Create your own email address and be free! (Part 1)
You may have heard the term "domain name" before. It's the part of an email address or web site address (URL) that includes ".com", or ".net", or any of the other designation types. So my domain is "plaitsolutions.com". Other domain names include "yahoo.com", "bellsouth.net", "comcast.net", and "badastronomy.com" (my brother's domain name).
Many of you reading this post have Hotmail, AOL, or Yahoo domain email addresses. You know: "billybob@hotmail.com". That sort of thing.
Others of you have email addresses with your own domain name. Mine is sid_plait"at"plaitsolutions"dot"com*.
Some have ISP (Internet service provider) domain names , such as "bobbyjoe@comcast.net".
Anyone who has their own business should have a domain name that reflects their business name, as mine does. This shows your client base that you are serious enough about your business to spend money on an identity for the web. When you hand someone your business card, it looks more professional than "joefrank@aol.com".
You (yes you!) might just want to have your own web identity, even without a business, and get your own domain name.
Over the next few days I will post the steps you might take to corral your own email domain name and set it up. From there, if you want one, getting your own web site is relatively easy.
Stay tuned!
* - Whenever I post a real email address in my blog, I will ALWAYS use "at" instead of "@" and "dot" instead of ".". This is a privacy issue. There are "scraper" programs running on the net that scan web sites for real addresses to send spam, viruses, worms, trojans, and phishing emails to. I don't want any more of that than I already get.
Sid, you are so right, and you're doing so many great services in this post and your subsequent ones on this topic that I genuflect in your general direction!
When starting my own business, it was crucial to me to get not just my company name as the domain, but also my first name as my primary email address. The lady who did my website for me laughed at me...I had cards printed the minute I bought the domain, and told her what my email address was so she could configure everything to match the cards!
But that's how important it is to look professional. When someone hands me a card with an aol or hotmail or earthlink domain as their business email addy, I confess to wondering how serious they could possibly be about their business. It costs so little to buy a domain, and most come with at least one email address, so whip out that business credit card and go shopping for some professionalism.
Oh, and when someone does hand me a card without a custom domain, I give that info to my friendly neighborhood web designer...might as well help a friend, right? ;-}
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Sid,
I finally got time to read this topic. Now I can get my domain name with confidence!
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I like your style, the fact that your site is a little bit different makes it so interesting, I get fed up of seeing same-old-same-old all of the time. I've just stumbled this page for you
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I try to write in a way that's easy to understand and is accessible to many people. I believe that, although technology is complex, the explanations of what can be done with it don't have to be.
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