Choosing a good webhost?

[becki]

How do I find out which web hosting company I should go with?
Is there a special way for selecting one?
What criteria should I be looking at?
I just thought I'd ask!

[JohnScott]

There are always the basic considerations - bandwidth, response speed, storage, etc. But once you've found a host that offers all that to your needs, I really recommend Googling them. If they have a support forum, go in a read that as well. If there are frequent posts of downtime, billing errors, etc, move on to the next.

[Commerce Brian]

I'd especially recommend Google'ing GoogleGroups - there are a lot of sponsored sites "rating" web hosts according to monies paid on the normal web, but in Google Groups (NewsGroups) it's easier to find straight and honest content.
 
Also, support forums - although worth a look - aren't necessarily going to be the most reliable. I've heard of some kids deleting any negative content from theirs, and even an apparently respectable company such as VenturesOnline makes a point that you are not allowed to post server-related issues in the forum.
 
One thing you really need to do is try and work out what you would actually need or want. Can you draw up a basic list? That should help you identify webhosts a lot easier, and provide a sounder basis for discussing your options/offering helpful comment.