ITList Information Technology Blog » Web Presence http://itlist.com Current IT field related information Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:40:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Internet Marketing is a Valuable Part of Business http://itlist.com/internet-marketing-is-a-valuable-part-of-business/ http://itlist.com/internet-marketing-is-a-valuable-part-of-business/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:47:05 +0000 bizblogger http://itlist.com/?p=1001 Business growth and success is based on fundamental principles that help you to achieve your goals. The first thing you need to do is make a decision regarding what you want for your business. This helps develop focus in a specific direction. The next thing is to develop a plan of action. In the last few years, the internet has become a major part of most businesses. People use the internet to conduct market research, search for products, information, services and even for entertainment.

Most successful people have recognized the need for an integrated marketing approach. There are many important reasons to have a web presence, especially since it has become so much easier and affordable. The internet can offer you valuable exposure for your product or service. Many people find it a daunting task because they have  limited technical knowledge, and automatically assume that getting set up is going to be an expensive exercise.

Before setting up your internet site you need to decide what your message is going to be. Take some time to write a list of what you hope to achieve from your site. You can have access to a vast reservoir of information and intelligence, but it is of little value if you are not prepared to spend the time thinking about what benefits you can offer the consumer. If your information is honest and accurate your site will have credibility. Take the time to work out a definite plan, know what you want your internet marketing to achieve. Unless you are able to monitor the results you have no way of knowing what value this avenue is adding to your business growth.
There are many different approaches to suit the needs and budget of every kind of business or individual. Before you make your decision check out www.gossimer.biz. They offer many different options and there is sure to be something to suit your needs. They can provide you with templates and even give you the option to customize your own web page with just basic computer knowledge. In addition to a customized service they also have many other valuable resources which you can incorporate into your business strategy. It is always best to work with a business that is a specialist in the field of internet technology. 

Once you have your site you need to turn it into a valuable promotional tool that will attract visitors. The real reason for a website is to communicate with a potential consumer. The bottom line of any marketing action is to get new clients. Focus on the reasons why your service will improve the consumer’s life. They must be able to visualize the benefits they are being offered in a clear and concise way. It is the benefits that will motivate a potential client to take action and buy into your message.

If you keep these principles in mind you will find that the internet is a valuable tool that helps you grow your business, and you will generate consumer interest and action.

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Things to Do to Choose the Right Web Hosting plan for you http://itlist.com/things-to-do-to-choose-the-right-web-hosting-plan-for-you/ http://itlist.com/things-to-do-to-choose-the-right-web-hosting-plan-for-you/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:59:52 +0000 IT List http://itlist.com/?p=295

Guidelines for the Things You Have to Look at when Choosing a Web Hosting Plan

In today’s world, more and more, the internet is playing a larger role in our lives. People use it to express themselves. Companies use the internet to sell their products to wide range of people. This is where we get our news and ideas. The internet has become so important that it now dominates our lives.

How do they do it? You may ask. Well, the answer lies in websites. As you go through the World Wide Web, you can view thousand upon thousands of websites. There are websites for keeping in touch. There are websites used in commerce. There websites that lead to other websites. The diversity and activity just makes you want to jump in on the fun by creating a website of your own.

If you are a person of humble means with little to no technological inclinations, building a website for the World Wide Web can be a daunting task. This is where a web hosting service can help. The web host service provider can get you web presence for what ever purpose it may serve you. Whether it is for fun or for business, a web hosting service will set your website up on the internet.

However there are hundreds of web hosting services out there that are claiming to be the best, making it hard to choose from all of them. This guide will show you what to look for. Follow these simple steps and you will be able to find the best possible web hosting service that will fit your need and budget.

Action Steps

What are your needs?

List down all the things you will need in your web hosting. Do you need more space? Or, is a higher bandwidth a greater concern? If you are a total newbie and you do not know what to do, then you should be looking at the plan that offers add-ons that will help you develop your website the way you need it to. Then you must look at your budget. How much will budget allow you to spend? The more features you add on the more expensive it will likely get.

I recommend: You could learn more about web hosting by going www.wikipedia.com and typing in web hosting. They have a very informative article about web hosting. You can also learn more about the history in this article.

What is your skill level?

Have you been working in the internet for long? How much do you know about setting up your website? These are some of the questions you need to ask before you choose the web hosting package for your website. If you have below average knowledge and you do not have enough free money to pay a consultant to handle this it would be best to sign up with a hosting package that will help you set up your site for free.

I recommend: Try the free features of the web hosting packages from www.gossimer.biz, where you can get free software for forums, blogs, shopping carts and image galleries. For an additional fee you can also take advantage of their plans for site building software.

Look at your budget

You do not want to pay to the teeth for a web hosting package, so you have better shop around. Get a second, third and fourth option. Don’t be fooled by the lower prices though. Some plans might offer a lower rate but could offer fewer features. Review the rate carefully and look at what each company offers before making a decision.

I recommend: Use review sites like www.hosting-review.com to compare rates and review their features. If you do not have the budget to buy web hosting, check out this article about free web hosting and how it can work for you or against you.

List down everything and compares

With all the information you have collected so far, choosing the right web hosting plan for you can get a bit confusing. Start by listing down all things you need for your website. The next thing you need to list down the plans that you can actually afford. Then, list down the features that you really need. A lot the unnecessary expenditures come from buying features you don’t really need.

I recommend: docs.Google.com has a set of tools that are totally free. You can use this to collaborate with other members of your team to see what works for you and your entire organization.

Try it out and then make a decision

There are some web hosting companies that offer free trials on their web hosting services. Give these a try first before committing to a contract. If you like their services and it fits your needs, then, by all means, go for the one that you have seen work. In case your free trial does not work out keep one of the plans you like as insurance. Remember to take note of the expiration date of the free trials. Read through the fine print as well. You don’t want to go back and return the product only to find out that you are no longer qualified.

I recommend: There are a lot of web hosting companies out there that offers free trial periods. One such company is www.homestead.com which is a company owned and operated by Intuit.

Tips and Tactics

  • Choose phone over email support. When choosing a company to host your website it would be best to have phone support. Email is an effective means of communication most of the time but it can fall through the cracks. For really urgent issues, it would be best to go directly to a phone support personnel.
  • Leave room for growth. Murphy’s Law states that all empty space will eventually be filled. The same goes for a website. As you start slow you will eventually grow your business. As your business grows your need for greater bandwidth and server space will grow. Leave room for growth without breaking your budget.
  • Do it right the first time. If you are working on a website for the first time and you have no experience with computers, you would be best served getting someone to build your website for you. Try to find affordable web services in the internet. If your budget does not allow for an outside hire, try finding a hosting company with easy to use tools for web development

Recommended Solutions Providers

  • If you are looking for the most bang for your buck then www.gossimer.biz and their many free features should be perfect for your needs.
  • Comparing web hosting rates is a long and tedious process. The review site www.hosting-review.com compares the rates for you while reviewing all the features.
  • Intuit’s free web hosting service http://www.homestead.com/ provides free web hosting service by one of the largest business software company in the world
  • Google Docs is a surprisingly powerful free online service that allows you to create presentations, documents and spreadsheets while collaborating with other people on the internet.

Best Sites to Learn More

Best Blogs and Forums

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Whois Privacy Protection and Why You Need to Make Sure You Are Protected… http://itlist.com/whois-privacy-protection-and-why-you-need-to-make-sure-you-are-protected/ http://itlist.com/whois-privacy-protection-and-why-you-need-to-make-sure-you-are-protected/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:45:14 +0000 IT List http://itlist.com/?p=293 The internet is great way to grow your business. It allows you to reach more people efficiently and effectively than you could ever even image with only a brick and mortar business. The internet can truly make your company go global at only a fraction of the cost that you otherwise have to shell out to gain success. However, this advantage does not come without risk. Generating a web presence can lead you to sacrificing your anonymity.

The internet is slowly becoming a more and more dangerous place, where a sliver of information can soon turn to a heap of trouble. This is especially true for companies that have an online presence in the internet.

In most cases there is a level of anonymity that comes with working in the internet. However, the Internet Coalition for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, does require mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of domain name owners and users to be supplied by domain owners and subsequently this information ends up being displayed for the whole world to see in Whois directories.

This action can leave you open to be a victim of time consuming spamming, inconvenient direct marketing tactics and even possibly lead to identity theft. As your information becomes available to the public, more people can use it to further their personal gain.

Consider the fact that 27 million Americans have been the victim of Identity theft in the past five years. These numbers are very conservative since only a few people report these occurrences due to the fact that they don’t understand what is happening. This is a growing problem that a lot of businesses fail to address.

Gossimer has seen this problem and looks to help businesses deal with it. With their close collaboration with www.Id-protect.org and their host of useful domain and web publishing tools they aim to provide businesses with the most complete web solutions out there. They provide our customers with the option of detecting unauthorized automated programs that are trying to harvest Whois information through your domain.

Whois Privacy Protection shields you from possible loss of time and effort dealing with continuous spamming and direct marketing tactics. It also shield you from possible financial loss brought about by identity theft.

The losses brought about by identity theft can be very costly. It can bring un-repairable damage to a company’s reputation. Insurance can help cover the losses but an ounce of prevention is always better than a gallon of cure.

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