A year ago we had a blog post 8 Tips to Protect Your Domain Registration giving some simple tips to domain name registrants. These tips could be applied wherever your domain is registered. If you have a domain name and it is very important to you  I strongly urge you to read the post mentioned above and make sure the contact email for your domain  is correct. You can check this by logging into your account or by checking our WHOIS service.

The contact email address is very important as most renewal notices are sent to that address. In my digital life I have had several email addresses until I finally settled for an email in my own name. The lesson is to make sure the contact email address is the one that you use regularly.
To avoid the hassle of remembering to renew every year I would suggest setting any auto renew options your registrar may have. Now a word of caution each  time you get a new credit card with a new expiry date  is updated too. This means you need to go into your account and update your credit card on record.

To recap here is what I am recommending you do:

a) Check your domain name registration email address and make sure it is accurate
b) Set your domain name to auto renew
c) Keep your credit card details updated.

I would also suggest setting up a annual calendar reminder to check your domain registration, or any other annual fee. So today is my “Check My Domain Name Registration” day. Why not make it yours too.

You may have other tips that you use for online services, please post them here or send me a guest post.

1. Flexibility – If you plan to have a number of domains & web pages, Network Solutions has an excellent a la carte approach rather than canned packages.

2. Permanence – Network Solutions is the oldest domain registrar. This is reassurance that they’ll be providing you service into the future. In fact, you can register a domain using Network Solutions’ 100 year service (for $999). If 10 years is more comfortable then there is a considerable discount for that.

3. Room for Growth – Nearly unlimited storage for your website. This is really important because content is what will encourage customers to return. You can continue to add as much as you like.

4. Security – It’s just as important as having antivirus software for your computer. WatchDog™ by Networks Solutions provides three things:

• web site vulnerability scanning
• web site performance monitoring
• certification seal

5. Customer Service – and most importantly! Free 24/7 customer service recognized by J.D. Powers & Associates.

All of these are important aspects to consider as you move your business online. Network Solutions provides a full range of products to not only suit your needs but also provide excellent value. What are the reasons why you selected Network Solutions?

(In much of the publishing, business, and corporate world, things just flat out shut down between Christmas and New Year’s. As in, offices-closed-doors-locked. As a blogger and potential social media maven, you could try to take advantage of the lull and blog to help fill this void. Assuming you can find something worthwhile to talk about.)

Anyway, in that spirit, here are my picks for 5 of my favorite entries from this here Solutions Are Power blog from the year 2008 (this is an expanded version of the list that you’ll hear in the Solutions Out Loud podcast — subscribe now!)

(In the interest of modesty, I will omit my own entries from consideration.)

1.) Legal Considerations for the Small Business — By way of Shashi, this entry comes from Statton Hammock, Director, Legal and Business Affairs at Network Solutions, and it covers in broad strokes six steps you’ll need to cover as you work to create an online business.

While this topic is obviously huge (check out the Small Business Administration, your state’s business development department, and local resources like your Chamber of Commerce for more help), it’s a great primer, and I found it to be very informative.

2.) The coverage of the Blog Potomac conference was excellent; if I had to pick one entry, it’s the interview with Lionel Menchaca, of Direct2Dell. It’s always gratifying to see how a big company is working to use social media tools to really listen to customers (especially after they’d taken their lumps for not doing this, previously).

3.) 8 Tips to Protect Your Domain Registration, not so much for the actual content, as to see it in the larger context of Network Solutions’ response to a domain hijacking dustup this spring. It also demonstrates how being un-self-conscious (like providing tips that apply no matter who your domain registrar is) is genuinely helpful.

4.) 10 Reasons to Use Facebook for Business – Coming from Mari Smith, here’s another primer, this one for conveying the benefits of using Facebook to business owners. It really helps focus the issue, especially at a time where some business owners may be flailing around, hearing they have to do something with this Facebook thing, but not sure how or why. Simple, effective, to the point.

5.) Trademarks 101– Another entry with suggestions on how to deal in the legal realm, specifically, trademark issues. I wasn’t able to attend this event, so the event summary done up by Steve was very helpful. (Also, as you can tell, legal-ish things aren’t my strong suit.)

Perhaps it’s obvious, but my strategy for picking the best entries of the blog for 2008 was the same strategy I use when I buy gifts for people — I find the things that I want for myself. If you’ve got your own favorite entries from 2008, feel free to share in the comments.

Publish, store, update and manage ALL of your contact information, instantly and in one place. .Tel is a brand new domain name that allows businesses and individuals to manage important contact information directly on the Internet.

Register a .tel domain name with your trademark today to create your permanent online business card.

• Expand your ability to communicate and reach your customers
• Complement your current Web site with a complete contact page
• Gain entry into a new global online directory
• Make easy site updates that take effect in minutes

Steve Miholovich my good buddy a who manages our domain name products perceives the chief value for this new domain extension .Tel as – ““One of the many reasons for registering a .tel includes having your business listed in the global online directory that the .tel registry is developing,” said Steve Miholovich, senior director of Product Management at Network Solutions. “This directory is a great way to get your business found online.”

If you want more info please go to our page offering .Tel domain names.

Danielle Belopotosky of the New York Times wrote an interesting article Tel Them Where to Find You on the .tel domain name.

Rick Latona has a interesting post on the .tel domains How to .Tel the Difference

1. Update Account Information: Just as you would update your info at your utility company or bank make sure your domain registration information is updated in your account. Make sure the contact information for the domain i.e name, email, address, phone number is accurate. Always have a phone number listed so you can be contacted if there is a problem or if your domain name may be expiring.

2. Choose your email address wisely: E-mail is the primary way your registrar notifies you of expiration dates and changes to your account. What ever e-mail you use for your registrar to contact you needs to be one that is secure and one that you check daily. If you’ve changed any of your contact information, especially your e-mail address, make sure it is reflected in the information you provide your registrar.  Avoid using “free mail’ accounts as your administrative e-mail address because they can expire after a few months.

3. Keep your domain locked : A domain lock feature prevents the domain from being transferred to anyone or another registrar until you, as the primary contact on the account, expressly remove the lock. Most good registrars, including Network Solutions® , provide this feature at no cost. Login to your account and make sure the domain locking feature is turned on for your domain.

4. Centralize all your domain registrations : If you have multiple domains you should consider consolidating them into one account so that you can update the information easily on these accounts. Make sure you are listed as the primary contact on all the domains.

5. Take care in choosing a user name and password : Select user names and passwords that are not easily associated with public information like your name, birth date, the city where you were born or street address.  Never user personal information that can be obtained in search engines on the Web.  Select user names and password with at least 8 characters and always include at least one number and one upper case letter.  If you have someone working on your website you can give them limited access to your account by making them a Technical Contact so you do not have to give them your primary contact login or password. Network Solutions® offers this feature, as well as other accredited registrars.

6. Change your password frequently : Change your password at least every 90 days or sooner.  Change your password immediately if an employee who had access to your login information leaves the company.

7. Protect your WHOIS information : WHOIS is a public database that all ICANN-accredited registrars are required to make available so anyone can look up domain registration contact information.  To keep your information private from potential hackers, hijackers and spammers, use a with a private registration service that masks your contact information and provides alternative contact information that can forward any essential information like first class or overnight mail.

8. 24/7 Customer Service : : Look for a registrar that has 24/7 free, live customer service and technical support  — It’s knowing you can pick up the phone and someone is there to answer your questions.  Don’t be afraid to report any suspicious activity you may see related to changes to your domain name registration.  Often times the cheaper price you pay for a domain registration, the harder it is to find the customer service contact information.

If you have other tips or have questions on these tips please leave a comment. Thanks