Page.ly will update all client sites to 3.4 about 2 weeks after the release date. This is to allow a little extra time for the version to be out in the wild. Typically if any problems are found a point release ex: 3.4.1 would be released within that timeframe.

If you would like to learn how we handle Major and Minor updates, please give this a read.

Head over to PressNomics site for all the details and read the announcement and join us this November for a jam packed event.

A big thank you to the event sponsors: New Relic, Firehost, and Zendesk

All new page.ly Managed WordPress Hosting sites come with the sweetest of plugins, Typecase by UpThemes pre-installed. Type-o-files rejoice.

Update: Seems maybe the site in question is being routed through cloudflare as well. May impact loads times. Cloudflare does not cache html output as far as I know, so likely a pass thru request.

So we do a little competitive intelligence gathering on other managed WordPress hosting companies from time to time. It’s smart business to be aware of what others in the space are up to. After months of quietly soaking up jabs by some of our less then professional kin, I think it is time to at least correct some misinformation regarding our service. Heaven knows they crawl through our garbage looking for every scrap they can use.

This morning I came across something that I found interesting. Another service has built their marketing around being ‘the fastest’ and they like to make lots of noise about it.  Below is some marketing they are putting together around their claimed speeds, and specifically how a former customer of ours saw a supposed 4x faster speed increase when moving over to them. We don’t make a habit on commenting on the actions of others, but I thought this one deserved some ink.

I wanted to see if their claim is true. In our own testing we see consistently fast load times across thousands of websites and millions of pageloads. So if you look closely at their marketing they use a ‘independant 3rd party’ to test load times.

Specifically they claim the HTML on the site in question served from page.ly loaded in 2.7seconds and only 0.6 seconds on their system.

So we went to the same 3rd party testing site they use and ran our own tests.

I wanted to test their claim of HTML load speeds. So to isolate just that HTML I copied the output of the page in question and pasted into a .html file. I left the HTML untouched so the .js, .css, images and everything else are still being loaded off the others guys CDN and service. This will give us a picture of load times of just that HTML output.

A note about Varnish caching: Since both our systems aggressively cache page output with Varnish, the PHP processor is never invoked regardless if you ping the full WordPress instance from their system or just the .html output from ours. Either way the rendered output is being served directly from Varnish cache and the web server stack is never touched. In the tests below, even the First View is coming out of Varnish, the repeat view reflects the testing sites local browser cache and results in further improvement of page load.

So our test below is an apples to apple comparison of load time of just the HTML of the site in question. And remember all other assets are still served off their system.

Here is what we found in test after test. Their system is consistently slower on time to first byte and HTML load.

Them

HTML: 993ms or ~1 second, 0.86 seconds time or first byte, F grade.

Page.ly

HTML: 327ms seconds, or 0.3 seconds. 0.09 seconds time to first byte, A grade

The total page load time in this test is irrelevant as it is really out of any single persons control. The offsite assets like twitter and facebook buttons, ad networks and the like are variable in their load times. They could add 5 seconds or 50 seconds to the overall load time depending how quickly those services reply to requests.

Conclusion. I think they may have their numbers reversed. Our system served the HTML output 3x faster then them and the time to first byte was nearly 9x faster. We don’t make a big fuss over being the fastest host around, and have never made that claim. Those in glass houses should not throw stones as the old saying goes. Like every service there are variables that may affect the speed of any 1 request or page load at anytime. However averaged across 10 tests each, our system was 1/2 second faster. We have built our system from the ground up to consistently serve up client sites quickly with scalability and security in mind.

So next time you hear companies making obnoxious claims of being the fastest around, dig a little deeper, It could just be a bunch of hot air from a rusty tailpipe.

Shayne Sanderson

Tag line: “If there’s a problem, yo I’ll solve it.”

Knock Outs:

Page.ly, Developer, Family man, and WordCamp Speaker.

Power Move: saltando la casa de máquinas a las cuestiones de WordPress

Training Facilities:  Page.ly, Developer, Family man, and WordCamp Speaker.

When and why did you start working with WordPress?

I began working with WordPress in 2006. I worked for CBS Radio and the CMS they were using was beyond horrific and I went searching for something better. I came across WordPress and haven’t used anything since. And CBS Radio is now on WordPress VIP :)

 You were a partner at 9seeds and left on great terms. How did you manage that and what made you decide to leave?

I left 9seeds on great terms because of one and only one reason – we’re all great friends. We were friends before partners and it was important to keep it that way. They are great guys and we still talk every single day. I am a wanderer of sorts I suppose and just needed space and time to myself – that’s the story. Everyone always expects some big drama but honestly there just isn’t any.

You now run support at Page.ly and do a stellar job. What is your philosophy on providing quality service?

My philosophy on great service is very simple – I treat every site on page.ly as if it were my own. I know how it feels to wait in a support queue and it sucks, so I try to keep people from feeling that way and let them know they’re taken care of. If you’re hosted on page.ly you’re family in my eyes.

When is it time to let a client go?

Letting a client go is never an easy decision but when it’s just not working for either side and it’s obvious it’s better to cut losses. You have to realize that not every single relationship is going to be a fit and that’s ok.

What can some of the Page.ly clients expect from support in the coming months?

Customers can expect faster response times, less reasons to need support to begin with and I’m planning on putting together a lot of tutorials that will be available for customers.

What do you wish all WordPress users knew but most don’t?

That the WP Codex (http://codex.wordpress.org) is such a valuable resource

You speak and attend many WordCamps. What’s your favorite topic to talk about and why?

I love talking about WordPress! Some talks I’ve done are around translating PHP into English which I love as I have taught myself so to help people understand the code and translate it into terms they understand is great. I also like teaching and helping (obviously) and at some WordCamps I’ve taught classes and I love it. Being able to see the light bulb go off in people when they “get it” is great.

How would you describe your personality?

My personality…high-strung for sure. But I think I’m a down-to-earth likable guy most times.

You’re definitely a family man. How do you stay focused while working from home with children who are home schooled?

Working from home with kiddos running around is tough for sure. With that being said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve had the corporate job where I left in the morning before they woke up and got home after they were in bed and got to spend time only on weekends and that is not worth any amount of money. I can’t imagine leaving home and going to “clock in” somewhere, and I’m very fortunate that I don’t have to do that. I work in spurts, meaning I don’t try and sit and work for 8 hours as that just isn’t going to happen. I stop in the middle of the day to go play outside or help with school or whatever we feel like doing. It’s an awesome feeling being completely in control of our life/schedule.

What makes WordPress so bad ass?

In my opinion – it’s flexibility and the community around it. There is not much that you can’t do with WordPress and I love that. The community is even better I think as some of my best friends are people I’ve met in the WordPress community.

Where do you see WordPress going in the future?

That’s a tough one, I’m not sure really. I definitely see it being more of a full scale CMS but past that I really don’t know but what I do know that if the next 5 years are anything like the last 5 there will be nothing but great things happening.

For one day only, Page.ly gives you a hosting industry first: FREE SHIPPING on all orders. Stop and let that soak in for a minute. Yes you heard us right. Order any hosting plan and we will throw in free shipping of your digitally accessed site. You will not find this offer anywhere else, nor will we repeat this insane deal ever again. So get ready because on Sunday April 1st, 2012,  all orders ship free. But, wait there’s more! All receipts and email confirmations of your order will also ship free. Order now!

The 23rd event that lasted 42 mins, was also related to the firewall preventing normal operation.

Our system and customer data was just fine, but the nodes could not talk to each other due to the network problems.

Thank you again for your business, and we apologize for the issues. We are working with our partners to prevent them from happening in the future.

We will be doing maintenance and upgrades on our storage 3 nights in a row. Sat March 17th, Sunday the 18th, and Monday the 19th at 10pm PST.  A small % of sites will be affected each night as we upgrade the storage device assigned to them.  Maintence window will last 1 hour from 10pm to 11pm PST on each of the 3 nights.

Thank you for your patience was we continue to make upgrades to provide you the best WordPress hosting experience available.

The man, the myth. The Angry Cowboy.

For our second birthday we did a series of giveaways and the top prize was a Free trip to WordCamp San Diego for correctly guessing El Vaquero Furioso’s identity. @norcorss had the correct guess and was awarded free flight+hotel+WCSD ticket on page.ly as a member or El Vaquero Furioso posse. A prize worth $1000.

So be sure to attend WordCamp San Diego on March 24th and keep your eyes and ears open for a chance to meet yours and ours favorite WordPress support guru.

Sally and I wont be able to make it unfortunately as our new son is a mere 5 weeks old and   we cant let his cute face out of our sight.

Cheers, and Enjoy Wordcamp!

Andrew Norcross

Tag line: “Full of piss and vinegar. And coffee. Lots of coffee.”

Knock Outs:

Reaktiv Studios,
BlueGlass Interactive, Inc,
WordCamp speaker,
Dad, Themes, Plugins,
Tutorials

Power Move: Jedi Mind Trick – Always remain calm and collected, but I will make it happen.

Training Facilities: Reaktiv Studios  BlueGlass Interactive, Inc WordCamp speaker Dad Themes Plugins Tutorials

When and why did you start working with WordPress?

I had installed a server on an old computer. I had initially installed Movable Type, but found it horrible to work with. So I installed WP, having never touched a line of PHP in my life. It all went from there. Did favors for friends while I worked in banking / finance, then started doing a bit of side work here and there to help pay the bills when my son was born. Soon enough I was able to ditch finance completely and make a go of this.

You run a firm called Reaktiv Studios. Are you passionate about client service? Why and why not?

I am passionate about building awesome things. Themes, plugins, or whathave you. While I certainly don’t enjoy pissing clients off, I’ll be the first to admit that dealing with people isn’t my strong suit. I’ve had a VA for about a year and a half who handles most of the client interaction, and for good reason. She’s much better at it than I am.

You seem to be more of a Thesis man than a Genesis guy. Why the preference?

When I started getting a decend hand on this stuff, Genesis didn’t exist yet, so there wasn’t much of a decision to make. Thesis was the only framework at the time that I found useful (there were others, but they didn’t make as much sense to me). I’m still partial to Thesis because the development methodology matches how I prefer to do things, although I do a decent amount of Genesis builds as well. I’m framework agnostic, though. I use whatever tool fits the job. I still “roll my own” about 50% of the time, esp for complex sites (ecommerce and BuddyPress mainly).

How many languages can you code in? Which do you find one superior and why?

I code in PHP, and I know a bit of javascript / jQuery (obviously HTML / CSS, but those don’t count). I’ve always wanted to get my hands dirty in other languages, but alas I haven’t had the time.

Any SEO tidbits you’d like to share?

Other than keep the site design clean and fast, my SEO advice is always to hire a professional if it’s something that really matters.

You’ve developed many plugins. Which do you think is most useful?

Based on usage, the FAQ Manager is probably the most useful. It’s a pretty common need on business sites, and using it allows the user to keep the content better organized and let the area grow as needed.

You speak and attend many WordCamps. What’s your favorite topic to talk about and why?

It really depends on the crowd. The talk I gave in Boston on dealing with clients had nothing (directly) WordPress related, but I got a lot of awesome feedback from it. Beyond that, I enjoy going over topics that other developers would find helpful moreso than general users. I know that for myself, I sometimes get stuck in doing things a certain way and when another dev points something out that makes my life easier, I’m always appreciative.

You have many tattoos. Do you have a favorite and what does it mean to you?

This is gonna sound bad (for some people), but my tattoos don’t have any deep-seeded meaning. They’re as much for the art than anything else. Although, the eagle / anchor I got in my grandfather’s memory is probably my favorite.

Is there something that your grandfather taught you that you use daily in your work/ life?

Actually, yes. Two things.
1. The world doesn’t owe you anything. It was here first.
2. If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in for a long, lonely life.

How do you balance work with being a parent?

It’s hard. God damn it’s hard. Its easy to get lost in a project and forget that there’s another world other than my screen. One of the biggest adjustments was coming to terms with the fact that my kids (ages 7, 4, and 4) don’t give a shit what time I went to bed, or if I have a code problem rolling around in my head. So I’ve gotten much better at walking away from my work when it’s time for family. We all eat dinner together every night, and I make it a point to spend time with each of them individually just so they don’t feel as though I’m not a part of their lives. Even though they drive me insane, my kids mean more to me than anything.

What makes WordPress so bad ass?

The fact that it can basically do anything, if you’re willing to think it through and build it. I’ve put together sites that folks never believed were WP, because their function was outside the normal blog / site scope. Photo managers, a CRM, a digital “business card” just to name a few.

Where do you see WordPress going in the future?

I see it becoming more refined and more “modular” in nature. Custom Post Types and Taxonomies did a lot for that, allowing people to build features that do and act how they want, without having to ‘work around’ existing structure. Beyond that, I think the sky’s the limit.

Thanks Andrew for allowing me to showcase your valuable WordPress contributions. See you in San Diego.