[Maven]

I have no idea where to post this, so if it needs to be moved, move it.

I had a domain name several years ago, and I was ill for a few months and couldn't use the computer, so when that domain name came up for renewal, I wasn't able to renew. Someone else took it--a domain name broker--and it's been for sale since then. I can't pay thousands of dollars for a domain name, like these companies often ask for, so I can't get it. It appears that now, the company who owned it didn't renew it, and it is currently in a "Redemption Period." This means it expired, but the "owner" gets a grace period to renew at the renewal fee. I found out this was happening when I got an email asking me if I'd like to bid on it. I figured, What the heck, and put up a small bid. The next day, I got another email, but a different domain to use for bidding was in it, so I repeated the bid. And then a third email, but I didn't post another bid. I noticed that, besides using different domains, the emails also listed the person emailing me as living in a different location each time.

I got another email today that was completely different, from a different company. I'm guessing nobody owns that domain right now, but they plan to snatch it up once it's available and sell it. I think if I hadn't put those bids in, they wouldn't buy it and then I could renew it for around $10 once it became available again. I'm hoping no one buys the domain, so I can get it back. If I'd realized what was really happening, I wouldn't have made the bids; I might have to pay much more than $10 to get it.

Does anyone have experience with this? Frankly, I think it's shady business, trying (and succeeding) to trick people into paying more for an expiring domain name than they would if the name hadn't been taken, but business is what business is. If anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

[gma45]

I don't know anything about domain names. Hopefully someone else on here does. I wish you the best and hope you get it back. I don't think I would shell out any money though without knowing if it is legit.

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

I know bits and pieces about domains, as I ran a website for a couple of years, back in the day, but that stuff just sounds too messy for me to make sense of it. xD You're right, it does sound shady! hah. Best of luck. Hope you get your domain back.

Actually, all that domain guff is the main reason why I never got back into that "game".

[Maven]

Thanks, guys! I haven't done websites for a while. Or, more accurately, I haven't done websites and stuck with it for a long time now. I can't even do the fancy stuff. I know some CSS, and several times tried to learn javascript, PHP and other coding. What I did learn, I forgot, mostly because of disuse. I want to go back to doing websites, but just HTML and CSS coding. I like to be in charge of my website. I have installed the blogging software, WordPress (WordPress ? Blog Tool, Publishing Platform, and CMS), several times, but I got sick of having to update all the add-ons and figure out security, and just didn't feel like writing entries on a blog that nobody reads. I didn't have enough content to make me feel like promoting it, so I kept telling myself that I'd write a few entries, so there would be enough content to gain interest, but I didn't keep up with it. The advantage of the software is that it stores everything in a database (which I don't know much about), sorts posts by date or whatever you want, and once you're up-and-running, it's easy to post. The advantage to plain ol' HTML and CSS is, simplicity. I feel comfortable with it (mostly, but CSS is somewhat tricky to me), and I think I'm going back to it.

That's off-topic somewhat, but that's what I have to think about if I'm going to do websites again.

And, another off-topic thing: When I logged back onto my computer a few minutes ago, I found a new account had been created on my Windows XP! My boyfriend said it was probably done by a program (such as a worm), rather than a person. In any case, I deleted it and now have to do a full virus scan. Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, right?

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Cool. Yeah, it has been ages since I've done anything webby, as well. :\ (unless you count a Facebook page for geeky tech-speak, that I've ran for a couple of years, but it's small--92 or so subscribers/likers--and not used much, ... I guess people don't wanna get all geeky! xD) The domain thing (getting, registering, and paying for an official domain) puts me off. Also, I have the funds, but I really dislike the idea of working my butt off and having nobody give a monkeys. The aforementioned (and anonymous, for obvious reasons) site was small, but it was good and successful amongst those who used it. Some people were addicted. It was just a forum-based phpBB website, with custom images, mods, a custom design (templates tweaked by yours truly) with a lot of server-side control, courtesy of a decent provider, and a typical sub-domain type setup. Back then, I didn't have the money, so I couldn't advertise, ... it's frustrating, ... that site could have done very well, if I had the funds to advertise on Facebook. Ho-hum. One day I'll get [name] v3.0 up and running, and see how it goes.

What got you into this stuff, Maven? I got into it because I helped out at my old school's website. I guess my IT teacher thought I showed promise, because he just randomly grabbed me, took me to a cool office-type room with a load of geeks working at computers, and told me what to do. I felt on top of the world.

Like you, I like to manage, ... I like the building and what-have-you (when I was younger, I used to make offline websites with bits of HTML and GUI software just for the sake of making it haha in-fact, by the time I started a college course for Office and HTML, I found the HTML part super easy; can't remember much of HTML, now, though) but I like administering a forum the most, ... I dunno why, ... maybe because I've used so many forums over the years, but I just find it to be an interesting thing to do... I loved building the foundation for a community to grow on.

*sighs* Good times.

[Maven]

I know how you feel. I really liked doing websites, but keeping regular content that I created myself was difficult. I know there are sites where you can get content (for free, even), but I don't want to post the same stuff everybody else is.

I got into it because I loved how websites looked; it seemed "artsy." I wanted to do that. I didn't actually learn much in the way of art (but I'm getting back to trying to learn to draw and paint realistically--the painting has to wait, since I don't have the space, but if I could learn digital art, that would be awesome!), but I messed around with graphics here and there. I learned how to make a seamless background tile. I'm not perfect at it, but I can do enough for what I want to do. HTML was so easy to learn, and it was fun, so I was very motivated to keep up with it. I learned from Sams' Publishing Teach Yourself HTML in a Week or 24 hours, or whatever it was called, LOL!

I actually like the domain naming. I like thinking up a good name (obviously, the one-word domains are out, since I can't pay hundreds, let alone thousands, of dollars for a domain), although it can get frustrating finding one not taken. I love the satisfaction of clicking to register and securing it.

I did it mostly for me, but I did start a website with some friends that did pretty well, and evolved. It used to be a horror website, for women by women (but men worked on it, too), and after I essentially left it (just because I never got back around to it, doing other things), it became a not-just-focused-on-women horror and sci-fi site, and that evolved into yet another site, which I just checked, and is now closed (PlanetFury.com). I don't know why it's closed, but I'm sure I could find out just by emailing my friend.

Money is and was an issue for me, too, as you know since I can't buy a major domain name, but I really want my original domain back, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get it. Wish me luck! I didn't make money from my websites, although I'd intended to; I didn't have anything to sell. Which is why I'm also looking to get into writing. I've said that for years, but I still intend to. *Sigh!*

[IchbinkeinTeufel]

Originally Posted by Maven

...

Sorry for the late reply.

You can always add a donate button, and stick some ads on it. I like the idea of paying a very small price for premium features, or for simply supported the website, perhaps with a title "Supporter" or something ... even just 25-75p a month; it's sod-all, really, but with several people doing it, it would be neat, and take a bit off the costs. (I've no idea how to set that up, mind you, as I've never used PayPal like that, in a business kinda way, except a donate button)

Personally, I think they should do that on PC, ... title 'n all, ... or a badge... perhaps a star on the corner of the avatar, to show the user supports PC by adding a little to their coffers, helping to keep it running. Just a thought.

On my old site, I made a heap of custom 100x100 avatars; none of them were taken from the 'net, which made them unique. We even had special [site-name] ones that showed the member's support, which was nice to see people using them. Good times. I did enjoy making the graphic stuff, but it was very time-consuming, at least until I got any templates sorted, which helped a bit.

[Maven]

Thanks, Zwang, but I don't need money to run a site, I just need money to buy the domain name. Since it is set to expire in a couple days (I've kept close watch), I'm hoping I can snag it. I have it backordered, but I'm also trying to catch it on my own and get it for a regular fee. That said, I think I still have to pay the backorder fee. Hopefully, it won't all be a lot.

I don't know if PC still does this, but for a while, they accepted donations for a fund that DocJohn matched, in case members were in need. It wasn't enough to help everybody, of course, but a few people were helped.

I've done graphics, too, although that was quite a while ago. I never made an avatar, though. Link images and banners, though, I did those.

[glok]

Good luck with that, Maven.