Free Web Hosting

What's this, free hosting? Free hosting!

What do I get?
Free web hosting, on the domain of your choice, for a GeekLog-powered website. You get 50mb of storage space, and 1gb of data transfer per month, which can be increased in some instances (say, if you've got a popular site with a lot of page views). There's a one-off setup charge of 1p, and then it's free forever.

Wait just a minute. 1p isn't free. A penny is a penny, never mind what you call it.
Yes, we know. That 1p only serves as a barrier to entry, so we don't get flooded with spammers or script-kiddies signing up for a hundred sites at once. It also stops our shopping cart software from getting all flustered and confused when you ask it to send you a bill for zero pounds and zero pence. If you like, we'll refund your penny back to you after you've signed up.

Why is it free?
Two reasons - firstly, GeekLog is such an amazing system, and relatively unknown in comparison with some others, that we want to promote it as much as we can. Secondly, there will be an advert on your site, from which we'll make a little money to cover our costs.

Can I run my own adverts too, and make some beer money?
Yes! Our ad will be supplied by Project Wonderful. You're free to sign up for a Project Wonderful account of your own and put up another ad, or to use Google AdSense. Other ad types should be okay too, but check their Terms & Conditions carefully, and maybe E-mail us first just to make sure.

What's GeekLog?
GeekLog is a blog. GeekLog is a content management system. GeekLog is a traditional static website. GeekLog is an art gallery. GeekLog is a community website. GeekLog is a corporate wiki. GeekLog is anything and everything you want it to be!

Am I getting a proper hosting account, here, or a glorified LiveJournal?
You're getting a proper hosting account, with full FTP access. The GeekLog installation is performed for you, manually - which is far more secure and versatile than an automatic installation.

Wait, hold on - if I've got FTP access, does that mean I can install plugins and themes?
Yes! Wikis, forums, image galleries, you name it! Download them from the GeekLog website or plugin repositories, upload them to your webspace via FTP, and hit the Install button!

Why GeekLog, and not, say, WordPress or Joomla?
Because GeekLog is the fastest, most secure, and most cutting-edge blogging/CMS platform that we know of. WordPress and Joomla may be more popular, but GeekLog, in our extensive experience, is better!

And it's free, right?
Totally free, except for your domain name and a one-off setup charge of 1p. You can buy a domain name from us, or use our nameservers with a domain you've bought from someone else.

Will I have Root access to my GeekLog installation?
As good as. You're not actually a Root user, but you're in every other security group. The only things you can't edit are:
1. The advert we're running on your site.
2. The Root user, which was used to set up the advert.
Everything else is fair game! Mess about with blocks, stories, users, plugins, site settings - the whole lot is open to you.

This all sounds complicated. Just how hard is GeekLog to use?
It's very easy. It's not quite as easy as WordPress, but it's close. After messing about with it for half an hour or so, you'll have a pretty good idea of how it all works, and there's documentation and support available if you're not sure about anything, or if you want to do some more advanced tinkering. You can try out a default GeekLog installation here.

If it's harder to use than WordPress, Vox, Blogger, LiveJournal, MySpace and stuff like that, why should I use it instead?
Because it's far more powerful, far more flexible, and you can do far more with it than you can with any of the above.

Do you have any examples of cool sites created in GeekLog, so I can see what I can do?
Yes, lots!
How about Retro Reviews? Twisted Librarian? Project Wonderful Talk? How about using it for a more traditional website via the liberal use of the Static Pages function, like Cheshire Power Boats? Or a webcomic, like Culture Shock? Those are a few of the sites we host, some with adverts, some without. Here's about six hundred more, if you're interested.

How big is the advert, what's it for, and where will it be?
The advert will be 160 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall. The default location is on the right-hand side of the GeekLog site. If you'd like to move it elsewhere, we can either use a Static Page or hard-code it into your template files - just contact us to tell us where you'd like it. Alternatively, you can have a 728*90 leaderboard ad across the top of your website.
The advert placed on your website will probably be for a webcomic or blog. It may be for a small, indie business. It will change fairly regularly.

Will HostingForAQuid give me support, or help me out if I get stuck?
A little bit. But only a little bit. This is a free service to promote GeekLog, and we're barely covering our own costs, so you won't get the same high level of support that our paid customers get.

Will I need any software?
An FTP client would be handy, and you can get one for free here. If you want to make your site prettier, some image editing software would be useful, and here's a free package. Other than that, just about everything is done via GeekLog's admin webpage, and you won't need any other software.

How long does it take?
Setting up your free account is usually handled same-day, but can take up to two business days.

What can't I do with it?
The same Terms & Conditions apply to the free hosting accounts as to our regular, paid hosting accounts. No porn, no spam, no hate, no scumware, no copyright violations (Fair Use is, of course, acceptable - but be very, very careful), and sites have to comply with UK law. E-mail us if you're not sure whether your idea is okay under our TOS. Also, the advert that we place on your website must stay there at all times.

What if I need more information?
Free hosting is something we've only just started doing, so it's entirely possible we haven't answered all of your questions. If that's the case, just drop us an E-mail and we'll add more information to this page.

Go on then, sign me up.
It'd be our pleasure. Right this way, please.