Types of Available Domain Extensions

Computer Desk and Hutch

Image by angrykeyboarder via Flickr

Whether you are a business that operates solely online or a brick and mortar business looking to expand to the Internet, you will learn that your business’ domain name is everything. A domain name is like a physical address for internet users. It is what allows visitors to visit your site and continue to purchase your products or use your services.

Considering how important domain names are to businesses, it is important that you make sure you pick out a proper one that represents your business and is easy to remember. The first step in getting a domain name that is easy to remember and represents your business is to choose a website extension that shows visitors what type of website you are operating.

The following are some of the most popular types of website extensions businesses use:

  • .biz is commonly used for businesses who are establishing a business website.
  • .com is used for commercial websites and is considered the most popular type of web extension on the domain name market.
  • .info is popular for information based websites that provide users with facts and don’t typically sell products.
  • .mobi is becoming more popular as the use of mobile electronic devices increases. It is used to represent a compacted mobile version of a website.
  • .org is reserved for organizations. It is commonly associated with non-profit or charitable organizations.

The type of extension you choose can help visitors identify what type of website they are visiting. It is a good idea to register multiple domain extensions with your company or business name to make sure competitors don’t try and trick your competition.

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Password Protection for Your Domain

Stargate used hieroglyphs for passwords.

Image via Wikipedia

As the internet grows everyday, so does the amount of challenges domain name holders face. Hackers are one of the biggest problems. Even the big companies like Microsoft have been hacked in the recent years, so protecting your domain should be your top priority.

Sometimes its as simple as over looking one of the basic precautions – like your password. Passwords are your first line of defense. They keep out most trouble as long as they are well thought up. Never make a password that is easy to guess off of your user name. Things like birth dates, mother’s maiden names, favorite pets or any other information that might be found on a social website are not the best idea.

One strategy for passwords is following the ¾ rule. Which means to use three out of four of the types of characters found on your key board: capital letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols. If you want to use your mother’s maiden name, replace a letter with a symbol or number. “Smith” might become “Sm1th” or “$mith.” The longer your password the better. Using a inside joke or a random string of characters is also viable as a password.

Make sure you change your password every month and make sure that the password has nothing to do with the previous one. This is where random string of characters come in handy – they have nothing to do with each other and are hard to guess. Follow the same guide for random string passwords as above and mix 3 of the 4 types of characters.

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Your Website is a Baby of Sorts

Andrzej Bartosiewicz and Rod Beckstrom
Image by seiiti.arata via Flickr

Getting your first domain name registered, up and running with content behind it is a process not unlike that involved in having a child. It’s lengthy, takes a good deal of contemplation, and creating substance behind your domain name will take some time. It’s fine to spend a lot of time coming up with the perfect name to represent your website and the ideas that will be found represented there in print and pictures. But content is key to attracting visitors to your site. Sometimes people overlook the obvious and focus too much on their domain name. The reality is that a functioning website’s content is the draw that gets search engines to crawl through and refer your site when people are Googling for information or entertainment.

Content creation takes some time and effort, whether your web page is text based or includes images as well. Shooting images takes a while, almost regardless of the subject matter. And creating text-based content is akin to writing a book. Either process requires the care that one would put into raising a new baby. There is a constant need for attention to your website. Things keep coming up like a baby’s cry in the middle of the night. Spammers and bots must be kept at bay before they clog your page with useless information. Comments must be replied to, if you run a page that attempts to interact with its readers.

Whether your content revolves around apartments for rent in Seattle, or how to make sushi with the best fish from around the globe, your website will be good preparation for eventually having a child. The constant care, attention to detail and commitment that often keeps you up until the wee hours are all great training methodologies for learning to care for a creation deeply. Master the digital format, and a child might seem like a breeze!

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The Added Security Benefit of Cloud Storage

Are you ready to move your files into the Cloud?  It seems as if everything is pointing you in that direction.   You need the ability to transfer files at faster rates to satisfy your clients.  Your IT department tells you that your servers and storage capabilities are behind the times and are going to need a major upgrade soon.  You boss is not happy that purchasing more file storage hardware is going to eat into this year’s budget substantially.  So after investigating the benefits and costs, you know this is probably the best move you could make.  You will pay for only the amount of storage you use and the bandwidth needed to transfer your files out of their cloud storage space.  And one thing you didn’t anticipate but is a major plus is the fact that your data and your customers’ data is going to be even more secure.
The cloud computing providers you have researched all have full-time departments devoted to nothing but securing the data of their customers.  They perform constant monitoring and keep the most advanced intrusion control systems working at all times.  During the interview process that spoke candidly about the issues, problems or breaches they had in the past and what was done to correct them.  Each company discussed accountability and how they hold themselves to high security standards.
Each uses world-class cloud servers and cloud storage that provide the best in data protection and information backup.  Some even specialize in certain data protection types.  If you work with clients like banks, you will need a cloud computing provider that specializes in such high risk data protection.  These unexpected benefits are more than enough to make your customers and boss happy.  The costs of all this security and peace of mind is much less than buying new equipment.  The decision to move to the Cloud is the right one.

Are you ready to move your files into the Cloud?  It seems as if everything is pointing you in that direction.   You need the ability to transfer files at faster rates to satisfy your clients.  Your IT department tells you that your servers and storage capabilities are behind the times and are going to need a major upgrade soon.  You boss is not happy that purchasing more file storage hardware is going to eat into this year’s budget substantially.  So after investigating the benefits and costs, you know this is probably the best move you could make.  You will pay for only the amount of storage you use and the bandwidth needed to transfer your files out of their cloud storage space.  And one thing you didn’t anticipate but is a major plus is the fact that your data and your customers’ data is going to be even more secure.The cloud computing providers you have researched all have full-time departments devoted to nothing but securing the data of their customers.  They perform constant monitoring and keep the most advanced intrusion control systems working at all times.  During the interview process that spoke candidly about the issues, problems or breaches they had in the past and what was done to correct them.  Each company discussed accountability and how they hold themselves to high security standards.Each uses world-class cloud servers and cloud storage that provide the best in data protection and information backup.  Some even specialize in certain data protection types.  If you work with clients like banks, you will need a cloud computing provider that specializes in such high risk data protection.  These unexpected benefits are more than enough to make your customers and boss happy.  The costs of all this security and peace of mind is much less than buying new equipment.  The decision to move to the Cloud is the right one.

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Four Things to Consider When Choosing a Hosting Company

Choosing hosting is no easy task, and there are plenty of things to keep in mind when you do so. Here are four major factors that you should look at when selecting your website’s host.

1. How much can you spend?

There’s hosting that ranges in price from about five dollars a month to about fifty. Sure to say, the more expensive companies come with plenty of advantages, but these aren’t worth the budget demands for many. Look over the pricing and the advantages offered with care.

2. How much bandwidth do you need?

What does your site do? Do you offer web-based software for tracking social media? Are you just an informational site? Do you offer live streaming video? Knowing your bandwidth needs and projecting your growth are both important factors in deciding what sort of bandwidth you want.

It’s usually a good idea to aim a little too high as opposed to a bit low, since most companies with limited bandwidth will punish you for exceeding the limit. While the kinder companies will simply shut down your site when your cap is reached, others have brutal overage fees.

3. How good is the company’s reputation?

There are lots of factors that you won’t be able to learn about from the company themselves. Instead, you will need to look at past users and learn about their experiences. How is the company’s technical support? Do they have a lot of down time? Is server migration a common and painful thing? Is their cpanel easy to use?

4. How expandable is the hosting?

Some hosting services allow you to host as many sites as you want on a single plan. Others only allow one website, and charge extra if you want to use a database with it. Find out what your limitations and alternatives are.

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