The World Wide Web can act very much like a series of megaphones. When former United States Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) described the Internet as a “series of tubes” during a debate on the hotbed issue of network neutrality, the analogy was instantly picked up by the blogosphere as well as the broadcast cable news cycle. In just a short while after it was uttered, that phrase made its way across countless social media web sites, instantly becoming an Internet viral legend. From techno driven music videos featuring the phrase, to t-shirts donning the slogan, people all over the world soon knew about the words uttered that were considered to show a complete lack of understanding of what the Internet is, and has the potential to offer.

The above scenario demonstrates the kind of impact that blogs and social media have had – with the ability to deliver a message to millions of people in a very short amount of time. The power of the Internet, with its blogs and social media sites in particular, provide a way for people to effectively broadcast whatever message they desire. As more people start their own blogs and become involved in one of the many social media networks, the demand for cheap and easy web hosting will continue to grow.

Shared web hosting quite naturally fits into the picture with blogs and social media networks. As more people get online and want their own blogs, the demand for shared web hosting is increasing. This new demand continues to impact the web hosting industry in a very positive way, by contributing to the growth of shared web hosting businesses, as well as providing entrepreneurs with new small business opportunities. For smart companies that are paying attention now is the time to start marketing campaigns that target bloggers and other users of the big social media websites.

There are a lot of different areas that have been affected by blogs and social media. To better understand the effects on the shared web hosting industry, it’s important to understand the way they’ve affected other areas. From politics to business to the world of news and media in general – blogs and social media networks have really changed the information landscape and how things work in the world in general. This, in turn, has had an effect (directly and indirectly) on the shared web hosting industry in that it is the less expensive hosting options that have generally been used to host much of the blogosphere (at least, in the beginning).

Politics
The effect of blogs and social media websites on politics is undeniable. While the Internet has been used for a relatively short while in political campaigns, in the 2008 U.S. elections, their power was really evident. From the way that blogs and social media sites were used to voice opinions about the candidates to the candidates using the Internet more effectively themselves – the 2008 U.S. elections really showcased the importance of the blogosphere and the social media networks. It is no secret, for instance, that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign started as a grassroots Internet movement that far and away surpassed that of any other candidate running for office during that time, or in the history of politics. It is a safe bet that both politicos and business people alike, will be studying the techniques used in that campaign as a business model, for many years into the future.

Business
In the world of business, blogs and the social media networks have played both a positive and negative role. On both sides of the fence, though, there’s no denying that they have made an impact in a very big way, on the business world. Whether it’s using blogs and social media to get messages out or to listen to their customers, smart businesses are embracing the changes in the way that business is found, maintained and grown.

News
In the world of media, many thought that blogs and social networks would just create an echo chamber, with everyone repeating the stories the “journalists” published or broadcast. What actually happened is that blogs and other independent websites were able to take part in original reporting – sometimes more effectively than the traditional media, even pointing out things that were incorrectly handled. The ability for people to publish cheaply and efficiently has really changed the media industry over the years. Many print publications are failing as a result of the cost structure needed to print and publish on paper. Because of that, and the Internet participation as a whole, as blogs and social networks grow, they’re going to have a much larger impact on the media overall.

What This Means
As previously mentioned, the result of the popularity of blogs and social media networks is going to create an increased need for cheap web hosting. Companies willing to step forward and help consumers publish their own Web 2.0 websites will more than likely flourish. In turn, this will have a huge impact on shared hosting companies, especially as the numbers continue to increase. As people spend more time online (with a large percentage of it on blogs or one or more of the social networks), there’s going to be an even bigger need for budget web hosting, which definitely includes shared web hosting.

The bottom line is that blogs and social media are here to stay. The sooner companies come to terms with this and realize how to leverage it into their overall marketing strategies, the faster they’ll learn how to thrive, regardless of what the economic climate may be. The shared web hosting industry has a lot to gain from the growth of blogs and social media networks. With a little time and effort, there’s an increasing market of consumers with a demand for budget web hosting to host hobby and other personal websites, as well as small business start-ups. Of course, hobbies and small businesses have also had a habit of becoming profitable business ventures, which will only feed right back into the web hosting industry as a whole.

Effects on the Shared Hosting Industry
Web hosting companies all need to accept the impact that blogs and social media are having on the way the Internet works for commerce, so that they are not left behind. By doing so, web hosts can gain access to a lot of new potential customers who will need blogs or web pages (and shared hosting), as well as those newer customers that need to learn more about how the Internet works. Taking all of this into consideration, the potential positive effects on the shared hosting industry are quite extensive.

Ways for Web Hosting Companies to Use Blogs & Social Media Websites
There are a lot of different ways for web hosting companies to benefit from blogs and social media networks. One way that web hosts can gain new ground, is by educating consumers by showing them just why they should have a blog or Facebook page. It is this understanding and being in a position to demonstrate that, which will keep a web host ahead of the game. With just a little effort, there are a lot of positive effects that web hosting companies can achieve by using blogs and social media networks. For example, as an indirect advertising technique, it can be used as a cost-effective tool that can become viral, reaching millions of people.

Marketing
There’s a real fine line that companies need to follow when using blogs or social media websites for marketing their products, services, or even just a website. Companies need to strike a delicate balance, so that they do not go overboard, and come off as too pushy or insincere, which could lessen their chance of online success. In order for marketing to work, it needs to be as natural as possible. If it’s funny, timely, or super informative, that’s always a plus as well. Blogs and social networking can be a very effective forum in which to transmit useful information.

Viral marketing is great – when it is achieved. By having hosting content that is either funny, unique, weird, or something else that ‘clicks’ with a large group of people, you can better stand the chance of people telling all their friends about the content – and your website or brand. For a web hosting company, this is a great opportunity to reach new customers that might have come just to see the funny content.

Word of mouth advertising is one of the most valuable kinds of advertising, because you can’t really purchase it (or replicate it very well on a fake blog or MySpace/Facebook page). If websites have something really cute or funny and expose it to the audience in the blogosphere and in the social media scene, they increase their chance of attracting a lot of attention for themselves, and for their brand.

Having access to this powerful tool – the Internet ‘megaphone’ that can effectively broadcast a message to a lot of people – can have a huge impact on the way that companies do business. Marketing for bloggers and people who heavily use social media sites is different, but they’re a great target to go after because their numbers are increasing. This makes any money spent on marketing toward their demographic a smart thing to do.

Relationships
Successful business is really all about building relationships. For some shared hosting companies, customer service and building relationships isn’t a priority. There are many reasons that it should be. As more companies utilize the Internet to form relationships (even virtual) with their customers, it is in the best interest of any business professional to be aware of how social networking relationships can positively impact the business model, which can be instrumental in both growth and surviving whatever the state of the business world may be.

Blogs and social media networks are great ways to reach out to customers to offer an excellent source of service and assistance. Companies should be mindful of keeping the relationships professional, but being in a position to know what your customers think, and respond directly to them, is a real advantage. Most companies know the power of being able to handle and address reputation management issues, as well as the impact of positive feedback. For web hosting companies, this can be a great way to differentiate yourself from the pack and stand out as a leader.

Customer service and relationships have become more important for all companies. As the Internet continues to become one of the main sources of entertainment and information for people all over the world, web hosting companies that utilize the power of one on one marketing efforts – via blogs and social networks like MySpace and Facebook – are going to be in a better position to survive and thrive in the changing business landscape.

The Future of Shared Hosting
With the way the Internet works, constantly changing and evolving, there’s no way of knowing for certain what’s going to happen in the future. The shared web hosting industry is no different. One thing is for certain, though. Blogs and social media networks (both ones existing and those that haven’t been created yet) are going to have a large impact on the shared hosting space online.
From the ability of customers to review and rate your shared hosting company online to the ability to share that information with others, consumers are gaining more power. A smart web hosting company will realize this and use the benefits of social media and the blogosphere to help enhance their company image. Being proactive allows a web hosting company to stay ahead of the curve online for better growth and success.

Blogs and social networks are relatively new as part of a business model, but their importance continues to increase as more people turn to them for entertainment and information. Smart shared web hosting companies will use this knowledge to gradually adjust their overall strategic plan to not only account for this new emerging space on the Internet, but also embrace it and use it to their best advantage.

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