TAIPEI, Taiwan — The train, cruising in and out of mountain tunnels along Taiwan’s east coast, was packed with people rushing to see family and friends on the first day of a long holiday weekend.
Then, according to survivors’ accounts, it was jolted by a heavy crash, flew off the rails and slammed into the walls of a tunnel.
The derailment of the eight-car Taroko Express train on Friday morning was the worst such disaster in Taiwan in four decades, killing at least 51 people, including two train drivers, and injuring around 150 others, the authorities said.
Investigators are still trying to determine why the train crashed as it was traveling from near Taipei to the eastern coastal city of Taitung. But initial reports indicated that it had either collided with a construction vehicle that rolled down a slope onto the track, or was hit by the falling truck just as it passed.
By Friday evening, rescue workers had freed dozens of passengers who had been trapped in the wreckage, but were struggling to get to several train cars that were deep inside the tunnel. Local news footage showed one worker using an electric circular saw to cut through one of the twisted carriages.
Video footage posted online showed rescuers carrying injured passengers out on stretchers as other survivors emerged from the tunnel walking on the roofs of the train’s cars, some rolling suitcases. Several passengers described smashing the windows of the carriages with their luggage to escape.
A passenger surnamed Wu told Taiwan’s official Central News Agency that the last thing he remembered before passing out was a loud crash. When he regained consciousness, the train was shrouded in darkness and he and several passengers used the light from their cellphones to see. They tried to help the other injured survivors, he said, but it took them an hour to find their way out of the train.
“I’m already safe, but I didn’t dare to look at the crash scene,” he said. “Many bodies were lying there.”
The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. in a tunnel just north of the city of Hualien near Qingshui Cliff, a destination popular among tourists who flock to see towering mountains and crystal-blue waters. Friday was the annual Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, a time when Taiwanese often travel. A railway official told Taiwan’s United Daily News that the train had 374 seats and was near capacity.
The Taroko Express train is one of the fastest to traverse Taiwan’s east coast and typically travels at around 80 miles per hour. In interviews with local news outlets, survivors described the train as being crowded, with many passengers standing during the journey. Some said in video interviews that the carriages they were in had filled with smoke, and that they could see passengers who had been rendered unconscious and trapped.
The death toll makes the train crash one of the worst disasters that Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, has faced since she took office in 2016. Within hours of the crash, Ms. Tsai said the government had fully mobilized rescue services. Later, she vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the collision.
“We pray for the victims to rest in peace and for the injured to recover as soon as possible,” she said at a news conference late Friday afternoon.
In the last major train accident, in 2018, 18 people were killed and 170 others injured after a train derailed in northeast Taiwan’s Yilan County on a coastal route popular with tourists. Taiwanese investigators later found that the train had been going too fast and that the driver had manually disabled asystem designed to prevent it from exceeding safe speeds.
Train accidents are still fairly rare in Taiwan. The last crash of a similar scale took place in 1981, when a train collision in the island’s northwest killed 31 people.
A railway official said they believed the driver of the construction vehicle parked on a slope near the entrance of the tunnel and may have forgotten to engage the emergency brake, causing the truck to roll down and hit the train just as it was passing, according to the Central News Agency. The driver is not believed to have been in the truck at the time.
A cellphone video filmed by a passenger and posted on social media showed what appeared to be a yellow trailer lying on its side next to the derailed train at the entrance to the tunnel.
“Our train crashed into this truck,” said the passenger in the video. He panned the camera to show a grassy slope beside the tunnel. “The truck rolled down, and now the whole train is twisted.” Local media outlets published a photo showing a single truck door lying on the grass.
The police took the operator of the construction vehicle in for questioning, according to a police official in Hualien County who was reached by phone.
Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s transportation minister, told reporters at the crash site on Fridaythat while he had done his best to strengthen accountability and reform the railway system following the 2018 disaster, “clearly the speed and results of the reforms were not enough.”
“I am responsible, and I should take responsibility,” Mr. Lin said.
Wei Yu-ling, secretary-general of Taiwan Rail Union, said in an interview that she expected the government to conduct a thorough investigation into Friday’s crash, which comes not long after a maintenance train hit and killed two railway workers and injured another in Taitung County in eastern Taiwan.
The recent accidents, she said, “exposed the inner problems of the Taiwan Railways Administration from top to bottom.”
Photos of Friday’s crash circulating online indicated the damage was severe. One image posted by United Daily News, a Taiwanese news outlet, showed what appeared to be the train’s mangled control car on its side in the dark tunnel. The train’s conductor told a local television station that he had been on one end of the train when he felt what seemed like the emergency brakes being applied and a sudden jolt.
“Many people were stuck under the chairs and piles of bodies,” a woman surnamed Wu told ET Today, a Taiwanese news station, in a televised interview from the hospital where she had been treated for light injuries. “At the beginning I could hear them crying for help, but then maybe they fell asleep or something. Also I saw many children, so pitiful, so pitiful.”
Most train service along Taiwan’s eastern routes has been suspended until Sunday morning, causing travel delays for many at the start of a long holiday weekend.Tomb Sweeping Day, an ancient Chinese festival also known as Qingming, is a time in which the living pay respect to their ancestors by tidying their graves and burning paper offerings.
A woman who was traveling back home with her husband to sweep the family tombs in Taitung told local reporters at the site of the accident that she had been asleep in the seventh carriage when the train crashed, throwing her to the floor. The woman’s shirt was bloodied, and a plaid scarf had been tied around her head to stem the bleeding.
“We’ve always tried to take the train whenever possible,” she said, as rescue workers in yellow hard hats worked behind her. “We never thought something like this would happen.”
Brookfield Renewable, Plug Power partner on hydropower-fueled hydrogen plant
HomeBaseloadBrookfield Renewable, Plug Power partner on hydropower-fueled hydrogen plant
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
Getting started with WordPress web hosting doesn’t have to be expensive, because after all, WordPress itself is free (and open source). Even the cheapest shared hosting plan usually comes with a one-click WordPress installer, allowing the greenest of blogging newbies to have their first post ready in less than 60 seconds (we timed this, in fact).
The best WordPress hosting
Going forward, however, managing a blog over time is much more challenging. You’ll need to find your own themes and plugins, not to mention also keeping them, plus WordPress itself, up-to-date (although you can even get that done automatically).
Blogs are often targeted by malware, so it’s important you have some way to detect and remove any threats, and you’ll want regular backups to help get a broken blog working again.
There’s a long list of hosting companies offering WordPress plans, but we’ve picked out five of the best to point you in the right direction. Whether you’re a first-time user or a big business, there’s something for you here, and with prices starting at very cheap levels, even those on the tightest of budgets will find something to suit.
These are the best WordPress hosting services
(Image credit: Future)
1. Bluehost
Best WordPress hosting overall
Reasons to buy
+Optimized low-level setup+Many powerful extras in WP Pro plans+Free website migration
Budget WordPress hosting can have a lot of appeal, but it usually won’t deliver the features, performance or reliability that high traffic sites really need. If you’re the demanding type, or rather your website is, opting for a premium hosting plan will give you much better results.
Bluehost has created its own VPS-based architecture to deliver optimum WordPress performance via NGINX, a custom PHP-FPM setup and intelligently allocated resources through KVM hypervisor. (If you’re not a hosting geek, this just means Bluehost has taken the time to optimize the low-level setup of its platform for WordPress, rather than simply making do with a standard configuration.)
The company doesn’t waste time by pretending to offer ‘unlimited’ resources, and instead tells you exactly what you’re going to get. For the Basic plan which starts at $2.75 per month for the first term (renewing at $8.99), this means 50GB of SSD storage, a single website, a free domain for one year and $50 marketing credit.
Additional features for all plans include free SSL, unmetered MySQL DB, a site analytics dashboard, as well as unlimited parked/subdomains. There is also the Bluehost Marketplace where users can access premium themes and plugins at exclusive prices. New Bluehost accounts will also get a free service called Blue Spark, which is designed to help newcomers with everything WordPress-related as well as a free website migration service. Also, with WordPress migration plugin you can move your websites with ease.
The Plus plan which starts at $5.45 per month for the first term (renewing at $11.99) adds unlimited websites and website space, and additional features like spam protection, free CDN and a WP staging environment. The Choice Plus plan costs $5.45 per month for the first term (renewing at $16.99) and adds even more features. It’s good to know that Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you feel the service fails to deliver.
If you need more power, BlueHost has a managed hosting solution called WordPress Pro that has been optimized for WordPress websites, with prices starting at $14.95 per month. These plans have many additional features including malware detection and removal, JetPack site analytics, business review tools and more (along with unlimited everything), making them compelling offerings.
(Image credit: Tsohost)
2. Tsohost
Best WordPress hosting for UK customers
Reasons to buy
+Great value for money+24/7 support on basic plan
Reasons to avoid
–Not much in the way of extras
Managed WordPress packages can often feel overpriced. Many hosts charge significant premiums for impressive sounding claims – optimized servers, malware scanning – that are difficult to evaluate or confirm.
UK-based Tsohost isn’t interested in any of that, instead, it’s focusing on providing the core WordPress essentials at a very fair price.
The baseline Economy plan gives you a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and bandwidth of up to 25K monthly visitors (plus Tsohost will perform a migration of your existing site). You get daily backups and can restore any of the last 30 days with just a click. There’s 24/7 support via ticket and email, along with phone and live chat (which is available from 7am to midnight).
The plan restricts you to 30GB so if that’s enough for you, this entry-level plan costs $4.90 a month paid annually (£3.99 + VAT in the UK).
If that’s just too underpowered, opting for the Deluxe plan gets you 75GB storage, up to 100K monthly visitors. That’s significantly more capable, yet still very reasonably priced at $7.80 a month paid annually (£5.99 + VAT in the UK).
The “most popular” (according to Tsohost) Ultimate plan is priced at $13.5 a month paid annually (£9.99 + VAT in the UK) and supports unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and SEO optimizer.
There are also “WordPress Pro” hosting plans which are more suited for those that maintain sites for multiple clients at the same time. These plans have increased the number of websites you can host, increased storage, and added some new extras as well. The cheapest plan starts at $33.1 a month paid annually (£24.99 + VAT in the UK).
Tsohost doesn’t offer all the frills and extras you’ll get with some products, as we mentioned at the outset. There’s no talk of SiteLock malware protection, optimized WordPress add-ons or a custom CDN. But it’s hard to complain at this price, and Tsohost is still delivering a capable service with more than enough power for smaller sites.
(Image credit: Future)
3. InMotion Hosting
Best WordPress hosting for a wide choice of plans
Reasons to buy
+Low-end plans have some key features+Reliable hosting provider
Reasons to avoid
–Not the cheapest around
Most web hosts offer only a few WordPress plans, and in some cases, even these might be set up to point you in a particular direction. You might see an underpowered plan, an overpriced one, and a special deal on the mid-range plan they really want you to buy. That makes it easy to decide, but it also limits your upgrade options if your site grows over time.
InMotion Hosting is unusual in offering six WordPress plans, covering everything from small personal blogs to resellers and big business. Figuring out which is the best product for you will take a little more thought, but at least there’s room to upgrade – or downgrade – if your circumstances change.
Better still, InMotion hasn’t artificially limited the low-end plans by removing key features. Even the baseline WP-1000S plan – which costs $4.99 a month initially (on the 3-year option), $7.99 on renewal – gives you 50GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth and email addresses, preinstalled WordPress, SSL, backups, automatic updates, SiteLock security, cPanel site management, and extras like BoldGrid and WP-CLI. The only significant issue is InMotion’s suggestion that the plan works best for blogs with up to 20,000 monthly visits, and even that won’t be a problem for many smaller sites.
Upgrading your plan gives you some extras – such as premium themes and plugin subscriptions, a dedicated IP address, and support for hosting more sites – but it’s mostly about giving you more resources.
There are cheaper deals around, but in previous reviews, we’ve found InMotion to be reliable, professional, and honest, so in short, any price premium is likely to be worth paying. You don’t have to take our word for it, though – an exceptional 90-day money-back guarantee gives you plenty of opportunity to find out for yourself (and the confidence to offer that length of guarantee period is reassuring).
(Image credit: 1&1 IONOS)
4. 1&1 IONOS
Best WordPress hosting for novices
Reasons to buy
+Very tempting price for the first term+SSL and free domain+24/7 support including phone
Web giant 1&1 IONOS seems to have a hosting product for every possible need, and WordPress is no exception. Novice users can try out its service for a nominal $3 a month ($4/month after the first year), yet the plan still outperforms many competitors.
The bundled 25GB of storage means you won’t be running out of space in a hurry, for example. There are no bandwidth or visitor limits, and you can set up as many email accounts as you need.
1&1 IONOS offers the core WordPress management functions that you would expect: a setup wizard, preinstalled plugins, automatic updates, and 24/7 support (including by telephone). Also, you get a personal consultant free of charge, a smart touch indeed.
All this is built on a capable platform – NGINX, PHP 7.2, OPcache, up to 2GB RAM guaranteed – to enhance your blog’s performance.
There’s SSL included and even a free domain thrown in, which is a ridiculously good value at this price.
If you’re a WordPress novice, it might be worth paying for the plan for an initial year, claiming your free domain, and taking the time to learn how the blog works. When your time is up, you can then renew if you’re happy, or if you’re not, use your knowledge and experience to find a better product more suited to your needs.
1&1 IONOS isn’t just about newbies, though: there’s value for more demanding users, too. In particular, the Unlimited plan gives you unlimited WordPress sites and storage space, unlimited databases (1GB max), and unlimited email accounts (2GB each). Bonus features include a Wildcard SSL, SiteLock malware scanning, along with the RailGun content delivery network (aiming to help your website load faster), and the price looks good at $16 per month ($8/month for the first year).
(Image credit: HostGator)
5. HostGator
Best WordPress hosting for all-round capabilities
Reasons to buy
+Free site migration+Automatic malware detection and removal+CDN benefits
Choosing the best WordPress hosting package can seem like something of a minefield when it comes to decisions over low-level details and other nuances of some of the offerings out there. However, you might not need anything particularly complex, and that being the case, with no particular special requirements in mind, you can simply opt for a reliable web host with capable mid-range products that can handle everything most folks need.
HostGator delivers powerful hosting plans for a fair price, generally speaking, and its managed WordPress range is no exception. The Starter product may only cost $5.95 (or $3.98 with our promo code) per month for three years, and $9.95 afterwards, but you still get a free site migration, an SSL certificate, automatic malware detection and removal, unlimited email addresses and unmetered storage and bandwidth, plus it can handle up to 100,000 visits a month.
Ramping up to the high-end Business plan gets you more CPU power, support for up to five sites and 500,000 visits a month, yet still costs only $18.17 ($11.18 with our promo code) a month for the first three years, then $27.95 monthly afterwards.
Smart caching and a CDN are on hand to enhance your website’s performance, 24/7 support helps keep your site up and running, and surprise bonus features include free domain privacy to protect from identity theft and reduce annoying spam.
We’ve had good experiences with HostGator’s service, but if you’re not so lucky, there’s a generous 45-day money-back guarantee as a safety net. As with other hosting companies, this won’t cover any domain registration fees, but it’s still a better deal than you’ll often find elsewhere.
How should you choose a WordPress hosting provider?
If you don’t have the time or technical experience to handle all the technical ins-and-outs of running your WordPress operation, you might prefer to buy a managed WordPress hosting plan, and have the hosting company handle things for you.
The host will often import your previous WordPress blog, if you have one. Usually you’ll get some preinstalled themes and plugins to simplify customization.
There should at least be an option to automatically update the site, a security service like SiteLock will be on hand to keep your blog malware-free, and we would expect 24/7 support from a team with real WordPress knowledge.
The best hosts go even further, optimizing their servers to boost WordPress performance, and sometimes throwing in extras like a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver great speeds worldwide (or that’s the idea, anyway).
You might also want to check out our other buying guides:
FERC Order 2222 guided stakeholders, including renewable project developers, to aggregate distributed energy resources (DER) such as PV solar with energy storage. President Biden’s FERC Chairman Commissioner Glick wasted no time closing the loophole in the earlier demand response order from FERC in this new order 2222-A. States with demand response programs no longer have the ability to opt-out similar to DERA order 2222.
FERC also clarified DER interconnections in the new 2222-A order, including clarifying that they have exclusive jurisdiction and providing the ability for small utilities to opt-in. With this direction, regional transmission organizations can march towards compliance plans due in most cases around July 2021.
FERC Order 2222
Order 2222 defines distributed energy resource as “any resource located on the distribution system, any subsystem thereof or behind a customer meter.” Distributed solar certainly fits this definition. This order requires grid operators within FERC jurisdiction to include aggregated DERs in their market participation models. There are a host of requirements for the grid operators and the aggregators.
FERC Order 2222-A Key Takeaway 1 – Demand Response Opt-Out
The demand response order 719 provided an “opt-out” for states that did not want their ratepayer-funded demand response programs to participate in the wholesale markets. FERC Order 2222 did not provide that opt-out for aggregated DERs. And that is the main point of 2222-A because FERC has declined to extend the same opt-out that was provided in 719.
The role of demand response in a DER aggregation rule is important to consider because of the potential for heterogeneous, i.e., multiple technologies aggregated at a single node on the electric grid. If homogenous technologies such as multiple storage assets aggregate at a node, the market operator is only dealing with a single technology. But if multiple technologies, including existing DR programs, are aggregated, the grid operator needs perhaps multiple rules to accommodate these heterogeneous technologies.
The elephant in the room – Voltus Complaint
Perhaps it is interesting to industry observers, Voltus’s name is left out of this order. Voltus, a demand response aggregator, complained to FERC about the lack of opportunities due to MISO and SPP states opt-out. Hence it is likely that the Voltus complaint forced the commission to address a loophole in reducing barriers for DER to participate in organized markets.
Order 2222-A Key Takeaway 2 – DER Interconnections
The second key takeaway in Order 2222-A deals with DER interconnection rules. In 2222, FERC refused to require grid operators to open up a new interconnection queue for DERs. Accordingly, in 2222-A, FERC declined the request of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) and Advanced Energy Management Alliance (AEMA) to hold a technical conference to simplify the existing interconnection rule set.
FERC not taking up the DER interconnections under current generator interconnection rules is good news and bad news for RE developers. It is good news because there is no change from Order 2222. It is bad news because developers must deal with grid operator interconnection queues backlogged by at least a couple of years.
Order 2222-A Key Takeaway 3 – Minor but relevant aspects
Double counting an energy transaction in both wholesale and retail energy is an issue that pops up frequently almost as a barrier towards DER participation. In 2222, FERC allowed RTOs to define the constraints narrowly on DER aggregation to reduce this chance of double counting.
With 2222-A, the biggest key takeaway on this double counting is FERC clarifying that AEE/AEMA is right – “if a distributed energy resource is offered into an RTO/ISO market and is not added back to a utility’s or other load-serving entity’s load profile, then that resource will be double counted as both load reduction and a supply resource.”
Relevant to note in 2222-A is FERC confirming that it has the authority over DER participating in wholesale markets, and state regulatory authorities called Relevant Electric Retail Regulatory Authorities (RERRA) have the authority over coordinating the participation of DER with the RTOs.
RTO Compliance
MISO, SPP, and PJM have asked FERC for an extension to comply with FERC Order 2222. If those extensions are not granted, each RTOs must file a compliance order by July 2021. But if FERC grants the 9-month extension requests of MISO and SPP, their compliance date is March 2022. PJM filed an extension request also. Hence their compliance plan is due February 2022.
YouTube is launching a “supervised” version, which is essentially a middle-ground between YouTube Kids and the main site. This is to let parents offer an age-appropriate YouTube experience to children who outgrow the content in YouTube Kids.
The new supervised mode will be available to children over 13, and will come with content settings and limited features.
The various access tiers would allow parents to control what their children can watch.
“In the coming months, we’ll launch a new experience in beta for parents to allow their children to access YouTube through a supervised Google Account,” YouTube said.
Content options of parents
(Image credit: YouTube)
Youtube said it understands that every child is unique and reaches different developmental stages at different times. It also said different people have different parenting styles.
Hence, the supervised Google account gives parents a choice of three settings for children. These are “Explore”, “Explore More”, and “Most of YouTube”.
Explore: For children ready to move on from YouTube Kids and explore content on YouTube, this setting will feature a broad range of videos generally suitable for viewers ages 9+, including vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music clips, news, educational content and more.
Explore More: With content generally suitable for viewers ages 13+, this setting will include an even larger set of videos, and also live streams in the same categories as “Explore.”
Most of YouTube: This setting will contain almost all videos on YouTube, except for age-restricted content, and it includes sensitive topics that may only be appropriate for older teens.
It is a work in progress
In the new mode in-app purchases will be disabled, as well as creation and comments features, though parents will eventually have variable controls for each element.
YouTube said its moderation system will use “a mix of user input, machine learning and human review” to determine which videos are suitable based on age ratings, but also says that it “will make mistakes and will continue to evolve over time.”
YouTube said it will be rolling out the new experience over the coming months.
It also said it would launch an ongoing campaign that features creators discussing themes like bullying and harassment, misinformation, digital well-being and more.
Colin Kaepernick (in number seven jersey) and teammate Eric Reid kneel during the national anthem on Sep. 1, 2016. Source: Josh Levin, “Colin Kaepernick’s Protest Is Working,” slate.com, Sep. 12, 2016
People who support refusing to stand for the national anthem argue that athletes are justified in using their celebrity status to bring attention to important issues, and that refusing to stand for the national anthem is an appropriate and effective method of peaceful protest. People who disagree argue that football games are an inappropriate place to engage in political protest, and that not standing for the national anthem shows disrespect for the country and those who proudly support it, some with their lives.
Is Kneeling during the National Anthem an Appropriate Form of Protest?
Pro 1
When one believes the United States is not living up to its ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all, kneeling during the national anthem is appropriate and justified.
Colin Kaepernick said, “I’m not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color… To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Many other athletes have since refused to stand for the national anthem for similar reasons. Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, who also has knelt during the national anthem, said, “the message is I’m against social injustice… I’m not against the military or police or America at all.” NASCAR official and Army veteran Kirk Price, who kneeled during the anthem at a June 2020 race, stated, “I fully respect the flag… That’s not what the issue is here. The issue is African Americans being oppressed for so long under the flag… But to be honest with you, I know what the flag stands for and I know about Black people being oppressed because I am one.”
Pro 2
When a national figure such as an NFL player kneels during the national anthem, it shocks people into paying attention and generates conversation.
Many people were shocked and offended when Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the resulting debate has continued as additional players joined the protest. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell originally disagreed with those actions, but later praised what he called a movement from protest to progress: “I truly respect our players wanting to speak out and change the community… We want them to use that voice.” Social media has given a voice to strong opinions on both sides, including members of the armed forces who express support Kaepernick’s right to protest by posting under the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick.
Pro 3
Kneeling during the national anthem is a legal form of peaceful protest, which is a First Amendment right.
President Obama said Kaepernick was “exercising his constitutional right to make a statement. I think there’s a long history of sports figures doing so.” The San Francisco 49ers said in a statement, “In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.” A letter signed by 35 US veterans stated that “Far from disrespecting our troops, there is no finer form of appreciation for our sacrifice than for Americans to enthusiastically exercise their freedom of speech.”
Con 1
Kneeling during the national anthem shows disrespect for the flag and members of the armed forces.
The national anthem pays respect to the people who have risked their lives, been injured, or died defending the United States. Carole Isham, a great-great-great-granddaughter of the writer of the national anthem (Francis Scott Key) stated that “it just blows my mind that somebody like (Kaepernick) would do what he does to dishonor the flag of this country and the national anthem when we have young men and women overseas fighting for this country, people that have died for this country.” Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback, supported Kaepernick’s message but disagreed with the delivery: “[I]t’s an oxymoron that you’re sitting down, disrespecting that flag that has given you the freedom to speak out.” Brees reiterated his position on June 3, 2020 in the wake of the George Floyd killing. However, in light of the backlash that followed, Brees retracted his statement. In reaction, on June 5, 2020, President Trump tweeted, “OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high… “We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”
Con 2
Kneeling during the national anthem is an ineffective and counterproductive way to promote a cause.
Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney said in a press conference: “I don’t think it’s good to be a distraction to your team. I don’t think it’s good to use your team as the platform.” President Obama expressed concern that not standing for the national anthem can get in the way of the message: “As a general matter, when it comes to the flag the national anthem and the meaning that holds for our men and women in uniform and those who’ve fought for us — that is a tough thing for them to get past to then hear what his [Kaepernick’s] deeper concerns are.” Malcolm Jenkins, safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, supported Kaepernick’s message but said, “My grandfather served [in the military]. And this is a country that I love. So, me not standing for the national anthem isn’t really going to get me the results that I want.”
Con 3
Kneeling during the national anthem angers many and sows division in our country.
Kaepernick and others who have refused to stand for the national anthem have caused division among their teams, their fans, and across the country. The Santa Clara police union hinted they would boycott providing security at games after Kaepernick revealed his reasons for protesting the national anthem and wore socks depicting pigs in police uniforms. Fans have been burning Kaepernick’s jersey to show their distaste for his actions. One video of a jersey on fire posted on Facebook was captioned, “He says he’s oppressed making $126 million. Well, Colin, here’s my salute to you.”
Some Cleveland Browns fans expressed their dissatisfaction on the team’s Facebook page. One commenter posted, “Pray before or pray after. Taking a knee during the National Anthem these days screams disrespect for our Flag, Our Country and our troops. My son and the entire armed forces deserve better than that.” [22]
Twelve Cleveland Browns players kneel in prayer during the national anthem on Aug. 21, 2017, with the support of four other players who stood. Source: Satchel Price, “Cleveland Browns Players Kneel During National Anthem,” sbnation.com, Aug. 22, 2017
On Friday, Sep. 22, 2017, President Donald Trump stated his opposition to NFL players kneeling during the anthem: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!” [23] The statement set off a firestorm on both sides of the debate. Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, said of Trump’s comments, “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.” [23]
The controversy continued over the weekend as the President continued to tweet about the issue and others contributed opinions for and against kneeling during the anthem. On Sunday, Sep. 24, in London before the first NFL game played after Trump’s comments, at least two dozen Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars players knelt during the American national anthem, while other players, coaches, and staff locked arms, including Shad Khan, who is the only Pakistani-American Muslim NFL team owner. [24] Throughout the day, some players, coaches, owners, and other staff kneeled or linked arms from every team except the Carolina Panthers. The Pittsburgh Steelers chose to remain in the locker room during the anthem, though offensive tackle and Army Ranger veteran Alejandro Villanueva stood at the entrance to the field alone, for which he has since apologized. [27] Both the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans teams stayed in their locker rooms before their game, leaving the field mostly empty during the anthem. The Seahawks stated, “As a team, we have decided we will not participate in the national anthem. We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms.” [25]
The controversy has jumped to other sports as every player on WNBA’s Indiana Fever knelt on Friday, Sep. 22 (though WNBA players have been kneeling for months); Oakland A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell kneeled on Saturday becoming the first MLB player to do so; and Joel Ward, of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, said he would not rule out kneeling. USA soccer’s Megan Rapinoe knelt during the anthem in 2016, prompting the US Soccer Federation to issue Policy 604-1, ordering all players to stand during the anthem. [28][29][30][31][35]
The country was still debating the issue well into the week, with Trump tweeting throughout, including on Sep. 26: “The NFL has all sort of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can’t kneel during our National Anthem!” [26]
On May 23, 2018, the NFL announced that all 32 team owners agreed that all players and staff on the field shall “stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem” or face “appropriate discipline.” However, all players will no longer be required to be on the field during the anthem and may wait off field or in the locker room. [32][33] The new rules were adopted without input from the players’ union. [33] On July 20, 2018, the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) issued a joint statement putting the anthem policy on hold until the two organizations come to an agreement. [34]
During the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, official league positions on kneeling began to change. On June 5, 2020, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated, “We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest.” [39] Before the June 7, 2020 race, NASCAR lifted the guidelines that all team members must stand during the anthem, allowing NASCAR official Kirk Price to kneel during the anthem. [40] On June 10, 2020, the US Soccer Federation rescinded the league’s requirement that players stand during the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd. The US Soccer Federation stated, “It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.” [35] In the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed, 52% of Americans stated it was “OK for NFL players to kneel during the National Anthem to protest the police killing of African Americans.” [41]
Indiana Fever players kneel during the national anthem before their Sep. 22, 2017 WNBA playoff game against the Phoenix Mercury. Source: Stephen Douglas, “Indiana Fever Kneel for National Anthem before WNBA Playoff Game,” thebiglead.com, Sep. 21, 2017
Discussion Questions
1.Should professional athletes be allowed to kneel during the national anthem in protest? Why or why not?
2. Should student athletes be allowed to kneel during the national anthem in protest? Why or why not?
3. What forms of protest are acceptable in which venues? Which are not acceptable? Explain your answers.
2. Delve into the Albert Einstein Institution’s list, “198 Methods of Nonviolent Action.”
3. Consider Marc A. Thiessen’s opinion that kneeling during the anthem is a protest against America.
4. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives.
Sources
1.
Steve Wyche, “Colin Kaepernick Explains Why He Sat During National Anthem,” nfl.com, Aug. 27, 2016
2.
Telegraph Sport, “NFL Player Brandon Marshall Gets Dropped by Sponsor for Anthem Protest,” telegraph.co.uk, Sep. 10, 2016
3.
Athena Jones and Tom LoBianco, “Obama: Colin Kaepernick ‘Exercising Constitutional Right,'” cnn.com, Sep. 5, 2016
4.
Bria N. Felicien, “Clemson Professor Writes Open Letter to Dabo Swinney,” greenvilleonline.com, Sep. 14, 2016
5.
Jennifer Lee Chan, “#VeteransForKaepernick,” ninerstation.com, Aug. 31, 2016
6.
Democracy Now!, “More NFL Players Join Colin Kaepernick In National Anthem Protest,” democracynow.org, Sep. 9, 2016
7.
Telesur, “Kaepernick Kneels Again, This Time on Monday Night Football,” telesurtv.net, Sep. 12, 2016
8.
Tessa Berenson, “Entire San Francisco High School Football Team Kneels for National Anthem,” time.com, Sep. 16, 2016
9.
Nunzio Ingrassia, “Athletes Who Have Joined Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Protest,” foxsports.com, Sep. 12, 2016
10.
CNN, “US Navy Sailor Sits During National Anthem,” cnn.com, Sep. 9, 2016
11.
Zuri Davis, “Ben Carson Explained Why He Thinks Colin Kaepernick Was Wrong to Sit through the National Anthem,” rare.us, Aug. 28, 2016
12.
Veterans for Kaepernick, “An Open Letter of Support for Colin Kaepernick from American Military Veterans,” medium.com, Sep. 2, 2016
13.
Josh Peter, “Descendant of National Anthem Songwriter Rips Colin Kaepernick,” usatoday.com, Sep. 15, 2016
14.
CSN Philly, “Police Union: Officers May Boycott 49ers over Colin Kaepernick,” csnphilly.com, Sep. 3, 2016
15.
Tom Pelissero, “Vikings’ Alex Boone Rips Ex-Teammate Colin Kaepernick for Lack of Respect,” usatoday.com, Aug. 29, 2016
16.
Tom Pelissero, “Roger Goodell Praises Player Demonstrations for Going from ‘Protests to Progress,'” usatoday.com, Sep. 19, 2016
17.
Cindy Boren, “Colin Kaepernick Protest Has 49ers Fans Burning Their Jerseys,” washingtonpost.com, Aug. 28, 2016
18.
Mike Triplett, “Drew Brees ‘Wholeheartedly’ Disagrees with Colin Kaepernick’s Method of Protest,” espn.com, Aug. 29, 2016
19.
Ryan Wilson, “NFL Players: There Are Better Ways for Kaepernick to Affect Change,” cbssports.com, Aug. 29, 2016
20.
Satchel Price, “Cleveland Browns Players Kneel During National Anthem,” sbnation.com, Aug. 22, 2017
21.
Pat McManamon, “12 Browns Players Kneel in Prayer over Racial, Social Injustice,” espn.com, Aug. 22, 2017
22.
Courtney Danser, “Angry Fans Take to Cleveland Browns Facebook Page over National Anthem Protest,” News 5 Cleveland website, Aug. 22, 2017
23.
Brian Armen Graham, “Donald Trump Blasts NFL Anthem Protesters: ‘Get That Son of a Bitch off the Field,'” theguardian.com, Sep. 23, 2017
24.
CNN Wires, “Jaguars, Ravens Kneel During Anthem as NFL Sunday Kicks Off,” fox2now.com, Sep. 24, 2017
25.
Brian Hoffman and Lance Booth, “What Every N.F.L. Team Did During the National Anthem on Sunday,” nytimes.com, Sep. 24, 2017
26.
Donald Trump, Twitter post, twitter.com, Sep. 26, 2017
27.
Tribune Media Wire, “Alejandro Villanueva Apologizes for Throwing Steeler Teammates ‘under the Bus,'” fox8.com, Sep. 25, 2017
28.
Susan Slusser, “A’s Bruce Maxwell First MLB Player to Kneel for Anthem,” sfgate.com, Sep. 25, 2017
29.
Chuck Shulman, “WNBA’s Indiana Fever Players Kneel Together During National Anthem,” latimes.com, Sep. 22, 2016
30.
Satchel Price, “Joel Ward Considers Becoming 1st NHL Player to Kneel During National Anthem,” sbnation.com, Sep. 27, 2017
31.
Tom Ziller and Mike Prada, “The WNBA Has Been at the Forefront of Protesting Racial Injustice,” sbnation.com, Sep. 24, 2017
32.
NFL Communications, “Statement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell,” nflcommunications.com, May 23, 2018
33.
Victor Mather, “N.F.L. Teams Will Be Fined for Players’ Anthem Kneeling,” nytimes.com, May 23, 2018
34.
Motez Bishara, “NFL Anthem Policy Shelved as Talks with Players Association Continue,” cnn.com, July 20, 2018
35.
Vanessa Romo, “U.S. Soccer Lifts Ban on Kneeling during National Anthem,” npr.org, June 10, 2020
36.
Chris Cwik, “Drew Brees Addresses NFL Players Kneeling in 2020: ‘I Will Never Agree with Anybody Disrespecting the Flag,'” sports.yahoo.com, June 3, 2020
37.
Alicia Victoria Lozano and Gwen Aviles, “Drew Brees to Trump: ‘We Must Stop Talking about the Flag,” nbcnews.com, June 5, 2020
38.
Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 5, 2020
39.
Alicia Victoria Lozano, “Goodell Says NFL Was Wrong Not to Encourage Players to Protest Peacefully,” nbcnews.com, June 5, 2020
40.
Dustin Long, “NASCAR to Allow Peaceful Protests during National Anthem,” sports.yahoo.com, June 10, 2020
41.
Jay Busbee, “Yahoo News/YouGov Poll: Majority of Americans Now Support NFL Players’ Right to Protest,” sports.yahoo.com, June 11, 2020
42.
Michelle R. Martinelli, “NASCAR Official Opens up about Taking a Knee for National Anthem, Prayer,” ftw.usatoday.com, June 8, 2020
A modern business simply cannot afford to be without an online presence – and our list of the best website builder options will show you how easy it is to get yourself set up. The best website builders provide organizations with the tools they need to create a first-rate online portal, regardless of the industry they inhabit. Like the best web hosting services, they have become essential to business success in the digital age.
Modern website builders provide a multitude of features tailored to each individual’s or organization’s needs. Some are relatively straightforward affairs that value simplicity above all else, while others come with so many customizable elements that it’s hard to know where to begin. The good thing is, there is such a huge variety of builders available that there is bound to be one that can bring your online vision to life.
The first step to choosing the right website builder comes from you – do you have a plan for what you want your website to look like? Is it an e-commerce store, some other type of business or simply a way to publicize your hobby? Whatever your online strategy and whatever your budget, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the 40 best website builder services in the world right now.
These are the best website builders of 2021
1. Wix – a top-notch website builder Wix is top dog when it comes to free website builders, but it also offers some powerful paid plans. These start from as little as $8.50 per month for the Combo plan, which gets you 3GB of storage space, a free domain and free SSL certificate.View Deal
2. Gator – a superb value website builder service Gator Website Builder from HostGator offers a superbly cheap Starter package which comes with free hosting and a domain name included, plus a free SSL certificate: all with 55% off meaning prices start from just $3.46 per month.View Deal
3. Zyro – a serious, high-quality site builder Hostinger-owned Zyro offers a website builder which is very easy-to-use and ideal for novices, allowing anyone to get their site up swiftly. You’ll pay very little for the privilege too and even the premium ‘Unleashed’ plan costs just $3.09 monthly.View Deal
Wix is a top-notch website builder (Image credit: wix)
1. Wix website builder
Best overall website builder
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Site Booster and Visitor Analytics: Yes
Free domain: Yes
Unlimited bandwidth: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Huge range of powerful features+Yet still highly user-friendly
Reasons to avoid
–Question marks over support
Wix claims the title of best website builder overall due to the way that it combines ease of use and great design flexibility. It offers users a range of plans, and a drag-and-drop editor that allows them to tweak and customize every aspect of their site without requiring them to be a coding expert.
Today, Wix is one of the most popular online website builders in the world with more than 180 million users across 190 countries and it is easy to see why.
One of Wix’s biggest strengths is the breadth of features it offers. It comes with more than 500 industry-specific themes, so whether you need a website to advertise your new café or want a place to show off your photography skills, it’s easy to create a website that’s right for you.
At the start of your Wix journey, you’ll be given the choice of two options: WixADI or WixEditor. WixADI uses answers to a few short questions to design the site for you – great if you’re indecisive, but not so good if you want total control. WixEditor, on the other hand, is a drag-and-drop process that will take longer but lets you create a website that’s completely customized for your needs.
In terms of downsides, Wix doesn’t have many. The fact that it imposes data limitations for each of its plan tiers could be an issue, particularly for sites which have a lot of visual content. Also, some users have complained that its tech support is somewhat lacking.
Nevertheless, its smart design, brilliant SEO and first-rate marketing tools mean that Wix is our number one pick for anyone who needs a website builder. There is a free version available (more on that later), as well as Business Basic, Unlimited and VIP pricing plans. Whichever one you opt for, all Wix premium plans come with a free two-week money-back guarantee, so there’s no risk involved.
HostGator’s Gator Website Builder has some powerful features with a great price tag (Image credit: hostgator)
2. Gator website builder
The cheapest and best option for small businesses
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Free SSL: Yes
Free domain: Yes
Unmetered bandwidth and storage: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Powerful yet simple drag-and-drop builder+A good number of features
Reasons to avoid
–Blog features are lacking
Another popular choice comes courtesy of HostGator, whose website builder solution, Gator Website Builder, has been commended for its simplicity and price, both of which should appeal to small businesses.
Gator is available in three versions. The Starter plan costs $3.84 a month and comes with free hosting, website analytics, free domain name registration for a year and unmetered storage. The Premium plan comes with all that plus priority support for $5.99 a month. The e-commerce plan, meanwhile, costs $9.22 a month and offers additional features like inventory management, a shipping and tax calculator, and the ability to create coupons.
Whatever plan you choose, you’ll gain access to an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface that lets you employ commonly used design elements such as images, videos, text boxes, columns, maps and contact forms. Each of Gator’s 200+ web templates is fully customizable, so it’s easy to get your website looking just right. There are also a sizeable number of mobile-friendly themes available to ensure that your online portal looks good on all devices.
For small businesses that might not have access to top-quality photography equipment, Gator comes with its own built-in stock photo library and a number of video tutorials are on hand if you are in need of extra support with anything.
If there’s any real downside here, it would be the lack of functionality for larger, more complex websites. There are no built-in email marketing features, for example, and blog building options are relatively basic.
Still, for small businesses or anyone starting their first online project, Gator’s quick, professional and well-designed sites should work perfectly. And with 24-hour tech support on hand for all users, and free analytics solutions to let administrators know how their site is performing, there are plenty of reasons to choose Gator for website building.
Zyro’s web builder is perfect for beginners (Image credit: Zyro)
3. Zyro website builder
The easiest and most intuitive site builder
Specifications
Free domain: Yes
Mobile optimization: Yes
Free SSL certificate: Yes
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Simple to use+Easy to draw your own ideas+Great for beginners
Reasons to avoid
–Not as professional as other builders–Not as many features
Zyro stands out for its simplicity – this really is the perfect site builder for businesses or individuals who may not have much experience creating their own website. A great drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to select design features, and the platform’s unique AI writer can even create some of the text content for you, potentially saving you hours of time.
The web builder interface is also easy to use and setting up an account is straightforward. The relatively small number of templates – compared to some other website builders, anyway – may be limiting, but that only plays to Zyro’s strengths in some respects. Rather than wading through countless designs, the smaller range of punchy options should help speed up the web building process for novices.
Zyro comes with a number of pricing options. The free plan comes with 500MB of storage and monthly data transfers, but users will have to put up with a few adverts. The paid tiers start with Basic which includes 3GB of bandwidth, 1GB of storage, AI business branding and SEO tools, for $1.89 a month.
The Unleashed plan, meanwhile, provides unlimited bandwidth and storage, as well as a free domain for a year, for $3.09 a month. Ecommerce plans that facilitate online payments, order tracking and tax management are also available.
With Zyro, some of its strengths could also be seen as its main weaknesses depending on what you are looking for in a website builder. The small range of templates could frustrate more experienced users, and others may notice a few bugs here and there.
Given that Zyro is a relatively new player in the website building space, however, updates and improvements are coming all the time. For now, though, Zyro still makes a great option for anyone looking for a simple, intuitive website builder that delivers excellent uptime, 24/7 support, and doesn’t overwhelm with unnecessary extras.
The Constant Contact website builder is great for email marketing (Image credit: Constant Contact)
4. Constant Contact website builder
The best for email marketing
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Social marketing analytics: Yes
Email tracking tools: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Unlimited free option+Established and trusted platform+Great stock photo portfolio
Reasons to avoid
–Automation tools could be better–Lack of editing tools
Although Constant Contact delivers an impressive website builder, it is best known for its email marketing solution. The site builder is a straightforward affair where users simply start by describing their business. In response, Constant Contact will automatically generate homepage previews to choose from, each of which come with high-quality royalty-free images to give your site a professional feel.
The website builder costs $10 a month and comes with ecommerce features, unlimited storage, an SSL certificate and SEO tools. Constant Contact’s website builder plan also provides analytics, app integration and the option of adding a blog to your site.
For businesses that want access to more email marketing features, however, Constant Contact’s standard website builder may not be what they are looking for. Instead, the Email plan provides all the features that modern companies need to build customer relationships and drive cutting-edge insights. Starting at $20 a month, it enables businesses to send an unlimited number of emails to up to 500 contacts.
It boasts customizable templates, automatic re-sends to contacts that did not open first time round and subject line A/B testing. The Email Plus plan, which starts at $45 a month for up to 500 contacts, includes advanced marketing features like polls, surveys and dynamic content, in addition to everything that comes with the basic Email plan.
Evidently, Constant Content has incorporated some of the helpful features that are now commonly included in traditional site builders into its email marketing platform. A drag-and-drop editor, for example, allows businesses to create slick campaigns, even if they don’t possess design or coding skills. The built-in campaign analytics also enables businesses to interpret which marketing campaigns are performing well, allowing marketing managers to keep return-on-investment in mind at all times.
All this, combined with robust security and several support channels, means we’d definitely recommend Constant Content as an email marketing solution.
Weebly is a great choice for anyone selling online. (Image credit: Future)
Weebly is a great choice for individuals looking to set up a website quickly as it launches you straight into the action. While some builders waste time with welcome emails and confirmation links, Weebly simply asks you to provide a name, email address and password, then away you go.
The service starts by asking you a few questions about your prospective website, such as what sort of theme you want, what your domain name is going to be and what sort of pricing plan you are interested in. Regarding the latter, there are three options (Personal, Professional and Performance) that each come with a range of features.
Where Weebly really stands out, however, is with regard to ecommerce. When starting out, users can select to build a “website with an online store” which will unlock a number of powerful features. Among them are a fully integrated shopping cart and secure checkout experience, an inventory tracker and a filtered product search tool.
The drag-and-drop interface that is a sought after feature with so many website builders also makes an appearance within Weebly’s ecommerce platform, allowing businesses to showcase their products with a range of display and merchandizing options. Social media integration is also included, allowing shoppers to share products via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Another major benefit of Weebly’s ecommerce platform is the support it offers users. Live chat, email support and a number of other resources, including several step-by-step guides, provide users with everything they need to get their store up and running.
The variety on offer here is also seriously impressive. Online store managers can sell physical goods, digital products or services, and retailers are able to set their own price and define their own configurable product options.
It’s true that the lack of an Artificial Design Intelligence option may mean that setting up an online store takes a little longer than you want, but once you’re up and running, there’s no shortage of great features available for you and your customers to enjoy.
Jimdo is another new website builder well worth looking at
6. Jimdo website builder
The best option for a portfolio for designers and photographers
Specifications
Professional templates: Yes
Social media integration: Yes
SEO tools: Yes
Mobile optimization: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Free plan has some unusual extras+Good tech support
Reasons to avoid
–Less features than some rivals
Since 2007, more than 25 million websites have been created using Jimdo, with its simplicity receiving plenty of praise. Another area of strength is the way that it looks, with a range of clean, flexible templates on offer. The professional and modern styles available make Jimdo a great website builder for designers, photographers or anyone else who wants to display their portfolio online.
The platform even comes with its own Logo Designer to help make your brand recognizable. All you need to do is enter your business and select a starting point for your logo design. Then, you customize your icon and layout, choose a color and font, and that’s it! Your logo is ready to adorn your business cards, social media pages and your website.
Another useful design feature that Jimdo users will appreciate is the way that website colors automatically harmonize with an uploaded logo or image. This means that garish color clashes become a thing of the past – that’s great for businesses where looking good is part of the brand.
Furthermore, Jimdo comes with a host of tips and support documents to help you create the right website for you. This includes a number of examples of existing photography websites created using the platform, along with tips to build a successful site.
Other pros of using Jimdo include its speed as well as simplicity. First off, users have a choice between going with Jimdo Creator or Jimdo Dolphin. Creator has more than 100 templates broken down into four categories (Business, Store, Portfolio, and Personal) and there are plenty of customization options. Dolphin, on the other hand, gives you an AI-created website.
In terms of price, there is a free plan that comes with no time limit but will force you to have a Jimdo sub-domain and advertising. Some Jimdo users have complained about a lack of fancy features, but if you want a quick, straightforward way of launching a great-looking site, you’ll struggle to find a better website builder than this.
IONOS offers a decent website builder
7. 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite website builder
The best choice of themes
Specifications
Mobile-optimized: Yes
Free SSL: Yes
Free domain: Yes
Multilingual: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Really well-designed editor+Some nifty bonus features
Reasons to avoid
–No free plan
Europe’s largest web hosting provider, 1&1 IONOS, currently hosts more than 12 million domains and represents a great choice if you are looking to create a serious, professional website to promote your business.
While the lack of a free plan is disappointing (although you do receive the first month free), the paid options are reasonable enough, starting at just $60 for the full year. For that price, customers can gain access to the MyWebsite Now or MyWebsite Creator packages. MyWebsite Now comes with a domain, email address and an expansive image library, but lacks some of the more advanced functionality that you get with the Creator plan.
Where IONOS really comes into its own, though, is with regard to its choice of themes. Inspirational templates are organized by industry and type, so it’s easy to find the right layout for your website, regardless of whether you are based in the retail, tourism or real-estate sectors. Some of the templates are more image-focused, while others cater to text-heavy sites. Regardless, they are all easy to implement; no coding knowledge is required whatsoever and templates can be adjusted easily using a drag-and-drop editor.
Small businesses are also likely to be enticed by IONOS’ multilingual translation, which can translate a site’s content into 62 different languages. It is even possible to have up to 25 different languages on a site at any given time. This makes IONOS a great choice in terms of its scalability: as a business grows, this website builder is more than equipped to facilitate international expansion.
Targeted content is also an option – so businesses can set up their website to present special offers to new visitors, for example. So if you’re looking for a scalable website builder with a great selection of themes, then IONOS is definitely worth considering.
Sqaurespace is another established website builder (Image credit: Squarespace)
8. Squarespace website builder
The best choice for bloggers and writers
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Free SSL: Yes
Free domain: Yes
Unmetered bandwidth and storage: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Amazing templates+Loads of features
Reasons to avoid
–Editor interface is a bit unusual
Squarespace is one of the slickest and best-known website builders around, and it has built this reputation, partly at least, on a fantastic range of features for bloggers. The platform comes with a host of built-in functions to support bloggers and writers, including multi-author functionality, AMP support and the ability to schedule posts.
Even better, Squarespace’s Blog App allows you to manage your blog from your smartphone, which is great for publishing and editing content on the go. Tools that publish to, sync with, and import from social media outlets, including Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo and others, also provide a great way of ensuring your posts receives the attention they deserve.
Squarespace’s drag-and-drop interface works a little differently to that used by some other website builders because it is section-based. This might take you a little bit more time to get used to, but doesn’t really provide a lesser experience.
Another benefit is the fact that deleted pages and posts can be restored up to 30 days after they’ve ended up in the trash. And if your online connection fails while you’re editing a post, it will still be there when the internet is back up and running (although it is worth noting that there is no autosave functionality).
In terms of drawbacks, it’s true that Squarespace may not be quite as easy to use as some of its competitors, and it can be difficult to find where certain features are located. It’s probably worthwhile reading a few of the support guides provided before jumping straight in. That said, setting up a new website remains relatively straightforward and there’s also an artificial intelligence-powered builder if you’d rather let Squarespace do most of the work.
The platform comes with four pricing plans, ranging from $12 to $40 a month, but whatever tier you choose, Squarespace is bound to deliver a great-looking website or blog.
The GoDaddy Website Builder offers great support (Image credit: GoDaddy)
GoDaddy may be one of the most straightforward web builders around, boasting a hugely intuitive publication process and simple editing tools. This means that even if you’ve never built a website before, setting one up should only take a few minutes.
For individuals looking for a more in-depth experience, the GoDaddy Websites + Marketing solution provides a detailed analysis of how your site is performing. The analytics tool delivers a comprehensive set of metrics that compares how your online presence is performing against other websites in your field. So far, the tool has certainly proved successful, with customers experiencing an 18% increase in business revenue within 12 months of using it, GoDaddy claims.
Of course, challenges arise with even the most impressive online platforms and the GoDaddy Website Builder is no exception. Fortunately, GoDaddy’s support is among the best around. Extensive PDF guides cover a multitude of questions and troubleshooting topics, and 24/7 tech support is also available. Moreover, the community forums are a great resource and it’s likely that someone there will be able to respond to your query. A live chat feature is also available on weekdays.
In terms of pricing, GoDaddy is very competitive, offering four website builder pricing tiers. The prices range from $9.99 a month for the Basic plan, up to $24.99 a month for the Ecommerce tier. As you would expect, the Ecommerce plan comes with everything you need to start a full-featured online store, with the cheaper plans offering slightly reduced functionality as you work your way down.
Some people have complained about the lack of an app market, which can leave some of the site builder features lacking depth. It does mean, however, that all features are built in-house and so are fit for purpose. If you’re on the lookout for a website builder that is both affordable and boasts great support, then GoDaddy may be the right choice for you.
A great website builder for mobile sites (Image credit: Network Solutions)
10. Network Solutions website builder
The best builder for creating mobile websites
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Mobile optimization: Yes
Free domain name: Yes
Stock image library: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Easy to use drag-and-drop features+Good ecommerce tools+Professional service
Reasons to avoid
–Confusing interface–Can seem a bit dated
Network Solutions is a great website builder for any businesses that remain unsure of what direction they want to take their website in. There are a huge number of options on offer here, so there’s bound to be one that’s right for you.
With Network Solutions, you can choose to build a website yourself or instead opt for professional website design services. The DIY plan comes with a personalized domain name and matching email address, point and click editing, as well as a well-stocked image library. The professionally designed option is more extensive, however, and comes with SEO tools, web analytics, and unlimited changes in the first 30 days.
Network Solutions has more experience than most when it comes to providing online services, first getting involved with DNS registration back in 1991, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t able to deliver more modern touches.
One of the best aspects of the Network Solutions website builder is its mobile-friendly approach. The builder comes with thousands of design options to choose from, and with the professionally designed plan, you will receive guidance to ensure that your website loads as fast as possible. Given that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take more than three seconds to load, speed is an absolutely vital consideration for a successful mobile site.
Although the website designer interface can seem a bit dated in places, and some users have complained about persistent upselling, there’s a lot to admire about Network Solutions website builder. The prices are competitive and there’s just enough customization to provide a good amount of flexibility without things becoming overwhelming. Furthermore, all ecommerce plans come with a fully customizable storefront along with a mobile version.
It can be a bit no-frills at times, but for any business looking to craft a simple, professional-looking mobile site, Network Solutions is well worth a look.
A good choice for big organizations (Image credit: Zoho)
11. Zoho Sites website builder
The best website builder for big business
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Responsive templates: Yes
Free SSL: Yes
SEO tools: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Free trial+Built on HTML and CSS+Good range of in-house add-ons
Reasons to avoid
–Limited integration with third-party apps–Only just over 190 templates
As with most website builders on offer these days, you do not require any technical knowledge to get the most from your Zoho Sites experience. The platform offers an impressive range of features, including more than 190 template options, an extremely well-organized interface, and a user-friendly code editor. In terms of price, it’s worth noting that Zoho does not offer an unlimited free option, but you will be able to trial the platform for 15 days before committing. After that, there are two different plan options, Starter or Pro, both of which come with custom domain hosting, mobile optimization, and SSL certification.
One of the major advantages of using Zoho Sites is its flexibility, which means that it is perfect for businesses experiencing rapid growth. With the Pro plan, there are three separate add-ons you can purchase as your company expands. If you need capacity for more members, more web pages, or more contributors, there are appropriately priced add-ons for each. What’s more, many of the other products within the Zoho family are well suited to larger organizations. For example, Zoho Projects, a project management suite, is perfectly suited to workplace collaboration, regardless of how large and spread out your organization is. Other tools like Zoho Books, Zoho Reports, and Zoho Creator are likely to prove equally useful.
In terms of downsides, Zoho Sites offers fairly limited integration with third-party features, including some of the main social networks. While it does offer a pretty extensive list of in-house applications that you can integrate with, including a CRM and marketing hub, the inability to simply plug-in external apps may be an issue for some. Still, with a huge range of design options, newsletter support, e-commerce features, and analytics tools, Zoho is a great option for any fast-growing business or, indeed, any company that has already acquired a large customer base.
A great choice for big brands (Image credit: BigCommerce)
12. BigCommerce website builder
The best website builder for big stores
Specifications
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Mobile optimization: Yes
Free SSL certificate: Yes
Plug-in POS integration: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Ability to sell through Facebook, Pinterest, eBay, Amazon+Scalable+Good choice of themes
Reasons to avoid
–Can be overly complex at times–No native mobile app
No business can afford to be without a website these days and that remains particularly true for retailers. The ecommerce share of total global retail sales has continued to increase steadily in recent years and is only likely to continue growing. When looking to build a new website, therefore, finding a web builder with the right ecommerce features can prove critical to business success. While many website builders offer some form of ecommerce functionality, some are certainly better than others – and BigCommerce may just be the best around.
Offering great scalability, a host of built-in features, fantastic SEO tools, and the ability to sell across multiple channels, BigCommerce is geared towards big brands that have plenty of customers to satisfy. First of all, the platform makes it easy to build a store that looks good, with a drag-and-drop visual editor, fully-customizable themes, mobile optimization, and checkout customization. There’s also plenty of support once you are ready to start selling. BigCommerce lets users sell physical, digital, and service-based products without needing to use an app and doesn’t lock sellers into a single payment plan, giving them more than 65 different payment gateways to choose from.
In terms of drawbacks, BigCommerce can use complex terminology at times that might make it a little confusing for inexperienced website builders and its design interface can take some getting used to. Having said that, it’s still not a bad choice for smaller retailers, as it has a staggered pricing plan dependent on how many sales your site generates. There’s also a free15-day trial available, with no credit card details required. Overall, with more built-in sales tools and more scalability than its competitors, BigCommerce is a great choice for online retailers that have significant sales figures or smaller brands that are planning for major expansion.
The most customizable website builder around (Image credit: Fasthosts)
13. Fasthosts website builder
The best builder for businesses that want to customize their site
Specifications
Free SSL certification: Yes
Free domain registration: Yes
WordPress plug-ins: Yes
Ecommerce functionality: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Free trial up to three months+Great customization options+Straightforward interface
Reasons to avoid
–Plans only include one website–Limited features
As its name suggests, one of the standout aspects of Fasthosts is how quickly it allows you to get your website up and running. Even the most inexperienced online user should be able to create a beautiful site in minutes by using the platform’s wide range of adaptable themes and its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Users will have the choice of two plans, the Essential or Complete Website Builder package. The Essential plan costs $5.90 a month and comes with all the essential features, including a domain name, a personalized email address and up to 10 pages. The Complete plan, meanwhile, comes in at $11.85 a month and boasts an unlimited number of pages, SEO tools, and additional email tools.
In addition, one of the aspects of Fasthosts that frequently receives praise is the amount of customization it offers. When adding content to your site, you will receive a number of customization options depending on the type of material you have uploaded. In addition, Fasthosts comes with an established support website that contains a number of how-to guides that provide additional help for individuals that want complete control to tweak every aspect of their site. The platform is also mobile optimized, so users can make quick edits easily from their tablet or smartphone.
In terms of complaints, some users have criticized Fasthosts for having a poor average uptime record, which is something that individuals who are thinking of using Fasthosts for web hosting should consider. Others have argued that its interface can look a bit sparse, and would perhaps benefit from the addition of a few extra features. However, there’s still plenty to admire about Fasthosts’ website builder, particularly its 30-day money back guarantee and the fact that users of the Complete plan receive their first three months free-of-charge. That means that new users get plenty of time to tinker with their site before deciding if this is the right builder for them.
The best choice for musicians (Image credit: Future)
14. Bandzoogle website builder
This is the best website builder for musicians
Specifications
Ecommerce features: Yes
Mobile optimized: Yes
Press kit pre-sets: Yes
Social media integration: Yes
Reasons to buy
+Lots of options for selling music+Easily plug in your social accounts+Options for selling tickets and merchandise+Good range of SEO features
Reasons to avoid
–Not the most flexible theme editor–All plans are paid
As with most industries, the internet has revolutionized the music world. The likes of YouTube and Spotify have meant that musicians around the world mostly connect with their fans online, sharing new music and advertising gigs. But this also means that most musicians depend on having an effective website in order to be successful. For well-known acts with major record labels backing them, it is unlikely that they’ll have to manage their own online presence, but smaller acts will have to be more hands-on. Fortunately, there are website builders that cater specifically for musicians and Bandzoogle is one of the best.
As with most modern website builders, Bandzoogle is easy to use and offers a range of mobile-responsive templates that are straightforward to implement and easy to customize. Custom domain names are also provided and users have reported good levels of site uptime. Looking at features that specifically target musicians, Bandzoogle allows website administrators to upload tracks that fans can stream directly from the website. It is also straightforward to add gig data and blog posts to the site, and connecting to music-specific platforms like SoundCloud and Bandcamp is supported.
Of course, engaging with fans is one of the most important reasons why many musicians create a website and Bandzoogle really excels here. Musicians can use the platform to create mailing lists, connect with their social media profiles, and receive visitor analytics to gain insights into how fans are interacting with the site. Crucially, Bandzoogle comes with excellent support offerings, whether your queries are about websites generally, or building an online presence as a musician. Bandzoogle’s web team is made up of musicians, so the advice they offer is always relevant to the industry. Although Bandzoogle can be used to create a website that is not music-related, the platform has all the features needed to keep budding musicians and their fans happy.
What is a website builder?
Contrary to what you may think, website builders have been around for a long time. Ever heard of Geocities or Angelfire? They were the precursors of today’s giants like Wix or Weebly.
At its simplest, you can think of it as a set of templates like you would get in Microsoft Word. A website builder removes the need for you to know any coding language like HTML or Javascript and relies on something called WYSIWIG to get you online.
WYSIWIG stands for “What you see is what you get” and is essentially a graphical user interface that allows even novices to move around pictures and type in blocks of text as they’d do in a scrap book in the physical world.
Metaphorically, the concept is as close as you’d get to having a virtual shop (or house or property) online and website builders have been very smart in keeping things as simple as possible.
How to choose the best website builder?
There is great variety in terms of both the number and type of website builder available today. Some specialize in email marketing and others offer a first-rate ecommerce solution; some value simplicity, while others deliver so many customizable features that it could overwhelm a novice website creator.
When deciding on a website builder, therefore, it’s important that you have a clear plan in your own mind first. Think carefully about what sort of website you are looking to create – whether text or images will be the main focus, what sort of design you have in mind and, crucially, how much you want to pay.
Once you’ve come up with a mental framework for your prospective site and have a rough idea of your budget, you can start to look at your options. Whether you’ve used a website builder before will also be important to determine how comfortable you will be using some of the more complex platforms on offer.
You should also consider whether you’re likely to do most of your website editing from a mobile or desktop device. Most web builders offer mobile-responsive templates, but not all allow you to edit the mobile version without changing the desktop site too.
Choosing a website builder can seem complicated, but fortunately most come with free trials so you always have the option of changing your mind.
Website builder vs web design software ?
Website builders and web design software certainly have plenty of overlap. Both can be used to create beautiful, professional looking websites that have all the features that your business needs. The key difference lies in how they are delivered and how much prior knowledge is required to use them. In general, website builders are online platforms, often available in free versions, and which place a great deal of emphasis on simplicity, usually offering drag-and-drop editors. Web design software, on the other hand, is usually a bit more complex, with some geared towards experienced programmers and offering the option of coding a site line-by-line.
Another key difference between web design tools, such as Adobe Dreamweaver, and website builders, like Squarespace, is the price. Web design tools are often more expensive and there may not be a free option like there is with most website builders. Although web design tools will try to offer an intuitive experience, it’s probably a good idea to have some coding knowledge before giving them a try. Ultimately, whether a website builder or web design software is right for you will largely depend on your level of experience and also what sort of site you need. In most cases, a simple website builder will be sufficient, but if you want to tinker a little more, there’s no harm in trying a web design solution.
Free website builders vs paid website builders
Why pay for a website builder when you can get one for free? Well, as is often the case, you usually get what you pay for. That isn’t to say, however, that there aren’t some great free website builders out there. Many free builders still come with all the features that you need to create fantastic online portals – customizable templates, intuitive drag-and-drop editors, marketing tools, and mobile optimization. Having a clear idea of how you want your website to look and conducting thorough research is key to avoiding paying more for a website builder than you need to.
It is true, however, that some features are less commonly included in free website builders. E-commerce tools, for example, often have to be paid for and there are a number of other features that are usually excluded from free plans. Free website builders are often accompanied by advertisements that you will have no control over – you might not mind this but they can sometimes be intrusive. What’s more, they can make your site look unprofessional. Similarly, free website builders won’t give you a dedicated web address, which can also affect your credibility. Fortunately, many paid website builders have free trials that let you try before you buy.
How much does a website builder cost?
There is no straightforward answer to the question: “How much does a website builder cost?” For businesses that are satisfied with simple templates and are happy to put up with ads and a generic URL, website builders can be found that don’t cost anything at all. Of course, most brands would not be content with a free solution, which can deliver sites that look unprofessional. The good news is that there are some very effective website builders out there that are reasonably priced. Most work through a monthly billing system, with costs for entry-level plans sometimes as little as $6 a month.
One thing that all website administrators should be aware of, however, is how much website builders charge for additional features. Even if your basic web builder package is cheap, costs can quickly escalate if you have to buy add-ons for security, e-commerce functionality, and marketing tools. It is important that businesses have transparency when it comes to the expenses related to their website, so it’s probably a good idea to research prospective platforms thoroughly before making your choice. It’s also important to factor in whether your website builder is scalable: will it remain suitable as your business expands and how will costs increase?
How hard is it to build a website?
It may sound like a daunting prospect, but building a website is not necessarily difficult – although of course that all depends on how hands-on you want to be, the type of website you want, and your level of experience. Fortunately, many website builders are designed to appeal to the absolute beginner, coming with drag-and-drop editors that mean no coding experience is required at all. In fact, most web builders will have you up and running with a fully functioning site in under an hour. Alternatively, individuals with greater financial resources could hire a professional web designer to build their website for them.
For those that are willing to take on the website building process themselves, the level of difficulty involved will depend on what website builder they choose. Although all of them are relatively intuitive, some come with extra features that may require some knowledge of the website-building process to implement. Fortunately, most platforms come with decent levels of support, including how-to guides and video tutorials. It is worth mentioning, however, that many of the simplest website builders come with limited customization. For anyone that truly wants complete control over their site, some coding experience, as well as prior knowledge of HTML, will come in helpful.
What are the most popular website builders?
There are an overwhelming number of website builders available today – ones that are free, ones that cater for specific careers, ones that target small businesses, and many more besides. While each individual website builder will have its own unique pros and cons that users will need to assess themselves, taking a look at some of the most popular platforms is a good place to start. Taking top spot is Wix, which boasts over 180 million users in 190 countries. The platform has managed to build up such a large following by combining a huge range of powerful features with a user-friendly interface.
However, while Wix may be the most popular website builder in the world, it still has its fair share of competitors to deal with. Other popular website builders include Squarespace, GoDaddy, and Weebly. Looking at more bespoke builders, Shopify has become extremely popular by offering a broad spectrum of ecommerce tools for online retailers. It’s important to note, however, that the most popular website builder may not be the best one for your needs. You are unlikely to go too far wrong with the big players, but smaller, more niche web builders may offer better payment plans or more relevant features for your site, so it’s important to research thoroughly before plumping for any particular website builder.
Who uses a website builder?
Determining whether a website builder is right for you is a question that can only be answered fully once you’ve assessed your own personal online experience, what you want from a website, and your financial resources. Even so, the type of person that would benefit from using a website builder is pretty broad. On an individual level, there are web builders that specifically cater to musicians, photographers, and many other solo endeavors. More generally, a website builder is a great platform for any person that simply wants an online presence. If they have a hobby that they want to share with the world, a web builder provides the tools to achieve this.
Website builders are also readily employed by small business owners. Many web builders come with ecommerce features that allow businesses to sell their products and services online, as well as marketing tools to increase their customer base. Large corporates might decide to employ a professional web designer instead, but smaller firms will probably prefer the ease-of-use (and price) of a web builder. Put simply, a website builder is a great starting point for anyone that wants a website of their own but doesn’t know where to start.
WordPress vs a website builder: Which one is better for building a website
Using WordPress or a website builder are both great options for anyone looking to build a website but each comes with its own advantages and drawbacks. Different from a website builder, WordPress is actually a content management system, or CMS, and is used to power 39% of the web. Since it was first launched, WordPress has added a number of features beyond its basic CMS offering, providing themes, add-ons, and ecommerce functionality. Novice website builders, however, may find that WordPress has something of a steep learning curve. The language can be quite technical and users may even need to adjust the odd piece of code in order to get a plugin to work.
While WordPress does offer both live chat and email support, less experienced users may find that a website builder is more welcoming. Most website builders pride themselves on their ease-of-use, with many using drag-and-drop editors that allow individuals to have their webpage up and running in a matter of minutes, even if they have no web building experience. Both WordPress and website builders come with several different payment plans to choose from and both are capable of producing fantastic looking sites. Neither approach could be said to better than the other, but website builders are certainly simpler to use in most cases.
You might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides:
The U.K. could be producing electricity from a geothermal plant for the first time early next decade after drilling at a site in southwest England showed it could become a viable part of the renewable energy mix.
Yes, Boxing Day is about relaxing, it’s about consuming large amounts of Christmas TV and leftover turkey, and it’s about time with your family…but if you’re the proactive type, it could also be the time to get a perfect internet plan.
Thanks to the Boxing Day sales, a number of broadband deals have come down in price, seen boosts in speeds or been loaded with cash incentives to make them more desirable than ever.
While there are a number of offers available to you this Boxing Day, three fibre broadband deals have grabbed our attention over everything else and they come from BT, Virgin and TalkTalk.
Arguably, Virgin has managed to grab the top spot with low prices, fast speeds and a massive cash incentive. However, if you live somewhere where Virgin isn’t available, both BT and TalkTalk are excellent right now.
Peter Mancina, “In the Spirit of Sanctuary: Sanctuary-City Policy Advocacy and the Production of Sanctuary-Power in San Francisco, California,” vanderbilt.edu, Aug. 2016
Matthew Green and Jessica Carlton, “What Are Sanctuary Cities and How Are They Bracing for Trump’s Proposed Immigration Crackdown?,” kqed.org, Nov. 17, 2016
Jasmine C. Lee, Rudy Omri, and Julia Preston, “What Are Sanctuary Cities?,” nytimes.com, Sep. 3, 2016
Immigrant Legal Resource Center, “FAQ on Federal Grant Conditions and Cooperation with Immigration Enforcement,” ilrc.org, July 2016
Legal Information Institute, “U.S. Code, Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part IX, § 1373,” law.cornell.edu (accessed Nov. 25, 2016)
Bureau of Justice Assistance, “Office of Justice Programs Guidance Regarding Compliance with 8 U.S.C. § 1373,” bja.gov (accessed Nov. 25, 2016)
Michael John Garcia, “‘Sanctuary Cities’: Legal Issues,” ilw.com, Jan. 15, 2009
Christina Littlefield, “Sanctuary Cities: How Kathryn Steinle’s Death Intensified the Immigration Debate,” latimes.com, July 24, 2015
Lee Romney, Cindy Chang, and Joel Rubin, “Fatal Shooting of S.F. Woman Reveals Disconnect between ICE, Local Police; 5-Time Deportee Charged,” latimes.com, July 6, 2015
Janie Har and Amy Taxin, “San Francisco’s Status as ‘Sanctuary’ Criticized after Slaying,” ap.org, July 7, 2015
Jennifer Medina and Jess Bidgood, “Cities Vow to Fight Trump on Immigration, Even If They Lose Millions,” nytimes.com, Nov. 28, 2016
Daryl F. Gates, “Special Order No. 40,” lapdonline.org, Nov. 27, 1979
Jessica Vaughan, “Sanctuary Cities Continue to Obstruct Enforcement, Threaten Public Safety,” cis.org, Aug. 31, 2016
Heather Mac Donald, “The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave,” city-journal.org, Winter 2004
Josh Harkinson, “Actually, Sanctuary Cities Are Safer,” motherjones.com, July 10, 2015
Nik Theodore, “Insecure Communities: Latino Perceptions of Police Involvement in Immigration Enforcement,” policylink.org, May 2013
Bettina Boxall, “Violent Crime in California Rose 10% in 2015, State Attorney General Says,” latimes.com, July 1, 2016
Jessica Vaughan, “Ignoring Detainers, Endangering Communities,” cis.org, July 2015
Bryan Griffith and Jessica M. Vaughan, “Maps: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and States,” cis.org, Apr. 16, 2019
Catherine E. Shoichet, “Florida Just Banned Sanctuary Cities. At Least 11 Other States Have, Too,” cnn.com, June 14, 2019
Brett Samuels, “Trump: Government Will Start Withholding Funds from Sanctuary Cities after Court Ruling,” thehill.com, Mar. 5, 2020
Bryan Griffith and Jessica M. Vaughan, “Map: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and States,” cis.org, Mar. 23, 2020
Max Sullivan, “NH Rep. Wants to Ban Sanctuary Cities. He Put the Question on WHS School Ballot, “seacoastonline.com, Feb. 13, 2020
KJRH News, “Bill Filed to Ban Sanctuary Cities in Oklahoma,” kjrh.com, Jan. 15, 2020
Joshua Nelson, “Georgia Republicans Push Bill to Ban Sanctuary Cities: The President Is 100% Right,” foxnews.com, Feb. 25, 2020
White House, “Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence in Roundtable with Industry Executives on the Plan for Opening Up America Again,” whitehouse.gov, Apr. 29, 2020
Tobias Hoonhout, “Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Trump Admin. Move to Block Funding from Sanctuary Cities,” yahoo.com, May 1, 2020
H.B.C., “What Are Sanctuary Cities?,” theeconomist.com, Nov. 22, 2016
Adam Liptak, “Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case on California Sanctuary Law,” nytimes.com, June 15, 2020
