I have this rule of thumb when looking for new hosting.

I don't get hosting from companies that:
1. Have unlimited everything (or really high bandwidth/file space.)
2. Use stock images of cute people wearing those telephone headsets.

The truth is, 'unlimited' means "we'll promise you the world then take it away if your site gets too popular." They put restrictions on CPU usage (which is understandable on a shared host - it's usually 15-20%) and some will limit the number of files you have stored on your account (nodes, some have limits in the 25,000 -50,000 range (site5, anyone?) and it may not seem like much, but if you use your site for a lot of images, they can add up.)

Finding good hosting is a crap shoot. The big guys aren't always the best, and the little guys may not be here next year.

As you get recommendations, do the "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is" test on the offers. I usually use WebHosting Talk to look into hosts (and for special deals hosts offer). Check the providers terms and conditions and see if you can determine how long they've been in business.

And you can get decent shared hosting for around $10/month.

~silverwing - and for the record I'm currently with eleven2 but my sites seem a bit sluggish with them...

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Land of Midnight online serial | Misguided Thoughts