Who Owns Your Domain Name?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by SJ

Have you ever checked who owns your domain name? Do you own it? Does your webmaster own it? Maybe even your hosting company owns it!

I am writing this today because we had a victory today. A customer has regained control of her name. She was in a very bad position and nearly lost it. She did not own the domain, it was registered through her original web designer who was now uncontactable. After a number of threats and no replies from the web designer, he finally replied and released the domain to the proper owner. She has now regained control of her name. That’s a happy ending.

How can you check who owns your domain name? You can check by doing a whois search on your domain and check the contact details. This is something that many businesses know that they can check and hence why many businesses don’t know who owns their name.

In Australia, it is better management because domains need to have the customer’s Australian Business Number (ABN) on the registration form. If this is wrong or needs to be changed, the domain needs to be deleted and then re-registered. This costs the customer time and money.

You can check your domain name using one of the two links -

Australian Domains – AusRegistry.com.au
Global Domains – Whois.org
Why should you care who owns the domain name? You will not be notified if it is up for renewal or if it is transferred. If it expires, your website and emails will go down. This problem is often overlooked and the hosting company normally gets the blame because the customer thinks their servers are down. This is not the case. A simple WHOIS search would indicate problem.

Your website could be transferred to a third party without your acknowledge. If this happens, you’ve may have lost your domain and you need to contact the domain registry (AuDA or ICANN) to investigate.

How can I update my domain name contact details? You can log in to the domain management interface and update the contacts details. These details should be provided to you from when you registered your name.

I hope this will help people understand the importance of owning their domain.

Please share any stories you may have about your domain names that you did not own or any other horror stories that you have heard about this.

By Nigel C Burke

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Old Age – Slow and Forgetful Or Wise and a Good Negotiator?

Posted on November 29, 2011 by SJ

There are two stereotypes in circulation about aging and mental ability – a negative one and a positive one. We associate aging with becoming slower, less ‘on the ball’, and with memory loss. We also may link aging with the idea of wisdom and negotiation skills – useful for many contemporary social problems.

In our arguably youth-centred culture, exercising more cynicism, we may reflect and assume that there will indeed be scientific evidence for the negative stereotype but not the positive one. We may assume that the positive stereotype exists just to make older people feel better about their lot. But what we find in fact is that both stereotypes find support. That in some very important domains being older puts a person at an intellectual advantage. Cognition can be better in old age compared to young adulthood and being middle aged.

There is a substantial body of scientific evidence that indicates that, yes, as we age many of our mental processes become less efficient – notably our fluid intelligence. For this reason, we recommend exercise, nutrition that stimulates neurogenesis (such as creatine), and brain training with the dual n-back exercise that specifically targets the fluid intelligence and short term memory neural circuitry this is most vulnerable to degeneration during aging.

These cognitive declines may be a concern if you’re in your mid-60s plus. But there are important gains that can offset these losses in the overall balance sheet of cognitive abilities. A recent study by Grossmann and his colleagues, published in a prestigious scientific journal – the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – tested the idea that as we age our wisdom improves, in the sense of gaining in the ability to mediate and resolve interpersonal conflicts. In their study, they asked participants to read stories about intergroup and interpersonal conflicts and predict how these conflicts would unfold. They found that compared to young and middle-aged people, older people make better use of higher-order reasoning abilities that emphasize the need for:

multiple perspectives,
allow for compromise
recognize the limits of knowledge
These results were subsequently confirmed by a group of professional counsellors. Thus the results show that social reasoning improves with age – despite a decline in fluid intelligence.

By M A Smith

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Taking Full Advantage of Domain Name Benefits

Posted on November 28, 2011 by SJ

There is far more to a domain name than just a catchy title that sounds pleasing to the ear and looks good on a business card. Of course, the general appeal of domain names is an important element of how they function, but it’s not all that they do.

Choosing a name on a whim, or simply choosing to register domain name rights to your company’s business name, is not the best approach for getting the most possible benefit out of the name. You should have a plan, run a name search or domain name checker, and choose your ultimate names based on a number of criteria. There are several elements you should consider before buying domains for any website.

Functions of a Domain
Web names, as noted above, do have several functions. When you do domain names search, you can easily find thousands of names; some will be cheap names and others will be quite expensive. Some are informative but boring, and others are catchy but vague.

The two key purposes of a web name are to appeal to search engines and to appeal to visitors. Search engines like you to buy domains that contains your primary SEO keyword target as well as a primary geographic location, if indeed your business works in one area. Users want names to be informative yet appealing. They want to have confidence that the website they choose to click on will give them what they’re looking for in a way that they enjoy.

Choosing a Domain for Web Hosting
So when you go to buy name rights, before you get worried about expensive vs. cheap names and all the rest, consider the primary targets of your domain: search engines and customers. You can run a domain search, using any number of free name checkers, to find out what sorts of domains are available. The company you choose for website hosting may also be able to offer suggestions as to available names that are appropriate for the site you want to build. They may even offer free or cheap names if you sign up for website or web hosting with them. Once you’ve found your ideal name (or names), it’s time to register name rights, so that you can start building your website at what will hopefully be an appealing and highly successful web names.

Choosing a domain name on a whim, or simply choosing to register domain name rights to your company’s business name, is not the best approach for getting the most possible benefit out of the domain. You should have a plan, run a domain name search or domain name checker, and choose your ultimate domain names based on a number of criteria. There are several elements you should consider before buying domain names for any website.

By Glovern Stephen

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How to Register and Choose a Domain Name With GoDaddy

Posted on November 27, 2011 by SJ

So you have a website address that you want to promote, but you’ve ran into a problem. Either it’s too hard to remember, or it isn’t usable with certain websites. The solution to your problem is to buy a domain name.

There are many sites that offer domain names for you to buy: 1and1.com, One.com, Register.com, or my recommended favorite, GoDaddy.com. GoDaddy is one of the most popular web hosting sites (you may recognize Danica Patrick as the Go Daddy girl) and has great prices: just $6.99 per year for your own domain name (This price is a special offer and I don’t know how long it will last).

Here is a list of steps to take in order to get your own domain name with forwarding:

1) Go to GoDaddy.com

2) Near the top of the homepage there is a green bar with different categories listed. Click on the “Domains” category and you will be taken to a new page.

3) Here will be where you enter your domain name to see if it is available. The choice of a “.com” web domain is already chosen for you, and I recommend using a.com because you’re trying to make this web address easy to remember, and.com is the easiest domain to remember. Now enter your domain name choice into the box that has an arrow pointing to it, saying “Start your domain name search here!”. When you have finished entering your domain name (it could be anything you want, but I suggest using something that pertains to website), click “Search”. You will be brought to a new page.

4) 1 of 2 things will happen, it will be available, or it won’t be.

*If your domain name isn’t available, it will tell you and offer you a box to enter a new domain name in. Keep trying until you get one that you like.

*If it is available, and you want to keep that domain name, click the “Add” button next to where it says that your name is available. A box will pop us with your domain name in it, you can exit out of this box. Then, you can add more names on this page, or by doing another search in the box a little lower down on the page. If that is the only name you want, click the “Continue to Registration” button just to the right and above where the “Add” button was. You will probably get an offer for a deal on other names, you can just click, “No Thanks”.

5) To register you will most likely have to create an account, unless you already have one. If you have an account already, you can just log in, otherwise, fill out the required information, and click “Continue”.

6) At the checkout page, fill in all of your billing information, and make sure that your order is correct. Continue by clicking “Checkout Now”.

7) You will be brought a a “Thank You For Your Order” confirmation page, letting you know that your order was successful. You will also receive a sales confirmation e-mail and support e-mail. From this page you can print out your receipt and log into your account. Your receipt will include your customer number, order number, login name and login password.

8) Your sales confirmation e-mail will have similar information to your receipt, as well as additional instructions and information about you account and how to manage your products. Your support e-mail will confirm that the sale was completed successfully, and give further instructions on how to log in to your GoDaddy.com account.

By Taylor Linn

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What Domain Names Do You Want Before Your Competitor Gets Them?

Posted on November 26, 2011 by SJ

One of the domain names that you want to reserve before you competitor does is FuneralCosts[YourTown].com. You see that that was a very popular search and it someone searches that and they see a domain name in it. That really speaks to them and they are more than likely going to click on that. Also with Twitter and [YourTown]Obits.com, reserve that domain name.
Why is this Important?

  • Obits:
    *Newspapers are tanking, they are having a tough time. It is happening almost daily that these are falling by the way side. What is going to happen in your town when the daily newspaper becomes a twice a week newspaper or all of a sudden goes away? Be proactive and start educating your families that they can come to your website to get the latest information on obituaries or follow you on Twitter etc. Take these domain names before anyone else does be it the newspaper or your competitor. They are going to start to try to make money online too. It is time for you to be in the seat of control and power while they are still scrambling around.
    *Don’t be at the whim of newspapers to get out the information – it’s in your hands
    Costs:
    *No one else is doing it (or not many) but lots of people are searching
    This is what You have to do…

  • Reserve:

    • *FuneralCosts[YourTown].com
    *[YourTown]Obits.com / [YourTown]Obituaries.com

    What should you do with them?
    *Obits: Use for your Twitter Obits account URL and point it to your obituary page of your site
    *Costs: Point to YouTube channel (funeral costs account) or create a basic site to post reviews and collection of prices if advantageous to you

    Example: http://Twitter.com/victoriaobits/. They have VictoriaObits.com. When you click on this it takes you to the obituaries on their website and doesn’t just drop you on the homepage. This is how you can use the domain names.

    By Robin Heppell

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    Starting Out With Network Solutions Domain Registration

    Posted on November 25, 2011 by SJ

    Although Network Solutions domain registration is not as well known as others such as 1and1 and GoDaddy, it is one of the best. Of course, a domain name is a domain name, and it really doesn’t matter where you bought it as long as you own it, but there are times when the place where you will buy your domain name will ultimately determine how easy or hard it will be for you in future to manage the said domains. For this reason, it is important that you ensure that you do the right thing first (prepare) so that you do not have to rectify it in future (repair.) That is why we have set out to pay some attention to Network Solutions domain registration.

    So, How Should You Go About It?

    Regardless of how good a registrar is, you cannot delegate some duties to them. This is because the registrar cannot determine what you want your website to be and what your target audience is. And even though you will be able to find a domain name that will relate in one way or another to the keyword that you will be focusing on, the ultimate choice of the name to pick among others things will still be dependant on you. For this reason, you also do have an important role to play.

    The first thing that you should do when it comes to Network Solutions domain registration is to ensure that you do pick the appropriate name. This means that you should choose a name that will best represent the information that you would like to give out. For example, if you are looking forward to setting up a commercial website, you should look for domain names that have a.com extension. If on the other hand you are looking forward to setting up a website that will serve as one for non profit making organizations, then you should set up one that has a org extension. However, these rules are not cast in stone. You can vary them depending on your unique situation.

    Once you have determined the most appropriate domain name for yourself, the next step is simple as it simply involves clicking the pay button and following the instructions that are available all along the way. As you set out with your Network Solutions domain registration, it is critical to be aware of the fact that without doing proper work at this stage, you can easily end up with a situation whereby your efforts are being frustrated all along the way.

    By Nadav Snir

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    How to Register a Domain For Your Cheap Or FREE Website

    Posted on November 24, 2011 by SJ

    The first step towards getting your business or personal site running is getting your own space on the web, which starts with getting your own domain name. If you want your own personal domain you have to pay a yearly fee but it doesn’t have to cost much, and there are even free alternatives that are almost as good.

    A domain name or site name is a unique text URL that references your site and only your site. Google.com and How2buildyourwebsite.com are examples of domain names. The authority that domains must be registered with is the “Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers Authority”or the ICANN which is the agency that oversees the allocation of domains on the web.

    A regular person cannot directly register a domain name with the ICANN because that would be to easy. To get your site online you need to go through a licensed domain registrar. These registrar sites charge a yearly rate which can run between five to twenty dollars per year.

    Some licensed domain registers also offer web hosting. Web hosting services offer the online storage space you need for your files. Your domain doesn’t need to be registered with the same company that provides your web hosting; in fact, web hosting companies usually gouge you on the price for the added convenience of using one company.

    One of the cheapest domain registrars online is Namecheap who’s prices average at about 8.88 per year which is less than three quarters a month. If your interested Namecheap also recently started offering web hosting as well but this is not their specialty. I have used Namecheap personally for over a dozen different domain names and have never had any problems with their customer service.

    The real question is what can you get for free? Well depending on what your looking for it turns out you might be able to get everything you need for no cost at all. There are a number of sites online such as CO.CC that offer a free sub domain of their site. What this means is that your domain is actually a part of their domain and the URL will reflect that.

    A sub domain does give the overall domain a little control over your domain name, you are dependent on their existence and continued service online. They do not force any advertisements on your site. They do somewhat limit the overall amount of bandwidth traffic, and disc space you can have. The most important sacrifice is that your domain name itself has to be a subset of theirs. In other words you cannot have mydomainname.com but rather if you register with the site CO.CC your site would have to be named mydomainname.co.cc but if replacing the typical.com or.net extension with the extension of .CO.CC doesn’t bother you, then one of these free alternatives might be just what you need.

    By Kyle Montgomery

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    Easy Way to Make Money With Expired Domain Names

    Posted on November 23, 2011 by SJ

    Finding ways to make an income online can be done and did you know that you can use expired domains as a way to generate a cash income? OK you have to do a little more than just buy an expired domain and then expect the income to just roll in, some work has to be done but it really is easy and a good way to have an income source on auto pilot once it has been set up.

    These older sites will have a lot of work done already so some link building would have been done and if a site was any good then people would have link to it and others would have remembered it as a good place for gathering information.

    The best way is to find an expired domain at one of the registration companies that deal with them online and run a variety of checks such as how many back links a site has to how many pages were indexed, and which pages still are indexed. Using websites like the way back checker can provide this information and you can sometimes find the old content that has been written which is great because that will save you a ton of time so you will not need to write any fresh content.

    You can then buy the domain set the site up and add Google AdSense to the site which is a hands free way of monetizing the site. You will then need to do some basic search engine optimization on the web building platform of your choice which can be done pretty quickly and then just build a few more links to help the site get back its ranking and let the search engines find the old site.

    If the site has a good amount of old traffic then you should see some results, but with anything I can not guarantee it will make you rich.

    By Steve Shillingford

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    How to Make Money Online by Flipping Domain Names

    Posted on November 22, 2011 by SJ

    Have you ever thought of making money online by using your personal computer and internet connection? If not, then you need to know a few things about the most profitable way of making money. These days, lots of people are using their spare time to generate some extra income. They are doing it by just working a couple of hours on their computers. This has also become a hot favorite among the housewives, retired people, and students. All of them need some extra dollop of money for their personal expenditure. All of us want to spend some money on ourselves without feeling guilty about it. Therefore, if you too are searching for ways of making money; then you should seriously think about this as an option.

    In case, you are professional who already has a website; you will be glad to know that your website can turn into a potential money maker. You can earn some good money by doing so many things on your website. If you remember; while registering your website, you must have been asked to choose a domain. You must have also paid for this domain name. If you were lucky, you would have obtained your domain name at one go, but there are chances that you must have got a message saying ‘this domain name is not available’. After several tries, you may have finally succeeded in getting a domain name. Likewise, there will be thousands of customers struggling to find a suitable domains for their websites.

    As we all know that the most popular domain name is ‘dot com.’ Now, for selling domains you can create domain names based on the most popular events or things that are ‘in’ at the moment. For instance, some domains like.org,.in, or.biz are good options for flipping domains. You should check on the availability of the domains before registering them. In this way, you can create a domain bank for yourself. Initially, it may take some time for you to create domains. You can also buy domain names and later sell them at higher prices. The buying and selling of domain names will gradually help you to build substantial cash reserves.

    Once, you get familiar with domain flipping; you can make good money online. It is a very good way of generating good profits.

    By Mika Hamilton

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    “.WS” Internet Domain Names, Your Gateway to the Online World

    Posted on November 21, 2011 by SJ

    The Registrar of the “.ws” domains (shortcut from website) made things differently. Instead of just letting you choose your domain and to leave you in the fog, they offer a complete solution:

    1. You can choose your desired username; please choose it carefully because this will be your identity on the internet;

    2. Along with the domain you receive instantly a web hosting account, e-mail addresses and a website builder to start developing your site in a drag and drop manner, without having.html or programming skills;

    3. Instead of paying it for 1 year you have the possibility to pay in monthly installments for its usage and cancel anytime because there are not hidden fees or contracts;

    4. They offer and excellent affiliate opportunity; if you attract other people to use their platform and register “.ws” domains you will receive monthly commissions and you can earn them through a network which can go down six levels; the basic idea is to show this opportunity to as many people possible, to sign up through your link and they to proceed in a similar way with their friends and customers;

    5. Also the registrar offers weekly webinars, training resources, banners and links for affiliates so you will be guided all the time towards receiving the best tools to market your own business;

    These days internet make it very simple for people to start making a living online without HTML and programming skills. Internet function with its own rules so you will have to learn new things all the time so, please don’t take into consideration the ones telling you that you will not need any kind of skills to run an online business. Many things will be learned through “doing similar tasks every day” which will bring closer new tools to improve your abilities.

    By Adrian Niculescu

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