Michael Yablonowitz

Tell me somethingabout yourself and your position in the company. What were you doing beforeworking for uplinkearth? What were the major milestones in your life thatcontributed to your success with uplinkearth?

My name is Mike Yablonowitz. I'm President andCEO of Uplinkearth. Prior to uplinkearth, I worked in a variety of Telco-relatedsales positions through the New York and New Jersery area. I'd liketo think these positions helped me achieve success, but nothing preparesyou for the day-to-day operations of a web hosting company. I have a "ToDo" list with 500 things to accomplish. It sits on my desk in frontof me and I stare at it every day. I'm obsessed with completingthat list and making uplinkearth the world's best web hosting service.Until I finish that list, I have no milestone in my life that even getsclose to competing with it.

Please provide us abrief history of uplinkearth? What is the company's core focus?
I foundeduplinkearth on the belief that I could bring a richer, more robust productto small-to medium-sized companies than was currently offered in the marketplace.The cornerstone of this service is an award winning customer and technicalsupport group that have a similar passion. We also strive every day toimprove reliability and security. We are obsessed with bringing new products,such as Urchin and Charity Link, that will change the way our customersdo business. If they succeed, so do we.

What is themain secret for improving of the customer support services you have reached,and what are you doing for the customer retention to grow in future.
If I gaveup my secret, I'd just be helping my competitors. Suffice it tosay, that better than half of my "To Do" list is focused specificallyon these issues. Our customers know we work hard for every penny thatcomes in the door and they trust we will grow with them. Again, if theysucceed, so do we.

Why shoulda site owner choose uplinkearth over another hosting company?
Wow! Thatis the 64 thousand dollar question. And I ask myself the same questionevery day. Seriously, I don't think this is a one-size fits allproposition. Choosing a web hosting company is really up to the needsof our customer. Do they want a flexible monthly plan? Do they want marketingservices? Are they a power user with extreme needs? I think uplinkearthis flexible to these needs and prepared to grow with each company thatchooses us.

Today's fast developmentof the web hosting industry makes some experts saying that this trendwill continue at least for the next 25 years. How do you see your companyexpanding its present position in the present favorable global environment?
Thechallenge in this business is to grow at a steady rate without compromisingthe service to our existing customers. To me, success is seeing our currentcustomers enter the Forbes 500 rather than have five million small customersgetting mediocre service. That said, we are constantly expanding our globalreach and we are very aware of the market opportunity to become a globalplayer in the web-hosting arena. My commitment to our customers is thatwe take one day at a time and not get to big for our britches.

What makesuplinkearth different from other web hosting companies?
Timeand time again, we hear it's all about our customer support. Ifyou use a free hosting company, you get what you pay for. With uplinkearth,our customers know what they get for their monthly fee. Top-notch phoneand online support. From the FAQs to our new Instant Response service,we are constantly looking for ways to improve customer support.

Describe whatuplinkearth is doing to anticipate the next year of web hosting industryevents?
We have twopriorities - reliability and security. Over the last year, we havemade several "back end" investments to ensure that our customersnever lose a minute on the net. Does that mean we are free from down time?Heck no. Technology is not perfect. I like to think that with every technicalissue we have, my team learns and improves our responsiveness. So, lookingout a year or two, I would say we could face just about any issue (shortof Nuclear Winter) and be able to respond efficiently and with the leastamount of downtime.

Howmany hosting customers do you currently serve?
Sorry, that's a company secret.

Whatadvice would you give to anyone starting his or her own webhosting company?
Threethings - 1) Be prepared to work non-stop seven days a week, 365days a year. 2) Surround yourself with smart people. 3) Don't everlose touch with your customers (As busy as I am, I still find time totalk them everyday.)

Whatadditional services or solutions does uplinkearth deliver?
Coveredin questions above

And finally,what was the most recent book you have read?"WhyCEO's Fail" Its about major CEO failures and what attributedto there failure. Like technology, nobody is perfect and we can all learnfrom others footsteps.