- What is Internet Presence?
- How do I ... ?
- Where can I find ... ?
- Why doesn't ... ?
- Who is ... ?
- When is ... ?
What is Internet Presence?
Most Internet users never consider that when they get decide to get on the
Web they are creating their Internet Presence. The most common method of
getting your webname "out there" has been calling up your current provider and
asking to be "signed up". They say, "Great, send us a check for umpteen
dollars and you'll be up next week". While this usually works well, it
comes at a price and carries certain risks.
Internet presence is simply your visibility on the
Internet. It comes in many forms. Most people associate the Internet with
eMail and web-sites but there are many more facets. You can also transfer
files, play games, perform business and financial functions, chat with friends
by typing messages back and forth, send messages to cellular phones, and even
make telephone calls that have both audio and video! All of these things
require the Internet Presence of someone somewhere.
Internet Presence has three basic components to it.
Internet Access – This is how you “log”
onto the Internet. The most common access is through the computer at your job.
Almost as prevalent is dial-up service from home. Whether you have service from
AOL, MSN, Earthlink or the hundreds of other providers, they all count as
Internet access. Internet Access almost always comes with an eMail address
which creates the most basic Internet Presence, your eMail address. When your
eMail address has this simplest form of Internet Presence, it will almost always
carry the domain name of your provider (i.e., john@aol.com, peter@sonnet.com, dave@earthlink.com).
If you want an eMail address with a custom domain name, you must purchase
Domain Name Ownership.
Domain Name Ownership – This
is the owner of the "name.com”. Each domain name on the
Internet is unique world wide! Although we usually think of the domain
name as having a ".com” extension, there are actually many other
extensions that can be had as well (i.e. .biz, .cc, .name). Domain Name Ownership is obtained through
an Internet Domain Name Registry Service commonly called a Domain Registry.
You, as the owner, become what is called the Registrant. You’ll pay the registry
to own the name for a limited amount of time; usually between 1 and 9 years with
the most common term of 3 years. This gives you sole rights to use the name for
the period of your ownership. The longer you own the name the more you pay the
registry. Your domain name is only useful after you’ve found a site to provide
your Domain Name Hosting.
Domain Name Hosting – This is the
computer server that runs the programs that become your Internet Presence. It
runs the Web server, eMail server, Game server, Application server, Chat host,
and so forth. Each are programs that run on your hosting service’s computer
server. Sometime these can be on a computer server that you own (very
expensive). They may run on a computer server you get exclusive access to (less
expensive). Or, they may run on computer server you share with other domain
names through programming magic that makes it appear that you have your own
computer server while in reality you’re sharing it sometimes hundreds of other
domain names (the most economical).
Each component is separate, distinct, and actually unrelated.
While many service providers will offer all three parts together, you can get
them separately from different places. Because the pricing varies greatly, you
must be very careful with what you’re buying from any provider. Providers that
supply all three parts of your Internet Presence can cost you more by hiding the
cost of the different parts in a lump sum greater than the individual parts.
Also, having a single provider can cause problems if your provider goes out of
business. If they have “all of your eggs”, dropping the basket can be
disastrous! You’ll lose your name with no way to log on to find out it’s
disappeared, no way to move it or get it back, and your site will vanish in
front of your customers or friends.
If you have any questions or would like further
explanation, maybe we can help.
or give us a call. We here at CACG can assist you in evaluating your
risks and provide a cost comparison.
Our initial consultation is always free!
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Copyright © 2003 Coffman Associates Consulting Group. All rights reserved.
Revised: 08/04/05.
