Hi, this is Jakob from Servage Hosting. I am really happy to welcome you to our new blog. The place for interaction and true conversations!
You may ask yourself “Why are you starting up a blog?” – and I agree, there are many valid points for asking that question. Some of them are that it is not exactly a new phenomenon. It is not exactly distinguishing from other online companies, since many others run a blog as well. But… Allow me to explain from the beginning: Servage has been steadily growing over the past years – and we are proud to serve One Solution for everyone in need of a hosting account. However, we do acknowledge that we have had issues. Especially year 2008 has not entirely been a shiny year for us. Many customers have been satisfied with our products – we know that from surveys – but more importantly: Some customers were hit by errors on our end, some were victims of hackers, some where frustrated with us for other reasons. You know that. We know that. And we are truly sorry that we could not satisfy everyone! We are especially sorry for having been unable to provide customers with information about current issues. We just did not have the processes in place for that. However, this procedure has resulted in customers not always being fully aware of what’s going on with their hosting account, which in some situations have lead to confusion, dissatisfaction and frustration.
We are therefore starting this blog to provide you with a public platform to gather information about Servage, what is currently going on and what is coming in the future. You can expect the blog to feature one or two new entries per week – and I can promise you that they will not be boring statements, but interesting, informal articles about YOUR hosting company – where we give you a clear picture of what we think and do!
Stay tuned, and please participate in the conversations by submitting your comments!
63 comments (leave a comment)
yay Servage blog! loving it!
by Paul on January 28, 2009 at 15:15
Glad to see servage blog online :) i.ve been with servage for 2 years now .. simply they are the best ever . i can not imagine any support system like i find here .. go on servage .. i love you :)
by hossam on January 28, 2009 at 18:53
nice :)
by danni on January 28, 2009 at 18:55
Good to see a Servage Blog. Great work and I look forward to reading this!
by Si on January 28, 2009 at 21:55
Very nice. I’ve been very happy with Servage and I am looking forward to making this blog part of my RSS feed reading.
by vern on January 29, 2009 at 07:16
YES! I am glad to see servage has a blog now, I have been with servage for 3 years now, and I cant think of anything bad to say about them, and they seem to just keep getting better
by Jared on January 29, 2009 at 14:06
This is fantastic news! I have been with Servage for many, many years and I really like the services provided. I run over 20 websites. In addition the support is nothing short of excellent!
This blog will allow customers like me to stay in touch with what’s new etc. and also contribute to topics.
Well done Servage!
by Gary on January 29, 2009 at 14:22
Servage have been OK over the years but here are the really bad points that they continually failed on and must address!
A.) I have asked many times for better statical analysis of our sites. I was always given the poor excuse either we are working on it and will be soon – never happen!. A bit like the old one the cheque is in the post! Or this is not possible to do with cluster servers when I know for sure other cluster servers can do this!
B.) When you have a problem, email is a poor medium. Are techies losing social skills? A telephone would be more professional. As I have experienced a string of different employees with different levels of ability who have not read the question properly, giving me endless unsatisfactory answers.
If this was rectified Servage would be a great company!
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 30, 2009 at 14:57
I’m glad you bring up the statistics. The current stats available from the control panel are no highlight, we are aware of that, but yet they deliver on the most important parts of statistics such as bandwidth usage. However, this shall i no way be interpreted as an excuse. Until we get a chance to update our statistics functionality I would strongly recommend the use of Google Analytics. It offers swift and easy to use stats with lots of evaluation/analysis options. It also has a tight integration with Google AdWords, which is an advantage for the many people using that for website promotion.
We are having customers from over 180 countries of this world, speaking roughly just as many different languages. Making phone support available to them – or even just the most spoken ones – and maintain our current One Solution package and pricing model has not been possible so far. We are continuously evaluating the options, so it may be introduced in the future.
by Pat on January 29, 2009 at 14:33
I have been plagued by server problems this year and responses from support who weren’t in a position to help.
I hope this blog provides more feedback, and more accurate information as to what is happening with the service good or bad.
It’s positive that you are starting a blog. I hope staff are deployed to monitor it and provide responses to comments made by clients.
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 30, 2009 at 14:39
We acknowledge that some customers have had unreasonable trouble during the past, but look more delighted into the future because the introduction of our ServageOS has reduced the amount of technical issues.
Btw: Yes, staff (including myself) are deployed to post new content regularly as well as reading comments and replying.
by Jim on January 29, 2009 at 14:37
I’m happy to meet people who also have a servage account. And to see what they do with the capabilities :-)
Greetz
by Joogle on January 29, 2009 at 15:06
woow nice blog… way to go !!!
by Thomas on January 29, 2009 at 15:55
Thanks servage .. You have always been the best.
I believe this blog will be of great help for us getting the latest news .
by hameedki on January 29, 2009 at 16:24
I have been a long time customer of Servage. The service has been great, the support is far better than most i have seen and the value for what you get if phenominal. I can honestly say that your service is great and that i am very happy with servage services. Keep up the good work.
by Jason on January 29, 2009 at 16:53
this is great – this is my second year with servage, and while i have had a few issues – they have without exception been resolved promptly (read immediately), courteously and highly professionally!
i see myself being with these guys for a long time to come.
good to see a blog here – i’m gonna rss it immediately
by batman567 on January 29, 2009 at 18:04
I only wish you guys had a way to use AWstats on your servers. I host 31 websites with you and EVERYONE wants webstats. Your current system is just not up to much – I Realise using clustered servers makes this hard – so develop your own stats – what you have is really poor – it desperately needs bringing into the 21st century. Otherwise – well done; sensible hosting at excellent prices!!!
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on February 2, 2009 at 11:06
Hi Colin, thanks for your feedback! I believe I have answered your inquiry with my reply to Pat’s comment on January 30, 2009 at 14:57.
by Colin cartwright on January 29, 2009 at 21:51
Great. I just added your blog to my google rss feed :)
by Liran on January 30, 2009 at 00:48
Cool! Blog is the name of the game! This is a good marketing for our website! Thanks!
by Erick on January 30, 2009 at 07:34
I’m not impressed by Servage support. Not at all. This is a good first step, but I’ve still got to see what else changes. Until then I don’t trust you with my data.
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 30, 2009 at 14:30
I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied. You are right that some customers have not always received the support they deserved, which is something – among others – we are in the process of changing. Feel free to suggest specific improvements you would like to see.
by me on January 30, 2009 at 07:50
Great initiative! I’ve been one of those customers whos been hit with numerous problems with database connectivity and some minor other issues and i’m happy to see that you are taking things serious and trying to resolve the problems.
I look forward to following this blog and if there should ever be a blogging about the GUI of the admin interface i’ll gladly share some thoughts with you :)
by Thomas Norsted on January 30, 2009 at 08:08
Great statement, superb potential and do not worry ! Even The Universe was born from nothing. The difference is the humans were not there to observe the issues :-) Thank you for sharing this with us , with your clients, thank you for being so honest and at the end of the day, nobody is perfect, it is just our frustration sometimes speaks before we have a chance .Keep going, because I start to like it and thinking to become a Galaxy Servage Reseller !
by Cat on January 30, 2009 at 08:16
Keep the good work Servage, looking forward for an svn server feature maybe?
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 30, 2009 at 11:05
SVN is a good idea and I can tell you that it is a feature our admins are thinking about implementing for customers. However, I cannot give you any specific details yet. I suggest you subscribe to the RSS feed for the Servage Blog so you get any updates asap.
by Mirux on January 30, 2009 at 10:24
its good to have an hosting co who cares about the customer. thanks!
by dave so on January 30, 2009 at 10:41
Great! I’ve even discovered throug this blog the Servage Wiki I’d never seen before! :)
Very clear on any aspect, even limits of db and traffic. GREAT!
by Rik on January 30, 2009 at 11:02
Great to read this info! Good idea! Looking forward to it!
I`m very happy with Servage. Very good hoster! Support is far better then my previous experiences.
I do mention you on my website on every page. And when people ask me about a server …….one address – Servage.
Would like to find some features such as guestbook, journal, etc…… This programms are often offered by other hosters/servers and are a very good idea for the customers in case they need something special. Then you don`t need to search over the internet. You can find it immediately and be sure it is supported by Servage. Think about it!
And keep on going with the super job!
TOP!
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 30, 2009 at 14:28
Do you know our Autoinstaller? It features some of the mentioned features, but if you want other/more scripts please contact our support to let them know. We’re always happy to extend the Autoinstaller with further scripts.
by martine on January 30, 2009 at 11:54
I had some major issues with one servage mysql server lately, and was a little unhappy, but this is probably “shyte happens” scenario. I was very glad that Servage personnel confessed it was their problem and they were really trying to help me. Everything was solved, probably quicker than it would be in most other hosting companies!
I think that the blog is a great idea, because I WANT to see current issues and news about servage. It is also very wise from a customer relations POV that you speak directly to us in ways other than the Ticketing system.
Great and user friendly service! Great customer service!
by Dizyart on January 30, 2009 at 11:58
Very pleased with the service I’ve had from Servage, very helpful and quick…. Keep up the good work :-)
by Gary on January 30, 2009 at 12:06
Great work, i have been with servage over a year and have found only a few reasons to change host, and a alot of reasons to stay. Servage is definitely ahead of its time. The main reason to why i would want to change host is to find a dedicated server. byebye.
by Zirah on January 30, 2009 at 13:17
Nice to see that servage has a blog
by hamza on January 30, 2009 at 13:27
Servage Go On,
nice thing to add a blog to your sevices, but I want to mention something that you might hear about it, It’s a “vBulletin” forum could you please offer this script on Servage as soon as possible. It will push your hosting features so far. Think about it.
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on January 31, 2009 at 13:31
The vBulletin is unfortunately not free software, so offering it via out Autoinstaller would require us or the customer to purchase a license (for each installation) before being able to use it. At Servage we believe in open source, and try to promote as many open source solutions as possible (both in the Autoinstaller, but also within our own systems. We are for instance using open source routing technologies, blog system and wiki engine). I can recommend the open source phpBB as a discussion forum for your website (it is also available via the Autoinstaller in the Servage control panel).
by Saeed on January 30, 2009 at 16:39
Servage is simply the best, and finally you guys released the blog very nice!!
by Desik on January 30, 2009 at 18:59
You guys are awesome!!!
Thanks a billion for the great services provided and for the awesome fast and quick tech support.
Servage.net, I can safely rely on !!!
Flavio Santos – San Francisco/California
by Flavio on January 31, 2009 at 00:18
Nice looking blog – welcome to the blogging world!
by Business blog on February 3, 2009 at 19:57
Nice Blog. Servage.net is the Best.
by Danielle on February 4, 2009 at 10:44
I’m glad your not hiding the problems you had the past year. It is a good thing if you’re more open to your customers telling what is going on. Your customers are smarter than you think!
Servage may have it’s bad moments but overall you are still one of the cheapest hosting companies with alot to offer for both beginners and expert users. You know where to improve and everything should go right for you this year.
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on February 5, 2009 at 06:33
Thank you for your appreciation.
by Dennis on February 4, 2009 at 15:32
What about a forum for us customers…?
So we can help us selves also and you on support can chip in with your answers.
Just a suggestion.
by HAS on February 5, 2009 at 03:40
Looking forward to the new features and improvements the Servage team have in store for us! :)
by Nikita Logachev on February 5, 2009 at 17:07
It would be cool to see some pictures of the clusters where our sites are hosted, as well as pictures of your offices, the staff and so on.
I found some beautiful pics on Steffan’s personal website but I’d like to see more, I’m too curious :o)
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on February 8, 2009 at 22:14
I will look in to the possibilities of publishing something like that on our blog.
by Walter on February 6, 2009 at 19:26
This blog is a great addition to Servage’s communication with it’s customers. Although I find the design makes thing difficult to focus on, this main panel (reading area) is too narrow and is pushed aside by the huge post-it style adverts on the top right. If it were toned down a little you may find users find it easier reading.
None-the-less keep up the great work servage!
Andy
Reply by Jakob (Servage) on February 10, 2009 at 15:22
We have actually had quite a few discussions internally about what design we should use, and ended up running a split-test during our last newsletter where we found the stickies-layout to be the one that most customers read and clicked on.
by andycole on February 10, 2009 at 09:26
Yer. nice –
Servage been good to me –
this lookin good 2
chris
by chizza on February 11, 2009 at 11:15
Well Done Servage!
Been a customer for a year now, and apart from some initial storage problems I just love the service.
As mentioned above a SVN-service would be superb – I mean, we dont want to go to dreamhost for that service, do we? ;)
by Patrick on March 13, 2009 at 12:58
I also would love to be able to use SVN so i dont have data on different pc’s / servers and i can put everything on Servage. Looking forward to it :)
by Parko on March 16, 2009 at 12:26
I can not say anything GOOD about Servage, there response to problems as far as I am concerned is very poor. I have been now some two weeks try to resolve a matter to get my website up and running correctly, the last act by Servage was to block my website without comment to myself.
To anyone wanting assistance with a website i would suggest one that you can speak with Technical Support one to one as I am not a person with computer skills in this area.
Reply by Per Strömqvist (Servage) on April 22, 2009 at 13:51
I looked at your index-file and it had a invalid “meta HTTP-EQUIV=REFRESH content=0; url=raymondhorsey/index.html” line causing your website to refresh itself over in a infinite loop. You ment to refresh to another folder, but a meta-tag for refresh only refresh to public url:s. I have changed so that your domain raymondhorsey.com now points to your other folder instead.
Second: We have considered the idea to offer “phone support” but since we must maintain this 24/7 for all countries at decent phone rates. This would bring the cost for the hosting up. Most of our customers prefer to have 24/7 support by email and instead get “most bang for the bucks”
by Raymond Horsey on April 22, 2009 at 09:35
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by website creation on May 26, 2009 at 07:30
always good.
never had a problem in over 5 years of these ppl serving me –
on the odd occasions i’ve need help – its been prompt
fair play servage
chizzachong
by Chris Sparks on June 23, 2009 at 09:36
:O So mush Info :O
by morison dony on July 1, 2009 at 11:17
Very nice information. Thanks for this.
by carol sanders on August 21, 2009 at 12:49
I was just testing this and you’re right on, and timely. It works great. Good Post. Thanks.
by get more traffic to my on September 28, 2009 at 12:11
Nice post, I would like to read this blog through my RSS feed but i cant get it to work, any ideas?
by Forex Trading on September 28, 2009 at 23:42
Thanks, I’m going to stay tuned and see if I can gather any gems!
by SEO Hertfordshire on September 30, 2009 at 13:52
RSS is working now, thanks
by Forex Trading on October 2, 2009 at 20:20
Good Job, indeed.
by Web Design Hertfordshire on January 26, 2010 at 10:10
I have been a customer for nearly 2 years and I can safety say that I have no complaints at all. Nada nothing.
all my sites seem to run fine and uptime is 99.9999%.
great job, keep it up!!
by dave on May 28, 2010 at 09:33