A domain name, to put it simple, is your address on the World Wide Web. This is where you put up your website and it is what internet users will type in their address bar in order to locate your site while online. Your domain name should be short, simple, and easy to remember. But, one must keep in mind that domain names are only available for one individual or business. This is to maintain uniqueness and to avoid confusion among the millions of websites and internet users.
A most common example of a domain name is www yahoo.com. The first part, the www identifies the server name of the domain. Yahoo, the second element, is the name of the company, individual or organization; and the suffix .com is the domain name extension, which identifies the purpose of the website.
The most important part of the entire domain name is the second element, which states the unique name of an individual, an organization, or a company. This is what sets it apart from all the other addresses present on the web, as some people would try to change a part of the domain name in order to direct traffic to their site instead.
Another example of a domain name is www nasa.gov. This is the NASA website, and since it is a government office, it uses the extension dot gov. Users need to bear in mind that the domain name extensions are there for a purpose. It indicates the purpose why the website exists.
As much as we love the world in which we live today – with all its gadgets, applications and networks that make communication easier and more affordable – there are many who still worry about how the new technologies are actually discouraging communication. This doesn’t just apply to email, instant messaging, SMS and social network sites, which leans more toward information sharing than traditional communication. This also includes the new phone technology and phone system paradigm which allows people to avoid conversations in favor of less direct interaction.
How does this new phone system paradigm “kill” conversations?
There are many ways that the new phone system paradigm can supposedly make conversations less relevant compared to information sharing. Chief among them is the fact that the modern professional phone system (which more and more people are employing for their small business or freelance endeavors) allows people to avoid phone calls, if they so choose. This is all thanks to the combination of caller ID and answering rules that can be easily programmed to always send a majority of calls to voicemail.
This, in conjunction with the increasing popularity of social networking sites, makes the younger generation of communicators wonder if the phone call truly is as effective as it is claimed to be.
It also doesn’t help that almost every phone company today is focusing on integrating Internet capabilities with the services they offer.
Should we really be worried about the death of conversations?
This all depends on how you define the word “conversation”. For much of the older generation, “conversation” entailed real time interaction that begins the moment someone reaches out to someone else, and receives a response. In the past, conversation dies the moment one of the parties fails to respond immediately.
But today, failure to immediately respond does not spell the death of a conversation – because you can always continue a conversation at a later time, and people are okay with that. A conversation is essentially a discussion that can be picked up again and again whenever possible.
And despite all the concerns, there is one thing that must be considered: this new phone system paradigm has actually made conversations better. It encourages patience, and allows people to give others the attention they are due. Immediacy is not good, if quality ends up being sacrificed.
When hosting a website there are many different options. You can host your own server or host it with a web hosting company. There is also the option of colocation, where you have your own server but hire rack space at a data centre where it is hosted. This article looks at the advantages and disadvantages of hosting your own server, hosting through a hosting company, and colocation.
Hosting Your Own Server
The main advantage of hosting your own server is that you have control over your hosting. You make all the decisions regarding the server and operating systems used. Because you are in control you don’t have to worry about any mistakes from a hosting company impacting your website. You also don’t need to be concerned with any problems that might be caused by other websites sharing the server. All hosting resources, including bandwidth and disk space, are entirely dedicated to your server and your website.
While you are in control, you will also have to resolve any problems that arise. This could be a problem if you don’t have the relevant expertise to deal with these issues. You will need to closely monitor your server if you are in charge of it to make sure you spot any issues quickly. Another disadvantage is that you will have to pay for any required software or hardware updates. Overall, hosting your own server can be expensive.
Hosting With a Hosting Company
One of the benefits of using a hosting company is that instead of you being in charge, the experts employed by the hosting company monitor and take care of your hosting. This is particularly advantageous to those without their own technical expertise. Because resources are being shared between all of the hosting company’s customers, the cost is reduced. Professional web hosting companies regularly update their servers and infrastructure and, unlike when hosting your own site, this is factored into your hosting costs so it will not cost you extra.
The problems can come if you don’t choose a good quality provide. If the hosting company makes mistakes, your website could suffer. The other downside is that other websites sharing a server with your site could potentially have a negative impact.
Colocation
Colocation goes somewhere in between the two options above. You have your own server but co-locate it at a data centre by hiring rack space. The positive is that you have some of the same control as with hosting your own server. You choose the server and can make decisions regarding it. Colocation is cheaper than hosting it yourself, though, as you are sharing the infrastructure costs with other customers. Although you are responsible for the maintenance of the server, you are not responsible for the maintenance of the infrastructure. Security is of a good standard and there are other benefits such as temperature control you may not have when hosting your own server.
Even though you have a significant amount of control, you don’t have as much as with hosting it yourself. Another disadvantage is that the colocation centre’s resources are shared between customers so there will be some limits. In the majority of cases colocation is more expensive than hosting with a hosting company.
Andrew Marshall ©