by: Jim Edwards
(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
=====================================
How safe is anyone's copyright online?
Well imagine my surprise when I clicked on a website link to
discover that someone had not only copied my website to
their server - but was selling my ebook and undercutting me
in the process! Some dishonest person operating from Eastern
Europe had literally stolen my entire business and I
discovered it only by sheer luck.
After some very lengthy and threatening emails I got them
shut down, but the question remains, how safe is your
copyright online and what can you do to protect it?
Traditionally written works have enjoyed copyright
protection not only through the rule of law, but also
because of the physical difficulty in stealing another
person's work. Let's face it, photocopying a 200 page book
rates about as much fun as watching paint dry and at 5 cents
a page you're talking a quick ten dollar printing bill.
If you steal someone's book, print up a thousand copies and
try to get it onto the local bookstore's shelves, the
chances of getting caught rank pretty high.
But the online world has changed those rules and physical
safeguards significantly. The Internet, email and the Web
make it easier than ever to steal someone else's work. With
the most basic skills and a few mouse clicks, someone can
take your book, your website, and along with it weeks,
months, and even years of your hard work.
Though intellectual property and international copyright
laws apply to online works, enforcement of those laws is
expensive and, in many cases, hard to enforce.
Well don't despair, you do have options if you find someone
has violated your copyright online. Anytime I find someone
violating my copyright, which isn't very often, I take these
three steps in rapid-fire fashion.
First, make 100% sure the other person realizes they have
violated your copyright. You can send them a nice but firm
note telling them to stop whatever activity violates your
copyright. If that doesn't work move on to step two.
Second, once you know with 100% certainty they understand
they have violated your copyright, yet refuse to respond or
stop, you need to shut them down by eliminating their
ability to do business!
Send them an email with a carbon copy sent to their Internet
Service Provider (ISP), their credit card processor, their
web hosting company, and even the company that sold them
their domain name.
Finally, follow this email up with a hard copy letter to
each party sent via registered mail. In the email and letter
detail exactly how they have blatantly violated your
copyright and you want them to desist immediately.
By taking this approach you can often just bypass the
offending party because the companies enabling them to
transact business don't want any trouble. If you can show
copyright violation they will shut the perpetrator down to
avoid getting sued themselves.
Though not foolproof, this strategy can help you when facing
down a blatant online copyright violator. Just remember to
act quickly, thoroughly and don't hesitate to contact your
attorney for advice.
Author's Note: By no means let this article dampen your
enthusiasm for operating your business or selling your ebook
online!
In my opinion there is no better way to make a living!
Your copyright is basically as safe online as it is offline.
However, if a sneak thief entered your home - you'd call the
cops. Well, now you know what to do if a sneak thief ever
gives you trouble online!
You can also get more information about copyright law by
going to http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/
About the author:
Jim Edwards, a.k.a. TheNetReporter.com, is a syndicated
newspaper columnist, nationally recognized speaker, author,
and web developer. Owner of nine (9) successful e-businesses
as well as a professional consulting firm, Jim's writing
comes straight off the front lines of the Internet and e-commerce.
Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to
your website for weeks, even months... without spending a
dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com
Friday, June 20, 2008
Busting Online Copyright Thieves
Cheap Web Hosting is No Bargain
by: Jim Edwards
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Ever heard the saying “Penny-wise and Dollar-foolish”?
Well bargain priced website hosting may just represent the
perfect example of watching a jar full of pennies while
bucket loads of dollars fly out the window!
When I launched my first website way back in the “dark ages”
of 1997 I paid almost $150 a month in hosting and data
transfer charges.
My web host watched how many files I uploaded like a hawk
and always seemed to send their hefty invoices earlier with
each passing month.
I’m obviously not the only one who felt that way, because
suddenly a whole industry of “bargain” web hosts sprang up
all over the web.
On the surface they all sound great, especially when you
think you can go from $150 a month down to $4.95 a month!
Five bucks a month sounds great, until you realize the
amount of data transfer (number of page views) and bandwidth
(the amount of data transfer your host allows in a 24 hour
period) you get for that low price severely limits your
ability to do business.
This realization - along with a panic attack and a quick
lesson in how data transfer and bandwidth get calculated -
usually comes at the least convenient time.
When you exceed your limits, a bargain host usually just
shuts you down with no warning.
Most webmasters realize they’ve made a mistake by choosing a
bargain host when their site suddenly gets shut down in the
middle of a big promotion because of a traffic spike.
Believe me, everything just stops!
Here are a few bargain hosts that provide good service, but
you really need to really check the fine print for how much
bandwidth they allow.
www.FeaturePrice.com
For $24.95 a month you get to host up to six independent
websites with a single account. You get unlimited data
storage, unlimited email and a variety of other higher end
services, but their bandwidth policy seems hard to
understand.
www.HostSave.com
Host Save is another low price hosting company that delivers
a wide range of services for only $6.95 per month. They
recently raised their allowable data transfer, but their
policy on how much bandwidth you can use at a given time
seems non-existent.
www.DotEasy.com
For $25 DotEasy offers a domain name purchase along with one
year’s hosting. Sounds incredible until you read the fine
print to discover they limit you to 1 Gigabyte of data
transfer a month. Not much data once you start getting
reasonable site traffic.
The moral here? Either be prepared to have your business
shut down mid-stream if you get successful, or pay a few
extra bucks each month to ensure you have enough bandwidth
and data transfer.
At a minimum, specifically ask and read the fine print about
the host’s bandwidth and data transfer policies before it’s
too late!
About the author:
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to
use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website or affiliate links...
Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to
your website for weeks, even months... without spending a
dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com
How To Become An Expert In Your Niche Business
by: Evelyn Lim
What is a niche business? A niche business is one that caters to the common needs and interests of a focused group of people. For instance, people who play golf forms a niche market and people who are golf instructors form an even tighter and smaller niche.
The advantage of going niche is that you can become a specialist in that chosen market. Instead of knowing a bit of everything, you concentrate your efforts on the one area.
Becoming an expert in your niche does not happen overnight. It takes time, skills, dedication and money to build up your knowledge.
Here are 7 great ways to become an expert in your niche business:
1. First and foremost, you must have a strong interest when selecting your niche. If you are going to spend a lot of time researching on this area, a strong interest will help sustain your efforts and keep you going.
2. Read aplenty and stay current! Surf the internet for industry news and related fields to your niche. Go to the bookstores and the library. Subscribe to newsletters or ezines of your competitors.
3. Attend workshops and learn from the super experts. Learn also in related topics so that you can expand on your knowledge base.
4. Test out tools, resources, software or just about anything that can be used for your particular niche. For instance, if you are a florist selling exotic flowers, knowing what is the best way to take care of the delicate blooms will help make you an expert!
5. Hang out in forums where your target market is likely to be. This is an excellent way to get to know what are the common problems and obstacles faced by your prospects. Make sure that you find out the answers or solutions to these problems so that you can post your comment and findings. Some forums even allow you to insert a link back to your website.
6. Use branding for higher perceived value: Buy and register your name as the domain name. A good example is http://www.EvelynLim.com . Brandnames are built gradually overtime. So set aside time each week devoted to promoting your brandname. This could be giving free advice, lectures and giving press releases.
7. Have an opinion. People like to look up to experts who articulate their views. You are likely to be a winner if you can also justify your opinion with facts.
About the author:
Evelyn Lim is the publisher of the very popular newsletter Mapping You to Success. Her FREE newsletter is jam packed with resources, tips and ideas for the aspiring e-business owners. To subscribe, please visit http://www.e-BizMap.comor her blog at http://www.EvelynLim.com.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Multiple domain hosting, Domain parking, Sub domains, WhoIs Record, Domain Renewal
by: Priyanka Agarwal
It’s been two years since John started his online business. He is very much satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago. Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting. Like him there are many John’s out there who are in search of information everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with domain names.
What is multiple domain hosting?
Many times you will see that a web host offers multiple domain hosting. In simpler words it means that on buying an account you will have the ability to get multiple websites. For instance, if the plan provides you with five domain names, you can use one domain for your website and you will still have four domain names leftover to use. The advantage of this scenario is that you can resell these four domain names to your clients.
What is Domain Parking?
If you are planning to build up a website and have decided on a name for it you then must purchase that domain name from a domain registrar: i.e. your domain name gets placed on a name server so that you can use it later on. This is known as domain parking. Even if your website content is not ready, it’s better to park your desired domain name. Otherwise, it might be possible that in future somebody else acquires that particular domain name.
What are sub domains?
Sub domains are ‘third level’ domains in the sense that they are used solely to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root directory, but to access them a special URL is used.
For instance, http://www.m6.net is a regular URL without a sub domain.
http://features.m6.net is an URL with the sub domain name: "features".
Here the:
.net: is the first level domain,
m6: is the second level domain,
features: is the third level domain
For how long does a domain name belong to you?
Generally when you register a domain name it is registered for a minimum of one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and fast rule as such.
What is Domain Renewal?
After one year you need to renew your domain name so that your website doesn’t get lost. Generally when your domain is about to expire your domain registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the domain renewal.
What happens when your domain name expires?
When your domain name expires you can renew it within one month. If you don’t renew it in this period it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is then available for purchase again at a normal price. Getting a domain name out of redemption phase is like buying fifty domains as it can cost around $200!
How to find out the owner of a domain name?
To find out the owner of a domain name, use the WhoIs search tool on the Internet .For E.g. Go to http://centralops.net/co/ and type the domain name under Domain Dossier. It will show you the name of the registrant/domain’s owner/web host.
What is WhoIs record?
WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can enter an Internet entity (e.g. a domain, a network, some hosts) and it will give detailed information on the domain registrar, the owner of the domain, and respective DNS records.
About the author:
Priyanka Agarwal
Hosting evangelist
http://www.m6.net
The Domain Name Gold Rush
by: Lois S.
All the good ones are taken. The really good ones, that is. But they don’t always stay taken.
Domain names often come back onto the market. Even before they do, domain name prospectors are sifting through them to find the gold domains among them.
Why domain names become available again
Thousands of domain names expire every day. Other domains are offered for sale. The reasons are varied:
- Carelessness
- The webmaster forgets to renew the domain by the expiry date.
The email address that the domain is registered with becomes invalid, and the domain name registrant doesn’t receive the renewal notices.
- Lack of need or funds
- The company that had registered the domain goes out of business.
- The website owner loses interest in or doesn’t have time for the website.
- The website owner doesn’t have funding to continue the website venture.
- The domain name registrant registered numerous domains on speculation and couldn’t afford to continue renewing unused domains.
Profit
- The domain name registrant may realize how much a domain is worth and decide to sell it.
- The domain name registrant may have registered the domain because of its potential worth, with the aim of selling it later.
What makes a previously registered domain name valuable?
In July 2005, the domain name website.com sold for $750,000, the highest-valued domain name sale this year. Why would anyone pay so much for a domain when they could register a new domain for under $10?
- Instant traffic
If the domain name previously pointed to a website, search engines have already indexed that domain name. Other websites probably still have links to that domain. If the domain is listed in directories, these links bring in even more traffic. You register the domain, and the work getting incoming links has already been done for you.
- Surf value
Sometimes web surfers search by typing generic words followed by dot com (or other extensions) into their browsers, for example, dogs.com. This particular domain name redirects to the website for a company that sells pet products and services. A domain name like this constantly brings visitors to the website without the cost and effort of advertising and marketing.
- Easy to remember
Your company name may not be memorable, but domains such as dogs.com and website.com are. People are more likely to return to a site or pass on the name to their friends when they can easily remember it.
How to find domains pending expiration
You decide to join the gold rush for valuable pre-registered domains. Finding expiring domains is the first step, but you also need to research domains that are about to come back on the market.
Lists of domains pending expiration
At these websites, among others, you can search for domains containing keywords you enter. At expireddomains.com, the results contain domains that are currently available, soon to expire, on hold, in the Redemption Grace Period (RGP), or for sale by their registrants. Extensions searched: .com, .net, and .org.
The domainsbot.com database searches .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz extensions for domains that are available, for sale, or expiring.
Domain research
You can find some (but not all) incoming links to a domain by entering “link:siteURL” (replace ”siteURL” with the domain name) into Google or Yahoo. When you find the links, follow them to see what types of sites link to the domain. How would you feel about having these particular sites linking to your site?
Also look into any possible problems associated with the domain. Search engines may have banned the domain if the previous site had controversial search engine optimization techniques employed, such as the use of hidden text or links. Check the history of the site at a domain name via the WayBack Machine. If the domain previously pointed to a site with gambling or adult content or a lot of affiliate links, or if it employed questionable search engine optimization techniques, search engines may have banned the domain. Aside from the possibility of a domain being banned, you may not want incoming links from sites associated with these types of content.
How to register domains pending deletion
You’ve decided on a domain that you want. How do you maximize your chances on getting it?
At eNom.com’s Club Drop, you can bid on expiring .com and .net domains the day before they’re available to the public. You can also be notified when domains matching your search criteria become available.
The NameWinner system places bids on .com, .net, .org, and .info domains for you. It bids only as high as is necessary to maintain your high bid position up to your maximum bid.
How to profit from your domains
- Selling domains
If you have a domain that may be valuable and that you aren’t using, consider selling it at a domain auction. If you already have a buyer for a domain, you can transfer it securely through Escrow.com.
- Paid parking for domains
With paid domain parking programs, also called "domain monetization" or "monetize domains," you can earn pay-per-click revenue via targeted advertisements. These sites offer domain monetization services:
- DomainSponsor
- Park Quick
- Domain Spa
- Google Adsense for domains
With the right knowledge, timing, and a bit of luck, you have a chance as a domain name prospector to hit pay dirt.
About the author:
Lois S. is a Technical Executive Writer for http://www.websitesource.com and http://www.lowpricedomains.com with experience in the website hosting industry.
