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'Your
First Year In Cyber Space'
Copyright © 2000 by Michael Southon
My first year as a Cyberpreneur was a steep learning-curve. I was an
Anthropologist before starting an online business, so I had a lot to
learn. But even if you were in offline-business before going online, you may
still have to learn some new skills -online business is a whole new
ball-game. Here are some of the things I learnt in my first year in
CyberSpace:
(1) Be careful who you register your domain with. Some domain name
registrars make it very difficult to change your web host. I registered my
first two domains with a registrar that caused me more headaches than I care
to think about. When I needed to transfer one of my domain names to a new
web host, my original email address had changed. I was no longer able
to send them an email from that address and so I couldn't authenticate my
request for domain transfer. So I tried to update my personal record with
my new email address. I got a message saying that I could only change my
email address by sending an email from my original email address (which no
longer existed). So then I tried using my password. Again, I got a
message saying that my request for transfer of domain must come from my
original email address.
This bureaucratic nightmare went on for 4 weeks. To add to my frustration,
I was communicating with a machine, not a human being. By the end of that
time I had no less than 35 computer-generated emails telling me that my
domain could not be transferred.
Finally, I sent my request for domain transfer in a5-page fax, including
photocopy of my passport. They then sent me an email saying my request for
domain transfer could not be processed because my request was not on company
letterhead. So I designed a letterhead and re-submitted the 5-page fax.
Finally, 6 weeks after my first request, my domain was transferred.
To avoid this kind of experience I recommend you useregister.com:
http://www.register.com
Using their online Domain Manager, it took me less than 2 minutes to
transfer my domain!
(2) A slow-loading index page is still one of the main reasons that online
businesses lose customers. Surveys show that the average surfer will wait
no more than 8 seconds for a web page to load before moving onto another
website. So 'load-time' is a vital consideration when you choose a web
host. Below is the URL of a web host directory that allows you to
compare the load-time of different web hosts:
http://www.hostfacts.com/resources/speed.php3
I use this tool whenever I'm looking for a new webhost.
(3) Once you've designed your home page and uploaded it to your server
space, check to see what it looks like to other people. What you're seeing
may not be what other people are seeing.
I once designed a home page I was very proud of - I had added a piece of
JavaScript that gave the day and date. Then one day I checked my home page
atAnybrowser.com. I was horrified to see that my homepage was invisible
except for my company logo and the navigation bar. For 2 weeks my home page
had been virtually blank to most visitors! So take a minute and look at your
website through the eyes of your visitors:
http://www.anybrowser.com/siteviewer.html
(4) If a customer asks you for a refund, give it to them immediately, even
if you think it's unjustified. You'll be out of pocket by a few dollars, but
your name and your integrity will be intact. There are so many scams on
the Internet that your most precious commodity is your good name. Remember
these words from Shakespeare:
"Who steals my purse steals trash;
'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed."
(Othello, Act III. Scene III.)
(5) Reply to emails quickly. Nothing impresses me more on the Internet than
a rapid response to a business enquiry. Try and respond within 2 hours,
or at least within 24 hours.
(6) Never reply angrily to abusive emails. Remember: your reply could be
passed on to other people and used against you. An abusive email can be very
disturbing (I've had three in the last year-and-a-half), but the best thing
to do is ignore it. Better still delete it - that way you remove it from
your life and you remove the temptation to reply.
(7) Lastly, never give up. Most successes are due -more than any other
factor - to sheer persistence:
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful men of talent. Genius will not;
the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone
are omnipotent. The slogan, 'presson' has solved, and always will solve,
the problems of the human race." (Calvin Coolidge)
(c) 2001 by Michael Southon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Southon shows
webmasters how to use Ezine Marketing to build
a Successful Online Business.
Start using this simple technique today -
watch your traffic and sales go wild!:
http://www.ezine-writer.com
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