Here are some do’s to remember when deciding:

• Make your domain name easy to remember. When people remember your web site’s name, they’re much more likely visit and come back again. Our brains process tons of information everyday, and most of it we forget. Just because someone’s friend tells them about a great web site, doesn’t mean they’re going to remember the name when they get home to check it out.
• Make your domain name related to your site’s content. When you start choosing your domain name, the best place to start is with a few keywords related to your topic. Take these keywords and try to turn them into a name. While you might be able to find an awesome catchy word or phrase, however if it’s not related to your topic, people aren’t going to make the connection and remember it.
• Make your domain name easy to type. There are certain letters that are just harder to type than others. While this might not make the biggest difference, try to avoid letters like q and p. You’ll also want to avoid difficult letter combinations. If it doubt, have a friend who isn’t the best typist try to type in the domain name. If one takes a lot longer or is harder for them, it’s probably best to choose the easiest one.

Avoid these common domain name mistakes:

• Names that are hard to spell.
• Misspellings. If you misspell a common word, people are probably not going to type your domain name with the correct. Correct spellings are easier to remember. If they don’t get it on the first try, they may try again, but more likely they’ll either find another site with the correct spelling, or simply give up.
• Names including numbers and hyphens. While it might be clever, it’s hard for people to remember, and it’s hard to spread the site name by word of mouth. stuff-4-u.com
• Names that are too close to a popular website. Sure, you might get the traffic from misspellings, but that’s not going to be enough to sustain a quality web site. Watch out for trade marked names, and don’t pick one that’s similar. Once your site gets popular the company that owns the trademark could demand you stop using the domain name.

If you’re stuck finding a good name, try going to a site that sells domain names and entering your keywords. Often, sites will help you find related names that are available. And that way, you don’t have to worry about trying to buy a name that is already taken from someone who doesn’t want to give it up.

Last but not least, if you are a direct seller or affiliate maketer sure you don’t choose a domain name that isn’t allowed by the company you are working with.

Melody Thacker jumps out of bed every morning, excited about the bright shiny new day, and the endless possibilities it holds. Her passion is helping others with her direct sales business.

Choosing the Right Domain Name

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Home Business Computer

The first line of protection for your computer is getting software to protect it from viruses, worms, and other malicious software that could damage, steal information or even trash your whole computer. While many people spend a lot of money on software programs, there are great virus scanners, and other protective software online for free. And even if you do spend some money, it’s worth protecting your computer and everything on it.

Just because you have protective software, doesn’t mean it’s going to block every threat that might attack your computer. Even if you have protective programs, you still need to be aware of new ways hackers are using to get into your computer and use common sense. There are all kinds of web pages that will alert you to the newest cons and viruses going around and how to avoid them. I also recommend McAfee SiteAdvisor free software which adds safety ratings to your browser and search engine results.

One of the most important things you can do to keep from losing data is to back it up. Here are some common ways to securely back up your files so you still have it in case it’s accidentally lost:

Burning your data onto CDs is a quick and easy way to back it up. However, it can be rather time-consuming and CDs have limited storage space. Also a CD can easily be scratched and damaged and only lasts so much time.

Flash Drives are somewhat similar to CDs. You can easily put information from your computer onto a flash drive and then detach them to store for safety or transfer them to another computer. The difference is that a flash drive is not written once and then you’re done. While most CD drives can add files, they can’t delete them or change the files. Flash drives can be erased and rewritten just like any other drive on your computer.

An external hard drive is a great way to back up large amounts of data. An external hard drive is generally just like the memory in your computer, but it can be detached and put in another space. Unlike flash drives, you can get hard drives with very large amounts of space. Some people think external hard drives are expensive, but if you compare the amount of data they store, they are well worth the investment.

Online data back-up services. The problem with drives that attach to your computer and then detach for storage is that they can often be damaged when your computer is. A virus on your computer can easily transfer to another drive without your knowledge. And if your computer is destroyed in a flood or fire, there’s a good chance your external drive will be too.

The good news is, there are all kinds of online services that will back up your hard drive files for you. They generally cost a monthly or yearly rate for a certain amount of space, so the cost will vary with what kind of business and size of files you have.

Remember that backing up your data once only does so much good. Make sure you back up your files regularly, then keep them in a secure place other wise you will still be in danger of having a major loss.

Melody Thacker jumps out of bed every morning, excited about the bright shiny new day, and the endless possibilities it holds. Her passion is helping others with her direct sales business.

Make Sure You Have Secure File Storage

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Start a blog to keep in touch with your customers. A blog is basically an online journal and it can be a great place to inform people about what’s happening with your business. Your direct sales blog might include informative articles relating to your products, your services, product specials that both your company and you personally are offering and it allows them to make comments about your posts should they have any questions. Blogger.com is a popular place for many first time bloggers. If you use GoDaddy you’ll find the Quick Blogcast is very easy to use, Love Homemaking is an example. I prefer a self hosted WordPress blog like this one, and it’s always better to own your own domain.

If you are on a limited budget you can start an email discussion group like the ones available through yahoo as another way of keeping in touch with your customers. You can make your group open for discussion or simply use it to release a monthly or even weekly newsletter to let your customers know about your business.

Last but not least, starting a mailing list is probably the very best way that you can use the Internet to keep your customers informed about the goings on of your direct sales business. You don’t even need a web site, however having a sign up or subscribe box on your web site will increase your subscriber rate. It’s important to know the rules and regulations before you start sending out information about your business to your customers and prospects other wise you could be considered a spammer. I recommend using a mailing list service that ensures your prospects have agreed or requested to receive information from you and allows them to easily unsubscribe if they aren’t interested any longer. The small price you pay for an outstanding autoresponder service is well worth the peace of mind, I use and recommend this one.

These are just a few of the ways you can use technology to keep your customers informed about your business. Utilizing the convenience offered by these tools is a smart way to build up your business.

Melody Thacker jumps out of bed every morning, excited about the bright shiny new day, and the endless possibilities it holds. Her passion is helping others with her direct sales business.

How To Keep In Touch With Your Customers Using Technology

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