TECH RESET » Hosting & Domains

Quickly post a screenshot online

Admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:29:10 +0000

Previously, when I wanted to show someone a screenshot from my computer, I would use Jing, but I thought having an account with them was unnecessary for how little I used it and it’s little app is a bit too feature laden and takes too many key strokes to do what I want.

So now I’m using Pict.com’s “Pict Uploader” screenshot tool. Sits in the taskbar, very quick and easy.

Domain Name Ideas and Research Tools

Admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:09:26 +0000

Here’s a few tools I’ve found the most useful when trying to think of domain names:

Instant Domain Search – searches domain name availability in realtime, as you type.
MakeWords – generates random real-sounding words according to your parameters.
Dot-o-mator – combines your desired word/topic with cliche industry prefixes and suffixes.
GoDaddy’s expiring domains – there are some gems to be found in there.
And of course there’s always the trusty thesaurus.

But one of the most useful things I’ve done is kept an excel file (or text file also works) of cool sounding words and ideas that I’ve been brainstorming with for over five years now. Unfortunately for you, I consider that document too ripe with fresh ideas to give away.

My Favorite Domain Registrars Compared

Admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:17:03 +0000

At the moment, I have a couple dozen domains registered across three different registrars: GoDaddy, 1&1 and Name.com. As my domains near expiration, I transfer most of them over to my whatever is my favorite registrar at that time, but I also keep a few domains parked at the other registrars just for comparison’s sake.

Below is some of my reasoning behind my decision making process:

GoDaddy

Most popular registrar… by far!
$10.69 for .com registration
$8.99 additional for whois privacy
Annoying ads and offers all across the site
Site navigation can be overwhelming at time, but still pretty simple
It’s where I tell my friends and family to register their domains

1and1

One of the five largest registrars.
$8.99 for .com registration
Whois privacy is included/free
Pretty simple and straightforward interface
Can only register domain for one year at a time – WTF!?
Domain registration/expiration unnecessarily difficult to find

Name.com

$8.99 for .com registration
Whois privacy is included/free
Advanced settings, nameserver configurations, etc. readily available
Some options/features may scare novice users
Popular with and recommended by advanced users with lots of domains

My favorite of the moment: Name.com (as of January 2010). I like the $8.99 cost with free whois privacy. Unlike 1and1 I can register domains for more than one year. But as I mentioned, for most people I would still recommend GoDaddy. And as for any horror stories you might hear about GoDaddy, it’s to be expected when they are so large. I personally usually hear stories like that about small registrars.