In Web Tools

Guide to buying a desktop computer

2006-07-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

With the rapid pace of technological developments, nothing has become as ubiquitous as the computer. Everyone's got one. And they are used for all manner of endeavour, by people of all walks of life. So, do you simply buy the computer that someone's selling? Or do you do some homework and figure out what detailed specifications are going to make some difference to you?

At Myshopping.com.au you can compare the prices of a wide range of different computers from different vendors and of different specifications. This guide will help you find what you're looking for.

Mac or Windows (PC)

At the outset, you need to decide what you are going to use the computer for. This will help you make the fundamental decision of whether you should go Mac or PC. Although, with the advent of the dual core processor (an Intel chip now used by Mac) the differences are narrowed a little, there are still some choices that can help you favour one system over another. Historically, Mac computers have a reputation for greater stability that comes from a more robust operating system than Windows based computers. Largely for this reason, Macs have been the computer of choice for the graphic design industry, the music production industry and the video production industry. This has prompted the software manufacturers to make professional software packages for these disciplines that favour the Mac operating system. Although they have packages supporting the Windows operating system, they are often less capable.

Consequently, if you are engaged in these industries and need your computer for this type of work, you should consider Mac. Mac computers appear to attract fewer viruses and software malfunctions than do Windows based PCs. On the down side, there has always appeared to have been limited software support for Mac systems.

Another decision that may guide your choice is the aesthetics of the computer. If you have limited available space, there is nothing quite like the iMacs or the mini Macs for space saving. iMac's all-in-one desktop units are compact and complete with all the connectivity you need. However, the look of other brands may be more to your taste, with many models available in compact packages and modern colour schemes to suit practically all dÊcor. Now that you've made that basic decision, you can start comparing the apples with apples.

The Components of Your Computer

The two factors that determine the price of your computer are size (yes it does matter) and speed. Either or both of these two dimensions are a factor of practically every component that makes up the machine. Naturally the highest price tags go with the combination of biggest and fastest.

CPU

The heart of the computer is the CPU (central processing unit). You need to decide which CPU you want driving your computer. These come from different manufacturers, and the current development of the technology is called Dual Core, which means that there are two processors on the one chip. Dual Core technology delivers more performance with less energy requirements. Intel and AMD are the two leading CPU manufacturers, and they offer different products under different names.

Current processing speeds range from about 1.4 GHz (gigahertz) through to 3.46 GHz. But it is not simply just a matter of speed. There are other considerations. Mac Operating Systems have a different architecture to Windows and will perform many functions faster with a slower speed CPU. A dual core chip at 1.4 GHz will deliver a better performance that a Pentium 4 chip at 1.8 GHz. A 1.4 GH dual core chip running a Mac with OSX Tiger, will perform better than a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor running Windows. You need to decide what you want your computer to do, what your major software requirements are before you decide on the CPU processor.

However, for everyday use, a processor faster than 1.8 GHz will deliver excellent performance. As a rough rule of thumb, choose a Celeron for low cost computing, a Pentium 4 for mid-range budgets, or an AMD Athlon for bigger budgets. You can compare computers based on Pentium, Celeron, Athlon or Dual Core CPUs by searching those specifications on Myshopping.com.au and finding different vendors and brands using different processors.

RAM

This is where bigger definitely means better performance. RAM is the system memory that enables the computer to use its programs and swap data between the hard drive and the program functions. It's important to match the speed of the RAM of your computer with the speed of the CPU. The more RAM you have available for your programs to work, the faster will your computer run. Most computers today come with at least 256 M (megabytes) of RAM. But memory is a relatively cheap component, and it costs little extra to upgrade to 512 M or greater.

HARD DRIVE

The hard drive of the computer stores your program files and your data. As computers have advanced, so has the need for more capacity to operate programs and store data. People working in media fields tend to work with very large files and require large storage space. Most computers in today's market come with a minimum of 40G of hard drive space. However, this can be upgraded (usually in 20G chunks) to as much as 200G or more. The effectiveness of your hard drive also can depend on its physical speed (5400-7200 RPM) and the speed at which it can transfer data between the computer's RAM and the hard drive. Faster means better performance.

REMOVABLE MEDIA

You will want to have a CD-R or (CD-RW) drive installed in your computer, and or possibly a DVD or DVD-R. For reading a CD ROM, all that is required is a CD drive and for watching DVD movies, a DVD ROM drive. However with a CD-R drive, you can record your own data and music CDs, and with a DVD-R drive, you can burn files in a DVD format, allowing you to store movies and data in far greater quantities. The CD-RW (DVD-RW) drives allow you to use re-recordable media. Your decision will depend on what you want to use your media drives for and what you want to store.

Other removable media will possibly include flash card storage, which is usually plugged in via the USB ports on the computer.

MONITORS

The monitor for your computer is integral to its function and aesthetics. If you are working in graphics you may want to stay with a CRT monitor. However most bundle offers these days are supplied with LCD monitors, which have the advantages of smaller space requirements, use lower energy and offer wider screen images. However they generally are more expensive (although prices are dropping everyday), can frequently be not as bright, have limited viewing angles and sometimes require a digital interface connector.

For graphics intensive work, LCD screens do not have the same capacity to render colours in gradients as CRT monitors. Once again, size matters. Bigger screens cost more than smaller ones.

VIDEO AND SOUND

For a detailed explanation of video cards, please see the article on Myshopping.com.au dedicated to Video Cards.

The interface between the CPU and the Monitor is provided by the video card. One of the basic decisions you need to make is whether you require a 3D or 2D card. Video cards come in two different types: those that use an AGP (accelerated graphics port) on the computer motherboard and those that use the PCI bus. Data transfer rate is critical to video performance. Faster video cards use an AGP, and this proves a faster data transfer than PCI cards. Most video cards also have their own video memory installed on the card, a feature that increases a computer's memory performance. Today, these memories are often 128M or 256M, and can be more in the higher-end cards dedicated to sophisticated video work or gaming. Video cards performance is also affected by what is known as clock speed or clock rate, cards with a faster speed offer faster performance.

Cheaper computers, and laptops and notebooks, have an integrated graphics chip included in the motherboard instead of a discrete video card. This type of configuration is not as powerful or as fully functional as having a separate video card, which can allow more comprehensive gaming, the use of multiple monitors and faster and better rendering of images.

For a computer to reproduce the sounds recorded in games, movies and music products it requires a sound card. Quality of sound can be affected by the sound card your computer has installed. It's important that you know how you want to use the sound reproduction processes of your computer. If you are a musician and want to record audio, then you will want to be sure that you have excellent connectivity, good midi access and at least 16-bit (CD quality) audio reproduction. Sound cards give you the possibilities of full cinema surround sound, and the many subtle effects employed by high-end games.

Nearly every computer comes with a set of stereo speakers. However it pays to have a good listen to what you're buying. Make sure you listen to program that you are familiar with (take your own CD along) and compare the sound in a quiet environment. Many speaker systems for computers have poor frequency response and are underpowered. For desktop use that does not involve a quality listening environment this may be satisfactory. But if you want to listen to music and watch movies for the full effect, then you need to consider buying a good quality set of speakers. Use the search facility of Myshopping.com.au to compare specifications and prices of different speaker systems.

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

The choice of keyboard and mouse are personal choices. Sometimes it depends on what you do on your computer, whether you have formal typing skills or whether you're a two-finger hack. Serious writers may prefer an ergonomic keyboard. Keyboards frequently have different clicks and responses to others. You may prefer an infrared cordless keyboard and mouse. You may prefer an optical mouse on which you don't have to clean the rollers. Optical mice have no rollerball, and can be used on most flat surfaces, but they are more expensive.

CONNECTIVITY

Today, connectivity is everything. Your computer can have wireless connections to all of your peripherals: printer, scanner, and other computers. Having an onboard modem will only be really important if you are using a dial up internet connection. Broadband modems tend to be peripherals and you can connect via USB, wireless or firewire. It does pay to consider how you will connect to the internet and other peripherals. It's not always convenient to get behind your computer to plug something in or unplug it. Some sound cards have a front face panel with all the connections you need. The USB ports on Macs are conveniently located. Many PC manufacturers haven't caught on to the fact that it's important for some people to easily access the connections to their computers.

To compare the different bundle offers from different brands, and to compare the different components by their specifications, search the Myshopping.com.au database for exactly the specifications you are seeking. You can compare prices and vendors, and order what you need online with a few clicks.

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Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare the different computers from different brands in terms of specifications and accessories. You can also compare prices from hundreds of different brands and vendors.
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Do You Really Own Your Web Site? Maybe Not!

2006-07-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some important tips for you to remember and some questions to ask your web site design or development company. If you don't understand the 'ownership' issues when you are buying a web site design or web based application, this is must read material for you! Don't get caught paying twice.

I recently interviewed a new client who was looking to add the functionality of a database to their existing web site. Their current webmaster had completed a business logo and designed the initial interface for the site. The clients asked their webmaster for a quote to add the functionality to the site and he returned a price that far exceeded the clients’ budget.

Long story made short, we found a great application that already exists that would meet the clients’ needs for substantially less than custom development. The client advised the previous webmaster that they were moving services. Do you think they got to keep their original web site? Nope. We had to start over again, which unfortunately meant that this customer had to pay for extra design time that they had effectively already paid for.

Here are some important tips for you to remember and some questions to ask your web site design or development company.

Web Design Source Code

When you hire a web designer or a developer they are going to produce a web site or web based application that your business is going to be dependant on. In fact, a web application may be your whole business. This is absolutely the case where a business is 100% online and depends on the process built into their web site. E-commerce stores are a perfect example of a whole business online.

Web designers create web pages with a compilation of images and hyper-text markup language (HTML). The HTML is a text based standard language that most every web designer in the world knows. The HTML is what is used to hold the structure of your web site together. It keeps the pretty pictures and text all in the right places. Your web browser interprets that HTML and shows you the web site images and text.

Your web designer will start your design by “drawing” your web site in a graphics program. Macromedia Fireworks and Photoshop are two tools that are very often used by professionals. Your designer will draw the site using shapes, colors, images and fonts that are all piled up in layers to create the final “look and feel” for your new web site design. The designers will then slice up the images and use the resulting smaller images to build your working website using HTML to hold it all together.

Here is the key. You need the original art file that was used to design your web site in Macromedia Fireworks or Photoshop or whatever software your designer uses. If you don’t get the source file, your next web designer will have to start your design from scratch if you want artwork changes. This is no walk in the park if the original images that were used are not available. Macromedia Fireworks source files have the extension .PNG (yourWebsite.PNG). Photoshop files have the extension .PSD (yourWebsite.PSD).

Another design issue that you may run into in the future is fonts. If your designer uses fancy fonts that are not installed by default on your computer or your future designers computer, you will have to substitute different fonts. In some cases, choosing a new font is not a big issue. However, if you could image that the font used in the logo for Coca-Cola® became unavailable because Coke® changed designers it would most likely cause them real damage. They need the font used in their logo or corporate branding and so do you!

Questions to ask your web designer

1) When you are finished designing my web site will you provide me with the source files used in the design of my new web site?

2) Will you transfer the ownership (copyright) of these source files to me or my company? Or at least give me perpetual license to continue using them and to make revisions?

3) Will you provide me with the names and files for all non-windows fonts used in the design of my new web site? At the very least, because there may be real copyright issues with transferring the fonts, you need to know the names of the fonts and where you can buy copies of them for your project archive.

Web Application Source Code

Web developers create programs that work as applications on the internet. They create code that is compiled, usually in real-time, at the web server. The code will, for example, connect to a database and extract a set of data. The data will then be compiled into an HTML table (so that it is readable) and then sent from the web server to your web browser as pure HTML. You will not be able to “view source” and read the scripting language because it never leaves the web server. If you “view source” from the web browser, you will only see the HTML.

Some of the code that your developer writes will be protected by copyright. Your developer may also buy code in the form of server components, use code blocks for functionality from other programmers or purchase complete application in order to finish your program. You need to ensure that the developer tells you that you can continue to use the software that they develop for your business for an unlimited period of time, and that if there are any licensing restrictions or reoccurring licensing costs that they are disclosed to you before you start the project. Find out if you will be bound forever to a hosting or server plan for you application.

Here are some questions you may want to ask your web developer

1) Will you transfer an unlimited a perpetual license to me or my company to use the application that you develop for me?

2) Will you disclose any licensing restrictions to me regarding the application?

3) Will you write code using common standards or languages that I will be able to move to another hosting provider or eventually to my own server?

4) Can I move my application to another server in the future if it is necessary?

Use of Encryption

So your web developer says “yes” to the last four questions and you think, “great, I’m home free, let’s get started”. Then two years later you decide it’s time to move your web application to your own servers because your e-commerce store is screaming busy and the cost of bandwidth and hosting is killing your profits.

You start the process to move your application to your new server and call up your webmaster for help, but he has gone to University in the states and “isn’t doing that anymore”. You think to yourself, “I guess I should have used a more established company…” So you find a new webmaster. Incidentally, I am often told by new clients that I am their second, third and sometimes even fourth web developer. So we go to move the web site, but wait, something is wrong… portions of the source code are encrypted. Even the government couldn’t decrypt it. We have to rewrite those blocks of code and the client has to pay… again.

If your web sites source HTML or application scripting language is encrypted then it may have to be rewritten or you will have no way to add functionality, or to fix bugs, without involving the original developer who holds the key to the encryption. They are quite clever, aren’t they?

There are some good reasons to encrypt some portions of the source code, even on in a web application. Most web applications will contain, in the source code, the database, username and password within one of the files. This is a great example of a code block that should be encrypted before it is placed into a shared hosting environment.

If your web developer is going to encrypt portions of the source code, make sure you get a copy of the unencrypted source code for your project archive. In this manner you will be able to work with a new developer.

Questions to ask your web developer regarding encryption

1) Will you be encrypting any or all of the source code in the application you are developing for me?

2) Will you provide me with a copy of the original source code prior to being encrypted?

Technologies

There are a number of technologies used in the development of web sites and web applications they include Pre-Hypertext Processor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Active Sever Pages dot Net (ASP.NET), and Cold Fusion to name a few. All of these scripting languages facilitate connecting web sites to databases and accessing functionality on the web server such as sending mail or uploading files. All of these technologies are widely used, widely available and there is a great number of developers that know these languages. There are some lesser known programming and scripting languages that may be able to do a lot of the same things as the more widely used languages. The pitfall is that you may have a more difficult time finding a programmer that knows the language.

Some web scripting or programming languages like Microsoft’s® Active Server Page or Active Server Page dot Net technologies are developed specifically for use on the Mircrosoft operating systems. These technologies are difficult, if not impossible, to run on a Linux operating system. When your programmer selects a language to develop your web application with, he may be marrying you to a long term relationship with a particular operating systems and software vendor. This is okay as long as you recognize the long term ramifications of these choices, some of which may be greater costs to you in the future.

Questions to ask your web developer regarding programming languages

1) Is the technology you use tied to one particular operating system or can I host my web site on my choice of servers with my choice of operating system? More specifically, can I host my application on a Microsoft web server and a Linux server?

Transferability

Make sure that you are able to move your web site to a server with comparable standards in the future should you wish to do so. Moving a web site to a new server is not necessarily due to a break down in the relationship with your web designer. You may be forced to move if your existing server can no longer handle your traffic bandwidth. If your costs become too high in a shared hosting environment you may find it more economical to setup your own web server and host your own application.

If you do choose to host your own application this is where the cost ramifications of your earlier choices will hit your pocket book. For example if your site was developed using PHP, an open-source scripting language for websites, then the cost of your new server will likely not include any software licensing because the operating system (Linux) is free. If on the other hand your site is developed using .ASP or .ASP.NET, you are going to have to buy expensive server licenses from the big guy.

Can You Use Your Site Into the Future?

If you commission a web designer or developer to complete a project for you make sure that you have an agreement in place that clearly specifies that you can continue to use the project and the related source files when it is completed. Check the service agreement that you have signed with your web company. Of course if there is no documentation then you will not know if you own you web site or web-based application.

In Summary

There are some good reasons for web designers and developers to protect their rights and to ensure their future earning potential. As the client or purchaser of web design services you need to understand where you stand with regard to choices that will be made on your behalf regarding your web site or web based application.

http://www.ekzact.com/ sign up for our *Free* newsletter on-line Call 1-866-WEBB-123… or email info@ekzact.com

© eKzact Solutions Inc. 2005

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David West is a Director and the operating partner of eKzact Solutions Inc. A full service web site design and web-application development company. eKzact Solutions puts small and medium sized business online! Visit us at http://eKzact.com

eKzact Solutions Inc. http://www.ekzact.com "We Put Small Business Online" Helping small business to jump start their online success, profit and growth. We make putting your business online affordable!
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How to make a link page and outbound link structure?

2006-07-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

This is a major question, which comes in mind of every SEO, link building company and webmaster's that what kind of link page should be on their site or what is the best way of giving outbound link. Every body need links and to get it one has to give back some thing in return unless your contents are so good that the site is voluntarily linked by others. To give back link you need some link page or some other way of giving outbound links. What method should be adopted for outbound links structuring. In my opinion you can adopt following :

The best way to give outbound link is to give links within the content page as it is most useful for users who read your site contents. This method of linking is natural and long lasting as search engines want that the pages should be made for users and not for the search engines

You can make 4 to 6 resources pages but each page should be on particular theme and object of the page should match the theme of your site. In such a way you will provide the users more related resources on same topic at one place. It will help you in making an authority page.

You can also adopt the traditional style which is used in research papers as well as books also where links are given at the end of the page referred to as more references and resources. It gives more information to the users about any particular topic thus enriching their knowledge more. There are many other ways of making link page but the most common is to have a long page with huge list of sites on one single page and linking each site with its title or optimized anchor text without having any relevance between the sites. Such pages never bring traffic rather we just make it only for search engines, which is no doubt a Spam. Google mentioned in its SEO guidelines "Make pages for users, not for search engines ". Search engines are well aware of such kind of link pages and are definitely to be treated by search engines as "Link Farm" and will be penalized.

So in order to have the maximum benefit along with increasing traffic and giving the best to your site users make relevant, authority based link resources which would be beneficial for both your site as well as for the users.

_________________________________
About the Author

The Article is written by Submit Shop Team specialized in link popularity building and link management.
Visit http://www.submitshop.com/ for more information.
See http://www.submitshop.com/link_popularity/ for more information on Submit Shop link building services.

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New Video Content ...

2006-07-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

New Video Content and Syndication Tactics.

Research shows that people want to switch from
watching television to videos via the Internet on their
computers, handhelds and other devices. And Content Propulsion
Lab, a Division of Content Desk, a major player in provisioning
high-quality content for web publishers, is right there at the
forefront leading Internet marketers and others interested in
the creation and syndication of video content.

“The tools that enable broadcast quality video production and
syndication are practically free these days,” said Mark Braunstein,
Founding Partner of Content Desk at ContentDesk.com, and of
Content Propulsion Lab at ContentPropulsionLab.com. “So the
Playing field has been leveled with the networks…and now your
next door neighbor with the webcam could become the next big
internet celebrity.”

Content Propulsion Lab offers tools, resources, webinars, and
continuous training for all types of content creation and
syndication. Their members can focus on making and syndicating
their own videos, articles, podcasts, audios and more – with all
the tools, technology, strategy and training in one place,
freeing up lots of time, energy, money and focus. And the timing
couldn’t be better.

Research from the Points North Group and Horowitz Associates in
“Internet Users Lined Up for Video,” by Enid Burns, March 2,
2006, Incisive Interactive Marketing LLC., 2006, shows that:

-“TV Junkies” are anticipating rich video content from providers
like Yahoo! and Google.

- One-third of those surveyed said they were interested in
Google Video and some 41% leaned towards the launch and growth
of Yahoo! Go service.

- Downloading versus streaming will become more of an issue, as
well as the focus on variety in the range of offerings; video
formats for computers, laptops, PDAs, iPods and other devices.

Savvy Internet marketers who prepare now with the tools and
strategies of the future will be at a greater advantage for
broader promotional campaigns and sales strategies to increase
their bottom lines. And with tools and learning strategy for
video creation, not to mention article syndication, podcasting,
audio streaming and more – all in one place, successful Internet
marketing will be a breeze, or click, for those who take the
time to learn and keep up with fast-paced new media growth and
expansion.

“The buzz of a viral internet video can make you an online
business success if you know what you’re doing,” added
Braunstein. He teaches members of Content Propulsion Lab how to
create and syndicate content online.

Growth of 100+ with Sample Video

Content Propulsion Lab member Kelvin Brown has been
experimenting with video lately. His latest creation netted 100
video plays in one day.

“Almost any content can be turned into video, exceptable to
google and other sources,” said Kelvin Brown of
http://www.internetmarketingdungeon.com/ .

His video shows people how to create redirects (links that will
direct someone to another site), also known as tiny URLs, for
free. It’s online at Google at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=609842448626428300

Learn more by visiting Content Propulsion Lab at
http://www.contentlabinfo.com/ or emailing support@contentdesk.com

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By Diana Barnum, CEO of http://OhioHelpGroup.com president of
http://movingaheadcommunications.com/ for help with marketing,
public relations and writing. Subscribe to blogs for Free tips:
http://movingaheadblog.com http://fridaybizoppreport.com/
or call: (614) 529-9459
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15 Top Rss & Blog Marketing Tips.

2006-07-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

1. Place all your feeds on the following website and the directories listed on this page - http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com/blog_lists.html

2. For fast inclusion into yahoo, get yourself a "my yahoo" page - http://my.yahoo.com/ and place your rss feed on that page.

3. Have a link which allows other people to put your rss feed on their own "my yahoo" page. See "my yahoo" for details.

4. For fast inclusion to msn, also open a "my msn" account and add your rss feed to that page.

5. Place your blog on all the major search engines - http://www.thewebtrafficco.com/search_engine.html

6. Join this site and add your blog (free) - http://www.blogexplosion.com/

7. Ping your blog after every post at - http://pingomatic.com/

8. Place a "blogroll" on your blog using - http://www.blogrolling.com/

9. Make a blog post at least every day or less. Why? - http://www.feedforall.com/why-use-rss.htm If you don't think you can write enough content on a daily basis, there are many free articles out there you can use.

10. Invite other editors/writers or webmasters to write on your blog as co-editors. Make sure you allow them to include their "resource box" at the bottom of each post and set up an "about our editors" page.

11. Place a link and description to your blog on all your websites, out going emails and any autoresponder courses you have set up.

12. Announce your blog at forums you currently use/participate in.

13. Place informative responses in the "comments" box of other highly trafficked blogs in your field of business.

14. Once you have 10 to 15 posts on your blog, announce it with a press release.

15. Download this free rss marketing ebook by top Rss expert, ‘Rok Hrastnik’ - http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com/rss_the_business_case.zip

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For detailed information on rss and blogs visit
Blog Rss Definition, Increase Web Traffic or Increase Web Site Traffic

Chris Taylor - CEO, writer, internet marketer & SEO specialist. Copyright Catdynamics 2006.
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Getting the Right Domain Name

2006-07-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

Once you are comfortable with working online, you should buy a domain name for your site or sites. Domain name registration, if you do it right, is one of the key components of having your site rate high in the search engines. The right domain name is memorable, and can get your site to rank higher than other names. The wrong domain name won't do you any good at all.

The Basics of Domain Name Registration

The first thing you have to do is come up with a good domain name for registration. Don't even think about a one-word domain name; they're all gone at this point. Instead, come up with dual-word combos. If you're putting together a professional site, try your name before anything else.

Don't get fancy with spelling when selecting your domain name registration, or use 2s and 8s to represent their sounds. You can try the number 1; that sometimes works. You can also try the names of products you offer, or a description of your site content offerings: Romanceforgirls, popcornpalace, fluffykittens. Memorable is always better; short and memorable is best, but very difficult to accomplish.

Come up with a couple of dozen names that will do for your site, and test them on a registry. Don't buy a domain name for which the .com extension is gone, but you have access to the .net or .info. These domain names are not by any means as valuable as the .com. If you pick up the .com, though, and you expect the site to be lucrative or have a lot of competition, it's not a bad idea to pick up the other extensions as well. Domain name registration is NOT expensive, and if you register in bulk you can get an even better price.

The .UK Extension

This doesn't mean you should avoid anything but .com. If you have a business in the United Kingdom, you have access to the .uk domain name set, which UK customers are likely to look at before anything else for UK-specific businesses.

If you anticipate most of your business will come from British customers who are aware your business is in Britain, the .uk extension may be a better choice than the .com; and if your customers are unhappy with Internic's control of Internet domain registration or they are very pro-Britain, the .uk extension is certainly a better choice.

If you're fortunate enough to find both extensions for your domain open, and if you run a British company, it doesn't cost much to buy them both, and you definitely should.

It also gives your online presence an immediate “identity” geographically which can be crucial in building online relationships- where trust is a key component. By being a .UK domain, you are very likely to gain UK clients.

The .UK domains market is one of the fastest growing and lucrative registration areas on the internet.

Tips for Domain Name Registration

Have a website ready to plunk into your domain as soon as you buy it, and submit it immediately to the search engines. The search engines take time to index new sites and your domain name registration is only as valuable as the search engines make it.

You can also have more than one domain name pointing at a single site. If you've bought multiple extensions for your domain name (as in the previously-suggested .com/.uk combination), you can set up your site under one domain name and then direct traffic from the others to the main site. This is called web traffic forwarding and has been around for years. It may be as simple as parking your domain name on a server and putting a line of code on the page, or as complex as going through another website to use their online web forwarding services.

When you do register a domain and start building traffic to it, go out and renew for multiple years before your renewal is due. It is surprisingly easy to forget to register your domain name on time, and if someone else sneaks in and registers it, you've just lost a ton of work on that domain.

By making your domain name memorable, you will help other webmasters remember your site easily when building anchor texts in their links- a crucial component of SEO.

Final tip: don’t just think about price when looking for a domain registration company- also think about quality of service. While you shouldn’t be paying over the odds, it really is better to be safe than sorry and go with the more established registrars. Then you can have peace of mind that should any problems arise, you will be well looked after.

-----------------------------

Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster
for http://www.discountdomainsuk.com
a leading Domain Registration Service.

-----------------------------

10 Tips for Accurate Domain Registration

2006-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

You should think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your image—don't you want to project the right one?

These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or your business.

1. The extension you select makes a statement to user about where you are and who you are aiming to attract. For example, .co.uk tells people you are operating out of the United Kingdom, and .ca tells them you are operating out of Canada. If that is important to you, then register accordingly. If you would rather give them impression of being a global company, or based in the US, then pick a .com name.

2. Use a reputable registration service. Unfortunately, some domain registration services are little more than a scam. They are only middlemen. You tell them the domain name you want, and they register it, for a fee higher than you would pay! In the worst case, they actually register the domain name using their information, so it becomes very difficult for you to do anything with your domain name.
Do some background research into the company before you register a domain with them.

3. Use keywords in your domain name. These will sometimes help search engines in ranking your website. For example, if you sell gourmet dog treats online and from your own store, but your business name is "Laura's Homemade Snacks," you might consider two domain names: one for your business name, and one for keywords. In this case you might select "gourmetdogtreats.com" as your domain name to represent to the search engines and searchers what you are about.

4. Short names are easier to spell correctly. What's easier to remember and type in: gourmetdogtreats.com, or laurashomemadeandgourmetdogsnacks.com?

5. Avoid trademarks from other companies. Companies have been known to sue website owners for copyright and trademark infringement, so be very careful if you try to play off an existing business. Make sure that you register a domain name in good faith, and think about the possibilities and connections that might exist between you and another business.

6. Avoid hyphens. Sometimes you must use hyphens because the straightforward name is gone. In that case, a better idea is to come up with a completely different name. The problem with hyphens is that users may end up visiting the wrong site. If you try to register gourmetdogtreats.com but it is already taken, you might choose to register gourmet-dog-treats.com instead. But you run the risk of someone trying to find you typing in the first address. This means you lose business. Better to try and register a name like homemadedogtreats.com instead.

7. Consider buying several different extensions so no one else can infringe on your success by registering a similar name. For example, if you register homemadedogtreats.com, you might also take .net and .org (with the same name), since these are the most popular extensions after .com. That way, no one can register homemadedogtreats.net and try to piggyback of your success.

8. Look for companies that offer telephone support. If you have trouble with your domain name, you need to be able to contact the company and talk to someone. If there is no phone contact, that may be a sign that you are not dealing with a reputable company.

9. Look for accreditations (i.e., ICANN). Reputable companies will seek out accreditations because they know it boosts their business image to be part of a group that enforces good business ethics and practices. Failure to have an accreditation does not necessarily mean the company is bad, but it could mean that. If the company you are looking at does not have an accreditation, make sure you check for other things like phone support, payment procedures, etc.

10. After you find a company you like, do a search on Google for "domain registration." Does your company of choice appear in the first couple of pages of results, or just via Adwords? If the latter, they may not have been around for a long time and may not be reputable. A legitimate company with a solid track record will be ranked in Google's search engine, especially within the first couple of pages. Beware of registration companies that you can only find in Adwords.

These ten tips will help you as you seek to register your domain name.
-----------------------------
Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster for Discount Domains, one of the UK's leading
Domain Name Registration Companies.

Direct URL to Article
http://www.easyarticles.com/article.php?action=fullnews&id=1915

------------------------------

Becoming a Webmaster

2006-07-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

What is a webmaster?
Simply put, a webmaster is the person responsible for maintaining, updating and also creating a website(s). He or she may also be responsible for the promotion of the website by various means such as advertising and search engine optimization.

Why become a webmaster?
There are many benefits to becoming a webmaster. Some of the benefits are that there are employment opportunities across the world, many webmasters are self-taught, although it helps to have formal education, it's not neccessary and you have the opportunity to work for yourself

What you need to become a webmaster
The skills neccessary to be a webmaster vary from situation to situation, however, the
basic skill-set in a somewhat in-depth knowledge of: x/html, css, javascript, xml, web design and graphics softwars and at least some knowledge of server side languages such as php, asp, and/or sql.

Path to becoming a webmaster
There are basically 3 ways to become a webmaster: you can go to school, either college or technical school, you can essentially fall into the position by helping to maintain, update and create sites at your place of work, or you can teach yourself and put up your own websites to display to potential employers or you can volunteer your skills to organizations to "get real" world experience.

-----------------------------
Jose Valdez is the owner of

http://free-css-tutorial.com

and

http://free-html-code-tutorial.com
-----------------------------

Do you want your forum to be an active one? Read this.

2006-07-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

The first step for making your forum active is to persuade people place posts regularly, but this first step is probably the hardest thing to do. Even if you have posts on your forum, not so many readers will place posts regularly and most will never post at all. Now you need a topic starter and after that the replies will keep coming. In order to get the forum to a point where it is self-sustaining, you will have to do a lot of work.

To get the things started you need to place a starter topic. Register yourself as several members (you with multiple identities) and talk to yourself. (Note that this will not work in forum with logged IP). This will create enough "seed" posts to get people to read and perhaps add replies of their own.

To keep the users interested you will need to find some good material for your discussion. If you don’t have an interesting subject, go search the web. You can find them really easy: go to other forums, newspapers etc. After you have some ideas you can go on and have a nice little dialogue with your multiple personalities.

Now after you placed some posts you need to make some publicity. Advertise your forum as best as you can. Here are some suggestions: place visible links on your website, you can add the link of the forum to the signature of your email, speak about your forum wherever you can (friends, other forums etc).

You can also use your forums to notify the readers about the changes made to your website. This is a great way to make announcement because people can write their thoughts about the new feature (or article) you've just added.
In the war of forum activities you have to find allies. Many more webmasters share your pain of having a low traffic forum. So you can escape this dilemma by emailing those webmasters and offer to join their forums and post a few messages, then ask them if they can return you the same favor. Even if they don't have a forum, offer to write about their web site or add a link to their site in exchange for some posts.

Once you have some posters and your member population grows, find a few good posters (the ones that post high-quality messages and replies) and ask them if they want to help you moderate the forum. Give them more rights than other users so that they can edit and/or delete other people posts. They will help you keep the forum in order; make sure all the rules are followed and help you answers questions. Many people are happy to take on this challenge.
If some members are registered and have not returned you can send emails to them to let them know what has changed and convince them to visit your site again. But do not abuse. Be sure to respect their rights by including appropriate unsubscribe information and take their name off the mailing list at their request.

Some other things to keep in mind is that you should start your forums small with perhaps 3-4 categories, then slowly expand and create more categories. This way, the forums does not look so empty. Additionally, some forums software has polling features. Use these to your advantage. Controversial polls and topics can create flurries of activity.

The last step you can resort is hiring a professional. These are people who know their job well and can do some nice tricks if you let them. If you are stuck and don’t know what to do this is really the best thing for you. This would be my last option, but it may work for you.
-----------------------------
Free Message Board Hosting

Start your own free message board today!

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-----------------------------

Free Articles and Website Content

2006-07-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

A web hosting service is a sort of Internet hosting service with the intention of providing with online systems for
•storing information,
•images,
•video, or
•any content accessible via the Web to the individuals, organizations and users.

Web hosts are companies with the aim of providing space on a server they have possession of for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can as well provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not be in possession of to be to be found in their data center.

Scope of a web hosting service

The fundamental unit of a website is web page. These pages can be uploaded by means of FTP or a Web interface. Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) provide this service for free to their subscribers. People can in addition get hold of Web page hosting from services such as GeoCities where web page hosting is generally free of charge, advertisement sponsored, or low priced. Web page hosting is in general adequate only for personal home pages.

A multifarious site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms. For instance, PHP, Java, and ASP.NET. These facilities consent to the customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is as well necessary.

The host may also provide a Web interface for running the Web server and installing scripts in addition to other services like e-mail. Some hosts dedicate themselves in certain software or services. For example, e-commerce is one of those kinds of software or services. Larger companies to outsource network infrastructure to a hosting company frequently use them.

Getting to host web pages

Web hosting is over and over again provided as part of a general Internet access plan; there are many free and paid providers offering these services. A customer needs to weigh up the requirements of the application to decide what kind of hosting to use. Such considerations comprise database server software, scripting software, along with operating system.

Most hosting providers provide Linux based web hosting which offers a wide variety of diverse software. An archetypal configuration for a Linux server is the LAMP platform: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl/Python. Web hosting packages often consist of a Web Content Management System, so the end-user does not have to be concerned about the more technical aspects.

The web hosting service providers

Internet hosting services can run web servers. There are a number of different kinds of web hosting services. Following are some hosting services limited to the web.
Free web hosting service: this is free, advertisement-supported web hosting, and is extremely inadequate when compared to paid hosting.

Shared web hosting service: one's Web site is to be found on the same server as several hundred other sites. These are somewhat constrained to what can be done.

Dedicated web hosting service: the user gets his or her own Web server and gains have power over it. This means root access for Linux/administrator access for Windows; nevertheless, the user does not own the server.

Colocation web hosting service: this service is similar to the dedicated web hosting service, but the user owns the server; the hosting company provides physical space to facilitate the server that takes up and takes care about the server. This is the most powerful and expensive type of the web hosting service. some other specific hosting services include:
•Clustered hosting
•Image hosting service
•Blog hosting services
____________________________
About the Author :
Timothy Myers web hosting technology expert. His views and ideas are published regularly on http://hosting.blogtastic.com

Source: ArticleTrader.com
____________________________

A Brief Overview of Internet Forums

2006-07-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Comparing Forums to Other Internet Communication Methods Online forums are a centralized bulletin board for specific topics, or for just any topic.
Most tend to have a theme of one sort or another.

For instance, you may find forums pertaining to collecting of sports memorabilia. Within that forum there are likely specialized forums for instance baseball card collecting, autographed memorabilia, baseballs, bats, and other physical pieces of equipment used or autographed by the players. The forums are there for an open exchange of ideas, advice, and to share stories and experiences. Established forums quickly develop into very tight-knit communities. Often times forum members get together to enjoy the company of their online friends.

Forums evolved from the use of mailing lists and online bulletin boards, In fact, forums resemble the bulletin boards of the early 1990’s. The main difference between the two is that forums tend to have a much easier interface than many of the older bulletin boards. Another similarity to forums is the newsgroups; only newsgroups generally require a separate software application to access and read the messages.
Forums, on the other hand require nothing but your Internet browser of choice.. Since forums tend to encourage an open exchange of ideas, they are an excellent source for neophytes to gather information and advice in whatever interests them.

One thing to keep in mind while participating in a forum is that the advice or guidance that you get is only as good as the person providing the advice. In other words, verify everything, because most members tend to believe that they are experts in their subject matter. In no way does this mean to discount what you learn in the forums. Just exercise caution before making decisions based on that information. Another favorite type of forum is for technical support with computers and the various peripherals. In these forums, you may find people that really are high caliber experts in their field. Many of the higher quality forums have rating or feedback systems in place that clearly displays the level of competency of the members that provide advice. Do not rely solely upon the high number of feedbacks unless some sort of indicator accompanies that number indicating overall quality of the feedback. You may find that you need to review some of the feedback comments to make sure the person provides accurate information. Another thing to avoid when participating in a forum is spamming the different categories with the same question.
In other words, if you have a question about how to install a modem on your computer, post your message in the forum that pertains to installing hardware. Do not post the same message in the forum for computer repairs, password retrieval, BIOS problems, driver updates, etc. Most forums also frown upon posting messages that appear commercial in nature. A new trend is for the forum hosts to have a “classified” section for those types of posts. You may quickly get into trouble in a forum by ignoring the posted rules and guidelines. Many prohibit displaying personal information directly on the postings. This is probably a good idea for many reasons, the least of which is your personal safety. In addition, it discourages someone from monopolizing an experienced member’s time. It also puts your question on the posting for everyone to see. Just like in any community setting, many members never pose their own questions, preferring instead to see if someone else already asked that question. Before you post your questions, many forums ask you to read the postings to determine if someone else already asked the question that you have.

The majority of forums have some type of search function integrated to help you quickly find information based on a few key words or phrases. If you find your information without having to post the question, and that information helps you in some way, be polite and return to the forum to post a “thank you” message as a reply to the original posting. The vast majority of forums are free; the members that help other members do so without compensation, therefore a kind word gives them the assurance that their time is well spent. Another situation that may alienate the other members is the newbie that joins the forum and begins posting negative comments, or lambasting other members on a personal level about response that they provided. There is no place for ad hominem attacks on the character of other members. To help protect against such personal attacks, and to ensure that members adhere to the policies of the forum, most have some type of moderator oversight.
If you fall victim to such a personal attack, human nature is to retaliate with a nasty message about the poster. Keep in mind that no matter what you say to the poster, you will likely not change their point of view. The simplest way to handle a situation such as this is to ignore the message.
If you receive a personal threat that you judge as credible, take the necessary precautions to protect yourself, even if this means filing a police report. Turn these types of posts over to the forum moderators. When you turn it in, bear in mind that the moderator will read the posts as they appear on the forum, so if you retaliate, the moderator will see that as well. While forums tend to imitate other online forms of communication, forums continue to carve their own niche in online communications. The huge variety of forum types nearly guarantees that at least one forum exists for everybody. Finding a forum is as easy as a web search with the topic in which you have interest along with the word ‘forums.’ Then visit the different forums until you find one that fits your needs. Before joining, please review the forum’s policies, user agreements, privacy policies, etc.
A little reading now could very swell save you some anguish later.

__________________________

http://www.freepowerboards.com

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Start your own free message board today!
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So you want to build up your reciprocal and incoming links?

2006-07-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

I recently updated my website to include a proper article directory and a more sufisticated links directory. As part of this I needed to check through the articles previously placed on my site and go through all the links in my old link exchange directory. So first I started looking at each article with a view to contacting the author and requesting that they resubmit the article and any others to my new article directory.

The first problem I encountered was that quite a few of the articles had broken links. The people had taken the time to write and submit an article yet the link to their website in their resource box no longer worked.

Here they were with a good one way link to their website and it didn't work. Then if I did manage to get get to a working website, more often than not there would be no way of contacting the author.

The same with the links submitted to my old links directory. Firstly on going through the various categories it was clear that many people had simply not bothered to submit their link to the the proper category.

Others had used purposely misleading descriptions to get their link accepted to a particular category. In order to contact the owner of the website link I next tried to visit their site, again many links simply did not work. If the link did work quite a few sites were of very poor quality, lacking in any real content or just being sites set up for the purpose of showing high paying adsense adverts, banner ads etc.

Another common problem was that the main homepage of the site would not contain a direct link to the links page or the link would be hidden down at the bottom of the page in tiny writing. If people are looking to swap links with you, they will want to know people can easily access your links page and so their link. And of course again, often there were no contact details, no email link to contact the site owner to request a link exchange. No way of contacting you = no link exchange.

I now have a much better link exchange script on my site. Each link submitted is individually reviewed to check firstly that there is a link back and also importantly that the site has some proper content and is not just a sales page, or adsense 'harvesting' site. I also ensure that the links page is easily accessible from the main page. Still I get people submitting links and not linking back or submitting sites that do not work. This is just a complete waste of time, their time and my time. If you are looking to increase your website traffic and search engine rankings through reciprocal linking ensure you follow these simple points:
1. Your website should have quality content and be a site people want to visit and look around.

2. Make sure your links page is easy to get to - don't hide the link down at the bottom in size 8 font or not link to your links page at all.

3. Place your contact details somewhere on your site so other webmaster owners can contact you about exchanging links.

4. Organise links into relevant categories.

5. Only accept links from other high quality sites I would recommend installing a good automated linking script that allows you to easily organise links and regularly check links back. Visit http://www.hotscripts.com/ for recommendations and reviews.

______________________

(c)2006 Rachel Gawith runs her own successful homebased business related website at http://www.computerincome.net/
Visit to read ebook reviews, software reviews, tips on website promotion and learn about a new revolutionary business cencept. And of course submit your link to the link exchange.

Are You Safe From Hackers?

2006-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

We don't use E-gold very often since most of our online business and customer sales are conducted through our online merchant account. However, we occasionally have someone who will request paying by E-gold so we keep an account there for this reason. Once a month or so we withdraw the funds and decided to do so yesterday. Imagine our dismay when we logged into our E-gold account yesterday and found our balance to be a big fat ZERO! We had checked the balance just a few days ago so we knew this was not correct. After investigating the history of the account, we found that a spend had been made to another e-gold account user WITHOUT our knowledge or authorization. We had been hacked!

Since we have up to date anti-virus and firewall software on our computer, we assumed we were safe. Not so! It seems this is not enough to keep away the hackers as the software does not prevent "Spyware" from being installed on your computer.

"Spyware" is software that gets onto your computer and literally "spies" on your activities. The spying can range from relatively harmless use of cookies tracking you across multiple websites... to extremely dangerous "keystroke loggers" which record passwords, credit cards, and other personal data. That data then gets relayed to the person who put the software on your computer.

Spyware gets on your computer in one of several different ways.

First, it rides along with software you download from the 'Net and install on your system.

Second, they come as email attachments (much like viruses) and automatically install themselves on your computer when you open the email message.

Third, hackers find an open port on your computer and use the "back door" to install basically anything they want.

And fourth, the more malicious types, like keystroke loggers, can even get installed by someone with direct physical access to your computer such as an employer, suspicious spouse, business competitor, or someone who wants to know exactly what you're doing.

So how do you protect yourself against these malicious hackers? You need a program that specifically scans your system for the tens-of-thousands of existing spyware programs along with the new ones appearing daily.

Below are two programs which specifically check for and remove spyware from your system:

"Spybot Search Destroy" - http://www.safer-networking.org/
"Ad Aware" - http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

You may have spyware lurking on your computer right now so protect yourself today by downloading one of the above programs!

As a point of reference, we contacted E-gold and informed them that we had been hacked. We provided them with the account number of the person who received the funds and asked for a contact e-mail address on the person. E-gold informed us that they could not provide that information without a "court order" and that basically there was no way of getting the money back!

Take action today to protect yourself from this growing threat!

The bottom line is:

- Keep your anti-virus program current
- Install a firewall
- Carefully screen software before installing it
- Scan specifically for spyware weekly
- Stay current on this growing threat.
______________________________________
Charles & Susan Truett are experienced internet marketers who have built a successful online business and are now teaching others how to achieve the same success.

For more info on how to make money at home
visit: http://www.partnersinsuccess.net/