Question : Hosting question

Hello!
I've never used hosting for a web site,so I have something to ask.Right now I use my own PC for hosting my web site,though I know that its possibly NOT the best solution.
1) Tell me, please, all the advantages of hosting vs using your own home PC as a server;
2) As per hosting...should I use same Co. for BOTH hosting the site AND registering the domain or should I use 2 different entities?
3) Geographic location of web server vs. location of site visitors...how crucial is that?
4) I use Joomla!...I spoke with a cust service rep of one of the major US-based web hosting Co.'s and he told me that they use scripts for installing Joomla and its a piece of cake...nothing to worry about etc. Is that so? and what exactly should I ask the hoster BEFORE I sign up for their service in regards to installing and running a Joomla site on their servers.Like maybe a version of Joomla ,ver. of Apache,Php,My Sql etc...?

Answer : Hosting question

To answer your questions:

1: The advantages of hosting with a provider is that they can provide 24/7 Support, 99.999% Uptime and if the server breaks they just move your site to another.  If you are hosting and your server goes down it may take you time to repair.

2:You can use the same or 2 different ones.  That doesn't matter as long as where you have your domain you point to the correct name servers.

3:This can be a factor if in different countries but normally this is not a major issue at all. Most large hosting companies like ours can handle all situations.

4:Yes that is correct...we also provide joomla install scripts that allow you to install the latest version of Joomla with the click of a button.  You answer some basic questions and it sets up the MySql Database and installs the app.

Hope this helps.