Getting set-up. Domain names, hosting, blogs and email. PART 1
When you have a new business venture or hobby and you are keen to get started developing a presence for yourself online, there are a few things that most people need to get done.
So, the following question gets asked often:
But, how do I do all the online stuff? I’m a techno dinosaur!
While this stuff used to be the realm of the gurus, it really is quite simple for the average newbie to get set up quickly and easily. Over the next few posts, I’ll go through some of the steps that I follow:
- Registering a snappy domain name - registering a domain name is not difficult, it’s finding a snappy and memorable one that’s tricky!
- Choosing a hosting provider and pointing your shiny new domain name at them
- Setting up your first blog
- Branded e-mail and other applications.
There are obviously plenty more steps, and if you need any assistance on any of those once not covered in the list above or if you would like more detail on anything mentioned here, please leave a comment and I will be glad to help.
Domain name registration
Choosing an appropriate (and available) domain name can be quite very difficult. The web has been around for some time now, and I’m sorry to say it but all of the good names have gone - almost a decade ago! Finding something appropriate to your business or hobby - especially something short and memorable - can be quite the challenge.
So, before registering any kind of domain name, you first need to see whether any of the names that you have on your short list are still available. Cross your fingers. One of my favourite tools to help me with this sometimes tedious process, is a site that makes use of AJAX to tell you whether the domain name has already been registered as you type it, rather than after you’ve clicked submit and waited a few seconds for a response. This saves me a lot of time and alleviates a considerable amount of frustration. You can find this fantastic tool at instantdomainsearch.com. Go there first, start typing away, and as you type, you’ll get instant feedback on whether the domain is available.
Once you have chosen a domain name, you want to get it registered immediately, since you can bet your life, if you don’t do it now, the next time you try and register it, someone will have already snapped up. I kid you not - sadly, I speak from experience.
This is critical.
There are 1001 different domain name registration services out there, but personally I like to use godaddy.com. I follow a number of great podcasts that have GoDaddy as a sponsor, and so I do the right thing, and give them my patronage. I’ve registered probably 50 or more domain names with GoDaddy and I have found their customer service to be fantastic, their website just works, and there are a myriad of tools and add-on services that make them a great one-stop shop for all your domain needs! Highly recommended.
Good luck! More to follow…
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