The Power Of The Domain Name

I bought my first domain name ... ever the other day. I know, its kind of sad, I've been a geek this long and have never bought a domain name. I've always used my ISP's free FTP space to store my personal web page and shared files. So, I had the annoyingly long URLs like:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/x/a/xabbu/joshweddingportfolio.html or

http://www.themostspectacularlylargebusinessname.com/thissubdirectorythattheyhavewhereistoremystuff/joshuaself/mypersonalfiles/index.html~314159265

Yea, that's easy for a potentially paying client to remember you by... Maybe they'll just visit the guy with the website URL that they can remember: joesmithphotography.com. (photo by droїd on Flickr)

So, I finally bought joshuaselfphotography.com, suctionhorse.com, and theweddingphotogblog.com for my photography (mostly wedding) business website and my wedding photography blog. I bought it through GoDaddy and it was probably the easiest thing I've ever done. Now I need to get a nice website built and throw it up on joshuaselfphotography.com.

So, I thought I'd share some tips on finding a good / useful domain name tips and secrets that I have found out recently. First, domain name trivia!:

What is the Domain Name System?

The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address – just like a telephone number – which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol").

But it is hard to remember everyone's IP address. The DNS makes it easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 192.0.34.65, you can type www.icann.org. It is a "mnemonic" device that makes addresses easier to remember. (photo by Collin Anderson on Flickr)

Translating the name into the IP address is called "resolving the domain name." The goal of the DNS is for any Internet user any place in the world to reach a specific website IP address by entering its domain name. Domain names are also used for reaching e-mail addresses and for other Internet applications.

fromthe InterNIC website

• Technicians at the University of Wisconsin developed the first 'name server' in 1984. With the new name server, users were no longer required to know the exact path to other systems (using long IP addresses). And thus the birth of the current addressing system in use today. A year later the Domain Name System was implemented and the initial top-level domain names, including .com, .net, and .org, were introduced. Suddenly 121.245.078.2 became 'company.com'.

• Today there is an estimated 19 million domain names registered, with forty thousand more registered every day. The Internet continues its unprecedented growth into the stratosphere and there is really no end in sight.

• Where it used to cost $100 / year it now costs only $7.00 or less to register a domain name and some companies provide discounts for purchasing their other products (web hosting, spam blocker, email, etc...)
• Squatting and reselling of domain names has become BIG business recently. I know some people who do this exclusively for their job and make GOOD money!

So, here are some steps for finding the best domain name for you or your business:

1. research, research, research your domain name. Does anyone else have something close? Keep brainstorming until something original and catchy comes out!
   
2. Think about SEO and how being descriptive with your name will help increase traffic to your site. Use at least one descriptive word in your domain name. (ie. Net"Flix".com, photographyblog.com, bigcupcoffee.com, Lloydsrestaurant.com)
   
3. pick the least amount of words possible to make your domain. The smaller the name, the easier it is to remember! (de.licio.us, ebay.com, YouTube.com)
   
4. try pick a catchy / rhyming / cleaver name but keep it simple. Stay away from complicated / alternate spellings, try not to use dashes "-" or other special characters.
5. ".com" is the MOST popular and quickest remembered by the public, followed by ".net" and ".org". The average person will confuse or forget domain extensions like ".info", ".biz", ".me" and ".mobi" but, if you do buy the ".com", go ahead and buy the rest of them. This keeps your personal brand and name safe so no one can steal it in the future and blackmail you trying to sell it back to you. Then have the rest of them 301 redirected back to your ".com"

Just remember, your domain name is your image, brand, business, and personality all in a little nutshell. It will determine if someone will be interested enough to click on a link to your site or pass it by. Follow Step 1 until you get it perfect!

I hope these have helped you guys out in your domain name hunt. Do you have a tip that would help our readers out in finding a good domain name? Please leave a comment and help out the community!
(photo by twinsparc)

Does Helen Thomas Need To Retire?

After a surprisingly insightful press conference from President Obama tonight, I noticed that Helen Thomas of the Hearst media conglomerate was back in her front row seat asking the first question of the night. As usual, it was a planned question with a liberal agenda. The interesting thing was that even Obama chose to duck her question!

She asked if Obama knew of any countries in the Middle East that already have nuclear weapons. Obviously, she meant: Israel (which reportedly has them). Obama ducked the question and stated that he didn't care to speculate but any escalation would be bad right now. Then, like the crazy old person that she is, she interrupted the president twice and tried to make her point about Israel to the very end.

For those of you who don't know, Helen Thomas has been around since JFK covering the White House and presidents for over 45 years first with UPI and now she is affiliated with Hearst Media. She has always had the philosophy of asking hard hitting and usually inappropriate liberal agenda questions to conservative presidents. Well, it looks like she's finally lost her mind and is trying to take down her own kind. Maybe the Washington press corp will put her out of her misery soon.

And why is she so stuck on the Israel - Palestine issue you may ask? I did some digging and noticed in her bio that was born in Winchester, KY to Lebanese immigrants from Tripoli, which at the time was part of Syria. Ancestral vendetta? There's always been that hatred between Arabs and Israelis.

In blogging news...
Sam Stein at Huffington Post, got to ask a (overtly liberal spinned) question to the president. While I don't agree with their message, theres no denying that The Huffington Post has became a power player for political blogging and I applaude the president for allowing social and new media to finally be have a legitamate word in mainstream politics and mainstream media. Now, lets just be fair and let a few conservative blogs like Pajamasmedia's Hot Air or Townhall.com in with a few questions next time. (We all know THAT's never going to happen).

Josh Self is the owner of and writer for The Horse, and The Wedding PhotogBlog. He also writes for The Terminal and considers himself a "Conservative Leaning Libertarian". He is also a wedding photographer and Lead Trainer at The Cheesecake Factory in Birmingham, AL.

The Killers, Death Cab, and new music that I like

So, I started playing around on the iTunes Store last night trying to find all this great new music I've been hearing lately.
For those of you who don't know, I'm also a musician, been in 4 bands, played guitar for 15 years, bass for 10, piano / keys, etc... but I've been out of the music scene for a while when I got interested in film and photography. But I still have a longing and ear for good music when it comes along. So, here's what I've been groovin' on lately:


The Killers - Day and Age
I've loved The Killers since Hot Fuss came out in 2004. I used to listen to that album all the way through every time. So I was very happy with Day and Age when I heard it a few months ago. I'm really digging their single Human. The lyrics are reportedly based on a quote from Hunter S. Thompson where he commented that America is nowadays raising a "generation of dancers".

I'm a child of the 80's so I love that vintage synth sound and it sounds great with some modern rock guitar added. The production was done by Stuart Price who did a remix of "Mr Brightside" from Hot Fuss.

If you like The Killers, then you should check out 2 other great bands that have new albums:
Franz Ferdinand and Glasvegas. You've probably heard of Franz Ferdinand, but Glasvegas is a little more dark and dirty (ala B.R.M.C.) but still atmospheric and shoegazy.


Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things
I bought the first Wallflowers album the day it came out and went crazy for the lyrics, basing alot of my personal songwriting on their style. So, I was overjoyed when I heard that Jakob was putting out this album. His songwriting has actually improved (if that is possible) and Rick Ruben has done an amazing job of stripping the songs down to the basics and letting Jakob's vocals shine. Favorite tracks: "Evil Is Alive and Well", "Something Good This Way Comes", "This End of the Telescope"

Singles:

New Morrissey! - "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" from his new album Years of Refusal due out this month. I don't know why, but I've always found his voice interesting even though he's whiny and strange...


The Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name"
OK, this is my fun, guilty pleasure song right now... it makes me move... never mind, I'm sorry I brought this up... moving on to something more manly...


Killswitch Engage - "My Curse"
Melodic metal has always rocked my socks off. I admire metal bands that can actually sing (as well as scream! ie. Def Tones)


The Avitt Brothers - pretty much all of their early stuff from The Gleam and The Second Gleam. Great old school southern songwriting and lyrics with an Iron and Wine / Sam Beam vibe. Favorite tracks: "Murder In The City", "Bella Donna", "The Ballad of Love and Hate". They just came out with a new album called "Emotionalism" a few months ago that's worth checking out as well.
If you like Iron and Wine or the Avett Bros., you should check out Bon Iver, he has a new EP entitled Blood Bank that's really interesting and atmospheric.


Death Cab For Cutie - I've been pretty much obsessed with Ben Gibbard and his little bands (Death Cab and The Postal Service) for the past 2 or 3 years. One of the best lyric writers of all time. The new album Narrow Stairs is pretty decent, but in my opinion, not as mind blowing as Plans or Transatlanticism. (I didn't really mean to give it a bad review... just being honest)

Random pick that I just decided to check out and liked:

Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches
Light and fun alternative rock. Strong female vocalist with a chugging rock backup. This new effort by Wind-Up Records (who brought us Creed, Evenescence and Seether) could be a nice fit into the indie female vocal sound that's so popular right now.

Well, I hope that wasn't an overload for you guys. I'm just trying to get you to try out some new music! Rock on with your bad selves until next time...

Photosynth, changing photography?

I just learned about an interesting new program for photographers called Photosynth. It was created by Microsoft Live Labs and the University of Washington. The software analyzes a cloud of photographs taken in the same locations and compiles them together using pattern recognition into points on a 3d model scale which the user can move in and out and around, just like any other 3d model. Its a little techy but this video explained it a little better:



A group has recently used the technology on the Washington D.C. mall during the inauguration of Barack Obama to show the power of the software. They solicited snapshots and cell phone pictures that were taken during the inauguration and compiled them for a wide angle 3D view of the Mall.

I think its a really cool hybridization of photography and computer technology. Just thought I would share some geek stuff today.

Wedding registries and recent happenings

Photo by legos+dream on Flickr
Well, you know its getting serious when you spend almost 4 hours at Bed Bath and Beyond and actually have fun. Yes, Andrea and I were registering today for our wedding gifts that we will hopefully receive from our generous guests this coming June.

For those of you who haven't heard... yes, I'm getting married on June 27 to my best friend. I talked a little bit more about her in my previous post "Ahh... Engagement, Wedding Planning and Getting Serious". Anyways we had a blast today registering and I think we picked out some cool stuff.

For those of you who haven't quite gotten to this step yet, never fear, The Horse is here to help ya out with some advice for how and when to register.

• Most wedding planners and websites say to register a good 4-6 months in advance. This gives you a chance to change and move things around or delete items that were "impulse registers".
• Stick with one store for the majority of your registry and a maximum of three stores or you run the risk of spreading yourself thin.
• Your main store should have a wide variety of home goods. Some great stores to register at are places like: Bed Bath and Beyond, Pottery Barn, Macy's, Target, and Wal-Mart.
• Many couples are also choosing to register at internet storefronts. Sites like Amazon, Etsy, and Ebay have either actual online registries or shared wish lists.
• Try an online registry compiler like MyRegistry.com.
• Be sure to check your store's return policy. Many, like BBB, have a very liberal return policy. They will even give a cash rebate for anything that you decide you don't want after the wedding! (very nice!)
  

The store employee will usually tell you to register for more than you need and try to push the more expensive china on you. These days many couples on a budget are not registering for expensive china that they will probably never use, and in its place, registering for more useful items like small electronics, or high end pot and pan sets from brands like All-Clad or Calphalon (we chose the latter).

But, after all is said and done, don't get caught up in the technicalities of it all. This is the time for you guys to have a fun day with each other getting to know each other's tastes and likes. Make it an afternoon when you don't have anything else planned... oh, EAT BEFORE YOU START!

Twitter - The next big thing or TOO MUCH! (or how I learned to stop hating)

What is this Twitter thing I've been hearing about, and why should I care?

You may have been asking yourself this question lately (or maybe not). But I'm here to clue you guys in on the next big social media craze. Twitter!
So, you've heard of MySpace. Maybe you have a MySpace page, and even if you don't, I guarantee that you at least know someone that has a MySpace page. How about Facebook? Facebook is for the more calm, intellectual types. YouTube? Flickr? This is called Social Media.

According to Wikipedia:

Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.^[1] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. ^[2] This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.

So, basically social media is:

• computer and Internet based
• revolves around human beings
• is shared multi-media or text with groups or everyone

It naturally brings people together through blogs, stories, pictures, videos, games, applications stored on the Internet and accessed by anyone that the author allows.
I won't go into the specifics of each site but they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I will, however tell you about my latest addiction, Twitter.

Twitter is a microcosm of social media ideas, in its simplest form. It asks you the question: What are you doing? and you answer in 140 characters or less. Basically, it lets everyone who follows you know what's going on in your life.

Isn't this the same thing as a Facebook status update?
Well, yes and no. Updating your status in Facebook is usually done once or twice a day at most and only for letting people know the really important things. Sending a Tweet (as they are called in the Twitterverse) is done as often as you want! Find a funny video? Tweet it. Want to break some recent news before anyone else? Tweet it. Announce a new blog post, party, trip, movie, tv show or book you've seen or read? Tweet it! Twitter is more of a micro-blog that you can quickly update to let people know whats going on with you and what you think is cool. You can tweet as much or as little as you want. To me its kind of like taking the pulse of social media. You get to hear about all the cool stuff first from your Twitter buddies.

So, just sign up, find some people and businesses and even celebrities to follow and people will start following you back. Its a great way to meet friends, get advice on a hobby or learn about a topic you are interested in. The trick is to follow people that will give you good information that you want to hear. If someone is ticking you off, just unfollow them. Its not as drastic as a MySpace unfriend... Check out my Twitter feed in the sidebar to your right and follow me. I'll help you --->

I may get into Twetiquette (yes, we add "Twi"to everything) in a later post but I'll leave you with the decision:

Is Twitter right for me?

• Do you love social media? Are you slightly OCD about having to know what's going on in your friend's lives? Have you secretly ever wanted to be an exhibitionist? (not that way, dirty mind!) Are you on the Internet ALOT? Do you like knowing stuff first, ahead of everyone else? Do you like meeting minor and even major celebrities? - Then Twitter is for you! Go sign up now!
• You've heard MySpace and Facebook are full of perverts and stalkers, so social media must be bad. You don't really use the Internet that much. You would rather go read an encyclopedia to learn about your hobby or interest. You would rather just keep to yourself. If someone wants to know about me, they can call me or write me a letter. Zzzzzz... I'm boring myself just writing this...

OK, so I'll admit, you've got to be a little geeky to like Twitter. Its takes some upkeep, but its worth it to me in the payoff of new friends and personal free advice you can glean from your Twitter friends.

Next time, Twitter desktop clients and Twetiquette...
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