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Posts for June 2014

Is Bitcoin the answer to your business security woes?

June 30, 2014 by IT Donut contributor

Is Bitcoin the answer to your business security woes?/ Bitcoin accepted here{{}}There’s a lot of debate surrounding Bitcoin, and for good reason. This unregulated electronic currency is not backed by a central bank and its value fluctuates wildly.

The Internal Revenue Service (the US equivalent of HMRC) recently decided to treat Bitcoin as property (not a currency). This could have a major impact on the volume of transactions conducted using Bitcoin.

However, while Bitcoin itself is controversial, the encryption technology behind it could be the future of digital security.

How Bitcoin security works

Bitcoin uses an accepted security concept called asymmetric key encryption. When you download a Bitcoin wallet — in which you store your Bitcoins — you’re assigned two encryption keys.

There’s a public encryption key, which you give to anyone from whom you want to receive Bitcoin payments.

Then there’s a private key. This is mathematically linked to your public key, and is used to decrypt information encrypted with your public key.

In practice, this means anyone who wants to pay you can encrypt the transaction using your public key. But only you can decrypt it to receive the money, because only you have the private key.

Bitcoin encryption for email and the cloud

Some email providers use a similar system called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption to send emails securely.

However, as PGP stores your private encryption key on an email server, hackers (or the government) could potentially intercept and decrypt your messages.

A more secure option is to encrypt emails using a Bitcoin key before you send them through your provider’s servers.

You can apply this same concept to data stored in the cloud. If you encrypt it with a Bitcoin key, your information will stay safe even if someone hacks into your cloud provider.

The risks of Bitcoin encryption

While these security measures do offer extra protection, the risks of Bitcoin encryption lie in the human element.

If you don't secure your virtual Bitcoin wallet, you can fall victim to theft. Really, keeping your wallet offline and protecting it with a password is the only straightforward way to secure it.

And you should always remember that encryption is a double-edged sword. If you ever lose your password, your data is lost forever.

The future of Bitcoin

While some governments have banned or restricted its use as a currency, Bitcoin is gaining support among some businesses. There’s even a Bitcoin cash machine in East London.

The supply of Bitcoins is limited and their volatility means the cost of security can easily surpass the value of what you’re protecting.

But perhaps the true value of Bitcoin lies in its potential to educate more people about using encryption to secure information.

In this digital age, information is currency. You should protect yours just as you would protect your money.

Tim Maliyil is the CEO and Data Security Architect for AlertBoot.

Posted in The internet | Tagged security | 0 comments

IT for Donuts: how to sort data in Microsoft Excel

June 26, 2014 by John McGarvey

IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week, we take a look at how to sort a list of anything in Excel.

Although these screenshots were taken on an Apple Mac, the options and settings should be the same if you use a Windows PC.

1. Tell Excel what to sort

To get started, let's assume you have a spreadsheet open in Excel. It contains several columns full of information that you want to sort. It can be numbers, prices, words ... anything.

This example is just a small list of figures, but your data can have as many rows and columns as you want:

Excel data{{}}

To get started, you need to tell Excel which items to sort. You can do this by clicking and dragging with the mouse to select the relevant figures.

If you have a table like this, you probably want to sort the entire list by one of the columns. In that case, select the entire worksheet by clicking at the top left, in the gap between the row numbers and column letters:

Select all data in Excel{{}}

2. Tell Excel how to sort

Once you've selected the data to be sorted, you need to set your sort criteria.

There are a few ways to do this, depending on what version of Excel you have.

In recent versions, select the Data tab at the top of the screen. Then choose the down arrow next to the Sort icon:

Data sort tab{{}}

This reveals a menu providing quick access to some common sort options. But we'll choose Custom Sort to give you full control:

Custom sort dialog{{}}

A dialog box will open showing all the options to sort your data.

First of all, if — like our example — your data has header fields (labels for the data in each column), select the My list has headers box.

Then you can choose what to sort by. In the dialog box, you can select:

  • The column to sort. Selecting this will give you a list of your column headers.
  • What to sort on. Usually you'd select values here, but you can also sort according to other criteria, like the colours of the cells in that column
  • What order to sort by. The options here will change according to the data in the relevant column. For instance, it might be A to Z or Smallest to Largest.

In this example, we're going to sort the list by Supplier, from A to Z:

Sort dialog box{{}}

Once you've chosen your criteria, just hit OK to sort the data.

And that's it: you'll see the data you highlighted resorted by those criteria.

More Microsoft Office tips:

Google now warns when mobile sites aren't smart

June 25, 2014 by John McGarvey

Figures released recently suggest that 30% of internet use in the UK now takes place on mobile devices.

The proportion of mobile users will vary from site to site, of course (about 12% of IT Donut traffic comes from smart phones and tablets), but it underlines the fact that it's really important your website works on mobile devices

Having a site that 'works' on mobiles can mean a range of things.

You might have a slick responsive website that adapts itself to any screen size. You could have a separate mobile version of your site. Or perhaps you haven't made any changes, because your standard desktop website functions ok on smaller screens.

Are you using smart redirects?

If you have a completely separate mobile website, you need to create a system that detects when a visitor is using a mobile device, then sends them to the mobile site.

With this approach, it's important the redirect is smart. For instance, if a visitor has arrived at your website after searching Google for 'six person tent', you should show them the mobile page about six person tents.

Google's warning

Some websites simply send all mobile visitors to the mobile homepage. This is a poor experience for visitors, because it forces them to navigate manually to the content they're looking for.

(This classic XKCD comic sums up the problem perfectly.)

If your website behaves this way, it could start to significantly affect your visitor numbers. That's because Google has begun to detect and flag these unhelpful, faulty redirects.

If you search for something on your smart phone and a site in the results has such a redirect, you'll see a warning message like this:

Google redirect detection{{}}

It's a slightly clunky fix to a clunky problem, but you can bet that message is going to put people off viewing your website.

In time, don't be surprised if Google starts demoting sites that don't bother with smart redirects. You have been warned!

A new hope for businesses that can't get broadband?

June 23, 2014 by John McGarvey

Broadband wireless tower{{}}With average broadband speeds rising steadily, you could be forgiven for thinking that all is well with the UK's internet infrastructure.

But there's still a distinct divide between the broadband 'haves' and the 'have nots'.

What's more, since the Rural Community Broadband Fund — tasked with bringing fast broadband to remote parts of England — was wound up earlier this year, it's unclear what new initiatives are available to bridge that gap.

The vast majority of business broadband connections are supplied via a physical connection, which means you have a wire (either a copper phone line or fibre optic cable) running into your premises. But wireless options are growing fast.

Can you use 4G?

Although 4G connections are mainly used by people on the move, in strong signal areas they can match or beat standard broadband connections for speed.

But because the 4G tariffs offered by mobile phone companies aren't designed for transferring large amounts of data, they're not a practical way to get your office connected.

Now a new provider, Relish, is using 4G technology to offer what it calls 'fibre-fast broadband' without any wires. The service is specifically designed to compete with the fixed-line broadband that businesses typically use on their premises

Just plug it in

When you sign up, Relish sends you a box to plug in to a power outlet.

It connects to the internet via 4G and then shares the connection around your business via Wi-Fi. Because there's no need for an engineer to connect your line, Relish claims you can be up and running the day after placing your order.

At £25 a month for what's billed as an 'unlimited' connection, and no line rental to pay on top, the pricing compares well to other broadband options.

So, what's the catch?

It's a service that sounds brilliant in theory. But the devil is in the detail. We've all had unreliable or slow mobile internet connections. Given that Relish uses the same technology, could it suffer in similar ways?

More fundamentally, it's only currently available in a small part of London — so it's no good at all for rural businesses.

Still, if you're stuck without a decent broadband connection, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on this company. Similar services are likely to spring up over the coming months, making wireless broadband a viable option for more of us.

IT for Donuts: can I create brochures on my computer?

June 20, 2014 by John McGarvey

Design your own brochure{{}}

IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week, is it worth trying to design and print your own company brochures?

Do brochures still matter?

Although many companies consider their website to be their most important piece of marketing collateral, there's still a place for flyers, brochures and other printed materials.

These physical items give potential customers something tangible to take away after you've met. Unlike a website, which can be closed in seconds, a leaflet can sit on someone's desk as a visible reminder of your company.

Limitations of creating your own brochures

You'll always get the best results if you work with a professional designer and printing service to produce your brochures. But if you're on a budget, it is possible to create them yourself.

It's important to be realistic. When designing and printing brochures yourself, it's very hard to achieve the same standard as brochures that are professionally designed and printed.

If your brochures end up looking cheap or the quality is poor, the do-it-yourself route could prove a false economy.

How to create your own brochures

Professional designers use software like Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress. As these packages are expensive and complicated, it's usually best to create your brochure using another piece of software.

You may already have something suitable. Microsoft Publisher is designed for this kind of work and has an easy learning curve. It's even possible to use Microsoft Word to create brochures.

It will probably be easier to download and adapt a template rather than creating your brochure from scratch. There are thousands of free templates available online. Try Microsoft's templates for Office, or these Xerox templates.

Template-based brochures can look somewhat generic. However, using a template beats trying to create a design from scratch if you don't have an eye for design.

Should you print it yourself?

It's worth thinking carefully about whether you really want to print brochures yourself. It can take hours to print and assemble brochures using your office printer, yet it's hard to match the finish you'll get from a printing service.

If you're printing more than a few brochures, doing them in-house may cost more, too.

Overall, professional printing is usually the way to go, unless you need to quickly run off a few copies of a basic flyer or simple factsheet fast.

Commercial printers will ask you to provide your brochure in a specific file format. If the files you supply are incorrect, this can delay the printing process.

Packages like Microsoft Publisher usually include an option to 'save for professional printing'. If you're not confident with this process, you can avoid it by using an online service that offers brochure templates and printing as a single package.

Companies like Vistaprint, Print UK and Printing.com provide a start-to-finish brochure service. You can design a brochure online using their templates, then order the printed brochures once you're happy.

More IT for Donuts tips:

More than a quick guide to ecommerce essentials

June 18, 2014 by John McGarvey

More than a quick guide to ecommerce essentials/ Mobile phone and ecommerce essentials{{}}If you’re starting or running an online shop, you’ll know there’s a lot to think about.

Just getting to grips with the basics can be challenging. Choosing an online shopping system, working out how to get paid, putting together your product catalogue and then making sure people can actually find your website are all tasks which take time and effort.

Then it can seem like there’s a never-ending list of things to think about. Are your prices right? Where should you advertise? Are customers happy with your delivery options? What are your competitors up to?

An enormous collection of resources

If you’re grappling with some of these problems, don’t forget why you might have set up online in the first place.

It’s typically much cheaper and easier to start selling online than through a High Street shop. And instead of having to rely on the right people walking past, you can sell worldwide.

On IT Donut — plus our sister site, Marketing Donut — we’ve put together lots of useful resources, tips and advice to help you run an online shop. You can see some of the most popular at the end of this post.

But we also like this enormous collection of resources from iWeb. It’s an ‘interactive flowchart’ (no, we’ve not seen one before either) that claims to tell you how to set up an ecommerce website.

In reality, the information available covers much more than just how to get started. There are all sorts of ideas about everything from search engine optimisation and seasonal promotions to email marketing and content strategy.

It’s definitely worth a look if you’re running or setting up an online shop.

Visit the ecommerce guide from iWeb >>

Our ecommerce resources

You can also access lots of great ecommerce advice on our websites. For instance:

Basic ecommere advice:

Improving your website:

Ecommerce case studies:

Posted in The internet | Tagged sell online | 0 comments

What Apple's security flaw can teach your business

June 16, 2014 by IT Donut contributor

What Apple’s security flaw can teach your business/Apple Security{{}}The Heartbleed security flaw — discovered in April — affected more than 60% of web servers. As a result, some experts considered it to be the most dangerous security flaw on the web.

However, it’s not the first big security issue in history. And it certainly won’t be the last.

For instance, Apple endured a similar situation earlier this year. Its ‘goto fail’ bug exploited a vulnerability similar to Heartbleed, but Apple handled it well enough that it didn’t achieve the same level of news coverage.

So, what can your business learn from Apple’s goto fail debacle?

1. Accept that software flaws occur

Quite simply, flawless software is a myth. Writing computer code is difficult and modern software is complex. The greater the complexity, the greater the risk of security flaws.

Although goto fail was the result of sloppy code in Apple’s operating system, Heartbleed’s vulnerability runs deeper. Either way, these breaches demonstrate that even tech giants with a lot to lose can’t make their software invulnerable.

2. Constantly monitor your software

Once you’ve accepted the risk, be more vigilant about the software you use.

The code behind Apple’s operating system framework is reviewed more often than iTunes updates its terms and conditions. Yet the flaw existed for 18 months before it was revealed. Heartbleed went undetected for two years.

Unless you want your security flaws to be discovered by a rival — or worse — stay vigilant.

3. Lock down your data and be paranoid

Be careful what you download, what you click, and what access you grant applications and websites. You become a target whenever you share private or financial information.

Pay attention to the cloud services you use, the software developers you work with, and everyone else involved in your technology. You should be in control of what they can and can’t see.

Use two-step verification where possible, encrypt data and closely monitor the security of websites you use. Most importantly: question every inconsistency.

4. Use credit monitoring

Identity thieves are known for using basic consumer data (name and address history) to open financial accounts in another person’s name. It can happen to businesses, too.

Run credit reports and regularly check the registered details of your company to catch misuse of your information.

5. Consistently check for updates

In 2011, Sony missed a software update. Within a month, customer data was leaked online. It damaged the company’s reputation and cost a lot of time and money to fix.

When Apple corrected its software flaw, it immediately released an update. But you have to actually install it to fix the problem in your business.

Every operating system and most other software can automatically check for updates regularly. Make sure yours does.

6. Act immediately 

Apple admitted its flaw and immediately implemented a fix. Yet when US retailer Target suffered a major breach in 2013, it kept things quiet and attempted to fix the issue behind the scenes.

In the long run, Apple’s vulnerability was a slight inconvenience felt by very few. Target’s affected millions and cost the company more than $1bn.

The internet is like a medieval fortress. You’re only as safe as the walls around you. By running frequent security audits, properly training employees and extensively testing software, you’re building a solid castle to keep data safe.

Daniel Riedel is CEO of New Context.

Posted in IT security | Tagged security | 0 comments

IT for Donuts: what's the difference between inkjet and laser printers?

June 13, 2014 by John McGarvey

IT for Donuts: what’s the difference between inkjet and laser printers?/ Printer{{}}IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week, learn about the key differences between laser and inkjet printers.

Ink vs toner

Although the price gap between inkjet and laser printers has narrowed in recent years, inkjet and laser printers still use fundamentally different techniques to put text on the page.

Inkjet printers contain small reservoirs of liquid ink. When you need to print something out, the printer squirts tiny dots of ink onto the page in order to build up an image of whatever’s being printed.

Laser printers don’t use ink. Instead, they use toner, a fine powder. A combination of heat and a static charge makes the toner stick to the paper in the right places, producing text and images.

Speed and capacity

The most important differences between laser and inkjet printers are speed and capacity. Laser printers can typically print large documents faster and are designed to handle a higher volume of work without breaking down or requiring toner replacement.

Although inkjet technology has improved remarkably in the past few years, laser printers are still preferred by most businesses — and for good reason.

Aside from speed, capacity and reliability issues, there’s one other reason that most companies choose laser printers. The old rule is that inkjet printers are cheap because the ink is expensive. And that still holds true.

Typically, laser printers are cheaper to run, even though they usually cost more to buy upfront. And that means the more you print, the more you save by opting for a laser printer.

So, why use an inkjet?

That’s not to say that you should never choose an inkjet for your business. Inkjet printers are excellent at printing photos, especially if you use special glossy paper that reduces how much ink soaks into the page.

And if you’re a single-person business that only prints a few pages a month, an inkjet might be more cost-effective for you.

Posted in IT security | Tagged IT for donuts | 0 comments

Stephen Fry leads the way with a new .uk domain

June 10, 2014 by John McGarvey

Welcome to UK sign{{}}

From today, new, short .uk domain names are available alongside the well-established and recognised .co.uk. This means you can buy www.yourwebsite.uk as well as (or instead of) www.yourwebsite.co.uk.

According to the UK's domain name registry, Nominet, the first person to switch from .com to .uk is British icon and tech enthusiast Stephen Fry. Well, he does own five smart phones, for goodness' sake.

Nominet is also rolling out what it claims to be 'the world's largest welcome sign' (pictured), on the approach to Heathrow Airport. Weather-permitting, it's visible from 35,000 feet, so plenty of travellers should see it.

Is .uk a good idea?

But amidst these celebrations, what does .uk mean for businesses in the UK? For that matter, what does it mean for UK internet users as a whole?

Well, Nominet argues that .uk domains are 'more succinct' and comparable with the likes of .de (Germany) and .fr (France).

According to its research, when presented with a series of new domains, such as .company or .london, sites ending in .uk remain the first choice for 93% of British users.

But since proposals for .uk were first floated, they've come in for a fair bit of criticism.

Detractors say businesses with existing .co.uk domains will face increased costs, because they'll feel obliged to register the equivalent .uk domain too.

And could having both .co.uk and .uk domains increase consumer confusion?

Eleanor Bradley, chief operating officer of Nominet, reckons .uk is a no-brainer for such a digitally literate population: "The new .uk is for people who want a short, memorable domain with the popular and trusted .uk ending. We know this combination appeals to our tech-savvy, digitally-engaged population."

Your .uk domain is reserved

If your business owns an existing .co.uk domain name, you get first refusal on the equivalent .uk domain. You can exercise this right at any time in the next five years.

Nominet will be contacting these businesses to ensure they're aware of this opportunity.

This means if you own yourwebsite.co.uk, nobody else can register yourwebsite.uk until after 10 June 2019. So if you're unconvinced about the prospects of .uk, you can wait a few years before deciding whether to register it.

On the other hand, if you like to embrace new things and you're in the market for a domain name, you can register .uk domains from 8am this morning.

The first sites using .uk — including stephenfry.uk — should go live during the day.

Difficult domain name choices

In many ways, .uk seems like a very British domain name launch. While truly different domain names like .beer, .investments, .cash and even .rip have been grabbing the headlines, we've launched one that's a whole three characters different to .co.uk.

Will that be enough to catch on alongside established standards like .co.uk and .com, and against a background of more adventurous alternatives?

Only time will tell. But if they've managed to get Stephen Fry onside, this new domain has got to be in with a chance.

You can register .uk domains through domain name registrars like 123-reg, 1&1 and Names.co.uk from 8am today.

How to handle the distractions of the World Cup

June 09, 2014 by

Brazil World Cup 2014{{}}

It's almost upon us. At 9pm on Thursday, Brazil vs. Croatia will kick off the 2014 World Cup. Across England, pubs, bars and companies that make those silly flags for your car will be hoping the national side makes it through the group stage of the competition.

But for most businesses, a major sporting tournament tends to cause disruption rather than providing opportunities.

Outside of working hours

The time difference between the UK and Brazil means most games will be broadcast in the evening or late at night here in the UK. Matches typically kick off some time between 5pm and 11pm, UK time.

As games often won't finish until 1am (and some pubs may stay open later), you might want to consider allowing your employees to start later than normal, rather than having them struggle in tired for an unproductive morning.

Only one of England's three initial games is scheduled during normal working hours. It takes place on 24 June at 5pm.

As the final group game, it has the potential to be a crunch match, so companies in England might want to consider letting staff leave early to see it.

Show staff you value them

It's almost inevitable that the World Cup will prove a distraction to your staff at certain points. And this means the competition can be a good time to show staff that you value them. 

Perhaps you can allow more flexible working, so staff members can get home in time to watch their teams. Where practical, try to schedule shifts so staff can watch the matches that are most important to them.

You may also be able to show key games at work, either on the television or via online streaming. If you decide to do this, make sure you have a TV Licence first.

And if you give your staff a bit of leeway so they can enjoy the tournament, you can certainly expect them to give 100% when their team isn't on the telly.

GOZeuS and CryptoLocker: why you have a week to protect yourself

June 09, 2014 by John McGarvey

GOZeus and CryptoLocker - locked folder{{}}Don't panic, but you have a week left to protect yourself and your business from an online threat called GoZeuS. That's according to official Government advice, no less.

So, what are GOZeuS and CryptoLocker? And why is the next week a critical period?

Disrupting the efforts of online criminals

You might not realise it, but there are battles happening online at this very moment.

On one side, hackers and online criminals are constantly finding new ways to steal data, pinch money and cause harm. On the other, security companies and government agencies are working to disrupt these criminal activities.

Recently, a group of organisations led by the FBI announced a significant victory. Experts have significantly disrupted the GOZeuS and CryptoLocker malware, which have been stealing people's data and holding their computers to ransom.

GOZeuS and CryptoLocker explained

GOZeuS is a piece of malicious software that can infect your PC, just like a virus. You can catch it from opening an infected email or visiting a dodgy website. It's estimated that around 15,000 computers in the UK are affected by it.

Once GOZeuS is on your computer, it attempts to hunt out valuable data that it can steal. Names, addresses, bank details, passwords ... the usual stuff. 

If it doesn't find enough information to be profitable, GOZeuS may activate CryptoLocker. This devious malware encrypts your computer, locking it down so you can't access any of your own data.

You may then see a message demanding you pay a ransom (typically £300 — £500) in order to regain access. Nice, eh?

Why do the next seven days matter?

Although GOZeuS and CryptoLocker are still out there, the network of infected computers has been significantly weakened. It's currently harder for infected computers to communicate with each other.

This means now is a really good time to strengthen your online security. To draw on a somewhat overused analogy, it's better to fix the roof while the sun's shining rather than waiting for the next storm.

According to official advice, the next week is the best time to make sure your defences are in order.

So, in the next few days, why not set aside an hour to review your security procedures?

  • Scan your computer for GOZeuS. Free tools to do this are available from Symantec, F-Secure and other providers.
  • Check your security software. Is it running on all computers and servers? Is it up to date?
  • Do a full scan of your computer, too. Run a one-off deep scan using your current security software.
  • Make sure your software is up-to-date. Visit Windows Update and turn on automatic updates.

Finally, you might receive an email or letter from your internet service provider warning your computer is infected. If so, don't dismiss it. As part of the work to disrupt GOZeuS, official bodies gained access to records on criminal servers and have been able to identify infected computers.

However, to be sure this isn't a fake phishing email, use the links above to go directly to GOZeuS removal tools, rather than clicking any links in the message. And call your ISP for confirmation if you have any concerns.

You can get more advice about GOZeuS on the Get Safe Online website.

Tagged security | 0 comments

IT for Donuts: what is a botnet?

June 06, 2014 by John McGarvey

IT for Donuts: what is a botnet?/ Picture of a botnet{{}}IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week, find out what a botnet is.

Botnets: malicious networks

A botnet is a network of computers, servers or other devices that have been infected with malware or compromised in some way.

These computers may be scattered all over the world, but they’re linked together via the internet.

Botnets are created when individual computers get infected by malicious software. It’s just like catching a computer virus via an infected website, email or software.

If your computer is part of a botnet, you may have no idea. Botnet software conceals itself and may only use your computer’s processing power when you don’t need it.

Botnets can consist of thousands or millions of computers. For instance, until security experts took it down, the ZeroAccess botnet consisted of over 1.9m slave computers.

What are botnets for?

The hackers and online criminals who create botnets use them to gain access to enormous computing power and distributed internet connections.

Botnets are powerful tools used for many malicious purposes. For instance:

  • Click fraud. Botnets are used to generate artificial clicks on online adverts, so advertisers receive more revenue.
  • Distributed denial of service (DDoS). Because every computer in a botnet is connected to the internet, they can be used to target a specific website with a massive amount of traffic, taking that site offline. Learn more about DDoS >>
  • Sending spam. Botnets are often set up to distribute enormous quantities of junk email.

Botnets are an important tool for online criminals. Stamping them out would be enormously beneficial for the internet as a whole.

To do your part, take good basic security precautions. Use decent security software. Avoid opening emails and files that look suspicious.

Finally, pay attention if your computer starts behaving oddly. If it slows down or seems to be hard at work while you’re not using it, double-check your security software and perform a full system scan.

Other IT for Donuts tips:

Posted in The internet | Tagged IT for donuts | 0 comments

Are you about to buy a dumb domain?

June 02, 2014 by John McGarvey

Are you about to buy a dumb domain?{{}}With thousands of new domain name extensions becoming available, choosing a domain for your business seems to have got both easier and more difficult.

On one hand, there’s more choice. You can avoid having to scrabble around for an available .co.uk or .com domain by simply opting for one of the new extensions. Maybe you’d like www.yourbusiness.food or .music.

But on the flipside, nobody really knows which — if any — of these domain names are going to be successful or desirable.

For instance, will some domain extensions get targeted by spammers and scammers? If so, you probably won’t want to be associated with them.

In the past, we’ve been somewhat sceptical of these new domains. With so many to choose from, it seems inevitable some will sink without trace. Perhaps not .London (it made the front page of the Evening Standard, after all). But can you see .guru, .vip and .rehab all catching on?

Now there’s a website, Dumb Domains, designed to showcase some of the more unconventional domain options available.

It’ll show you one available domain at a time. But you won’t have to reload many times before you see a silly one.

For instance, although www.pirate.lighting sounds pretty cool, we’re not so sold on butt.construction or sploosh.computer. (Both are available for $28.99, if you fancy taking a punt.) 

Posted in The internet | Tagged domain names | 0 comments
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