We have added a new feature to eXtend called ‘Check Site Permissions’. This new feature has been added to let you bulk check your websites file permissions without having to go through them all manually one by one. It will:

1. Check that the permissions make any sense at all, e.g. that a directory is accessible or that a script is executable

2. Check for conditions which would make the web server refuse to run a script for security reasons

3. Check for permissions which are likely to lead to security problems on your site

4. Where appropriate, recommendations for changes to the existing permissions will also be given to make your website more secure. You can then agree to the recommended permissions through this page (or choose to ignore them).

Customers who have ‘File Manager’ enabled as a feature will automatically get access to this in their control panel.

One-click installation of WordPress 3.0.1 is now available for Websoftnet web hosting customers. To install, simply log into your eXtend control panel and scroll down to ‘CGI Scripts’ for a one-click install and set up of your WordPress blog.

Customers with Windows hosting still have WordPress 2.9.2 as their one-click WordPress install, but we are looking to update this in the next few weeks).

As well as replacing WordPress 2.9.2, WordPress 3.0 also replaces WordPress MU (the multi-user version), as the multi-user features have been merged into WP as standard. Other new features in WordPress 3.0 include custom post types, unique author templates (great for multi-user blogs), improved menu management, a new default theme and support for the wp.me URL shortener. You can check out the complete list of the hundreds of new features and improvements in the WordPress 3.0 codex.

If you’re wondering about how to take advantage of some of these features, How to: Enable WordPress 3.0 New Features After Upgrading has lots of great links to help you get started.

We’re changing our current default version of PHP from 4 to 5 from the 6th September. As many of you will know, to use PHP 5 at the moment you need to enable this in a .htaccess file on the server. From the 6th September, we will swap this around so that PHP 5 is the default and PHP 4 may be called via a .htaccess file in the directory you wish to use PHP 4 from.

This is unlikely to affect many people as nearly all scripts written in PHP now operate on PHP 5 (for example all the PHP scripts available in your eXtend control panel).

We’re now at a point where having PHP 5 as the default version makes more sense for users; PHP 5 was released in 2004, whilst PHP 4 hasn’t been updated since 2008. If you’re operating legacy software that will not work on PHP 5, please set up a .htaccess file with the following line in it:

SetEnv DEFAULT_PHP_VERSION 4

This needs to be done before the 6th September so that your software will continue to work as normal.

If you have any questions, please raise a support ticket from your control panel for a prompt response.

A new Firefox feature called Tab Candy is in the works. It’s still early in testing mode, as Mozilla’s Aza Raskin points out on his blog

The modern web browser relies on the ability to offer users multiple tabs. No one has just one tab open anymore, and no one wants a window open for each tab. But while tabbed browsing may have served us well for a number of years now, the problem has become too many tabs and how to deal with them.

Watch the video below for a full overview

An Introduction to Firefox’s Tab Candy from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

bbPress  – a  streamlined, fast, and easy-to-use forum program, it integrates easily into WordPress.

We’re now offering one-click installs of bbPress. Using as a message board, it’s a great way to promote visitor interaction and also to discover what your visitors are interested in, who they are, and what else they want to see from your site.

bbPress is open source and focused on speed and security, meaning you don’t have to worry about slow loading pages or the risk of being hacked. The streamlined software is also lightweight and efficient for better use of space and bandwidth. bbPress is easy to install thanks to our one-click install solution, and the user-friendly control panel also means less work for admins and moderators once you’re up and running.

bbPress enjoys many similar customisation elements to WordPress so you can develop and install themes and plugins (e.g. for ratings, video and private forums) to customise your forums. Furthermore, bbPress can be integrated with WordPress so it has access to your blog’s functionality and users signing up to your message boards can also be users on your blog. This is especially useful for multi-author blogs, blogs with regular commenters and those looking to build up integrated site communities from an existing WordPress blog.

If you have a Premium hosting plan, you can now install bbPress just like any other one-click install. Go to your eXtend control panel, scroll down to one-click installs and install from there.

To find out more about what bbPress has to offer, check out bbpress.org.

The name of a domain directly affects the overall success of a website, not only through search engine optimization, but also through the eyes of the visitors themselves. A memorable domain name will ensure repeat traffic in many cases, based simply on the fact that most visitors will find it easy to return to a site with a domain name that is easy to remember.

To simplify the process, consider some of the following factors when choosing a domain name.

Domain Extension

The domain name extension or TLD is a crucial factor. The extension of a domain is simply the letters that follow the dot, for example – .com, .net, and .org – are all domain extensions. Dot com domains seem to outperform their counterparts in almost all instances, however .org and .net domains also rank well in the search engines.

Domain Name Length

The length of the domain name is also very important, as it directly affects the memorability of the name. If a domain name is 30 characters and 4 words long there is a very slim chance that someone will remember it. Thus, it is very unlikely that you will receive repeat organic traffic unless you are highly ranked for a common keyword.

Domain Syntax

Another important factor to consider is the syntax; the arrangement of words or letters within the domain name. A domain name with numbers that substitute words are generally less valuable. For example, the domain name food4thought.com would be less valuable than the domain name foodforthought.com. The reason for this is simple, when someone executes a search for a particular keyword, the chances of them typing in the number 2 or 4 instead of the words “to” or “for” are very low. Following the same reasoning, dashes also take away from the value of a domain name, as most people do not include dashes in their search queries.

Keyword Optimization

Perhaps the most important aspect of a domain name is the keyword that it is targeting. The most valuable kind of domain name is one that is an exact match of a keyword that is commonly searched for. Also known as an exact match domain, these names are sought after because they tend to go straight to the top of the search engines for specific phrases, with little or no effort. For example, if someone searches for the term “shopping,” it would not be surprising to see shopping.com in one of the top spot, even if the content and on-page design has not been search engine optimized. Registering a domain name with one of these phrases is becoming increasingly rare, however it is possible.

Domain names can be registered here