May 27th, 2008
This is part three of our Web Site Basics for Business Owners series.
In the last article in the series, “Web Site Basics for Business Owners,” we talked about how the different components of a web site work together. This week we are going to go into domain names in more depth.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is how people find your web site on the internet. The domain name system (DNS) is managed by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Among other responsibilities, ICANN determines which extensions will be available for registration (.com, .net, .org, etc.) and accredits private companies known as registrars to manage the actual domain registrations.
How to Get a Domain Name
There are thousands of sites out there that offer domain registrations. I use www.GoDaddy.com. They have great prices, awesome customer service (you can actually get someone on the phone without getting lost in a phone system purgatory), and have great tools in their account management.
I don’t use any of their other services; however, all of my domains get registered through them. If you need to find a domain, they are having a sale through June 12th on .com domains. (Save 30% on domains: Go Daddy $6.95 .com Sale!)
One thing to remember is that you are paying to register to use the domain name and the registration has to be kept current.
Choosing Your Domain
Now there is an art …
May 20th, 2008
Last week in the first part in the “Web Sites for Small Business” series, we discussed why your business needs a web site and the first step to getting online.
If you’ve filled out the Web Site Planning Worksheet, you will have a good idea of what needs to be covered on your web site. The next step is to determine how to get it there.
This week we are going to cover the very basics of what makes up a web site.
There are three main components to having a stand alone web site for your business: a domain name, the files that make up the web pages, and hosting on a server. All three of these components are what people normally refer to when they say that they need to get a web site.
The manner in which a domain, web pages, and hosting work together is similar to renting a box at a mail facility.
Let’s say you work from home and want to have a mailing address other than your home. You go to some place like the UPS Store, or here locally, Mail and More, and rent a mailbox.
You are given a mailing address, and anything that is then sent to that address is placed in your mailbox.
With a web site, the domain name …
May 19th, 2008
To all the ringtone spammers out there, your comment will not be published so don’t waste your time and mine. The insurance and credit card offers won’t either
Does this really work for you? Does the practice of building a business based on virtual theft and harassment pay off?
And to the socially stunted twits who keep trying to hack the site scripts . . . GET A LIFE.
May 13th, 2008
The word “blog” means different things to different people. According to Wikipedia,
A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
The emphasis in the wikipedia definition is on the individual aspect. While blogs did start as personal online diaries, they have a much broader scope today.
A blog is a method of immediate transmission of information. The format of that information is entirely up to the writer. In the terms of a corporate or company blog, it can be used to keep customers up-to-date on the latest developments and events, demonstrate professional competence, or put a personal face on a company image.
Regardless of the medium, what it comes down to are the basic principles of writing and the three D’s:
Define Your Audience
Who are you writing for? When the word “blog” is mentioned, the temptation is to gear the posts to the tech savvy webophiles who twitter instead of text. However if that isn’t your customer, don’t write as if it is. Even if your ideal customer hasn’t jumped on the RSS bandwagon, they can still find your …
