Welcome to the New & Improved Cave Man Comedy!
By CaveMan-Staff on February 16 2008 at 10:40 AM
Grunt! Welcome to the new and improved CaveManComedy.com!!!
Here you will find articles on stuff we think is cool, whether it’s from your century or ours.
Picking the Right Domain Name
By Gruntie on February 20 2008 at 03:20 PM
Domain names are no longer a web address these days. Many profitable companies have been built around their domain name making it the brand and the company. Choosing the right domain should be as important as naming your product. Given that status, here are some pointers how to find a name that will see you through it all.
Branding vs. Keywords
This is probably the most difficult to determine. Yet, should be the first place to start because the rest of the considerations will one way or another relate to this. There are two schools of thought. One group believes you should have your keywords in the domain so that search engines pick up on the keywords and rank you better. To what extent this really affects your search engine ranking is not clearly known or proven. Consider why you are putting the website up in the first place. Most likely it’s for your customers or visitors. So choose a domain that also puts your audience first.
The other group believes a webmaster should go for brand. Most successful companies start off with a brand, including online companies. Brands make the product memorable, create differentiation and encourage loyalty. In the early days of the Internet, everyone wanted a generic domain like searchengine.com, books.com, auctions.com and the likes. Today, very few of those are truly successful sites that rival Google, Amazon and eBay.
A branded domain also ensures consistency throughout your marketing efforts. As one web user describes, “Every time the company tells me to visit their generic website, they lose the opportunity to reinforce their brand name in my mind”.
Whether you use keywords or brand for your domain depends much on what you aim to do. If you plan to build a business or website that is going to have staying power, branded domains are a better choice. It might not be easy or cheap to build a brand but there are no shortcuts when it comes to branding either. It’s a slow process that can be very rewarding if done right. Don’t choose a domain simply because of its keywords. First class content, links in and clever optimization are more important to good ranking than anything else. Having said that, a brand name made up of keywords could be best, and you would have the best of both worlds – literally. Take CancerComforts.com. Owner Kathy Browning chose the domain because of its keywords. But apart from being keyword rich, CancerComforts.com is also very marketable and can be a strong brand.
If you are building a resource website, a website for affiliate programs or one that’s temporary in nature, keyword rich and generic domains would be a better choice. Finally, there is no harm in buying both branded and keyword domains that point to the same site. Just make sure you only use one for submissions, directory listings, link exchanges and promotion. This way you build your link popularity.
You should also, make sure the site title or name matches your domain. If your domain is ExtremeBiking.com and your site name is Smith Brothers Biking Tours this makes visitors and directory editors wonder if this is the correct website. It also causes confusion. People who know you tend to look for a domain that reflects your brand and not extreme biking. If you have yet to establish a company name or a site name, it might be a good idea to name it after you find a domain name. This is sensible, consistent marketing.
Company Name
This is the most common because in today’s increasingly small and competitive world, businesses tend to have rather creative and catchy names. On the other hand, if your business name is very nondescript such as The Smith Brothers, you might want to take the approach that combines part of your company name and a keyword. Although the importance of brand name was emphasized earlier, here the situation is slightly different. Non-descriptive company names aren’t particularly helpful to audiences. Someone looking for you would find it difficult to differentiate your company and the other company with a similar name. In this case, keywords tied to your name are worth considering.
Domain Length
Short domains are supposed to be best but it’s increasingly difficult to find one without paying someone a lot of money to take over the domain. There are alternatives though, such as expired domains which we will explore a little later on.
Just because a domain is a little longer doesn’t make it bad. For example, TrashToTreasure.com is meaningful, to the point and memorable even though it is rather long. On the other hand, ThisIsAnExampleOfAVeryLongDomain.com is too long, difficult to remember and prone to errors. The other extreme is needless abbreviation. TTT.com is meaningless because TrashToTreasure.com works much butter. Aim for some balance while taking into account ease of use.
.Com, .Net, .Info
Most people will agree a .com is best. A web user told us, “Whenever I can’t remember the domain name but I know the site name, brand or company, I’ll try for a .com first”. If you have no good .com alternative, start with .net and .org first. Also, be sure to consistently promote your website as a .net or .org whatever you may choose.
Hyphens, Suffixes and Prefixes
Hyphens aren’t necessarily evil especially if it’s in your brand name or is the correct way to write a word. However, they are difficult to remember, type and prone to user input mistakes. Avoid them as much as you can.
Suffixes and prefixes are i’s, e’s, the’s and numbers usually suggested by domain search tools when your desired domain is unavailable. If you choose such a domain, be very consistent in your promotion. Promote the domain as a whole, do not leave out the suffix or prefix. You might also want to avoid domains with very little difference between them. These are usually between plurals and singulars. Aim for singular names whenever possible. For example, petfood.com and petfoods.com; If petfood.com is taken, resist the temptation to opt for petfoods.com because people tend to leave out the ‘s’.
Can You Say It?
This isn’t always a top consideration but it makes sense you should have a domain name that can be verbally communicated. Take your list of chosen domains and tell it to someone. Does it confuse them? Do you find yourself having to constantly repeat it or spell it? If that is so, move on or go back to the drawing board.
iDOLME
By Gruntie on February 19 2008 at 07:34 PM
Are you an American Idol Fan? Does the name Paula bring a smile to your face? Does Simon send shivers down your spine? If so, I have the site for you! iDOLME is the ultimate American Idol teen chat site.
The site was started in May of 2005, and was planned as a forum to talk about music and reality shows. It quickly transformed into a popular social networking site based on music and friends. In August of 2007 the site was updated with a new design and features, focusing more on music artists. The site now has members from around the globe, and is the ultimate American idol teen chat destination.
The site has multiple sections. In the music section you will find the hottest names in music with bios, songs, videos and even ringtones. If your fav artist or group isn’t listed, you can let them know, and they will add them!
If you want to talk, discuss, or gossip about American Idol or music in general, head over to the forums. The posts go fast and furious, and are sure to please any Idol fan.
Don’t miss another minute of Idol news and action. Check out the site now!
Refinance Guide
By Gruntie on February 18 2008 at 10:15 AM
Have you been hearing all the news about the Federal Reserve Bank lowering interest rates? Are you sick of listening to the pundits are all stressing now is the time to lock in a fixed rate mortgage? Are you wondering where to turn for information and help?
You need to visit this great site I’ve found that will answer all your refinancing questions. From finding out how to shop for loan programs, to how the market effects the interest rates.
The site has a Finance Learning Center that will help educate you on things like paying points on a mortgage. You will learn it is just a myth that paying points is always a bad idea. Sometimes it makes sense to pay points, and the site can help you determine if it is appropriate for you.
The Refinance Guide also has information on student loans and loans to pay for an auto. Take a look at the site today!
Loan Network
By Gruntie on February 18 2008 at 09:37 AM
Are you in the market for new mortgage, or a maybe a loan that doesn’t require any collateral? LoanNetwork.com is ready to help!
If you are looking for a no collateral loan, or signature loans, they have just what you need. They have partnered with FirstAgain to offer signature loans up to $100,000 for borrowers with excellent credit histories. Plus, they can give you a credit decision in as quickly as 24 hours. If that wasn’t enough, they don’t even charge a fee to apply.
Now is the time to finance that round the world dream vacation, or your daughter’s wedding. Or maybe you just want to consolidate your credit cards down to one loan. Whatever your reason or need, apply today at LoanNetwork.com.
If you are looking to refinance your current home loan, or are purchasing a new home, the Loan Network can help you will all your mortgage needs also. You can complete a quick and easy form on their site and get matched with great leaders like Quicken Loans, Home Loan Center, IndyMac Bank and many others. You can get up to 4 free mortgage quotes with no obligation.
Baby Formula
By Gruntie on February 17 2008 at 04:22 PM
Are you drowning in the high cost of baby formula? You’ve checked all your local stores and warehouse clubs, but the prices are still high? Well it’s time to have a look at Babys-formula.com. The site showcases the best deals Ebay has to offer for infant formula.
If you’re confused on the different types of formula, ingredients types, they cover all that info too. They even explain things like Organic baby formula, which is formula that has its ingredients certified as organic. The manufacturer has to meet the strict rules for organic certification.
They have a great selection of Enfamil baby formula. Enfamil baby formula was part of the 1959 development that revolutionized the way our infants were fed. Its makers formulated enfamil to closely resemble mothers’ natural breast milk.
If you are concerned about palm olein oil, because of the problems it can cause with calcium absorption. check out the selection of Similiac infant formula. The Similac formula contains no palm olein oil.
Like Nestle? Then you should check out the carnation infant formula. Nestle’s good start baby formula is one of the most popular on the world scene.
Whatever type of formula you decide to go with, Ebay has them all, with unbeatable selection and incredible prices.
Ultimate Blog Directory
By Gruntie on February 17 2008 at 07:24 AM
If you are looking for the best gruntin blog your search starts and ends with the Ultimate Blog Directory. The directory is a human edited directory of blogs.
So every submission gets reviewed by a human prior to being added to the directory. This helps keep the spam and MFA sites out of the directory. You don’t have to weed through the junk sites and dino poop, they have done it for us!
The Blog Directory is a family friendly directory, so no porn or illegal sites are listed.
They charge a small review fee, (can’t expect them to manually review every site for free) and you have pay even if your site is not accepted. This helps keep the crappy sites out too. If a site knows someone will manually be reviewing the entry, they don’t want to risk any money on the submission unless it is a decent blog.
Check it out today!
Wal-Mart Chooses Blu-Ray
By Gruntie on February 16 2008 at 03:20 PM
Is Blu-Ray now in the driver’s seat? Wal-Mart Stores has announced that it will be phasing out sales of HD DVD systems and discs. The phase out gives a huge boots to the rival Blu-Ray format developed by Sony Corp.
It’s been a downer of a week for Toshiba’s HD DVD format. Best Buy and Netflix announced earlier that they will be carrying Blu-Ray discs exclusively.
In making the move, Wal-Mart says they are listening to their customers. Wal-Mart says its customers are showing a clear preference for Blu-Ray products. The decision will also affect Sam’s club.
Reminiscence of the VHS vs. Beta war, the HD or Blu-Ray battle has confused consumers and annoyed retailers who have to have shelf space for both formats.
Wal-Marts move along with the January announcement that Time Warner’s Warner Bros. studios would release high def movies in Blu-Ray format only seems to have tipped the battle to Sony.
Will Toshiba throw in the towel?
Hacking Public Info Kiosks
By Gruntie on February 16 2008 at 02:15 PM
Robert Vamosi has a grunt worthy article discussing public information kiosks and the lack of security. At ShmooCon, the East Coast hacking conference Shanit Gupta, a Senior Consultant at McAfee Foundstone, demonstrated several ways that he and others have been able to map the internal network on a system running XenApp, formerly Citrix Presentation Server. Check out the article here.
New MacBook Air
By Gruntie on February 16 2008 at 12:54 PM
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled the new MacBook from Apple at the Macworld Expo. The MacBook Air is being touted as the thinnest notebook in the world. It actually fits inside a standard interoffice mailing envelope. Prices start at $1799.
The MacBook Air features a sleek silvery finish and sports a 13.3 inch LED backlit widescreen display with 1280 by 800 resolution. The LED backlighting reduces power consumption and provides “instant on” response.
The 12.8 inch wide by 8.95 inch deep weighs in at a barely noticeable 3 pounds and is about three quarters of an inch thick.
Under the hood you find an Intel Core 2 Duo chip running at 1.6 GHz or 1.8GHz. with 4 MB of L2 cache. Intel engineered a new version of the Core 2 to Apple’s specs, producing a 60% smaller version.
In a tip of the hat to the greens, Jobs noted that they case if fully recyclable aluminum, and is the first laptop to have a mercury free display, and arsenic free glass. Retail packaging uses 56% less material than standard MacBook packaging.