Are you tired of your generic un-personalized email address from Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, SBCglobal, Comcast, Earthlink, etc.? Don't have the slightest clue how to get your own website? Do you currently have a website but are paying too much for hosting? Please continue reading to learn how to setup personalized email addresses, setup a personal or business website, and get valuable hints on the entire process.

First a few definitions:
  Q. What's a personalized email address?
  A. An email address that contains words with direct relationships to you or your business. So instead of " ," a personalized email address would look like: This kind of email address is easier to tell people, easier to remember, and can better market your company.

  Q. What is a website?
  A. A location on the World Wide Web usually containing multiple web pages with a unique address (URL) called a domain name. Depending on what sort of website you have or are planning, you will use a domain name with an internet suffix such as ".com," ".net," ".org," ".edu," ".info," etc. For example: "harmonyservice.com", "www.mywebsite.net", "www.sudval.org".

  Q. What is domain registration?
  A. There is a central registry of all domain names on the Internet. For your domain name to become a part of the registry, your domain name needs to be added to that registry. "Registering" a domain name means you are associated with that domain name for the period of the registration. "Registering" a name means you own it, and no one else can register that exact same name!

  Q. What is a web host?
  A. A web host is a computer attached to the Internet that has web serving software running on it such as Apache, PHP, MySQL, etc.. Such a computer, called a server, is where your web site's html files (web documents), graphics, etc. reside. The server may host multiple sites or home pages. There are no geographic restrictions on the location where you may place your Web site. You can set up your own computer as a web host, but there are companies that provide better service for less. By purchasing a hosting plan you also remove the maintenance required of a personal server.

Amazingly, when you get the right hosting situation, you will have personalized email and a website all at once. If you only want personalized email and don't need a website, you can still follow these steps. Here's what you do:

• a. Go to a well known registrar such as Network Solutions or Register.com. Continue to step (b). *Note* Many web hosts are registrars and vice versa. This means that a web hosting company can also register your domain. Usually they offer a cheaper registration price too. The drawback to registering you domain with your web host is that it will be more difficult if you ever need to switch web hosts (e.g., you find a host that offers more services for less). You have more control over your domain if you register with Network Solutions or Register.com and then host your site elsewhere. If you want to register and host at the same place, we recommend 1and1.com.


• b. Type your desired name in the domain search box on the first page. Don't type "www" or ".com" in your name.


• c. To the right, select each suffix that you think you'd like at the end of your address. ".com," ".net," ".org," are the most common and stand for "commercial," "network," and "organization." There are many more that you may use and each is self-explanatory.


• d. Click "Search" or "Go."


• e. You will be given information on that domain name. If it is available, register it. If not, you'll have to choose either a different name or suffix and try again. Once you find a name that is available, select to continue the registration.

• f. Network Solutions will try to sell you all sorts of add-ons such as web hosting plans, private registration, email only accounts, and promotions. Don't select any of these. You can get them cheaper and better elsewhere. Just click continue or "no thanks".


• g. We recommend registering your domain name for 5 years at a cost of $99.95. This means that you won't have to re-register for 5 years. You can also select to "auto-renew;" your credit card (assuming it hasn't changed by then) will be automatically charged to renew after 5 years.


• h. To complete your registration you'll choose a username and password for your registration account. This information is absolutely critical. If you lose it, you'll go through great pains (relatively) to get control over your domain again. Loss of usernames and passwords is the number 1 tech support problem today!

• i. We recommend choosing 1and1.com firstly and Bluehost.com secondly for your hosting needs. They provide the best services at the least price. There are millions of web hosts out there and if you decide to search for a host yourself , compare the cost and services to this list and get something comparable. We also recommend always going with Linux hosting, unless you plan to implement the .Net or ASP languages.


• j. This is the hard part: choosing the hosting plan. You can decide to purchase just email, email and a website, email and an e-commerce website, etc. If you just want email without a website, just purchase the email hosting ($0.99/month). If you want any sort of website, we recommend purchasing at least the Business Plan (usually $9.95/month). This provides many great features that you may not use right away but certainly will as your web presence develops. Remember to select the Linux hosting option.


• k. Once you are signed up and have a hosting username and password (sent to your old email address), you are ready to add new email addresses, setup your email program, design your website, and explore the potentials of the internet.

• l. To add email addresses, simply log into your web control panel. If you signed up with 1and1.com, go to: admin.1and1.com, enter your "hosting" username and password, and then go to the "Email" controls. If you ordered the business account, you get 500 unique email boxes. That means that you can have 500 different email addresses at your domain name (e.g., , , , etc.). Of course, you can setup forwarding email addresses, email lists, auto-responders, and newsletters. Once your email address is set up, you will check the email using your favorite email browser (Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Mail.app, Eudora, Evolution, etc.). Most hosts have POP and an IMAP capabilities. Use IMAP if you are going to check your email account on several different computers. Either way, the only info you need is your Username (usually your email address), your password (what you decided when you were setting up your email address), the incoming mail server (usually your hosts name such as "pop.1and1.com" or "imap.1and1.com"), and the outgoing mail server (always the name of your internet service provider; if you have DSL through SBC, it is "smtp.sbcglobal.yahoo.com," if you have Earthlink dialup, it is "smtpauth.earthlink.net," if you use AOL dialup, however, it would be the outgoing server of your host "smtp.1and1.com," etc.).


• m. Building a website is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but there are thousands of options including doing it yourself, hiring a professional, using your hosts site building tools, or buying a pre-made site. Either way, it's easier than you think. Just send us an email if you need help. If you want to get started yourself, simply log into your web control panel, find out your FTP (File Transfer Protocol) address, username and password, download an FTP program like Fetch, WS_FTP, or gFTP, and upload a simple html document to your website. Go to your URL (www.yoursite.com), and see your brilliant work.