Be Cautious - Be cautious about anything you read on the web, in an email or on a newsgroup. There are so many scams and frauds that the best thing to do is ignore all of them entirely until you have enough experience and knowledge to be able to effectively judge what's really going on. Ignore the newest thing, the "fantastic" money making opportunities and so forth. When I was a newbie, I fell for the Don Lapre 900 number scam, lost $700, but learned my lesson. You need to understand there is no free lunch, no quick get rich scheme and no one tells you how to make a million for a hundred bucks.
Don't use a debit card on the internet - debit cards are attached directly to a checking account. If there is fraud, why not let it be the banks money (with a credit card) instead of your own money (with a debit card) that's at risk.
Learn to design - Take a web class on web design before you learn HTML or any other language. Design is much more important and significant than code.
See "A well designed site is a pleasure and a money maker" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Webmaster/design.htmChoose your domain registrar wisely - There are hundreds of companies that will register your domains. Take your time, read some reviews and choose a registrar that gives you a good price, excellent features and that you feel comfortable with. To register a domain, you should expect to pay less than $10 per year and you should have a web-account to be able to make changes at will. Remember, in the case of domain registrars the biggest and most well known is not the best by any means.
Practice safe computing - Install a hardware firewall appliance to protect your home computer; Install an anti-virus program and keep the definitions up-to-date on a weekly basis; Program your spam filters to block all executable attachments; And, most importantly, backup, backup and backup (and test your backups to be sure they work).
See "Backing up your system is an essential part of your security scheme" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Security/Backups.htmNever, ever spam anyone - It might seem attractive to send out a newsletter to a hundred people who don't know you from Adam, but don't do it. And, of course, those 200-million email address CDroms are to be avoided at all costs.
Teach your kids about the dangers of the internet - If you have children this is a must. Tell them about the dangers of chat rooms and strangers. Inform them that things are not always what they seem. And watch everything they do while on the computer.
See "Protecting Your Children" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Security/Children.htmUse a domain name - When you set up your site, use a domain name instead of the URL provided by the web host. This way you can move your site without losing your search engine rankings, link exchanges and so forth.
Avoid giving out private information - Very few people need your address, almost no one needs your social security or drivers license numbers. Be careful giving out any information and only give it to trusted sources.
See "Identity Theft" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Legal/identity.htmUse good spam filters - Buy an account from spamcop.net and use that email address for posting to the web. Never, ever use your own email address for these kinds of things. A Spamcop account is cheap and very useful, get one today.
See "SPAM - Spamcop" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Email/SPAM_spamcop.htmStay up-to-date - Visit boards like webmasterworld often to get more information about what's going on. Get on some security mailing lists to get the scoop on various threats (especially CERT). And always hunt for more knowledge.
Promote your site wisely - Before submitting your site or spending a dime on promotion, be sure you understand what you are doing. There are thousand of promotion methods, including search engines (especially Google), link exchanges and viral marketing. Avoid Free-For-All pages and link farms like the plague, and, I repeat, don't spend any money on advertising until you are positive you understand what your money is purchasing.
See "The secrets of how to advertise your web site" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Advertising.htmApply your site to web awards programs - If you've created a good web site, feel free to apply to a few awards programs. Be sure you read the criteria before you apply so you can validate your site before sending in your application.
See "Website Awards Worksheet" -
http://www.internet-tips.net/Winawards/awardsworksheet.htmArticles Source - Free Articles
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