Domains & Hosting

Who protects Domain Name System?

August 31, 2007 by Administrator

A lot of people ask me what is this "ICANN"? You might have seen their logo at some sites that register domain names, or some sites that state they are ICANN accredited. But what does it mean?

Let`s see what is ICANN and how can you benefit from it?

ICANN is short for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and they are the organization which organizes the Domain Name System.

What is the purpose of ICANN?

It was formed in October 1998, mainly because of a need to manage domain names at international level. Before that time each country managed its own domain name system. Can you imagine what mess it was when there were different conditions to register .com domain names in every country? Thats why ICANN was born.

Does ICANN register domain names?

ICANN itself does not register domain names, but has the power to authorize institutions for specific domain extensions. So for every extension, like .com, .jobs, .info there is a company that takes care for all registrations under it. For example, VeriSign is the authoritative registry for .com and .net domain names. Anyone who wants to sell .com domain names must have an agreement with Verisign or sell domain names through reseller companies.

What means if registrar is ICANN accredited?

ICANN accreditation means that accredited registrars are doing business that complies with rules and regulations set forth by ICANN. It also means they are a reliable domain name seller and you, as a customer are protected by ICANN.

An ICANN intervention happened on March 31 2007, when ICANN degraded Registerfly and it no longer was an ICANN accredited registrar, because they RegisterFly was providing a horrible service for their users. All users were transfered to other registrars and their domain names were saved.

Conclusion: What you need to know about ICANN?

ICANN manages domain name system and protects domain name owners.
ICANN charges a small fee (about $.20) for every domain name people register. So at checkout page you might notice the price for domain name is slightly higher. Thats ok! Everyone has to pay this fee, but I don`t mind because I know if there is trouble, ICANN will take care of it.

So next time you hear about ICANN, you will know what is about.

Register your domain name with reliable registrar

We are proud that Hosting Residence is providing a safe and secure services to our customers. See Legal Agreements.

Top 3 mistakes when buying a domain name

August 24, 2007 by Administrator

attention

TOP 3 Mistakes when registering a domain name

Do not reserve domain name unless you are positive registrar will be putting your information in the WHOIS (that’s the record every domain name has). Whoever`s address is listed in the whois is the real domain owner. You can check it by searching here. This is very popular with some web hosts that offer free domain names, so make sure YOU get what you pay for.
Do not show your contact information to hackers. Instead – Protect your PRIVACY! When reserving a domain name you will have option to keep your domain name private – this will keep your name, email address, … hidden from the global database. A private registration will prevent a lot of spam so I warmly recommend to select this option.
Do not settle with bad support. Support should be available to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Period. They should be knowledgeable and answer your questions in time.

How to select a Good Domain Name

August 24, 2007 by Administrator

Great tips to choose a good domain name!

Keep in mind that domain names are meant to help users find you more easily. If you want a good domain name follow these simple rules:

Shorter is better
Reserve domain name that is as short as possible as long it remains recognizable. For example usedcars.com is far better than weofferusedcarsatlowprices.com. It is easier to remember and it also minimizes the risk of typing it wrong.
Make it simple and memorable
Avoid using abbreviations, hyphens or anything that could put your visitors in doubt how to spell or say it. If you can, choose domain name with less than 3 words. If you need to register a name with 3 words or more, use hyphens, but do it with caution. Domain name should be easy to remember. This is especially important when people try to find you the second time. The easiest way to follow this rule is to read your name over the phone to your friend and see if he got it right. If you have to explain anything than you have a problem. Change it, you will thank me later. 🙂
Your domain name should tell users about you
Really. The name of your domain should reflect the content of your website. Why? Because when people think of your website lets say its name is Rare flowers they will try finding you by that name. In this case rareflowers.com would be a good choice for your domain name. If you follow this rule you also gain some advantage with the search engines.
What about extensions?
My advice is use a .com. If you are serious about your site you should avoid various new domain extensions. It takes a bit more time to register .com since it is the most popular extension but you wont regret it. Dot coms are good domain names because its what people first think of.

Following these simple rules will put you way ahead of those who will register just the first name they can think of.

Basic Web Hosting Model Explained

June 26, 2007 by Administrator

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First element: Your Computer

Creating a Website

Creating your Website begins on your computer. It can be done offline, on your computer with a HTML software, or Online with Online Web Builder, provided by your Hosting Company.

Publishing your Website

Once your website is created, it needs to be published, so the whole world can see it. Website created on your own computer, needs to be uploaded to Web Server. It can be done with a FTP program, or with Web Interface. In case Website is built using Online Builder, there is no need to upload anything. You only need to click on publish button in Online Builder.

Managing your Website

Once you sign up for a hosting account, you get access to your own Control Panel. This is the place where you control everything about your website. You can configure email accounts, manage databases, install scripts and a lot more. Most popular control panels are cPanel, Vdeck and Plesk.

Second Element: Web Server

Web Server is a computer designed to serve web pages. It can run on Linux or Windows platform and serve hundreds of pages. Web Servers are usually located in data centers, which are power redundant, and connected to high-speed internet connections, also called Internet backbones. The whole point of data centers is to make sure websites are constantly online.

Third Element: Website Visitors

Interaction between Web Server and Surfers begin, when Surfers enter a domain name in their Web Browser. In just a fragment of a second, domain name is resolved in a domain name system (DNS) and Web Browser connects with a specific Web Server. Web Server returns request and sends Surfer data that is shown in Web Browser. Most popular Web Browsers are Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera.

As you can see, in each part of the process there is some Hardware and Software used for the system to work.

Shared Web Hosting

June 18, 2007 by Administrator

What is Shared Hosting?

Shared Web Hosting is most popular and most affordable type of Web Hosting. It means that your website shares resources with other websites on the same server. That means you also share costs, and thats the reason why Shared Web Hosting is so pupular with Beginners.

Description of Shared Hosting Service

Shared Web Hosting includes administration of the server, installation of operation system and programs. It includes updating of programs, scripts and protection from security threats. In short, you have nothing to worry about, because everything is taken care of. You can calmly use your hosting account.

Shared Web Hosting should include support, but that depends on each hosting provider. Good Hosts provide extensive Knowledge Base, Forums, Free Online Chat, Email Support and more. To provide all that they need dedicated people, who like what they do. And that means costs. That`s why hosts with good support have higher prices than the ones with poor, on no support at all.

Many people complain about bad support, but they don`t realize that quality services cost money. You honestly can`t expect support from a cheap provider.

Core of the service is your hosting space, bandwidth, emails and other features that are controlled in a web-based environment called Control Panel. There are many types of Control Panels. They might differ by look, but they all share one common thing: They are used to control your hosting account. Most popular Control Panels on shared hosting accounts are cPanel, Plesk and Vdeck.

Benefits of shared Hosting

Main advantage of shared hosting is surely price, since costs of managing Web Server are divided among many users. That makes shared hosting very popular Beginner Hosting option who don`t want to spend a fortune for hosting.

Second advantage is that using a shared hosting is very easy and does not require a long learning curve. Good (not the cheapest) shared hosts offer excellent support, which is essential for beginners to have a positive hosting experience. I recommend not to evaluate your host only by price.

Disadvantages of Shared Web Hosting

Sharing good things also means sharing bad things. Since all sites are on the same server, sites divide bandwidth and resources. If one site uses too much resources that means less resources for others. But since your site wont be receiving thousands of hits per second that shouldn`t be a problem.

What we recommend?

Shared Web Hosting is great for Beginners, because of small running costs opportunity to host your own website, while learning a lot of exciting things. For E-commerce or larger sites Virtual Private Server or Dedicated Hosting would be better.

Introduction to Web Hosting

June 16, 2007 by Administrator

What is Web Hosting?

Web Hosting is a Business, where a company (Web Host) offers Web space and other services for a small fee. They provide environment (hardware, software, knowledge and support) for hosting web pages.

How does Web Hosting Work?

Websites that you visit on Internet, are located on computers called Web Servers. They have a single task: They serve Web Pages. Web Servers can run on Linux or Windows, and can host from 1 to hundreds of Web Sites.

These Servers are located in data centers, which are exclusively built for hosting purposes. Data Centers are monitored and managed 24/7 by IT professionals, that take care everything runs smoothly. While larger companies operate their own data centers, smaller rent resources from the first ones to minimize costs.

One of the biggest Data Centers in the world, is located at ThePlanet . EasySiteGuide.com is hosted on HostGator, who uses ThePlanets data center. The Planet Data Center Chart (PDF document, 98 Kb).

What does hosting a website include?

When you buy a hosting package, you get your own hosting account. For a monthly fee, you are provided with:

certain amount of web space
certain amount of bandwidth (how much data you can transfer per month)
certain number of emails
access to Control Panel where you manage your hosting account
optional features, such as Online Builder, Auto install scripts, e-commerce,…

Web Hosting Companies require that you have your own domain name in order the hosting to work.

Are all Hosting types the same?

No, there are many types of web hosting. Beginners usually try to find a free hosting provider, but after some time, they decide to go for a Shared Hosting Account, which is most popular and the most affordable. Other hosting types are Virtual Private Hosting, Dedicated Hosting and Colocation. You can read more about them in our article: Hosting types Explained.

How can I obtain Web Hosting for my first website?

It is very simple and it takes only a few minutes. Most companies allow you to pay with Credit Card or even Paypal. You register a domain name, select a hosting plan and provide them with email and your details. When the process is completed they will instantly send you an email with your account details.

Create a website for free?

June 13, 2007 by Administrator

Create a FREE website

Or better why not to create a free website? The intention of this article is not to scare you, but to tell you the truth about free website creation, which often ends in frustration and loss of many hours of your time.

Free hosting providers

I know! Things are just so tempting when they are free. But remember the saying: "There is no free lunch!". As in many cases it has proven to be true in hosting too.

Even though the hosting is free for users, someone has to pay hosting expenses. I mean, would you give money out of your pocket for hundreds of people you don`t even know ? I don`t think so.

Free hosting = Ads, Banners, Pop-ups

So how does a free hosting survive? They put ads on your site! That`s ok with me, you say. But what if these ads are making no money? Than owner will be forced to terminate free hosting. Along with your website. And sadly, you can do nothing about it. All of your content can be lost at anytime the owner says. That means he is controlling your site and your success. The fact is most free web hosting have a short life cycle. I don`t know for you, but I don`t like that.

Limits, Limits, Limits

If you read terms of service of any free host, you will see it is full of limitations. There is a limit of web space you can use, limit on bandwidth, limit on file size which is not very pleasant. Some hosts will even terminate your account for exceeding, no questions asked.

Free web hosting and personal websites

You might ask yourself why spend money for a personal site? Here is an example of two website addresses. One of them is free, and one of them is not. Can you figure out which one?

http://www.joeshobby.com
http://www.free-super-host/gests/~joeshobby/

Even if you are building a hobby website, why not have a stand alone domain that costs you as much as two cups of coffee? With your web address you also get your personalized emails like joe(at)joeshobby.com. And best of all, get rid of those spammy pop-ups and banners no one wants.

Free web hosting and business websites

Planning to start a business? Great idea? First you need a memorable domain that your visitors can remember in a snap, than a reliable web host, email and,…wait a minute. You are thinking of starting with a free host? Let me ask you something? If you were buying a new car would you buy it from

http://doeew-free.4site.com/brandnewcars or from http://www.cars.com? I though so.

There is one thing you have to know: Business on a free website is not exceptable. Here are the reasons:

Reliability: Your website can be terminated in any moment and your customers will think your business is gone too.
Search Engines: If you want your business to be found in Google, free websites have a problem – they will probably not rank at all. And that means no visitors from search engines.
Sell Online: Another disadvantage of free web hosting is they do not allow interactive functions – forms, online ordering and others which may be essential to your website.
Credibility: To be able to sell online you need reputation. It is very hard to do it on a free site. The problem is almost noone is going to link or recommend your site, because it will hurt their reputation.

Advantages of owning your own domain name

Firstly a brandable domain name, which will get you credibility and reputation.
Your own email: yourname@anything.com
No banners, pop-ups
Total Control over the look of your website.
Enough web space, bandwidth, advanced things like chat, forums, guest books, online stores and more.
Guarantee your site will be online for more than 99% of time.
You can place your own ads and make money!
Help and Support, which is extremely valuable for beginners.

The right way to build a Website

Think what your goal is. If you are serious about creating a website, than build your website the way it should be built. Register a domain name and create a website plan .

Registering domain name is very easy and has become very cheap too. You can reserve a domain name for as long as you want.

Then your domain name need some space to be settled on. Choosing right Hosting company is very important. They will provide you with space, tools and top support.

Try the Freedom of paid Hosting!

Believe me, I have been through free web hosting and learned my lesson. I recommend you to start with our guide and create a website you will be proud of!

Should I buy domain separate from hosting?

June 12, 2007 by Administrator

Understanding Hosting Packages

When building your first website, you will probably go for a hosting package that includes a free domain. That`s ok. Lots of companies nowadays offer it, simply because everyone else in the industry does. It is just a part of the marketing offer.

Changing hosts in a year or two?

But what if some day you decided to change your host? You will send your host a cancellation request, trying to move your site to new host. But hey, what about my domain name? Whos domain name? You got that domain name for free.

Domain Name Reality check

Thats when you get into trouble. Your old host will no longer receive money from you, but you still want to use that domain name. Why shouldn`t you? Search engines indexed your pages, you got some nice links from directories and social bookmarking sites, everything was going just great. Until now!

Who is the real domain owner?

Domain name that was so free, suddenly becomes unplesantly expensive. You find out that domain name is not even yours! The worst scenario that could happen, is that hosting will not release domain name, so you would have to wait for (not so yours) domain name to expire and then register it again.

Possible solution – Domain Transfer

Since hosting companies usually provide domain names only to their clients, you could also transfer your domain name to another domain registrar and pay a nice fee for that to your old host.

Conclusion

Anyway it would cost you far more than it would, if you bought a stand alone domain name from a Domain Registrar . I hope you can learn this little story`s lesson or you can always try it yourself:)

Registrar Criteria

May 16, 2007 by Administrator

Why have we listed them as best?

We recommend only what we personally know is the best and only companies we trust. Here are reasons why you can trust these companies and register/buy domain name with NO RISK.

What do these registrars have in common:

	ICANN Accredited Registrars (What does this mean?).
	Largest Domain Registrars in the world.
	Established positive reputation.
	Several years in business (some of them are Domain Pioneers).
	Millions of satisfied customers.
	Our Guarantee they are trustworthy and will not scam you.
	We regularly do business with many of them.
	Are going to stay for a long haul.
	They all have privacy policies and protect customer data by laws applied in the contry they reside in.
	We daily check monitoring reports for their uptime and ICANN reports in case of any issues.

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