Choose your Domain Name Wisely

A name can make of break a web site. I am of course talking about a Domain name.

You may think there is nothing to it. Pick a catchy domain name that rolls off the tongue, check that it is available and if it is go ahead and buy it. It couldn’t be any harder that that can it?

Well, yes it can. Just stop and think for a minute. You have bought the domain name, designed and built a great looking website, and launched it out onto that great world wide web. You have got a great Reciprocal Link Exchange on your site and you have reached a reasonable Google Page Rank.

Then you decide to get an Auto responder to have a mailing list, and that is when your troubles start! Let me tell you my story…

I don’t know if you have heard of Stone Evans - the Home Biz Guy? He runs the Plug in Profit Site. Well I bought into his business. I had to decide on a domain name before he built my website. I chose the name martinsoffers.com. I though that was quite cool as my name is Martin and my site would be advertising offers.

Part of the Plug in Profit Site is you get your own Auto Responder, filled with a 360 day newsletter ready for when you sign up subscribers. I went ahead and bought a good quality leads package and loaded them into my auto responder.

All was going well. Or so I thought.

After a while, I noticed I was not getting any response from my good quality leads (on average you should expect around 1% sign up at the very least). I did some searching around, mainly in the Warrior Forum which is part of the membership package of the Plug in Profit Site. There I saw a series of posts on the American Anti Spam Laws and the effects it was having on the newsletters.

With the Auto responder, there was a spam check program. I’d never used that before, but I ran a few sample newsletters through the spam check. Boy, was I in for a shock. Every single one failed to pass the test. My auto responder is probably like most others, it has a scoring system and once it passes 5 it flags up that your newsletter would trigger the spam filters.

What I found most disturbing was that it was my domain name of martinsoffers.com that was scoring the most, 4.3 points each time it was mentioned. And 2.3 points because my email address was @martinsoffers.com.

Even a single word newsletter with just www.martinsoffers.com scored 6.6. Way above the threshold.

The cost to me, as a result of this has not just been to register a new domain name. I have had to completely redesign my website with my new name on it. Cancel and reopen a new account with my auto responder. And start again with my Reciprocal Links Exchange.

I have also had to start again from scratch with the Google Ranking. And I have a domain name that is next to useless to me or to anyone for that matter. I only use it now to direct traffic meant for martinsoffers.com to my new website.

So, that’s my story, and my warning to you.

Before you go and register a new domain name, run it through a spam check. If you are going to use your web site for marketing the last thing you want is for the spam filters to stop your email getting through.

Martin Wood

Martin Wood is one of a growing number
of people who have found working at home
on the Internet a rewarding experience.

http://martin-wood.pluginprofithome.com

From A Creative Domain To The Creative Public

There are a growing number of domain names used in creative ways that leverage the true power of the Internet. There is not a better illustration of this point than Jason Vaughn, an individual who turned his creative talent and passion for teaching web design at a community college into a successful Internet-based guide for graphic designers going into business for themselves.

Jason Vaughn, founder of CreativePublic.com, envisioned a web destination where graphic designers around the world could find information, services and products to support their business needs. Vaughn knew that securing a concise, creative domain name on the Internet would ensure that his vision would become a reality. Today, CreativePublic.com — which originally was a resource for his college students only — is now one of the top resources for graphic designers all over the world!

The founder credits much of this success to the unique identification of his creative domain name. Because of this domain name and web site, Vaughn is able to share his knowledge with graphic designers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Since registering and launching CreativePublic.com, Jason has been able to fund his children’s college education, meet like-minded people from places like China , Ireland , England , Russia , and obtain job offers from companies such as sessions.edu, which is an online school of design.

DomainPurpose.com recently spoke with Jason about his new domain venture. This is what he had to say:

DomainPurpose.com: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Jason Vaughn: I have over 10 years experience in the graphic design industry including print, TV, animation and the Internet. During that time, I’ve owned a graphic design firm, taught web design at a community college, and co-founded Internet startups. Some of my clients include Blue Cross, NBA, NFL, NHL, Energas, and Aramark. I’m also currently an online instructor for sessions.edu, which is the first accredited online school of design.

DomainPurpose.com: Can you tell us about your domain?

Jason Vaughn: CreativePublic.com has been something I have wanted to do for quite some time. It first started out as a resource for my students that I was teaching at a community college in the Dallas , Texas . I had already decided that I wanted to make CreativePublic.com into a business resource for graphic designers; something that is not very available for designers. Most sites out their today have little to do with the background of business, they are all about design. That is when I decided that every designer at some point would need the same forms, contracts, pricing guides, employee manuals, and other information that I needed with my business.

DomainPurpose.com: How did you think of this idea?

Jason Vaughn: The idea has been there since I first started my ad agency back many years ago. Many people have come to me, asking me how I got started and what it took to get going in business. I wanted to create a site based on what I did with my business. The idea did not become a reality until I got the opportunity to teach Web design at a community college 2 years ago.

DomainPurpose.com: When did you realize that sharing your passion via creativepublic.com could turn into something successful?

Jason Vaughn: I realized that my passion for CreativePublic.com would turn into something successful when I got my first sale. I figured if one person bought my product, there should be more designers out that would do the same. Another really big deal was when CreativePublic.com was featured on HOWDesign.com (HOW magazine), a leader in the graphic design publication industry. That was when I knew, for a fact, that the site had value and was on its way to being successful. Since then, CreativePublic.com has become one of the top resources for graphic designers.

DomainPurpose.com: How has your life changed since you registered and launched your domain?

Jason Vaughn: I feel more connected to the graphic design world, even though I sit behind a computer all day. I feel more a part of a bigger community. CreativePublic.com has not only become a community for designers, but has given me the opportunity to meet so many great people. I get to talk to people across the world and make great friends in places like China , Ireland , England , Russia and many other countries. The extra income is great too! It helps pay for my car, house, and my children’s college education.

DomainPurpose.com: How has other peoples lives been effected since you registered and launched your domain?

Jason Vaughn: The feedback I get from my visitors and members is great. Everyone is always complimenting me and thanking me for coming up with such a great resource for designers. It has helped many designers to get their business started or obtain information and forms that they could use for their business operations.

DomainPurpose.com: Can you share with us any obstacles you overcame while registering your domain?

Jason Vaughn: Finding a domain was hard, almost everything was taken, but with a little imagination I was able to conger up a name. I tried several names, but one tool that helped out were those that listed alternate domain names I could choose from. After several days of research, I decided on a name based on my concept. I was really surprised that the name was available. The domain was chosen to pertain to creative people of all types, not just graphic designers. The site is mostly for designers, however it has much to offer for other creative individuals.

DomainPurpose.com: As a successful domain name owner, do have any words of advice for others who aspire to use a domain name as a vehicle to share their creative talents and ideas?

Jason Vaughn: If you have an idea, the only way to see if it will work, is to put it into action. If you just sit around dreaming about it, it will never ever happen.

5 Ways To Think Up A Great Domain Name That’s Still Available

I’d be a zillionaire if I earned a dollar each time someone complains that all the great domain names are already taken. It’s just not true, however. Even in a highly competitive industry, you can think up original, appealing domain names for businesses by using naming tactics that few people use, such as these:

1. Focus on results. What is the outcome or end result that people want to have from buying a certain product or service? How do they feel when they have finished the transaction? My own company name, Named At Last, falls into this category.

2. Look for puns. Make a list of relevant keywords, say each out loud and play around with the sounds. Puns are much less likely than other kinds of names to have been registered because their component parts are not actual words. For instance, the name Sitesfaction, for a web design company, was a finalist in our first naming contest - and an available domain at that time despite tens of thousands of web design firms in the English-speaking world.

3. Think slang. Let your imagination and memory fly around for pleasing-to-the-ear expressions. As of today, the domain BoyOhBoyToys.com for an online toy store is unregistered, as is a domain for its sister store AttaGirlToys.com.

4. Go symbolic. Suppose you’re an expert on the horror genre and want to start a paid online community for horror fans. Horrorific.com, horrorgate.com and Horrornet.com are all taken, but as of today, the less obvious and more vivid FrightOwl.com is not.

5. Vary real words. “Google’s name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes,” says the Press Center of the world’s most successful search engine. “The word was coined by the nine-year-old nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner,” it continues - providing another hint for creative naming: consult a kid.

Happy Naming!

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and ten other books hailed for outstanding creativity. Find out more about her new discount naming company, Named At Last, which brainstorms new company names, new product names, tag lines and more for cost-conscious organizations, at www.NamedAtLast.com

Protecting Your Domain Name Registration Info From Prying Eyes

While registering a domain name is usually a good thing, it can have some pitfalls. One of them is when your private domain name information becomes available to the internet community through the whois system.

Whois refers to a request for information regarding the domain name registrant, administrator, tech support person and billing contact. Each of these sections must be filled with valid name, address and email information. The problem is, this information is totally public and accessible by anyone with a connection to the internet. That means anyone that wants to send you spam can access your email information with ease.

The other reason why some people seek private domain name registrations is to avoid being tracked by the search engines. Why would someone worry about that? This would mainly apply to people who have registered multiple domains for the purpose of making money with them like with Google’s adsense program. They thought goes that a search engine could theoretically shut down all websites with the same contact information in it. This tactic is being disputed by others who argue that companies like Google have access to the main Registrar’s database of whois information and therefore bypass the private domain name registration services.

So how does it work? Simply put, another company will act like a proxy for you and put their information in your place while keeping your information available in their private database. You agree to a legal contract that officially allows the domain name registration company to act in your place. They in turn will usually offer to forward all official emails sent to them on behalf of the domain name owner.

If you care about privacy, registering your domain name with a private domain registration service is an excellent option. Don’t think though that you will never receive spam if you get a private registration. There are many other ways spammers can get your information. One of the most common is to scrape your website for email addresses.

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for Yowling.com which provides domain name registration services along with web hosting and a web site builder. Reprint freely as long as the live keyword link in this article points to our website.

Domain Names and Longevity

It begins as an idea — a company name, a business venture, a personal project. You research available domain name options, choose the one you want, and finally register it. Or perhaps the perfect domain was in use before, and you register it after it completes the domain deletion cycle.

After going through the selection and registration process and then using the domain to brand your business, do you want to risk losing your domain?

Of course not.

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A DOMAIN NAME

To avoid losing a domain after you’ve registered it, let’s look at the stages that each domain goes through.

It’s available

When you look up the domain in Whois records, it’s available for registration. It may never have been registered before, or it may have already been through one or more domain name cycles.

It’s active

Someone has registered the domain for the current time period. Domains can be registered for a minimum of one year and up to 10 years at a time. Some country-specific domain name extensions (e.g., domains ending in .uk and .au) can be registered for only shorter time periods. When a domain is nearing the end of its active period, an email notification is sent to the address in the record for the domain name registrant.

If the registrant renews the domain before it expires, it stays active. Otherwise, the cycle moves to the next stage.

It’s expired (on hold)

A registrant had the domain name registered but didn’t renew it before the expiry date. The domain name registrar may hold the domain to allow the registrant to re-register it, which would return the domain to active status. This time period is typically 45 days, but it may be longer, shorter, or non-existent, depending on the registrar.

The website and email for the domain might still work for a few days after a domain enters this stage. The domain cannot be transferred to another registrar at this stage, however.

It’s in the Redemption Grace Period (RGP)

The domain is held in a 30-day redemption period, during which the registrant can still re-register it, perhaps with an additional service fee at this point. The website and email for the domain no longer work. However, the domain is not yet available to the public.

It’s pending delete

This registry hold period, the last stage of the cycle, is five days.

It’s available

Anyone can now register the domain name. The cycle can begin again.

THE BENEFITS OF LONG-TERM DOMAIN REGISTRATION

It’s more convenient

When your domain is registered for several years, you only have to renew it once every several years. You also avoid the inconvenience of possibly having your site and email go down if you miss an annual renewal deadline.

It’s less expensive

Some domain name registrars offer a discount when you register a domain for multiple years. In addition, you reduce the number of occasions when you might have to pay a service fee for renewing your domain late.

It’s more secure

The chances of your losing your domain because you were away, busy, or didn’t receive the email notification about its due date are reduced.

It’s more legitimate

It’s believed that Google weighs the length of the domain registration when ranking a website. A site with a domain that’s registered for several years would benefit from the long registration time over a site with a domain that expires in less than a year.

Savvy customers will also notice how long a domain is registered for. A company with a domain that’s registered for a few years is more likely to be around in a few years than one with a domain that’s registered for only one year.

THE MANAGEMENT OF A DOMAIN NAME

To keep your treasured domain name from going through the above cycle after you register it, take these preventive steps:

• Register it for several years at a time.
• Register it with an email address that doesn’t go with the domain name — you need to be able to send and receive email about the domain if you accidentally let it expire.
• Keep the address in your Whois records current so that you can receive renewal notices from your domain name registrar.
• Set up a reminder in your calendar to renew your domain at least two months before its expiry date.

These security steps will help protect your domain name:

• Use a complex password with a combination of letters and numbers for your domain name account.
• Turn on the “lock” feature if the extension allows locking. When a domain name is locked, no changes can be made to it. Some domains (depending on the registrar or extension) can’t be locked, but other security measures are usually in place to prevent unauthorized transfers or other changes.

Lois S. is a Technical Executive Writer for http://www.websitesource.com and http://www.lowpricedomains.com with experience in the website hosting industry.