Just in case you missed it last Monday marked the 25th year anniversary of the first .COM registered domain name. On March 15th 1985 the first Internet dot.com domain name was registered by Symbolics Inc., a computer systems firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  At the time of this monumental occasion I was in my junior year of high school. I heard about this thing called the Internet but it would be 10 years later before I would acquire my first domain name, and get this back then domain names were Free to register. How many of your remember those days.

Fast forward to now and I could not tell you how many domain names I have purchased over the years. I currently have close to 50+ domain names that are actively registered. I know I am not alone in this Domain Name Addiction.

As of March 15, 2010 there were 84 million domain names, including 11.9 million online business and e-commerce sites, 4.3 million entertainment sites, 3.1 million finance related sites, and 1.8 million sports sites.

If you are like me anything can trigger a DNA attack. Just the other day I was watching a famous TV show and thought of yet another .com that I immediately looked up and purchased. With domain names costing as little as 7.99 for 1 year at a registrar like proemailaddress.net how could I go wrong.

I think of domain names for almost anything, so my addiction keeps getting worse every time a new idea pops into my head. Some folks drink others do drugs, I do domain names as a temporary fix for what ails me.

Whats good about this addiction is that it can’t really harm me or anyone I am close too. If I don’t do anything with the domain name I just don’t renew it after the year is over. I just keep thinking that I will find one that will be my own form of a lottery ticket to the big time. Here are a few domain names that have been sold for a nice profit in years past.

As of 2004, according to Guinness World Records and MSNBC, the most expensive domain name sales on record were:

• Business.com for $7.5 million in December 1999
• AsSeenOnTv.com for $5.1 million in January 2000
• Altavista.com for $3.3 million in August 1998
• Wine.com for $2.9 million in September 1999
• CreditCards.com for $2.75 million in July 2004
• Autos.com for $2.2 million in December 1999

These numbers are great but they are pale in comparison to connecting a product or a service to a domain name that can eventually make billions. Domain names like eBay, Amazon, Google, and Youtube were all registered in hopes of turning their business into a brand name.

So I ask you, fellow DNA sufferers, please share your addictive nature and tell our ColderICE readers how many domain names you currently own? What is the longest time frame you have continually renewed a domain name in hopes that it would become the next Myspace, Facebook or Twitter?

Get an extra layer of protection with the PayPal Security Key – it’s easy to use and portable, so you can access your account with confidence from just about anywhere. Some of you may already have a security key hanging from your key chain or maybe even one that fits inside your wallet or purse.

I have one on my key chain but my key chain is sometimes not in my possession at all times. My cell phone on the other hand is almost always in the hostler at my side.

The PayPal Security Key creates random temporary security codes that help safeguard your PayPal account when you log in. With the Mobile phone security key you can sign up to get security codes sent by text message to your mobile phone.

How much does it cost?

The mobile security key has no costs, except your mobile provider’s standard text messaging charges. Check with your mobile provider for details.

Each security key is $5, and there’s no monthly service fee or additional cost. Replacement keys are the same price.

Why should I use the PayPal Security Key?

There are 3 main reasons to use a security key:

1. It’s one of the most secure ways to log in to your PayPal account. The security key randomly generates security codes that are practically impossible to duplicate.

2. It’s easy to use. A fresh security code is just one button (or about 30 seconds) away.

3. It’s portable. Take extra security anywhere you go.

What do I need to use the mobile phone security key?

You’ll need a mobile phone and service that supports SMS text messaging. Contact your mobile provider to make sure your phone and services are set up for SMS, and to find out your provider’s standard text messaging charges.

My account has never been hacked, why do I need this?

Even though this security feature from PayPal is over a year old, if you do a search on “Paypal account hacked” you will get over 1,480,000 entries that contain information on how you can hack into the average PayPal account that does not have a security key. Most of these entries are videos that show you step by step how they did it.

Some say a security key is overkill for most PayPal account owners and its too much trouble to deal with when you want to get into your account right away.  I say better to have the extra added security then to one day find out your account has been hacked and a large portion of your money is gone.  From what I am told it can take PayPal several days and sometimes months to investigate such a incident and PayPal will not replace the stolen funds until their investigation is complete.

Even if you are to cheap to pay $5.00 for the electronic token, the mobile version is Free by text for most cell phone carriers here in the united states.

For additional answers to your questions about the PayPal Security please see the PayPal Security Key FAQ

All the best

JB

Ok the reviews are all in and the iPad has impressed us all when it was finally unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 27th. All the hype finally came to an end when Mr. Jobs gave a run down of all the great features the iPad has to offer its users. I was just as impressed with many of the specs of this long awaited device.  I have read many reviews that were Good, Bad and even down right Ugly when it comes to the iPad, so here is my take on those reviews.

The iGood
iPad reviewed by Ben Parr of Mashable.
Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

This review is the most comprehensive of the reviews I read. It is very detailed and well thought out. Ben does a great job of first giving an overview of the iPad by showing the introduction video that is also featured on the Apple website.  Ben goes on by breaking down all the specifications of the iPad. He then gives you the pricing, the availability, the closest competitors to the iPad and then finally what the iPad lacks.

Please click here to see Ben’s full review of the iPad.

The iBad
iPad reviewed by Bianca Bosker of The Huffington Post.
Apple iPad Review (PHOTOS): 9 Worst Things About The Apple Tablet

This review gives you a breakdown of all the things that are not so good about the iPad. I like this review because it uses pictures to tell the story of why you may want to think twice before you run out and pre order the iPad. It starts with the fact that Apple chose to name their new device iPad instead of one of the rumored names like  iTablet or iSlate. This review then goes on to criticize all of the many things wrong with the iPad that include the lack of mutitasking, a camera, flash capability and a USB port just to name of few. I thought this review was very creative in bringing more attention to the weaknesses of the iPad.

Please click here to see Bianca’s full review of the iPad.

The iUgly
iPad reviewed by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.
iPad v. A Rock

This was the funniest review and the most harsh, hence “The iUgly” term used.  Michael goes so far as to compare the iPad to an actual Rock.  Even though this review makes fun of all the things the iPad does not do, it gives  you a cut and dry understanding of why we should not have played into all the hype.  And get this, the  rock almost wins in this side by side comparison.

Click here to see the full story.

The Verdict

When first hearing about and then seeing all the cool stuff the iPad could do I was convinced this device would be the first Apple product I would choose to own. Unfortunately after then hearing about all the things the iPad could not do, I am going to give it a PASS for the wish list this Christmas. Their were a couple of deal breakers but the ones that sealed it were the lack of USB and SD ports on the device without an adapter or docking station, the lack of multitasking and the lack of compatibility with the T-mobile 3G network. I just signed up for T-mobile and even though the iPad is sold unlocked it will not connect to my cell phone carrier. I guess I will have to wait for the iPad II or see what the HP Slate has to offer when it debuts some time this year.

Will you, get an Apple iPad?

If so please let us know why.

All the best

JB

Jeffrey Alexander Brathwaite, aka “JB”

Internet Strategist, Speaker and Trainer
404-287-0848 Office
Jeff[at]2thenextlevel[dot]com

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/jbrath

Guest post by JB (Jeffery Alexander Brathwaite) of 2 The Next Level

Day 2 of WordCamp Atlanta was filled with highly educational sessions as well as long awaited and exciting announcements.  The first of these announcements came from the morning keynote Jane Wells. Jane is the User Experience Lead for Automatic the company that created WordPress.

The Merge

The topic of Jane’s presentation was “WordPress Resolutions: What to Expect in 2010.” Her talk came with a pretty big announcement. WordPress version 3.0 release will finally include the “Merge” of  WordPress and WordPress MU. If you are not familiar with the WordPress MU version think about running hundreds of thousands of blogs with a single install of WordPress. WordPress MU, or multi-user can do that. Jane had many other great things to offer in her presentation but to me the “Merge” announcement was worth the price of admission. If  you would like to see her full presentation on Slideshare please click here.

Session 1 “Parental Guidance”

I then went to my first session of the day. I wanted to stretch my mind and go to a more advanced session so I chose Ryan Imel’s presentation on “Building WordPress Sites Quickly With Parent/Child Themes”. I have been following Ryan through his blog that has almost nothing to do with WordPress. This kid is super smart when it comes to programming for WordPress so I wanted to finally meet him and hear what he had to say about theme building.

The concept of Parent/Child organization is not new but I was intrigued at it being applied to WordPress themes. Ryan showed a series of examples on how you should build your original theme off a framework of a parent to child. If done this way you can cut down on having to rewrite code over and over again for yet another project. One programmer in the audience mentioned that this way of building themes has cut his coding work literally in half.

Session 2 “Client Conundrums”

My next session was with Tammy Hart of Tammy Hart Designs. Tammy is an amazing site designer. Some of her work is so good it’s hard to believe that it was done with WordPress at its foundation. Tammy’s topic was “WordPress And Working With Clients”. She gave a break down on some of the do’s and don’ts that one should follow in order to keep your client and you on the same page.

Tammy stressed to ask your client plenty of questions. Don’t assume anything in your client relationship and always, always get everything in writing. She also mentioned that she has had to fire an occasional client or two for not following her rules of conduct when it comes to doing business with her.  Tammy was gracious enough to share a few resources that we as fellow WordPress attendees should take advantage of to enhance our own business. She suggested using bothJumpchart.com to help with client content creation and the plug-in Suma to assist in bringing paid content to WordPress blogs.

I want to personally thank the WordCamp Atlanta sponsor Mail Chimpfor allowing us to have a wonderful meal for lunch. The line was long but the food was worth it.

Session 3 ” Readability? That is the Question.”

I continued in the Design Track with session 3 and decided to see the presentation from Mitch Canter. Mitch is currently the “Chief Creative Mercenary” of his own company, studionashvegas. Mitch’s presentation focuses on three things when designing a blog or a website. 1. Readability 2. Usability and 3. Findability.  The point that really hit home to me was his first, Readability. Readability asks the question, if someone came to your blog would they take the time to read the content? Do you have more distractions to reading your content in Widgets and Banner ads? Mitch also stressed that if you are a blogger it would be a wise thing to know some basic html code. Not that you are going to become a programmer but that if you had to look at your site’s code you could identify where some of your content is placed on the page. Mitch then shared some great educational sites for both learning more about WordPress code and for getting inspiration for future WordPress designs.

Session 4 “How Stuff Works with WordPress”

The last session I will speak about is one in which I learned more about the founder and creator of the website HowSuffWorks.com than about WordPress. This session was presented by Jason Hoch VP, Product Development for Discovery Communications. Jason talked about how HowStuffWorks.com was started in 1998 by former North Carolina State University professor Marshall Brain started the site as a hobby. That hobby turned into full blown company that was then bought out in March of 2002 by Convex Group.

HowStuffWorks.com attracted at least 58 million visitors annually by 2008. So why would they use WordPress? WordPress allowed them to create a way to have a two way interaction with all the fans of HowStuffWorks.com. It also gives Marshall Brain a way to personally answer questions which he could not do via just the website.  WordPress also made it easier to create and display podcast. Jason also mentioned that they were one of the first to introduce the Facebook Connect WordPress plug-in.

Closing remarks & Gary V Giveaways

The evening was wrapped up with a few giveaways that included about 10 signed copies of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book “Crush It”, ..which I didn’t win..;-( and  a Q and A session headed by WordPress lead developer Mark Jaquith.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the first WordCamp Atlanta here in my own backyard. The event was such a success they have already announce that WordCamp will be back in Atlanta February 11-12 2011. I was so impressed with all of the knowledge shared and the talented people I met.  If given the chance I would definitely look to one day go to one of  the WordCamps abroad. I would be more than happy to volunteer to organize the first WordCamp Barbados..;-)Who is with me!!!

All the best and see you next year.

JB

Jeffrey Alexander Brathwaite, aka “JB”

Internet Strategist, Speaker and Trainer
404-287-0848 Office
Jeff[at]2thenextlevel[dot]com

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/jbrath

Guest post by JB (Jeffery Alexander Brathwaite) of 2 The Next Level

Happy New Year Everyone,

I started out 2010 with something I have been wanting to do for some years now. I attended my first WordCamp. What made this WordCamp so much better is that it was in my own town of Atlanta, GA. I wanted to get there early and get a chance to soak in all that this 1 1/2 day conference had to offer. What made this such a challenge is that on this day our host city was on the verge of a snow storm with temperatures in the 20’s. There was even talk of the event being canceled or at least rescheduled. I took a chance and pressed on anyway and got to my destination without any mishaps. To my enjoyment and surprise there were many WordPress followers who braved the cold and ice as well.

Day 1

The first Wordcamp Atlanta was held at the  Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD for short. The evening was kicked off with a brief welcome to Atlanta from the two organizers of the event Brandon Sheats and Tessa Horehled. We then broke up into the three session provided for us that evening. I attended a session presented by Amani Channel of Visual Eye Media. Amani talked about “The Secrets of Mobile Vlogging”. You may know Amani by his blog My Urban Report. Amani shared some great stuff on using video for your blog. The one thing I learned was that lighting and sound were just as important as shooting the video. Amani also recommend the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera over the Flip MinoHD because of its external microphone jack. Take a look at the video and the blog post he did for WordCamp Atlanta.

My next session was with Topher Kohan of CNN.com. Topher’s session was on SEO and WordPress. Topher really broke down some of the great SEO solutions you can get with WordPress plugins. I learned how you can optimize your WordPress template by just simply adding breadcrumbs to boost your search engine love. Topher suggested many WordPress plugins for SEO but listed All in one SEO pack, WP Super Cache and Breadcrumbs as his top 3. I had already been using the All in one SEO pack but added both WP Super Cache and Breadcrumbs right after his session.

I then ended my evening with Chad Parizman’s session. Chad is currently the Director of Community Management for Scripps Networks’ shelter sites. These sites include my wife’s favorite cable channel  HGTV. Chad’s topic was “5 Situations Where WordPres Can Save the Day.  He gave some great real life scenarios on how using WordPress could literally save yourself a whole lot of headache. His best example by far was his “Oh Sh-t Moment, where he told us the story when his team has to construct multiple WordPress sites in order to be ready for a 12 am deadline where they didn’t know if one of their cable show channels contracts would be renewed. This meant that many of their viewers who were Cablevision customers lost two of their favorite channels, HGTV and Food Network. WordPress saved the day by allowing them to construct both www.ilovehgtv.com and www.ilovefoodnetwork.com in a matter of hours before both channels went black on their Cablevision provider.

Day 2

Day two was even better so I hope you come back tomorrow to find out how excited I was with the news of WordPress 3.0 future release for 2010.

Jeffrey Alexander Brathwaite, aka “JB”

Internet Strategist, Speaker and Trainer
404-287-0848 Office
Jeff[at]2thenextlevel[dot]com
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/jbrath