Gone are the days of lemonade stands and paper routes. Today’s youth are selling domain names and hosting business websites. Enter 16 year old Host-Monkey CEO Will Perkins. Host-Monkey started up on January 1st, 2009 with the aim of providing shared hosting at affordable prices. While I understand the internet is a great equalizer, and ideally age doesn’t matter, I’m still uneasy with the idea of doing business with a 16 year old.

In this day and age, when anyone with a computer can conceivably offer hosting services, is there anything sacred? Can you really put trust in a company that doesn’t catch typos on its own press release? Perhaps this is a tough analysis, because after all, the CEO is a 16 year old. But that’s just the point, his age seems to be the most persuasive argument for and against using Host-Monkey.

Case in point, Host-Monkey doesn’t offer easily accessible contact information, although it boosts 24/7 customer support. A simple oversight? If you neglect to add your contact information, you might as well not even exist as an online brand. A point of contact is essential, especially in the virtual world, where a company’s most valuable offering is a reliable customer service department.

Of course these mistakes are newbie mistakes, but there’s no room for newbie mistakes in the fiercely competitive and over-crowded world of web hosting.

Host-Monkey seeks to differentiate itself from the crowd by providing honest service. There’s something so innocent about youthful idealism. That said, I actually do believe Host-Monkey’s claims. I believe Host-Monkey will provide transparent service at low prices. What I’m not sold on is their ability to rise above the juvenile facade and provide solid hosting to those who are accustomed to quality service. When youth is the main distinguishing component of a web host, one must wonder if it is the only thing worth considering.