What are you waiting for? An invitation?

If you haven’t registered your name with ICANN as a domain for your Author’s Website, then you better get moving. I have a unique name, and there are still several people in the United States with the same name. Lucky for me, I’m tech-savvy, and I registered my name and my husband’s name many years ago. That pretty young starlet can deal with the disappointment of not having www.RobinVanAuken.com.

Your name is your BRAND, and if you haven’t claimed it as a domain name, or some variation of it (I also have www.RobinVanAukenBooks.com), then you should register it today. The cost of a domain is cheap, compared to other fees for building your brand, so don’t let that be the barrier.

If you’re considering a ridiculously low fee that you can’t resist, and which usually results in your purchasing other options. Consider the Trip Wires that surround you daily, and you’ll understand what I mean.

For example, McDonald’s has a $1 menu because it knows it can make a huge markup on the soda and fries you buy with the $1 burger. So, it sells you the burger at cost, because it’s worth it to acquire the customer.

I try to purchase the multi-year hosting plan because it lowers the cost, and I don’t have to worry about whether or not my site will expire.

Speaking about expirations, it’s such a disappointment to lose your domain. I keep my domains on AUTO RENEW, and I check my emails when a notification comes through. Just to be safe, I’ll log in after I get a notice and renew it myself rather than wait for the AUTO RENEW.

The reason it’s a bummer to lose your domain is twofold – it can go into “remediation,” which means you have to pay a lot more money to get it back, or it can lapse, and someone else can grab it.

As I sit here writing this post, I watch as an acquaintance lets her domain name lapse, and it’s a shame because she’s running for public office soon. For the fee of $20 or less, she can renew her domain name and tuck it away if she’s not interested in using it now, but she will lose it instead. I’ve sent several emails to her and a mutual friend, warning her about the pending action, but I haven’t heard a word.

So, don’t make the same mistake. If your domain name is secured, keep it on AUTO RENEW. If you don’t have a domain name, consider registering one today.

Ready for a Challenge?

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Add WEST WIND to your library!

If you love a good mystery, a romantic whodunit that will surprise you, then WEST WIND is a great addition to your ebook library.

West Wind is my third novel as an author of Contemporary Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, and Romance.  It’s FREE too, when you join my exclusive Readers Group. Join today and download your free book, and as a special thank you, you’ll receive a SECOND FREE BOOK tomorrow! The giving goes on and on when you become my fan.

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