Those who were in black hats were bad guys and were to be avoided like plague. They could not be trusted. They were always ones who did bad things.

You can't really tell good guys from bad online today by just viewing a website or reading an email.

If you do business with them, you are unlikely to know that there is a problem until it is too late.

Fortunately, I have had very few negative experiences online which kind of reinforces my personal philosophy that most people online or off are going to do right thing and can be trusted.

Still, we all need to keep our guard up when surfing around internet.

How can you identify good guys and bad guys these days ? Well here are a few suggestions that may help you avoid some problems.

1) Have you done business with them before ?

2) Do they have a virtual domain name or a freebie ?

You must have a virtual domain name in order to do business online. I know, I know, you can get free sites, free hosts and some will even offer free ISP services. Eventually, you end up with a domain name as long as a six-foot black snake and about as identifiable and trustworthy. (:>))

Getting your own domain name is really easy and very inexpensive if you do some research.

Here are some resources to give you a heads-up when you set out to get that virtual domain name and some reasons for doing so.

You are more likely to be seen as a having these qualities if you have a VDN.

1) Serious marketer--You thought enough in your online business to spring a few bucks for name.

2) Honesty- With your unique name, you are perceived as more identifiable and therefore more trustworthy.

3) Dependability- You have become more dependable because you have invested in your share of cyberspace.

How to get a domain name 1) Selecting a name--Try to avoid something cute. Clever is okay...cute is out.

Avoid names with dashes in them. They are too easily missed and harder to type. Keep it as short and memorable as possible. Try to include a word or phrase about your business central theme. ( E.g.., If you sell flapjacks, hopefully flapjacks.com is still available.)