and Linking. Laratro will be teaching Intermediate SEO Methods. Gray will focus on Advanced SEO: The latest and greatest tactics. The topics will include: – keyword targeting and long tail targeting, advanced link building campaigns to increase link popularity, traditional on-the-page SEO for 2010, social media campaigns – what’s new and hot, bleeding edge SEO, and leveraging twitter.

Conference registration for the SEO/SEM Training and Workshops is at www.pubcon.com

About PubCon
PubCon is a multi-track educational conference hosted by WebmasterWorld. PubCon events are for thought leaders and professionals in Internet marketing, social media, search marketing and advertising to gather and to share best practices in the design, development, promotion and marketing of their Internet businesses and brands.

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Web Hosting Wire – Anaheim, CA & Tampa, FL - By simply answering a few questions and adjusting a few variables, business owners can use a new online marketing calculator to identify the best budget and online marketing tactics needed to gain new customers online. Interested parties can try the marketing calculator on Lunarpages’ website.

Lunarpages has over 10 years of experience providing website solutions to businesses from the small start-up to fortune 100 companies. The company prides itself on offering customized solutions for every client, ensuring that anyone can design, build, market, and optimize their website effectively and easily. “We are so thrilled about offering these search and marketing solutions!” said Amy Armitage, Director of Business Development for Lunarpages. “For years, we have been readying the perfect solution, which combines web hosting, web design, domain registration, email hosting, and more. And finally, it is also for a price you can afford.”

Part of Lunarpages’ success comes from maintaining a close-knit attitude toward their staff and clients. In order to deliver even more value to their clients, Lunarpages has partnered with LocalDirective to provide marketing solutions including website design and revitalization, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization, social media marketing and more.

Like Lunarpages, LocalDirective builds solid relationships with its employees and clients. This attitude helps them make the best decisions about their clients’ business needs. Lisa Maier, CEO says, “Online marketing – if done right – can be the most cost-effective form of advertising today. Our job, at LocalDirective, is to make sure that we deliver an impressively high ROI for our clients.”

Based on the similarities between the two companies and their overlapping areas of expertise, Lunarpages and LocalDirective have formed a partnership to offer clients a one-stop solution to their website needs. “I’m excited about this partnership which will offer our collective clients the best hosting AND marketing in one place!” said Lisa Maier. “I’ve been recommending Lunarpages for years because of their quality of service and attention to their customers’ needs.” The partnership promises to take both companies into the new decade with diversity and success.

For more information on Lunarpages, visit www.lunarpages.com or call 1-714-521-8150. For more information on LocalDirective, visit, www.localdirective.com or call 1-866-925-9524.

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Web Hosting Wire – WASHINGTON and FLORIDA - The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business association, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Web.com (Nasdaq:WWWW), the leading provider of online marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. The alliance gives NFIB members access to Web.com’s Web design and online marketing products that help small businesses succeed online.

“We are dedicated to helping small businesses own, operate and grow their businesses, and that means using the Internet as one of their tools,” said Mark Garzone, NFIB’s Senior Vice President, Marketing. “Web.com has both the experience and the expertise to provide the best and most comprehensive solutions available to our members, as the many Fortune 500 companies that choose to partner with Web.com can attest. Also, by choosing Web.com, our members will gain the added benefit of working with only one company, instead of many, to have their online marketing needs addressed.”


Web.com will provide NFIB members with a complete online marketing solution that incorporates professional design, marketing and search engine promotion capabilities—including enhanced listings in Google™ Maps, top Internet yellow pages and local search engine directories—a mobile website and a performance scorecard that provides site traffic updates in real time. Members will also have access to ongoing support from Web.com’s team of design and online marketing experts.

“With more people using the Internet, a website is often the first impression customers will have of a business, especially when they are not an established brand,” said David Brown, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Web.com. “When you’re competing for mindshare in the marketplace, just having a website isn’t enough. Small businesses need websites that are properly designed, optimized, marketed and maintained. Our core competency is to provide that assistance to small businesses effectively, efficiently and affordably. We appreciate the opportunity to work with NFIB, the voice of America’s small businesses, and look forward to helping NFIB members succeed.”

About NFIB
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) (www.NFIB.com) is the nation’s leading small business association. A non-profit, non-partisan association founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its members in Washington and all 50 state capitals. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of its members to own, operate, and grow their businesses. NFIB also provides its members with a wealth of practical information, resources, and tools and tips to help them succeed. And, by pooling member purchasing power, NFIB can give members access to selected products and services at discounted prices. To learn more about NFIB, visit: www.NFIB.com or call 1-800-NFIB-NOW (634-2669).

About Web.com
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW) is a leading provider of online marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. Web.com meets the needs of small and medium-sized businesses anywhere along their lifecycle by offering a full range of online services and support, including website design, logo design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, local sales leads, general contractor leads, franchise and homeowner association websites, shopping cart software, eCommerce website design and call center services. For more information on the company, please visit www.web.com or call 1-800-GET-SITE (438-7483).

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Web Host News – Austin, TX - PubCon, the social media, Internet marketing, search marketing conference and expo, has opened registration for its PubCon South conference, to be held at the Richardson Conference and Civic Center, Dallas, Texas, April 13- 15, 2010. PubCon South is a multi-track technology conference with an extensive program of educational, highly topical sessions, where cutting-edge Internet marketing knowledge, hot topics and trends are shared with attendees.

Brett Tabke, PubCon’s organizer, said, “Opening registration this early means that attendees can take full advantage of the special discounted rates. These early rates make PubCon South one of the most affordable, and highly productive Internet, search and social media marketing conferences on the circuit. We have a great line-up of speakers and hot topics devised to deliver a highly educational, topical and exciting event. I encourage you to register early while the entry-level price lasts.”


PubCon South at Dallas Conference registration and more information is available at www.pubcon.com.

About PubCon
PubCon is a multi-track educational conference hosted by WebmasterWorld. PubCon events are for thought leaders and professionals in Internet marketing, social media, search marketing and advertising to gather and to share best practices in the design, development, promotion and marketing of their Internet businesses and brands.

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Web Host News – Vancouver, Wash. – Dotster Inc., a leading provider of Internet business services, continues to offer customers the online solutions they need with new unlimited bandwidth and disk space hosting plans, as well as new 24/7 phone customer support.

“Customers today, especially small business owners, don’t have the time or energy to worry about managing their website hosting,” said Dotster CEO Clint Page. “We are always looking for ways to evolve our products and services to make sure our customers can focus on running their businesses, and know that their online needs are being met.”


The new features are available with the Deluxe and Ultra Hosting plans, for both Linux and Windows platforms. Each offers the reliability, speed and security of Dotster’s proven hosting infrastructure, and is supported with the new 24/7 phone support.

The Deluxe Hosting plan includes unlimited bandwidth, and the Ultra Hosting plan offers unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space. These plans start at $8.75 a month with no long-term commitment and no set-up fees.

Additional features include:
o A free domain name (for a limited time)
o Dotster’s easy-to-use website builder
o $25 Google AdWords® credit
o Multiple email accounts and free webmail
o Free applications like WordPress and Joomla!®

The new 24/7 phone support provides customers the help they need whenever they need it, and adds strength to Dotster’s existing 24/7 email support. Customers using any Dotster products or services can get their issues resolved quickly and efficiently by a trained customer care representative.

“We are very pleased to offer 24/7 customer service to our individual and business customers,” Page said. “Dotster provides a superior user experience, and these comprehensive support hours are another way of demonstrating our commitment to our customers.”

The company has also redesigned www.dotster.com, allowing customers to easily find the products and services they need. Features on the new site include an easy-to-use domain search function and enhanced site navigability.

About Dotster, Inc.
Dotster is a leading full-service provider of essential resources for businesses to get online and grow online. It has helped more than one million businesses and individuals establish their web presence, build their websites, and drive revenue. Dotster offers its customers a complete set of services including the ability to get online with domain registration; build a major web presence with website hosting, email hosting, and custom website design; generate traffic with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media platforms; secure websites with SSL Certificates; and reduce IT costs with VPS hosting.

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