I have changed hosting companies for Connecticut Secretary once. As my traffic increased, with my other hosting company, they limited my services and at times shut my site down because of server load. This was an important issue for me, as it resulted in lost sales and potential customer dissatisfaction, to say least. Because I owned my domain independent of hosting company, changing hosts was a very simple procedure. All I had to do was start services with a new hosting company and redirect my URL to that hosting company. Once transfer was complete I was back in business without a hitch. There was work involved with rebuilding my site of course, but I was prepared for that. If I lost my domain name I would have lost a tremendous amount of existing traffic and potential business, not to mention my business identity that I had worked hard for. "...ownership of an account as well as having ability to use account are important features... "

There are so many topics that we can go into regarding domain names and your business on internet: Cyber squatters and your responsibilities with regards to trademark policing, dispute resolution, increase of typo squatters on internet, choosing a relevant domain name, how to promote your business on net through domain names, and so much more. With this article on domain name ownership, Connecticut Secretary wants to convey fact that a domain name is a valuable asset, and I suggest that you take time now to check and verify who actually owns your domain name. If you are about to start process of obtaining an internet identity I suggest that you take time to consider future ramifications of decisions you make today. ******************** Copyright 2003 Kate Smalley, President Connecticut Secretary Specializing in Transcription and Freelance Secretarial Services http://www.connecticutsecretary.com kms@connecticutsecretary.com ********************

A word of warning - be very careful whom you register your domain name with. We recently assisted a client who registered a domain name for a couple of dollars, but had very little control over name without having paying huge fees to registrar. It took approximately 2 months to wrest control away from rabid registrar and transfer name to a more ethical company. Always read fine print. What if I can't afford a domain name? You could always use a free, no-banner, no-popup URL/HTTP redirection service from providers such as:

http://www.shorturl.com/

http://www.has.it/home.php

http://www.777i.net/

http://www.ipfox.com/home.html

The only issue with using these free URL redirection providers is question of continuity of service. Also bear in mind that when it comes to being listed on search engines, nothing beats having your own domain commercially hosted, rather than a redirection to one. Free web space may be right under your nose! When you sign up for Internet access, it is not uncommon for you also to get some free web space thrown in with deal. We receive 10 Megs of space, including Front Page extensions from our Internet Service Provider which has been invaluable for creating a mirror / backup version of Taming Beast. Net. Email your ISP to check out what is available to you.

Ok, back to non-advertising supported, free web hosting options. While we won't personally recommend any as we haven't used them and there were too many conflicting views, following free hosting directories may assist you in finding some no frills, no banner web space. Remember to read fine print before signing up for any service:

http://www.freewebspace.net/search /advanced.shtml

http://www.clickherefree.com /Free_Web_Space_Directory.htm

Looking for free web based file storage space?

http://www.freewebspace.net/guide /diskstorage.shtml

As you can see, there is a number of alternatives to get you started. It should be noted that nothing matches paid site hosting. But if price is an issue and you want to get your site up quickly, by all means check out free service being offered. It may not supply much such as web space or bandwidth, but you would have taken first step towards your online career. The most important thing to realize, is don’t certain factors detain you from your goal. If money is an issue, you now have some free services to get you started.

Article by Matt Byron

Matt Byron Marketing Made Simple Visit World Resource Center at: http://www.directmarketing4u.com Great resources for all your marketing needs.