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SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, is a proposed bill that would allow owners of intellectual property to block or disable any website that they consider infringes on their intellectual property.

Unfortunately, the bill takes a “carpet bombing” approach to piracy and gives intellectual property owners unprecedented powers in being able to take websites down without any sort of due process.

The bill goes so far that many people have renamed it the “Stop Online Privacy Act” because it infringes on both privacy and freedom.

Many people are worried, and rightly so, about how SOPA can hurt the internet. SOPA hurts consumers, SOPA hurts service providers, and SOPA hurts freedom of speech.

Like many service providers and competitors, we feel so strongly about SOPA that we’ve been compelled to act. We are a freedom-loving domain registrar and above all else, the rights of our customers come first.

In a statement, Aryan Khan, CEO of AryanIct said:

    While we at AryanIct firmly believe in intellectual property rights, SOPA is like detonating a nuclear bomb on the internet when only a surgical strike is necessary. This legislation has the potential to harm the way everyone uses the Internet and to undermine the system itself. At AryanIct, we believe having a free and open Internet is the only option that will continue the legacy of innovation and openess that stands for everything we all value in our modern society.

Some of our competitors support SOPA, despite the untold damage it can do to the internet as we know it.

We’re offering transfers below cost ($6.99* per transfer) using the coupon code SOPASucks. Additionally, for every domain transfer, AryanIct will donate $1 donate $2 (as we reached 250 transfers) to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to help them continue the legal fight against SOPA, PROTECT-IP, and other overbroad and ill-considered legislation.

Shari Steele, Executive Director of EFF stated:

    EFF is pleased to support AryanIct’s efforts to bring attention to the proposed SOPA legislation and its consequences for Internet users worldwide. With the funds donated from the AryanIct effort, EFF will continue to defend your right to free expression in the digital world.

We’re pleased to support EFF and urge our customers to spread the word about the damage SOPA can do. If you choose to transfer your domain to AryanIct, you will be choosing a domain registrar that fights for customer rights, and you’ll also be supporting EFF, an organization that has always fought for our digital freedoms.

Fun fact: In 2010, companies spent $21.5 billion on cloud computing services.

Experts estimate that by 2015 the total cost of all businesses using the cloud will be around $72.9 billion. The cloud — this new technology that is heavily used by mammoth corporations like Google, Skype, and Amazon — is here to stay.

But does cloud computing make sense for YOUR business? Should you move to the cloud?

In this article I will explain the pros and cons of business cloud computing services and you can decide for yourself if it is something you would like to try for your company.

One thing is certain: Cloud computing helps small businesses compete with large businesses. This is because you will have the same tools at your disposal.

Small businesses can now use affordable and robust web applications to accomplish pretty much anything, from document management to email hosting to enterprise resource planning. Cloud apps like Gmail, Dropbox, and Salesforce are remarkable because large enterprises, tiny organizations, and ordinary people can all benefit from them.

What’s the case for using Cloud Computing?

It’s all about cost reduction.

Using the cloud can reduce or eliminate the need for an IT staff. Software updates, maintenance, and server hardware upgrades are all managed by the people that created the software. That means less hassle and lower costs.

Also, the cloud moves as fast as your business expands, which means it’s infinitely scalable. When an ordinary website gets so much traffic that it exceeds the server’s capacities, the site goes down. In the cloud, the website scales to meet the demand.

Paying for cloud hosting is similar to paying for your electric/water bill. You only pay for what you use.

Cloud computing also enhances collaboration. You can access data from any computer with the internet, and use collaborative web applications to communicate and get things done.

This makes it much easier for teams collaborating in different locations.

Why businesses are slow to use the cloud?

Not everything about using the cloud is good. It’s time to visit the cons and leave it up to you to weigh the different sides.

One major issue is data security. You can never be too certain who has access to your data, especially with the increased prevalence of hacking and cyber attacks.

There’s also a chance for data loss. Not too long ago, many users of Evernote, a popular note-taking cloud application, were affected by data loss. Evernote backs up user data to six different places, but a one-in-a-million fluke was still able to cause data loss affecting over 6,000 users.

Another issue is that cloud apps aren’t entirely future-proof. It may not be possible to export your data into a format you can easily use elsewhere. And what happens if you cancel your subscription or your account is deleted? These are all things you should consider before implementing cloud applications into your business processes.

Some tips for moving to the cloud

If you do decide to move to the cloud, here are some tips that will be beneficial to you:

•     Thing Big – Can the server provider of your choice provide adequate space to you if your business grows? If the answer is no, search for another company that can.
•     Export your data – Put your data in standard, ubiquitous formats, just in case data is lost or you choose to switch to another provider.
•     Read Agreement – This is probably the most important tip I can give you. A. See what you’re going to be paying for! B. Are there fees for termination? C. What are the privacy agreements? D. Anything else that seems important to you.
•     Evaluate different service providers – Many cloud applications offer a free trial or even a free version. Take advantage of this. Look at the user interface (see if it’s laid out the way you like). There are some great cloud hosting providers out there. Never forget to do your homework.
•     Have fun – Cloud computing is ultimately about improving your business’ bottom line and making your processes more efficient and effective. But don’t be afraid to have fun. The cloud is changing fast, and there are lots of cool and interesting ways to take advantage of it.

The Kindle Fire and Nook Reader do much of the same things. They can be used for browsing the Internet, watching movies and other types of videos, and of course, reading books. However, there are quite a few differences between these two products as well. The Nook Reader has been out longer but most people believe that the Kindle Fire is taking the lead as the better product out of the two because of its amazing features. You can review the information to gather an opinion on which of these products you think will be better than the other.

The Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is a tablet version of the traditional kindle. It was recently released towards the end of September in 2011. Not only is it the perfect product for reading all types of books, you can also watch streaming videos and television shows. You can choose between millions of different shows and movies that are compatible with the Kindle Fire. In reality, this product is great for just about anything. You can do much of what you would do on an average day all within one product which is what consumers really like. Below is a list of just some of the many features of this product.

Kindle Fire Features

– Movies, Shows, Books, and Magazines are all available

– Apps and Games are also available

– Fast Speed Web for Browsing The Net

– Easy To Use Touchscreen

– Amazing Color Brings Picture To Life

– 8 GB Internal Memory

Aside from these features, there are plenty others that the consumers seem to be raving over. The price for the Kindle Fire is $199.99 which is considerably cheaper than most of its competitors. With the Kindle Fire, you will have access to millions of books. These books will vary in genre and will be for children, teens, and adults. You get to choose what you want to read on your Kindle Fire.

You can also have your pick from tons of different games and shows. Some games and shows are specifically designed for adults while others are for children. If you have children who will also be using your Kindle Fire here and there, this will be perfect for you. Popular games include Angry Birds and Words With Friends while popular music videos and songs include music from the talented Lady Gaga and Adele. You will be able to find everything you need with the Kindle Fire.

The Nook Color

The Nook Color was created before the Kindle Fire but some changes will need to be made if Barnes and Noble wants to beat out Amazon for the top selling e-reader. When the Nook Color was first released, the price for the product was $200+. Because the Kindle Fire came out and costs approximately $199.99, Barnes and Noble was forced to lower the price of the Nook Color to $199.99 as well. This is good for you, the consumer, because now you have your choice of both great products at the same price. The company, however, may not be so happy at having to lower the price of their product. The Nook Color offers more than two million different kinds of books. Books vary in genre and adult and kids books are both available for purchase. Apps, games, and music are all available on the Nook Color too. Like the Kindle Fire, Nook Color comes equipped with many cool features that consumers love and rave over.

Nook Color Features

– 2 million+ books

– Kids books are interactive and animated

– Access to some of the most popular games

– E-mail and Web Browsing available

– Free Support

These are just a few of the different features that come along with the Nook Color. And while there are already many different features, there are plans to add some new and exciting features as the creators continue to ensure that their product is satisfying for the customers. What types of features will be added? Well, NOOK comics will soon be available which will feature tons of different Marvel comics which is perfect for comic book lovers. Another new feature expected to be added soon is available television shows and movies from NetFlix and Hulu. These are two websites that offer videos to some of the best television shows that are or were on television at some point in time. If you enjoy reading books, browsing the web, and playing some games, this may be the type of product you are looking for.

When it comes to these two products, it is somewhat difficult to decide which one is the better one. Both of these products have so much to offer the consumers. In a world of technology, where people want to be able to go on the Internet, listen to music, and read books, these products are definitely continuing to advance along with the consumers.

As of right now, it seems as though the Kindle Fire has a bit more to offer the consumer because they have way more than two million books, movies, and videos available along with quite a few extra features. The Kindle Fire also comes equipped with much more memory than the Nook Color which is important for people who use up a lot of memory with their videos, games, books, and music. However, it is obvious that Nook Color is making changes and adding new features so that it can keep up with and possibly surpass the Kindle Fire in the future. If you were to buy either of these products today, your best bet would be to go with the Kindle Fire.

Both of these products cost about the same amount, so you will be spending the same amount of money for either one. If you prefer something that is simpler with less features, the Nook Color may be your best choice. But, if you love watching streaming videos, listening to tons of music, and playing some of the funniest games around, you would greatly benefit from buying the Kindle Fire.

Facebook, the number one social networking platform on the Internet right now, has some very stiff competition with Google Plus. Google plus, which was recently created just a few months ago, already has over 20 million users. Facebook, which has been around for several years, is used by hundreds of million users. And while Facebook is still in the lead, many people are wondering whether or not Google Plus will eventually outshine Facebook and become the number one social networking platform on the Internet.

What does Facebook offer?

The two different websites both have positive things to offer its users. Facebook is much like an online hangout that allows people to keep in touch with one another even after graduating, moving to another state or even across the world. Facebook keeps families, friends, and acquaintances connected with one another. The “like” feature on Facebook allows users to choose things they like along with their friends statuses and picture updates.

Top Notch Privacy Settings

Facebook recently changed their privacy settings and some love the new change while others are not a fan. While your wall was once visible to everyone, you have the option of making your wall private or semi-private to specific people. Don’t want your family members to see what you are saying in your status update? You can simply block them from being able to view your status updates. It’s quite simple and easy to follow. Facebook privacy settings are definitely great for people who don’t want their information available to random people.

Networking and Business Friendly

Facebook is not only a good website for people who want to stay connected. It is also perfect for small business owners. Small business owners have the opportunity to build a fan page for their business on Facebook. This page will allow them to keep in touch with customers, customers can leave feedback and comments, the business owners can post pictures of merchandise, take orders, and use the link for their business page on Facebook to spread the word about the business. Facebook is also network-friendly for people who are into networking themselves.

Not So Positive Things About Facebook

While Facebook has a lot of positive features, there are some negative features as well. Facebook is constantly making changes that most people don’t like. In fact, some users have been so upset with the changes that they started their own Facebook page to express their dislike for the new layout and format of the site. While it takes some getting used to, it is not absolutely terrible.

What is worrisome, though, is the fact that many of the Facebook applications and features can find out a lot of your private information, much more than you would be willing to share. Because your private information on Facebook is not really private after all, it may leave you wondering how user friendly Facebook really is.

What does Google Plus offer?

Google Plus, the relatively new social networking platform, has lots to offer its users as well. Google Plus offers video chat to its users. This feature comes in handy for those who would normally use other video chat programs. Now, users are able to stay in touch and chat through video which is quite cool. Google Plus also has a feature that is referred to as Circles which enables you to choose who is in which of your circles. Once you set up who is in your different circles, you get to decide what those people can see on your Google Plus page. Because the site is new, there are still plenty of features to come.

What are the negative features of Google Plus?

Google Plus users are supposed to use their real name when they sign up. This means your name will be displayed as it actually is. Whereas Facebook gives you the opportunity to use nicknames or fake names, Google Plus wants you to be honest and use your actual birth name. For some people, this is just not good. Google Plus is also relatively new and seems to be a bit too exclusive to some people.

Which Is Better?

As of right now, Facebook is definitely still the better social networking platform out of the two selections. Why is that? Well, as the number one social networking platform, Facebook continues to change with its users. The reason changes are constantly being made on Facebook is because the creators want the website to grow with users instead of users growing out of the Facebook trend. Myspace is another one of the competitors that Facebook is constantly dealing with. At one point, Myspace was the number one social networking platform. Facebook was able to beat Myspace for the lead and is working hard to make sure it keeps that spot and prevent websites such as Myspace and Google Plus from reaching the number one spot.

Facebook is paying close attention to competitors, especially Google Plus, and is making even more changes to keep up with these other social networking sites. It is obvious that Facebook does not want to lose its number one spot on the list of top social networking sites. As Google Plus grows with its new features, Facebook continues to produce new features as well. This benefits the users much more than it benefits either of the sites. With these two websites in constant competition, they will likely work on making the sites even more user friendly and listen to what user have to say about the site.

If these different social networking platforms are willing to listen to your suggestions and make changes based on what you and others have to say about the website, then that is a good thing. That means that the website actually care about their users and not just making business and money. Even more changes are expected to come for both Facebook and Google Plus. It is hard to say if Facebook will have the number one spot in just a few years from now but with the way they operate, it is quite possible.

With the increasing number of people who use the Internet on a regular basis, more people are creating and developing their own websites. Whether the website is for personal use or for business and marketing, web design is essential. The design of the website is most important because it is what drives traffic to the page. A website that is not fully developed and lacks in the design department will typically experience far less traffic than a website that has a professional looking website. There are several tips that you can use to ensure that you master web design on your website which can lead to higher traffic volume and hits.

1: Concise content

The content of your website is obviously the most essential part of your website. However, it is important to keep your content concise. Most viewers of websites are turned off by tons of words and paragraphs placed all in one page. Your content should be detailed and informative but you should also use short sentences and avoid repetitive information as well as fluff, which is information that isn’t really needed. While your content should be concise, it shouldn’t be too short to the point where the viewer has no idea what message you are trying to send. Your content should display information that covers some of the most crucial points of your website.

2: Set up a navigation system

A navigation system should include links to different pages on your website. An easily accessible navigation system will come in handy for viewers of your website because it helps them figure out where they need to go to find the information they are looking for. Placing a navigation system on a website is quite simple; it is a very basic step when designing a website. The links for your navigation system will probably look somewhat like this:

About

Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

Products

Portfolio

Contact

Of course, your links may vary depending on what type of website you have. If you have a website that is designed to sell products, you would typically want to include links for information on those products, pictures of those products, as well as contact information and how the viewer can buy the product. If your website is designed to display some of your work, you would create a portfolio link which will include pictures or downloads to some of your work.

3: Include images

A website should always have some sort of images. The images should be crisp, clear, and professional. Using actual images instead of clip art images is highly recommended. In many instances, an actual image will give a much more professional look and feel to a website when compared to traditional clip art images which are definitely not as professional. If possible, using your own images would be the best thing to do. If you cannot use your own images for your website, check out stock photos on different online websites.

4: Use a professional template

A template is basically the layout of your website. You can create your own template if you know how, you can hire someone else to create a template for you, or you can buy a pre-made template for your website (Some pretty cool WordPress themes can be found at FabThemes.com or TopWPThemes.com). Regardless of what you choose to do, it is important that you have a professional looking template on your website especially if you want your website to receive positive attention.

5: Run your content through a spell check

Nothing looks worse on a professional website than having misspelled words and dysfunctional grammar. It is in your best interest to run any content you create through a spell checker and even through a grammar checker just to be on the safe side (Also tools like Respelt.com can be used). If you hate writing, you may even want to hire a freelance writer to do the job of writing your content for you. Remember, the content on your website is most important and, if words are misspelled and not used properly, it will reflect poorly on you and your abilities.

6: Give out your contact information

If someone wants to get in touch with you after having a look at your website, they should be able to do so with ease. After you have created a navigation system (as seen in tip #2) you should have a contact link on your website. The contact link should take viewers to a page with your information so that they are able to get in touch with you. You should provide your name along with an e-mail address. If you want, you can also add your phone number but that is ultimately your decision.

7: Have a hit counter

You should have a hit counter so that you can find out how much traffic you are receiving to your website on a daily basis. However, you should not have a hit counter displayed directly on your website. It is a disservice to have a hit counter displayed on your website because most viewers find them pointless and pay little to not attention to them. It is also important, if your website is new and you aren’t receiving much traffic, because you wouldn’t want viewers to think your site is too boring to receive high amounts of traffic.

8: Avoid pop ups

The truth is, most website viewers hate having to deal with pop ups. If you can, avoid placing any of them on your website at all costs. Some viewers find pop ups so annoying, they will leave a site almost instantly after a pop up appears.

9: Keep things organized

A primary rule of keeping a professional website is actually keeping things organized. Once you have all of your content set up on different pages, it is important that you keep up with the website to keep it organized. Do not keep adding stuff in random spots every time you think of more content to add.

10: Introduce yourself

Introduce yourself and what you stand for on your website. This will offer website viewers a sense of comfort because they get to find out more about who you are as a person. However, as with the content section, keep it short and sweet so that you are not gloating about yourself.

If you follow these ten web design tips, you will likely have much more success with your website. Remember, following these tips can change your website for the better and can end up truly benefiting you in the long run. If you want a website that receives high traffic, these little adjustments are easy to do and can make a huge difference. If you need a custom logo design for your website, visit a DesignContest.com.