Archive for December, 2007



Which email accounts NOT to use

Published December 28th, 2007 by admin

Most internet providers (aka. AT&T, COX, Time Warner, etc.) give you email accounts with your monthly internet access. Most people use these included email accounts, but my suggestion is to NEVER use them. Here are the reasons why you shouldn’t:

  • Not very feature rich.
  • More limited storage space.
  • Address can be harder to remember (eg. something@san.rr.com)
  • Tie you to their internet service. (BIGGEST REASON)

This means if you move out of their service area, or just want to switch to a different provider (because of pricing or lack of service), you are forced to change your email address. While not directly, this is similar to the drug dealer business model. Give them free email accounts, and they will keep paying their monthly fee for internet access.

You would be better off using one of the many free email accounts offered by various companies, such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo mail. This way your email is not dependent on your internet provider.

An even better solution is to sign up for Google hosted services. For $9/year, Google will give you email at the domain name of your choice. Basically you are only paying to register the domain name, and Google will host your email for FREE! This includes all of the legendary features of their standard Gmail.

Tips for owning domain names

Published December 17th, 2007 by lagreca

ICANN logo

Your domain name is the MOST important thing when it comes to hosting your website and email. If and when you buy a domain name, it is best to make sure that YOU are actually buying the domain name, NOT your web hosting company. This means that YOUR information is put into the Registrant, Administrative, Technical, and Billing contact information for the domain name.

This is very important because if your hosting company ever goes out of business, or you get into a dispute with them, you will not loose your domain name or access to it.  Verification of ownership or to make changes to your domain is often done with the contact information you have listed, either via email, fax, or snail mail.  If ANY of these methods are insecure, you risk someone being able to steal your domain name.

In the end, your domain name is the lifeblood of your online presence.