My First Year In Cyber Space

by Michael Southon



My first year as a Cyberpreneur was a steep

learning-curve. I was an academic 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 Cyber

Space:





(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).



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 a

5-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 use

register.com: http://www.register.com



Using their online Domain Manager, it took me less

than two 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 a website that allows you to check the load-time

of a web host:

http://www.hostpulse.com/app/networktools/ping.asp





(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 at Anybrowser.com.

I was horrified to see that my home page was invisible

except for my company logo and the navigation bar. For

two weeks it had been virtually blank to most

visitors! So take a minute and look at your website

through your visitors' browser:

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. Your good name

is perhaps your most precious commodity on the

Internet. 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 or flames.

People who send flames want you to reply, but there is

nothing to be gained by replying. An abusive email can

be very disturbing, 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 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, 'press

on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of

the human race." (Calvin Coolidge)