All posts by Rick Allen

About Rick Allen

Rick Allen is an Entrepreneur, and Bible student, with an extensive background in technology. Rick is an Independent LegalShield Associate through which he provides a suite of legal and identity theft services for small businesses, individuals, commercial drivers, and families like yours. LegalShield also brokers their services to people and entities that have a market for their services. Contact 480-221-6792 for additional information.

07Sep/20

Slow Internet?

I’m just like you, I’d bet. Frustrated with S-L-O-W #InternetSpeed right now. But actually, I was shocked that the internet itself didn’t crash and burn. Having some background in #InternetTechnology, I thought surely this would be that proverbial straw… Forbes and other resources indicate that traffic has increased 70%. My own sense is that estimate is way too low, but then I am not out there collecting statistics on usage. Just a hunch.

The #GoodNews is, are there steps you can take for yourself to make sure that the things you control are all OK.

He’s not going to tell me to reboot, is he?

Yes, occasionally reboot your #CableModem, #Router, and the devices you connect with to make sure they are running clean and error-free. To reboot your cable modem many #ISPs (#InternetServiceProviders) have a #VoiceMenu when you call their service line that gives you an option to #RebootYourModem. Many also provide that option through a #MobileApp.

You can also run an #InternetSpeedTest at http://speedtest.net/ to see if your service is measuring up at any given time.

Baking cookies for a tech-savvy friend or neighborhood geek never hurts, LOL.

At any given time consider that an issue you may be having could be one or more of the following:

  • Your own device – PC, phone, tablet, etc.
  • Your physical location compared to your router if you are on #WiFi
  • Local or common wiring in your locations – some of it may be YOUR responsibility, and some will be your service provider’s responsibility
  • Any of the physical parts such as the actual card in your computer where the cable plugs in or the #WiFiMagic takes place
  • Your cable modem
  • Your wired or WiFi router
  • Your local service provider (#COX #CoxCable #CenturyLink #ATAndT #Verizon #Comcast #BrightHouse, etc.)
  • The internet backbone itself
  • All those same devices listed above in the location owned by the sites and servers that you are connecting to
  • And the actual server(s) you are connecting to
That’s a LOT of “moving parts” and at any given time any one of them, any combination, or all of them at once could be having issues that contribute to what appears on your end as poor performance. So, it may be your ISP. Or maybe not.

OR, maybe the Almighty is just giving your bum and internet break!

Excuse me now, I gotta stand up and move a bit…

#PoorInternetPerformance #SlowInternet 

20May/18

What is a vanity URL and why you need one

What is a Vanity URL and why you need one

What is a vanity URL

photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vanity,_price_10_cents_-_for_sale_here._LCCN2014646772.jpg

Just what is a Vanity URL or Vanity Domain and why would you ever want one?

First a note for our techie critics. Technically a URL and a domain name are not the same thing. A domain name is a URL. But not all URLs are domain names. But for the layman’s purposes, in this article, we will use the terms interchangeably.

A vanity URL or vanity domain name is simply a domain name or URL that points to another domain name or URL. A Vanity URL can point to another website or even to s specific page within a website making it easier for you to brand, and easier for your customers to find. Looking at the second question is the best way to explain. Let’s say you have a business with one of those replicated websites with a long, cryptic name, such as www.BigAffiliateSales.com/affiliates/?=affiliateid=10101010102. Not too cool, is it? Hard to tell someone, impossible to remember, and it would never fit in a readable type size onto a business card. So you do the wise thing and buy a vanity domain name that is shorter, more memorable, and helps you brand yourself, your company name, or gives you some “SEO Juice”, or some “get me found on Google” superpower.

Here are some examples. Note, none of these have been checked for availability, and are not intended to be anything other than examples.

Your name is Jane Smith and you want to brand yourself or make it easy for people who know you to find your site online so you buy JaneSmith-dot-something or and redirect or forward  it (point it) to your affiliate URL. When someone types in or clicks on your vanity URL they go directly to your actual, long, forgettable affiliate URL. You could do the same thing with your company name. The third possibility given above is where you try to squeeze a little SEO juice out of your vanity domain. So you buy the domain name AFewWordsJammedTogether-dot-something. Having used words someone might search on will help you get found easier on Google.

Here are some tips on choosing a vanity domain name.

  1. Shorter is usually better than longer. The best exceptions are short phrases with SEO juice
  2. Make it memorable if you can
  3. Acronyms that mean nothing to the layman or shortened words that may be hard to guess for the common person not familiar with your company or organization, though short, are probably not the best choices
  4. If the dot-com version is not available, you may want to choose one of the new Top-Level-Domains or TLD’s. A Top-Level-Domain is simply the ending – the part after the last dot, such as dot-com, dot-net, etc. There are many newer Top-Level-Domains to consider, like dot-club and others that may be perfect for your vanity domain name.
06Sep/17

How can I tell if a Domain Name is available?

“Available” is the operative word. A lot of domains are “available” based on how much you are willing to pay. But let’s assume you are not on a hunt with a determination and budget to go after your prey like a big game hunt. You are not looking for a trophy to hand in your mansion den. You simply want a name that is appropriate for your business. What you want to know is, is the domain I want available at a reasonable cost? How do I find out?

The simplest test, naturally, is to just place your cursor in your browser’s address bar and type it in. But that will only tell you if there’s a website attached. It’s not necessarily an indication someone does not already own it. Conversely, the fact that someone owns it does not mean it’s not available…even at a reasonable price.

The first question to answer is, does someone already own the name I want? For that your search can begin right here:

Simply type the name you want into the search bar on the right. You don’t have to put in the dot-com part, but you can. That’s called a TLD or top-level-domain. This is especially useful of you are looking for a specific TLD.

The result will let you know if your domain is owned by someone else or not. If it says it is not, that simply means someone already owns it. But it does not necessarily mean it’s totally unavailable.

If the result indicates your desired name IS available you can proceed to purchase it from 30fold Domains. The result will usually include other TLDs you can purchase as well. If you are concerned about protecting your brand, this may be a good idea.

What if the search result indicates that the domain name you want is NOT available? You have choices. You can try an alternate Top Level Domain (TLD).  Perhaps a dot-club, dot-org, or dot-dentist if they are appropriate. There are hundreds of TLDs that are specific to concepts, professions, and geography to choose from.

Another choice is to find out who the current owner is and see if they are interested in selling the name. Domain names are like property on the internet. People buy and sell them all the time. Speculators will think of a good name, buy it cheaply, then search of businesses they think may buy them and pitch an offer. This is a good time to simply try browsing the site. Sometimes there will be a “for sale” notice on it.

You can also use something called a WhoIs search to find out who the owner is. That’s less fruitful these days because people often mask their ownership. In this day of scams, spam, and identity theft, that’s not a bad option – something to keep in mind when you do register your domain. 30fold Domains offers domain ownership privacy as an option. If you choose to not add privacy expect emails, phone calls, spam, website and service offers and more to pour in.

Back to the topic at hand. You can use a WhoIs search to try and find the domain owner. If you do find them, simply drop a note or make a call and let them know you have an interest and ask if they are interested in selling. But have a price in mind before you call. Unless you are really going big time, this is a place where you could spend thousands for something that originally sold for $10-20. Like anything you purchase, decide what it’s worth to you before going to the negotiating table.

One more place we should not leave out is the auction sites. Just like you can bid on trinkets and treasures on eBay, there are sites set up specifically to handle auctions where owned domains are bought and sold.

But my favorite of all tools for capturing a domain I want without overpaying is a tool we have right here at 30fold Domains. Here’s how it works. You pay a set fee for a domain someone else owns. This tool will then sit and watch it just like the tools on your favorite auction site. It will watch for the domain to expire, then immediately grab it automatically and notify you of your prize. It’s called Domain Back-ordering. It does have a drawback. It only works well if someone is letting a domain go and allows it to completely expire.

26Dec/16

New top level domains create future opportunities to get ahead of the curve

how do you get ahead of the curve with domain namesAre you seeking ways to beat competition to the punch, to get ahead of the curve?

Are you seeking ways to beat the competition to the punch, to get ahead of the curve? It’s not always easy. Web prophets abound that tell us what the future of the web will look like. But sometimes it can be straightforward. For years the dot-com domains have ruled the web. If you didn’t have a dot-com, net, or org, you were nuttin.

You may know people, maybe you are one of them, who thinks that no matter what domain you want to visit, your fingers add “www” on the front and “.com” on the end. Certainly, in today’s online business world, the dot-com domain is king. At 30fold Domains, we work with businesses often that have to get very creative in order to get a dot-com domain name that is short and memorable, yet descriptive and powerfully branding.

The culprit is short-term-thinking

Many articles I’ve read on the new domain endings, or top-level-domains, advise avoiding them and going for the dot-com. I totally agree, your primary business website begs for a good dot-com…today. But don’t dismiss the wonderfully creative things you can do with the new top-level-domains.

This is a great area to let your creative juices flow, especially on a more focused, niche driven, micro site. All the other marketing rules still apply, but don’t discount the power of a domain name other than your dot-com that can fit into your strategy. Many such domain names are already in use and are very effective. Consider the forward thinking people who scooped up brand.me or about.me. Dot-ME is one of the top-level-domains based on country name abbreviations just like dot-US and dot-UK. There’s one for each country. There are also more and more generic top-level-domains becoming available that will allow you a lot of flexibility.

Search for domain names here.

New top-level-domains spell “opportunity”

For some, these new top-level-domains or extensions offer the opportunity to finally get their company name. Acme-dot-com has not been available for a long, long time. But maybe, barring a more creative re-branding involving a new company name, you can grab acme-dot-something-else!

Wikipedia keeps a list of top-level-domains or TLDs (you didn’t think techies would miss an opportunity for an acronym, did you?).

How creative can you get with dot-BE, (just-let-it-dot-be?). To that end, be aware that while some countries, such as Columbia (dot-CO) and Montenegro (dot-ME) have figured out this is another source of ongoing residual income (Elvis money), other countries actually restrict you from getting their TLDs unless you live in that country or have a registered business there. But there are plenty of non-restricted TLDs where price is the only inhibitor. You can see if your desired domain name is available and check prices here.

You may have been disappointed that someone thought of grabbing your club’s name as a domain name before you did, but now you can grab QuiltMeAQuilt-dot-CLUB, since “CLUB” is now a TLD. It’s a great alternative for many who could not get the dot-ORG they thought was such a good fit. At 30fold Domains we offer most of the country domain names (assuming you or your entity meet the requirements of that country) as well as most of the generic ones. There are nearly 1000. Here’s a list of some of the one’s we currently offer as of this writing.

  • ac
  • academy
  • accountant
  • accountants
  • actor
  • adult
  • ag
  • agency
  • ai
  • airforce
  • am
  • amsterdam
  • apartments
  • app
  • archi
  • army
  • art
  • asia
  • associates
  • at
  • attorney
  • auction
  • auto
  • autos
  • baby
  • band
  • bar
  • barcelona
  • bargains
  • bayern
  • be
  • beer
  • berlin
  • best
  • bet
  • bid
  • bike
  • bingo
  • bio
  • biz
  • biz.pl
  • black
  • blog
  • blue
  • boston
  • boutique
  • build
  • builders
  • business
  • buzz
  • bz
  • ca
  • cab
  • cafe
  • camera
  • camp
  • capital
  • car
  • cards
  • care
  • careers
  • cars
  • casa
  • cash
  • casino
  • catering
  • cc
  • center
  • ceo
  • ch
  • charity
  • chat
  • cheap
  • church
  • city
  • cl
  • claims
  • cleaning
  • clinic
  • clothing
  • cloud
  • club
  • cn
  • co
  • co.in
  • co.jp
  • co.kr
  • co.nz
  • co.uk
  • co.ve
  • co.za
  • coach
  • codes
  • coffee
  • college
  • com
  • com.ag
  • com.au
  • com.br
  • com.bz
  • com.cn
  • com.co
  • com.es
  • com.mx
  • com.pe
  • com.ph
  • com.pl
  • com.ru
  • com.tw
  • com.ve
  • community
  • company
  • computer
  • condos
  • construction
  • consulting
  • contractors
  • cooking
  • cool
  • country
  • coupons
  • courses
  • credit
  • creditcard
  • cricket
  • cruises
  • cymru
  • cz
  • dance
  • date
  • dating
  • de
  • deals
  • degree
  • delivery
  • democrat
  • dental
  • dentist
  • design
  • dev
  • diamonds
  • digital
  • direct
  • directory
  • discount
  • dk
  • doctor
  • dog
  • domains
  • download
  • earth
  • education
  • email
  • energy
  • engineer
  • engineering
  • enterprises
  • equipment
  • es
  • estate
  • eu
  • events
  • exchange
  • expert
  • exposed
  • express
  • fail
  • faith
  • family
  • fan
  • fans
  • farm
  • fashion
  • film
  • finance
  • financial
  • firm.in
  • fish
  • fishing
  • fit
  • fitness
  • flights
  • florist
  • fm
  • football
  • forsale
  • foundation
  • fr
  • fun
  • fund
  • furniture
  • futbol
  • fyi
  • gallery
  • games
  • garden
  • gen.in
  • gg
  • gifts
  • gives 
  • glass
  • global
  • gmbh
  • gold
  • golf
  • graphics
  • gratis
  • green
  • gripe
  • group
  • gs
  • guide
  • guru
  • haus
  • health
  • healthcare
  • hockey
  • holdings
  • holiday
  • homes
  • horse
  • hospital
  • host
  • house
  • idv.tw
  • immo
  • immobilien
  • in
  • inc
  • ind.in
  • industries
  • info
  • info.pl
  • info.ve
  • ink
  • institute
  • insure
  • international
  • investments
  • io
  • irish
  • ist
  • istanbul
  • it
  • jetzt
  • jewelry
  • jobs
  • jp
  • kaufen
  • kim
  • kitchen
  • kiwi
  • kr
  • la
  • land
  • law
  • lawyer
  • lease
  • legal
  • lgbt
  • life
  • lighting
  • limited
  • limo
  • live
  • llc
  • loan
  • loans
  • london
  • love
  • ltd
  • ltda
  • luxury
  • maison
  • management
  • market
  • marketing
  • mba
  • me
  • me.uk
  • media
  • melbourne
  • memorial
  • men
  • menu
  • miami
  • mobi
  • moda
  • moe
  • money
  • monster
  • mortgage
  • movie
  • ms
  • mx
  • nagoya
  • name
  • navy
  • ne.kr
  • net 
  • net.ag
  • net.au
  • net.br
  • net.bz
  • net.cn
  • net.co
  • net.in
  • net.nz
  • net.pe
  • net.ph
  • net.pl
  • net.ru
  • net.ve
  • network
  • news
  • ninja
  • nl
  • no
  • nom.co
  • nom.es
  • nom.pe
  • nrw
  • nyc
  • okinawa
  • one
  • onl
  • online
  • org
  • org.ag
  • org.au
  • org.cn
  • org.es
  • org.in
  • org.nz
  • org.pe
  • org.ph
  • org.pl
  • org.ru
  • org.uk
  • org.ve
  • page
  • paris
  • partners
  • parts
  • party
  • pe
  • pet
  • ph
  • photography
  • photos
  • pictures
  • pink
  • pizza
  • pl
  • place
  • plumbing
  • plus
  • poker
  • porn
  • press
  • pro
  • productions
  • promo
  • properties
  • Protection
  • pub
  • pw
  • qpon
  • quebec
  • racing
  • re.kr
  • realestate
  • recipes
  • red
  • rehab
  • reise
  • reisen
  • rent
  • rentals
  • repair
  • report
  • republican
  • rest
  • restaurant
  • review
  • reviews
  • rich
  • rip
  • rocks
  • rodeo
  • ru
  • run
  • ryukyu
  • sale
  • salon
  • sarl
  • school
  • schule
  • science
  • se
  • security
  • services
  • sex
  • sg
  • sh
  • shiksha
  • shoes
  • shop
  • shopping
  • show
  • singles
  • site
  • ski
  • soccer
  • social
  • software
  • solar
  • solutions
  • space
  • storage
  • store
  • stream
  • studio
  • study
  • style
  • supplies
  • supply
  • support
  • surf
  • surgery
  • sydney
  • systems
  • tax
  • taxi
  • tc
  • team
  • tech
  • technology
  • tel
  • tennis
  • theater
  • theatre
  • tienda
  • tips
  • tires
  • tk
  • today
  • tokyo
  • tools
  • tours
  • town
  • toys
  • trade
  • training
  • travel
  • tube
  • tv
  • tw
  • uk
  • university
  • uno
  • us
  • vacations
  • vegas
  • ventures
  • vet
  • vg
  • viajes
  • video
  • villas
  • vin
  • vip
  • vision
  • vodka
  • vote
  • voto
  • voyage
  • wales
  • watch
  • web.ve
  • webcam
  • website
  • wedding
  • wiki
  • win
  • wine
  • work
  • works
  • world
  • ws
  • wtf
  • xxx
  • xyz
  • yoga
  • yokohama
  • zone 

Search for domain names here.

What others? How about dot-lol? There are nearly a thousand, so if you are not sure, add a guess to your search and see what comes up. For example, search for TheNameYouWant-dot-YouAreKiddingRisht and see if the extension (TLD) “YouAreKiddingRight” exists. So snap and share your dot-photos while giving travel-dot-tips and offering valuable-dot-services. In the world of buying domain names that put you ahead of the curve so you can tell your competition, “thats-dot-life”.

22Feb/15

WordPress Vulnerability found in Video Gallery

One of the drawbacks of being a do-in-yourself web person is having to keep up with hackers who create mayhem. Even if a web professional maintains your site it does not a guarantee your site is hacker safe. But having great partners, whether you choose to go the professional route or DIY, helps ensure you are getting the best protection.

If you use WordPress software on your site, and if you do not keep it and all plugins and themes up to date, you may be allowing a WordPress vulnerability. 30fold Domains recommends Wordfence to help you

  • fend of would be hackers
  • and get early warning when there is a potential threat.

Not only can their plugin help keep your site safe, they also publish regular up-to-the-minute information. Wordfence gave such a warning today. According to their blog post, if you use the WordPress Video Gallery you should remove it from your blog. Even the very latest version **as of this writing makes your WordPress site’s database vulnerable to Zero Day SQL Injection.

If you use a web professional, there’s nothing wrong with helping keep them up to date by letting them know about things you hear, and even logging into your WordPress dashboard occasionally to take a look around. If your dashboard indicates updates are required to the WordPress core, to plugins, or themes, find out what your webmaster’s schedule is for updating your site. A good webmaster will keep you informed or at least make the information available to you and make it easy for you to check in. If such documentation or access is not provided, you may need to find a new webmaster. It is your site, and your reputation on the line.

** Programmers are constantly updating their code as new threat’s emerge or are discovered. This article does not suggest any software vendor is unreliable. It is based on the latest information available at the time of posting. If you use a software mentioned in this article we recommend you also contact the source for additional information on update and patch release schedules.

27Jan/15

Understand Different Types of Web Hosting Plans

Understand Different Types of Web Hosting Plans

If you are new to web hosting, the plethora of plans and plan types can stifle the imagination. Will shared hosting be sufficient? Do you need a dedicated server? First, let’s figure our just what each of these are.

Shared Hosting

As the term implies, shared hosting is where you share the actual machine your website is on with many others. There may be hundreds or even thousands of other sites being served off the same machine. For most. starting off with a shared server plan saves big bucks and delivers all the power and space needed.

Virtual Dedicated Server

With a virtual dedicated server plan, you are still sharing the hardware, but you have more of it. You are sharing it with fewer other tenants. You have more control, and you have more responsibility. But you are less likely to hit limitations in disc space, memory, and bandwidth. A virtual dedicated server is literally “machine inside a machine”. The software allows the server to compartmentalize a “virtual computer” that can be get slow, have errors, and even be rebooted, all without affecting the other virtual machines on the single physical computer.

Dedicated Server Plans

When you reach the place where you know you need to be “all alone on the box” you are talking about a dedicated server plan. You may still have multiple sites on the box, but they will all be your sites. Some people actually buy our dedicated server plans, then run their own shared hosting plan from it. Those folks are probably not reading this … and would not need to. This is a great plan for someone who want to design websites and host them their self.

How can you know if you need a dedicated plan? Speak to one of our friendly tech reps at 480-420-4678. Be sure to let them know you were visiting www.30foldDomains.com, and you just need help figuring our which hosting plan fits your needs. But 95% of you will need a shared hosting plan. You may grow out of it, but that’s OK. Moving up it not that hard to do. So unless you have reason to believe you will grow out of shared hosting within a few months, save some dollars and get shared hosting.

27Jan/15

How To Building An Online Storefront

How To Build An Online Storefront

Only a few years ago building an online storefront was a daunting, time consuming, and expensive task. You had to be a good programmer or know one. Just any programmer would not do. You needed one that specialized in online transactions. Unless you were expecting millions of dollars of sales it was not for the small business person or entrepreneur.

Today there are many ways to get your products online quickly and without great expense. If you want to be in the bookstore business, for example, take a look at what 30fold has to offer in the way of turnkey bookstore business sites. In just a short time they can have you up and running with over 250,000 Christian products, or if you need a general bookstore, 2 million titles. You need not order, stock, or ship any product. You do not have to worry about transactions either. That is all built in. The only thing you bring to the table is your ready market.

Let’s say for example, you run a non-profit organization, a school, or fundraising group. It could be anything, honestly. If you have people who already subscribe to your cause who would be willing to buy their books from you to support your cause rather than from one of the big box stores or popular online bookstores, then you have a perfect scenario for having a 30fold store. These stores are brandable. You can even list your own product in them, and feature those products on your front page.

Here’s an example of their “secular” store – http://www.30foldbooks.com. And you can see a Christian store here: http://www.MountaintopChristian.com. You choose templates and colors from easy online forms, so administering your store does not require any rocket science like HTML.

If a bookstore is not what you are after – maybe you want to sell products that you contract to ship or manufacture, then our Quick Shopping Cart might be the perfect match. Similar to the 30fold stores mentioned above, administration is form based. Choose a template and colors you like, add branding with your logo, add your products and prices, use PayPal or set up a merchant account that plugs into your store, and publish. Presto, you are in business. Your doors are open, and ready for customers. We have expert staff on hand to help you through any of the details as well – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

Do you need more flexibility? Do you have some programming and HTML expertise? Want to remove the training wheels? Then perhaps all you need is one of our standard hosting programs which allow you to install great eCommerce packages like nopCommerce, osCommerce, or ZenCart. You are now the supreme commander of your eCommerce universe with access to the many templates, designs, and more that are offered for these dynamic open source products. Just keep in mind that using an open source product, while increasing your store’s flexibility, also requires much more of you.

Or, maybe you realize, “I have a business to run. I don’t have time to fool with programming. Give me a professional who can do this for me.” Then our {dream website} team can go to work for you. They will start with your ideas, budget, and dreams, and design and build a customized, scalable eCommerce website that suits your needs and that can grow with your business.

27Jan/15

Professional Email Marketing

Professional Email Marketing

“Professional Email Marketing”—almost seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it. We often think of SPAMMERS, and unprofessional sales people when we hear the term “email marketing,” but nearly everything these days is marketed through email from new cars to fake watches. The question is how to I engage in email marketing without being a SPAMMER, and without breaking any SPAM laws. The answer is, it isn’t easy, unless of course you are using s tool like 30fold Domain’s Express Email Marketing. Express Email Marketing is a perfect tool to help you collect customer information, then keep up with those customers through online newsletters and email newsletters. Let your website visitors easily subscribe and unsubscribe.

Express Email Marketing will help yo with your list creations, as well as creation of professional looking email campaigns and newsletters. And it integrates with the other tools form 30fold Domains.

Plans start at under $10 a month.

Regardless of which tool you select, becoming a professional at it takes some education and practice. Here are some of the basic elements.

Have something to say. Sounds intuitive, I know, but think about how many newsletters you get that waste your time and say nothing important at all. Provide value to those whose in-boxes you intent to fill.

Use a professional tool. This too, goes without saying. Your readers need to be able to subscribe or unsubscribe without your personal intervention. A good tool will help you be mindful of the laws in the country or region to which you are emailing.

Have a target customer profile, and market to that target. If your target is young married mothers from 25-35 who stay at home with their children, aim for that target when you gather email addresses as well as when you write. The more specific you are the less likely you are to have a reader who thinks your emails provide no value. Poor targeting (bad aim) is the number one cause of email getting marked or thought of as SPAM.

Build your list. How? Well, let’s start with how not to. Don’t mindlessly scrape addresses from websites. You actually need people’s permission to send them commercial email. The legal definition of SPAM has little to do with the value, veracity, or volume of your content. It comes down to, “did the recipient give you express permission to send them email?”

You can gather people’s permission in many ways, from simply asking to online forms they fill out. We will perhaps go deeper into the mechanics in another post, but there is already a ton of content that will educate your on professional email marketing.

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27Jan/15

How to Create Your Own Blog

How to Create Your Own Blog

A lot of times when I talk to people about blogging, eyes glaze over. But if you are going to make any kind of dent in the internet, blogging is an essential weapon to have in your arsenal. Blog well and you can do great things for yourself. Perhaps you have a soapbox to stand on, information to publish, and opinion you feel is important. A blog is a great easy way to accomplish all these goals. There are many resources available to create your own blog such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com—but what if you want to create your own BRANDED Blog? What does it mean—BRANDED Blog? That means your blog not only has your name on it, but you actually own the domain name. So rather than sending traffic to blooger.com/SomoneLessImportant, you wend them to a domain name you own, like SomeoneVeryImportant.com.

So, what is blogging? Blogging can be compared to online journaling. Functionally, maintaining a blog is no more difficult than writing an email. However, setting up a blog may be more difficult. There are plenty of free services out there that will offer you a free blog. Why free? Because content is king. What you are essentially doing is offering your services as a writer for free. They are going to advertise on your blog pages. You, through your blogging prowess are going to attract visitors and readers who will click on their ads, strategically placed on your page based on very cleaver algorithms that predict the type of reader who will be attracted to your work. So, is it really free if you donate hours of your valuable time to their benefit? Any clue what they would pay for all that writing?

Enter, the branded blog. What’s a “branded” blog? It is simply a blog where if there are any ads – you get paid. The domain name – it belongs to you, and hopefully, if you have planned well, deepens people’s memory of you and what you do. Take 30fold for example. 30fold is our “Brand” name. We have 30fold, Inc. represented byhttp://www.30fold.com. We protected our brand by buying most of the important TLD’s, dot-com, dot-net, and dot-org. We branded deeper with our blogs. Another division of our company provides a powerful legal and identity protection service benefit, and a business opportunity we provide at http://www.30foldbenefits.com.

When you use a branded blog, branded with your domain, each time you add an article you deepen the impact of your branding effort. That is, you are getting double duty. You are not stopping other activity and branding as a discrete activity. This is a great time multiplier – a veritable multifunctional Swiss Army Knife of your time.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

Setting up a blog is often not a trivial pursuit. We make it super easy to create your own with our automated tools. Select a new or existing domain, and WordPress® Site/Blog, and within minutes you will be creating your first entry on the internet. Wordpress is indeed the most widely used blogging tool out there. And, if you want a WordPress blog, we make that easy as well. WordPress is one of the many value added applications you can install with just the click of a button into any of our 30fold Domains hosting solutions, or get your blog and hosting as a single, affordable bundle.

27Jan/15

Do It Yourself Websites

Do It Yourself Websites

There are many important considerations as you think about putting your business on the web, especially if you planning on using a do-it-yourself website solution. There are important questions to ask even leading to the decision to use a do-in-yourself site vs. having a professionally created website, but here we will assume that, at least for now, you are going to create your own site.

  • Is your business local, national, or international?
  • Do you want to sell things, give out information, or provide a means for your customers to contact you?
  • How does a website fit in with your overall business plan and marketing plan?

And then, of course, there are many technical considerations.

  • Do you need special security so you can process transactions?
  • How big a service do you need, and how expensive?
  • How much traffic are you likely to have?

But for most, the challenging part is not that. It comes down to “how do you do it, and how much will it cost? Well, if your needs are not yet at the Fortune 500 level, and you just want to get some web hutspa – and show you are a legitimate business, perhaps a do-it-yourself website can be a beginning solution for you. Today, do-it-yourself website solutions like our Website Builder is nearly as easy to use as email.

So, sit down with a notebook or stand at a whiteboard and map out a few things.

  • Decide first what do you want your site to do.
    • If you need to sell a product or products, you need an eCommerce solution.
    • If your needs are basically that of an online sales brochure, Website Builder will fill the need nicely.
  • Now think about colors that match and complement each other and fit your company image.
  • Start collecting pictures and text, and decide what’s important.
  • You need to know what your message is – and ask yourself what content supports that message.
  • Consider how you will break the information up. What are the logical units of information, and how does it flow? Is it discrete bits of information, or does it need to be taken in a certain order like steps or layers?
  • Put yourself in the place of someone who might typically visit your site. What information do they need? What are they seeking?
  • What result do you want to get? Do you want them to fill out a form, subscribe to a newsletter, buy a product or service, or pick up the phone and call you? Does your content support them taking that action or step? It it easy for them to do?

Even though you are thinking of this as a do it yourself project, it is a good idea to involve others to help you test ideas, words, pictures, even colors. Choose people who know less about your business than you do – and perhaps even less about the web. Make it work for someone who did not design it – like your customer or visitor.

It’s also nice to know that, as you go through the process, if you have any questions on using our tools, help is just a phone call away. And our help staff is located in the USA, so you are not being shuttled off to a foreign land where the help staff may be a little harder to understand. And if you decide to let a professional do your website, we can help with that as well.