Getting on-line is easy, if you know exactly what you’re doing.
- Choose a Domain Name
- Register It
- Make a Site
Choose a Domain Name
I wanted www.rutkowski.com, but it was taken by someone reselling family-name email addresses. I tried www.tj.com, but the TechJournal bloggers were already at it. I scratched my head often, and considered various domain names over the years before committing to tjrutkowski.com. I suppose I was searching for that catchy phrase to project my brand; I suppose I found it.
TIP: Don’t get hung up on a name for your site(s). I spend a lot of time thinking about what to call my website before I realized that it’s not that important unless you are looking to monetize your site.
Register It
I’m efficient; I like to conserve resources. First, I looked at free domain registration, but couldn’t find anything without severe site formatting constraints or forced advertising. Next, I researched several hosting services. I looked at personal sites similar to what I would host, and compared the infrastructure experience (mostly page and picture load times). I read blogs of users to hear their opinions. I made a list of the features and functionality that were important to me.
In the long run, I chose GoDaddy to register and host my two domains. The price is right-I paid $85.99 for 2 new domains and the 12 month deluxe hosting plan. The key feature they provide that other low-cost companies don’t is self-directed DNS management. Self-directed DNS management allows you to easily manage your own email provider or sub-domain on-line. Most low-cost registrants require a phone call (with lengthy hold times and heavy technical jargon) to manage DNS, if they permit changes at all.
Some examples of why DNS management is important include:
- I direct my MX records to Google and get GMAIL at tjrutkowski.com
- I use Google sites, docs, calendar, and home pages with my domain name
- I can redirect my domain to my WordPress hosted blog
Make a Site
Templates can be nice for your primary content, but for some reason they often look like everyone else’s site. I prefer a little bit of personal style–even if it includes uniquely annoying qualities. I use FrontPage to create my www.tjrutkowski.com and www.judgeforyou.com sites. While FrontPage does a lot of crazy-Microsoft-know-it-all stuff, my sites are very simple. For me FrontPage is the free solution because I already own it.
TIP: Start your site with a photograph. Put anything up there, as long as it isn’t an Under Construction sign. If you’re struggling for a good shot, borrow one of mine and give me credit.
