ASP.NET web host suggestions?

I’m wanting to change the hosting provider that I use to host the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society’s website. I’ve been with with SeekDotNet since 2006, but would like some more modern features and the ability to pay using the society’s PayPal account (instead of using my own personal credit card for which I then need to get reimbursed :-( )

I’m currently paying $US8.75/month for:

• ASP.NET 3.5
• IIS 6
• 1.5 GB disk (only using 70MB!)
• SQL 2005 (100 MB max)
• 30GB bandwidth

I would like to pay using PayPal for roughly the same price and have:

• ASP.NET 4
• IIS 7/7.5
• At least 1GB disk space
• SQL 2008/2008 R2 (at least 100 MB!)

Any suggestions?

What makes a workplace (part 3)

Managers

• Protect you from politics and other stuff
• Set appropriate boundaries
• Respect
• Honest and courageous
• Encouraging

As Rob said, I want my manager to “go into bat for me”. They should be my advocate, saying “Dave, what can I do to help you do your job?”. They’re off dealing with all the other stuff so that you can get on with your job.

Likewise I think you want a manager that keeps you informed of things that are relevant, so that you aren’t left out of the loop.

I mention “Honesty and courage” in that they need to have the guts to tell the “big” bosses the truth. The last thing you need is the CEO being told “everything is fine, yes we’ll make the deadline” if that’s not correct – everyone loses when that happens.

What makes a workplace (part 2)

Continuing my thoughts on what makes a great workplace..

Tasks

• Interesting
• Challenging
• Useful

Whilst there are always times when you can’t avoid some tedious or annoying tasks, for the most part I want to be working on stuff that I find engaging.

I’ve also found that there’s nothing like working on something that is appreciated by the end users.