Checking WebServices running status

isWebServiceRunning.cs

public static class WebServiceExtention
{        
    public static bool isWebServiceRunning(this string url)
    {
        if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(url))
            throw new ArgumentNullException();

        try
        {
            var request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(url);
            var response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();

            if (response.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK)
            {
                // to add tracelistener (txt file logs)
                Trace.Write(string.Format("{0} Available", url));
                return true;
            }
            else
            {
                Trace.Write(string.Format("{0} Returned, but with status: {1}", url, response.StatusDescription));
                return false;
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            //  not available at all, for some reason
            Trace.Write(string.Format("{0} Unavailable: {1}", url, ex.Message));
            return false;
        }
    }
}