I recently received a call from a new client in a panic. Their previous website designer had passed away and they had no idea how to access their existing website to have me make any changes. So I began the process of tracking down any information about the site I could find.
I started by searching the WHOis database available at any Domain Name Registration site. This database contains information on domain names including the name servers, the registrar and the administrative, billing and technical contacts with postal and email addresses. And this my friend is where the nightmare begins.
Whether it was out of ignorance or done intentionally I will never know, but the deceased designer had registered the clients domain name in her and her company's name. This my friends is a HUGE NO NO!
When you register your domain name you get exclusive use rights. The right to use a domain name is delegated by domain name registrars (ie. register.com) which are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), this organization is charged with overseeing the name and number systems of the Internet. Once you register your domain in order to change who it is registered to you must do a domain transfer according the the guidelines set by ICANN. While it is not difficult you at least have to be ALIVE to do it!
So herein lies my clients problem.
Domain registration transfers to the next of kin upon death and in this case the registration transfered to the womans husband; an elderly man with no computer experience, no access to any of her username and passwords, and in no position to be contacted by the likes of myself or any of her clients. So where do I go from here.....
I started by calling the Domain Registration Company listed in the WHOis information, Register.com. They explained to me that under no circumstances would we be able to access the account or the domain name, but there was a process that we could go through to try and get control. So armed with that information I had the client send them the information they requested. Two days later I called back to check on the situation and they asked me for the two things, I did not want to have to try and get. A copy of this womans death certificate and a letter from her husband stating that he gives me rights to the domain.
To anyone with a heart this is inconceivable. How am I supposed to contact a man I have never met and ask for a copy of a death certificate in the middle of his grieving process.....
So I took it another direction. I called Register.com again trying to get ANY information they might give up. I found out not only did she register my clients domain in her name but she also registered 7 other businesses websites in her name. AND!!!! Some of those domains were expiring.
In my business model and as a part of correct website design practices I ALWAYS register my clients websites in their name. Because of this I felt both a professional and moral obligation to contact the other businesses and explain to them what was going on. This is when I got my break through. One of the businesses gave me some contact information for a man she was "working with". BINGO! I left him a message on the number she gave me and waited.......
He called back later that evening and told me he has access to the Register.com account and while he wouldnt give me access, he would transfer the domain. The Problem: he doesnt know how....... ug. So I went back to Register.com and tried to set up a dummy account so I could walk the man she was "working with" through the process. The Other Problem: I cant create a dummy account I have to actually purchase a domain name. The Tip of the Iceburg: their domains cost $35/year and that my friends is ALOT. I usually spend around $12/year. But I looked at it this way, if all it cost me was $35 to get my client control of their domain it would be money well spent.
So are you tired of reading this HUGE explanation? Well think how I feel actually doing this all. This is why I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE YOUR DOMAIN NAME AND HOSTING ARE IN YOUR OR YOUR COMPANY'S NAME!!!
You or your company should also have access to ANY usernames or passwords associated with your website. This includes FTP information, Hosting Logins, and Domain Logins!
Meanwhile my client is still panicking and honestly so am I a little bit. I hope I can get this to work and I hope I can do it today.....
*MUAH*
Sarah
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Is your website annoying?
Have you ever considered that your website may be annoying? When it’s comes to website design, knowing what visitors hate most is a must, unless you don’t want them to visit you again.
A few weeks ago I received an email from a colleague asking me to check one of the website he had developed. He is a web designer and his client wanted a nice attractive flash header. The flash header was great. You can’t miss it at all. Some nice graphics elements were flying in while sound effects created just the right atmosphere. However, after starting to explore the website, the header became very annoying because every time you clicked on the website the header restarted. What was pleasant initially became very annoying very quickly, disturbing your concentration and making it difficult to read what was on the page.
He is not the first to create what I like to call – "annoying website design". Many webmasters, especially new webmasters are totally “in love” with their ideas and tend to go overboard with their design in one way or another. It’s nice to have an attractive header, but is it really necessary to assault the visitor’s mind with it? In my opinion, absolutely not!
Webmasters sometimes forget that their website design should send a message to the visitor that should reflect the website topic and not the programmer’s skill level.
Is Your Website Design Annoying?
Well…. It’s not that hard to be annoying. However, some webmasters are much better than others at annoying their visitors. Check my top 5 list and decide for yourself whether you have been annoying your visitors.
1.Background music – Unless you are operating an online internet radio station or sell music CDs, why play a midi/wav file in the background continuously on every page?
2.Huge font size – If you are designing a website for people with a disability then you are doing the right thing, but if not then you are shouting. People don’t like it when someone shouts at them.
3.Small font size – Do you want to be heard? Keep a normal tone, don’t shout but "speak" in a reasonable volume.
4.Overlapping layers – Layers can be very useful up to the point. But not when they are being used to put an annoying message in the visitor’s face. Don’t try to force your visitor to read your messages. Try persuasion instead of brute force.
5.Popup windows – Even though popup windows are now blocked by many add on tools, webmasters keep using them. The annoying part of popups is sometimes we actually miss important information because of those anti popup tools. Haven't you heard the old phrase "if you can’t beat him, join him”? Don’t use pop up windows. Put your important messages in a central place on your website.
Most likely each one of us has our own private top five lists. You probably have many more annoying design cases in mind. Well, you’re right, the list is much longer then that. I just wanted to describe some of the highlights in order to bring this important subject your attention.
Some of you are probably reading those lines and smiling while some others have a feeling a deja-vu. Keep in your mind that as a client the last thing you want to do is put lots of effort into your website and then find out that your visitors hate it. It's not a matter of taste, it's more about being the same polite person we all try to be when we go to a party.
A few weeks ago I received an email from a colleague asking me to check one of the website he had developed. He is a web designer and his client wanted a nice attractive flash header. The flash header was great. You can’t miss it at all. Some nice graphics elements were flying in while sound effects created just the right atmosphere. However, after starting to explore the website, the header became very annoying because every time you clicked on the website the header restarted. What was pleasant initially became very annoying very quickly, disturbing your concentration and making it difficult to read what was on the page.
He is not the first to create what I like to call – "annoying website design". Many webmasters, especially new webmasters are totally “in love” with their ideas and tend to go overboard with their design in one way or another. It’s nice to have an attractive header, but is it really necessary to assault the visitor’s mind with it? In my opinion, absolutely not!
Webmasters sometimes forget that their website design should send a message to the visitor that should reflect the website topic and not the programmer’s skill level.
Is Your Website Design Annoying?
Well…. It’s not that hard to be annoying. However, some webmasters are much better than others at annoying their visitors. Check my top 5 list and decide for yourself whether you have been annoying your visitors.
1.Background music – Unless you are operating an online internet radio station or sell music CDs, why play a midi/wav file in the background continuously on every page?
2.Huge font size – If you are designing a website for people with a disability then you are doing the right thing, but if not then you are shouting. People don’t like it when someone shouts at them.
3.Small font size – Do you want to be heard? Keep a normal tone, don’t shout but "speak" in a reasonable volume.
4.Overlapping layers – Layers can be very useful up to the point. But not when they are being used to put an annoying message in the visitor’s face. Don’t try to force your visitor to read your messages. Try persuasion instead of brute force.
5.Popup windows – Even though popup windows are now blocked by many add on tools, webmasters keep using them. The annoying part of popups is sometimes we actually miss important information because of those anti popup tools. Haven't you heard the old phrase "if you can’t beat him, join him”? Don’t use pop up windows. Put your important messages in a central place on your website.
Most likely each one of us has our own private top five lists. You probably have many more annoying design cases in mind. Well, you’re right, the list is much longer then that. I just wanted to describe some of the highlights in order to bring this important subject your attention.
Some of you are probably reading those lines and smiling while some others have a feeling a deja-vu. Keep in your mind that as a client the last thing you want to do is put lots of effort into your website and then find out that your visitors hate it. It's not a matter of taste, it's more about being the same polite person we all try to be when we go to a party.
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