The internet is a boon to marketing our services. The majority of my booking come
directly (found me on the Internet) or indirectly (Heard of me elsewhere and checked
me out on the Internet) from the Internet. How much it costs to be on the Internet
varies depending on what you want to accomplish. The cheapest way is to use the web
site capability that usually comes included with your service provider (ISP). Most
providers offer this service. Often web site creation tools are provided by your
ISP. The downside is these sites are often what the ISP allows and may not be too
creative. Some ISPs allow the use of other web site editors. There are a number available,
each with their advantages and disadvantages, and their fans. That however is another
topic.
Another downside is that you muse use that ISP and cannot change. For example to
use an AOL web site you must be, and remain, a subscriber to AOL. There is an alternative
that is not too expensive. There are a number of re-direct services available. I
use Yahoo which costs $10/year. You must also get a domain name registered. The full
price for this is $35/year but seldom does anyone pay that anymore. I've seen rates
as low as $6/year. You can do this through Yahoo as well as other places. You use
the re-direct to point your address to your actual web site. For example you get
YourName.com and redirect it to your free AOL site. Potential customers can type
YourName.com and will end up on your AOL site. If you change fro AOL to another ISP,
just change to re-direct (no charge) to your new actual web site. It is transparent
to your users.
Your e-mail address is a similar situation. Change your ISP and you loose your e-mail
address. The best thing is to get a universal e-mail address like Yahoo or Hot Mail.
These you can keep even if you change your ISP. If you gat a re-directed Domain Name
you usually get a mail box also, It may be an actual mail box or it may also be a
redirect. For example my web address www.StoriesAndMagic.com is redirected to www.drango.com/bob
and the e-mail that goes with it "bob at StoriesAndMagic dot com" is re-directed
to "storyvent at yahoo dot com". It really doesn't matter what ISP I use or how often
I change, that remains the same. All my literature stays current so even if someone
comes across an old one, the contact information is still current.
As a side issue, never let your domain name die. Porno sites love to jump on these
names and use them for porno. I've seen it happen and it doesn't do your reputation
any good. If you want to discontinue a domain name consider using a re-direct to
park it someplace harmless.
