Web hosting community

• US 20080201466A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Group Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adelman, Warren, Chadwick, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,087,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An example embodiment of a Web Hosting Community includes at least three members, i.e. a Hosting Provider, a Hosting Customer and a Partner. The Hosting Provider may have one or more Hosting Servers, and create and maintain a Partner Web Site and a Community Web Site. The Partner Web Site and the Community Web Site may provide tools that are tailored for the needs of the Partner and the Hosting Customer, respectively, to participate in the Web Hosting Community. The Partner may provide an application, i.e. software program, to be integrated into the Web Hosting Community and the Hosting Customer may purchase and install the application onto its Hosted Web Site, which is stored on a Hosting Server.

Claims

1. A Web Hosting Community, comprising:

a) a Hosting Provider comprising a Hosting Server, a Partner Web Site and a Community Web Site;

b) a Hosting Customer, wherein the Hosting Customer controls a Hosted Web Site on the Hosting Server; and

c) a plurality of Partners, wherein at least some of the Partners have an application capable of being installed onto the Hosted Web Site.

2. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Hosting Provider further comprises a Hosting Control Panel.

3. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Partner Web Site includes access to information on how to integrate applications into the Web Hosting Community.

4. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Partner Web Site includes access to a certification process for at least one of the plurality of Partners to integrate the application into the Web Hosting Community.

5. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Partner Web Site includes an on-line forum, wherein the forum is written to and read by one or more of the Partners.

6. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Partner Web Site includes an ability for one or more of the plurality of Partners to modify a Web Presence Tool Page.

7. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Partner Web Site includes an ability for a Partner to read and respond to reviews and ratings displayed on the Community Web Site regarding the application of the Partner.

8. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Community Web Site includes a home page capable of allowing the Hosting Customer to review a plurality of applications that have passed a certification process and are available to be installed on the Hosted Web Site of the Hosting Customer.

9. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Community Web Site includes a plurality of Web Presence Tool Pages.

10. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Community Web Site includes a plurality of product Forums.

11. The Web Hosting Community of claim 1, wherein the Community Web Site includes a Wiki Forum.

12. A Hosting Provider, comprising:

a) a Hosting Server providing hardware and software for a Hosted Web Site;

b) a Partner Web Site accessible by a plurality of Partners, wherein one or more of the Partners have an application capable of being installed on the Hosted Web Site; and

c) a Community Web Site accessible by a Hosting Customer, wherein the Hosting Customer controls the Hosted Web Site.

13. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Hosting Server is a shared hosting server.

14. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Hosting Server is a virtual dedicated hosting server.

15. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Hosting Server is a dedicated hosting server.

16. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, further comprising a Hosting Control Panel.

17. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Partner Web Site includes access to information on how to integrate applications into the Web Hosting Community.

18. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Partner Web Site includes access to a certification process for a Partner to integrate the application into the Web Hosting Community.

19. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Partner Web Site includes an on-line forum, wherein the forum is written to and read by one or more of the Partners.

20. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Partner Web Site allows one or more of the Partners to modify a Web Presence Tool Page.

21. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Partner Web Site allows a Partner to read and respond to reviews and ratings displayed on the Community Site regarding an application owned by the Partner.

22. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Community Web Site includes a Home Page for allowing the Hosting Customer to review a plurality of applications that have passed a certification process and are available to be installed on the Hosted Web Site of the Hosting Customer.

23. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Community Web Site includes a plurality of Web Presence Tool Pages.

24. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Community Web Site includes a plurality of product forums.

25. The Hosting Provider of claim 12, wherein the Community Web Site includes a Wiki forum.

26. A method of installing an application onto a Hosted Web Site, comprising the steps of:

a) a Hosting Provider providing a Hosting Server, a Partner Web Site and a Community Web Site;

b) a Partner, from the Partner Web Site, passing a certification process for an application and making the application available to a Hosting Customer; and

c) a Hosting Customer, from the Community Web Site, installing the application onto a Hosted Web Site hosted on the Hosting Server.

27. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Hosting Provider providing a Hosting Control Panel.

28. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Partner accessing information from the Partner Web Site on how to integrate applications into the Web Hosting Community.

29. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Partner passing a certification process and integrating the application into the Web Hosting Community from the Partner Web Site.

30. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Partner reading and writing information to a forum displayed on the Partner Web Site.

31. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Partner modifying a web presence tool page from the Partner Web Site.

32. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Partner reading and responding, on the Partner Web Site, to reviews and ratings on the Community Web Site regarding the Partner'"'"'s application.

33. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Hosting Customer reviewing a plurality of Web Presence Tool Pages from the Community Web Site.

34. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Hosting Customer reading and writing to a product forum on the Community Web Site.

35. The method of claim 26, further including the step of the Hosting Customer reading and writing to a Wiki forum on the Community Web Site.