Things Newbies Need To Know

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.htm

Choose 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.htm

Never, 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.htm

Use 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.htm

Use 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.htm

Stay 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.htm

Apply 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.htm