Introduction and Registering the Domain Name

So you have a great idea for a social network and a great domain name to go with it? If you are new to the wonderful world of the web you might be inclined to think that registering the domain name is half of the battle. It is true that the name of the website is very important and registering it before someone else does will almost guarantee you the ability to use it, assuming you register it with a credible registrar. A great idea can move mountains but without fully bringing that idea to life it is nothing more than a shiny trophy in one’s mind.

I am writing this collage of articles for those who have manifested that great idea for a website, whether it’s a social network or some other complex website. I am currently in the middle of preparing to launch a website which was derived from a clever idea that came out of thin air in the middle of 2006. One of the things I was forced to realize early on was that the information I needed was not in one place, but scattered everywhere. Being a novice, I didn’t always know what I was looking for. I should probably start at the beginning. I am the youngest of three kids, with an older brother who I’ve been competing with for as long as I can remember. My brother and I recently became homeowners and along with that, inherited responsibilities for lawn care. We constantly attempted to outdo one another; he had a better push mower so I got a used riding mower. It didn’t stop there, my lawnmower was ten horse power so he got a used 18.5 horsepower mower only to once again fall to defeat by my 20 horse v-twin; you get the point.

So where did my idea come into play? Out of nowhere as I was leaving one of my boasting messages on my brother’s voice mail I jokingly said, “I posted pictures of my new mower on jealousbrother.com.” The response I got made me realize what had just happened. An idea was born, from the minute family members started asking if that was a real website.

Now that the background is out of the way we can move onto the very lengthy process of turning this idea into reality. The obvious first step for me was to make sure the domain name was available and much to my surprise it was, so I registered jealousbrother.com. I also registered a number of misspelled versions of the domain to protect my investment and to make sure people were redirected to the website even if they misspelled the domain name. One thing I recommend is to make sure you protect your domain. Make sure you keep your information current with the registrar and when you can afford to, extend the registration of your primary domain as far out as you can. Doing so will remove some of the risk for errors causing you to lose your domain to expiration, such as a change in credit card information.