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Registering your own dot
com
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| What do you do after
you register your own domain name, or "dot com"?
Here are some things to consider before you take this
very important step. When I registered my own domain
name, I learned a very valuable lesson....boy was I
nieve! Somewhere in my childlike mind, I thought when you
registered a name, it was sitting there just waiting for
you to put in content. You go to the page, set it all up
and your on your way to making a living on the internet.
Boy was I wrong!! Hey....are you thinking the same thing?? Well hold on kiddies....heres the things all those wonderful "get your own name before someone else does" pages didn't and don't tell you! When you register a domain name ("dot com"), basically thats it. For instance, if you registered "cathysbiz.com", when you type that name into your browser nothing will happen. Just that stupid "page cannot be displayed" screen. Thats because there is no real "address" yet. There is usually no secret tool section that will have you up and running in seconds. (Not like the free pages you may have started out with). You are the one in control for once, but you may not want to be. Dont worry. Its not all that bad. Read on. After registering your name, you will need someone to host it for you. Hosting is what gives your "dot com" its place on the internet. A place to put and run your webpage files. Think of it like this: You have a name for a business you want to put in the mall. Now, if you didn't rent the actual space or store, you would have no store at all. That in essence, is what hosting is. (You can host it yourself, but thats another story for another time...) A host will allow you to use some space on their server(their computer system with special software connected to the internet) usually for a fee every month. This will give you a set amount of space, or storage.(just like a store is a certain size). However, you can have your site hosted for free. Onestop.net and Freeservers.com are two services that will host your site for free or low cost. Onestop.net has a great free hosting program, and their paid hosting program starts at only $6.95 a month. Free hosting sites however can have a downside. They usually require you to have a banner ad on all your pages. I recommend that if you are starting a professional business, to use paid hosting. Prices usually reflect the amount of space you receive, and the package you choose (ie: Email , web design, advertising, etc.). Now that I have explained hosting, you will need to consider something else: Just how computer literate are you? Do you know HTML? Are you willing to learn? Do you know what FTP means? If all these statments sound like some kind of wierd foreign language, then you may want to consider a hosting program that will also design your site and put it on the web for you, saving you from having to do it yourself. This will cost you a little more, but if this is a professional site, you will get the return on your investement. If the extra cost is out of budget, look into some training classes. I have some links at cathysbiz.theshoppe.com, to see if you might able to do it yourself. (another good site is Internet.com they have articles to help keep you up to speed) However, if you have at least some knowlege of HTML and you know what FTP stands for, you stand a better chance of building your own site with little or no problems. HTML editors, such as front page from Microsoft and some training classes (check link above) will make things quite a bit easier, and there are FTP programs available for downloading for free. Its not as difficult as it looks. Believe me. But do look into it before you leap. It may be the best time you can invest in yourself and your business. Because the worst way to start a business is with frustration. There you have it. A little knowlege can go a long, long way. Much luck and Success in your future website adventures!! |
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| Cathysbiz.theshoppe.com Cathysbiz.theshoppe.com |
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Here are some sites to help you |
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Free website hosts:
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Articles/sites of Interest: Web-source Internet.com |
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