Hi Shel,
First, about how much space are you using, or do you think you'd
need, to
continue posting pix and doing a little e-commerce?
I think I have 250 Mb for my site. There's no webshop, but there are
sometimes over a 100 PUG shots waiting for publication at komkon, and
a database to hold the information about each image.
When I chose the size of my "storage room", I considered that each
image I put out would be 100-150 Kb, which means 7-10 images per Mb.
I can set something up through my ISP, but was wondering about other
possibilities. Are there any places that may specifically lend
themselves
to this process? What sites/companies do you use, why did you
choose them,
and how are they working out for you? Is a .COM suffix a clearly
better
choice than some other, like .NET or .ORG
.com is the intended domain type for ebusiness, but I don't think
anyone will deny you either of the usual endings.
Many domain space providers offer web hotel solutions with
pre-configured eCommerce solutions. Usually you have to pay a little
extra for that, and more if you let them connect you to a credit card
online payment thingie. Some of the webshop frameworks are highly
configurable, others are not. Usually the web space provider has a
couple of reference customers. Looking at the diversity of their sites
will give you a clue to how flexible the solution is. All
configuration is usually done by selecting a "skin", or maybe even
configuring your own with an online tool.
How do you avoid the spam that often follows when a site is on line
and has
a public presence?
I expect the more serious providers have anti-spam solutions running
on the mail server. That's how it is over here, at least. Some offer
it as an add-on to pay for, others include it for free.
Choosing a name for the site is eluding me. My name is long and
cumbersome, and something shorter, easier to remember, and with a
little
more punch may be a better choice. Any suggestions on naming
conventions -
not specifically a name - would be helpful.
My personal opinion is that the domain name itself will do very little
to attract business to your site, unless it is already a brand name in
people's minds. Meta-coded keywords and references from other sites
and search engines are much more important. And also that you
carefully associate your own cyber-presence in all forums to your
website. A link in the signature, for example, and always posting
PESOs at the same location, etc.
A domain name doesn't have to be short to be catchy, but it's more
convenient for email addresses. If you don't thing [EMAIL PROTECTED]
is a good email addres, then find something shorter...:-)
Hope this can be of some value to you.
Good luck in your search.
Jostein
