Since 1995 I have registered several hundreds of domains, and let hundreds of domains expire.  From the days of Network Solutions charging $70 (2 year minimum) to today’s super cheap resellers – I have seen it all.   But there is one formula I keep coming back to regarding registering domain names and it has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars on both new registrations and renewals.

Use GoDaddy.com for everything

I used to use a site called “betterwhois” to look up domain names to see if they were available.   I have also used several web sites by searching for “cheap domain names” that allow you to search for availability.

DO NOT USE THESE SERVICES!

Here’s the deal, it is really easy for somebody to write a script on the Internet, claimit is a “domain name lookup” service, offer it for free, and promote it with ads.   Then, after an unsuspecting visitor types in a domain name, they go out without your knowledge and register the domain name, and offer it back to you at a significant price increase.

Shady.

What’s worse is the schemers don’t even have to pay for the domains in most cases – they actually get a refund if you don’t fall for their trap!

I use GoDaddy.com’s search on their home page for most of my domain name lookups.  It is fast, reliable, and definitely not a scam.

Use Coupon Codes

I listen to a lot of podcasts, including some of the top rollers like Adam Curry and CC Chapman.   For the past several years they have been offering coupon codes for godaddy.com that give you significant dollars off yoru purchase.  Here are the codes CC shares:

• Hash1
  Gets you 10% off of any order. No maximum!
• Hash2
  $5 off of any order $30 or more
• Hash3
  New domain names for only $7.69 a year

I use HASH3 for my single domain name buys and the HASH1 when I have a whole list of renewals.

Domain names are still big business.   Play it smart, and the savings will let you buy even more.

[TAGS]domain names, godaddy.com, cc chapman, troy rutter, Adam Curry[/TAG]

While it appears to only be minor css changes (the actual div structure remains the same) – this is definitely a mark in the win column for “the good guys.”  After a public outcry and a flurry of postings around several different blogs, it looks we finally caught TrustyPig’s attention.

The SmartyPig logo still appears on TrustyPig’s blog header, but I am sure it is just an oversight, and the owners of TrustyPig know the Social Hijacking will continue to take place if this too is not corrected in a timely manner.

Thank you to everybody who put the word out on the shady Romanian company known as TrustyPig, and if you are into the High Yield Moneymaking “whatever” that TrustyPig is trying to peddle… I seriously urge you to reconsider doing business with people of that nature.

Technorati Tags: TrustyPig, SmartyPig, Site Ripoffs, blogging, seo, brand hijack

Des Moines has become a hotbed of web entrepreneurs, strategists, social marketing mavens, and other services and businesses catering to the tech community.  I even wrote about some of them in a previous blog post, here – http://www.troyrutter.com/2008/07/08/big-fish-gets-cut-down-to-size-and-smiles.html.

One of those is a unique way to save money, and have relatives, friends and complete strangers contribute towards a savings goal.  A new bank called Smartypig.

Now, take a look at the following site, a complete ripoff (based in Romania) -

http://www.trustypig.com

Their blog currently has comments UN-MODERATED… so feel free to tell these bozos how you really feel about the “Trustworthiness” of the Trusty-Pig.

I just don’t get how some people find this “acceptable.”

Bad pig!

Technorati Tags: smartypig, romania, trustypig

I was first alerted to the 6 Figure Blogging course by a tweet (Twitter) from Chris Brogan, a highly respected expert on social media, not to mention a friend and colleague after meeting briefly at PodCamp Boston 2.

I have been blogging here on TroyRutter.com for many years, and I have always been interested, fascinated, irritated, frustrated at not having the ability to actual monetize the blog.  AKA – make money.

After reading the course is presented by Darren Rowse of problogger.com and Andy Wibbels who works at Six Apart, I decided to give it a try.

Preview Call

Before purchasing the course, the pair conducted a free preview call to introduce themselves and the course. Both of them spoke well, were engaging, and most of all made sense.  I decided to go for it.

The Course

The course is divided into several (six) conference calls, each on a different topic.  Some examples include choosing a niche, monetizing a blog, working with adsense, writing good copy, etc.

Darren does much of the talking, only yielding to Andy for a couple of minutes, and also when there are phone calls or emails from participants.   Once the Q&A section is over, it goes back to Darren who continues to chat about the topic at length.

My Experience

To me, I was disappointed that the course on Six Figure Blogging was so elementary.   The advice and lessons that were given in the course were very beginner-like, and would have been the subject of “Two Figure Blogging” if not less.

I already make four figures blogging and on my personal web sites, so I was looking to take it to the next level.  While I did find some tips and tools that I didn’t know before, the majority of the course was “old hat” to me, and I felt very disappointed when the course was over.

One of the things that was extremely disappointing was the way the Q&As from the audience were handled, and the call ended.  At times it seemed like Andy couldn’t wait to get off of the call and do something else.  He would quickly ask for questions (sometimes forgetting to answer the ones submitted through the web site) and quickly ask again for questions and then end with “I guess there aren’t any questions… goodbye!”

It was this rushing through user’s questions that I felt damaged the course.  Also, the interaction in the forums was there, but it was more reactionary than participatory.  I expected Andy and Darren to use the medium to elicit conversations, not expect the “class” to start them.

Did I learn anything?  Certainly – a few tools.  Would I recommend the course?  I would recommend it for the beginner blogger who has either just started or is looking to start their first blog.  But if you have 1 or more years under your belt, I would seek a course better suited to your knowledge level.

Find Out More About The Six Figure Blogging Course

Technorati Tags: six figure blogging, andy wibbels, darren rowse, troy rutter, course review

I haven’t had a summer reading list since Elementary school, but as I have become painfully aware over the past few months, web technologies and methodologies are changing quickly, and if I don’t want to get left behind, I really need to not only look at the “new” coming out, but also catch up on what everybody was talking about the past few months.

Web Developer Magazine
This is a great magazine from the UK that has a lot of tips and tricks, including a “redesign contest” every issue.  To my surprise, Iowa’s own Chris Pirillo appears with a wonderful 2 page spread in this issue.

The Long Tail
I knew there was a new, revised edition of the book coming out in about a month, but I wanted to get caught up now.  From what I heard it is a great book on how the world is turning to niche web sites, TV programs, etc. instead of consuming information that was meant for the millions.   Im really looking forward to reading it.

The TIpping Point
I haven’t heard as much about this book as I have The Long Tail, but from what I have heard and the book jacket I read, it is a book about how little things can change the world.  Not necessarily the much hyped “viral videos” but real-world examples of how to change mass behavior.

The Google Story
I started another book, “The Search” a few months ago and still haven’t finished it.  I had heard about this particular book and am always looking for inspirational stories to try and rekindle the fire that I felt while working at Warner Bros. Online back in the late 90′s.  This one should be a fun read.

The Design of Sites, 2nd Edition
This was a hard one for me to buy, partly because of the $60 price tag.  While I consider myself a fairly competent designer and developer, just looking at the pages in the book gave me even more ideas, and pointed out some things that I had forgotten or had been doing wrong, resulting in counter-intuitive web designs.  This is one I will probably reference, but may not read cover to cover, but I look forward to the examples.

So there is my reading list for this summer.  I will try and post a review of each book as I finish them off.

What are you doing to expand your skillsets in your job or workplace?

Technorati Tags: web development, troy rutter, the ti pping point, the long tail, design of sites, google, chris pirillo

As many of you who read this blog know, I have been stuck on how to a) get a popular blog and yes b) make money on the Internet -  for a while now. I have the technical knowledge, and devour different techniques when I read them in print, but I don’t seem to have one thing – the niche to end all niches.

I don’t consider myself a boring person, really, but when it comes to online marketing the advice is always the same: find a niche that excites you and run with it. But what if you don’t have a niche? Or maybe you don’t recognize your own niches?

John offers a free 59 page ebook that explains in real terms what it takes to go from 0 to making $10,000/mo or more blogging. But, there’s that niche thing again. I just don’t know what interests me. Besides online marketing / affiliate marketing (which is a “black niche” since everybody tries to do it) I really don’t know what else to blog about.

If anybody out there has some kind of niche profiler questionnaire, please let me know… perhaps it will jump start my brain cells a little.

Unfortunately, there are so many things on my plate to do yet this weekend, including working on the next podcast, ironing the clothes for next week, editing my NaNoWriMo book, memorizing my lines for Bye Bye Birdie and the Renaissance Faire, and of course exercising before the next weigh-in on Tuesday.

I did take a nap this afternoon, so perhaps I’ll be able to squeeze a few more hours in tonight than normal. Just have to fight the urge to boot up World of Warcraft…