blog

Geek tips

The Down-Low on Securing a Domain Name

There's a lot that goes into starting a website, blog, or small business.

There's a lot that goes into starting a website, blog, or small business. Beyond the site's design, one of the top priorities on your to-do list should be picking a domain name. This is how your readers and customers will identify your company and come to find you on the web. The process isn't as daunting at it sounds. Follow these four steps and you'll be on your way to owning your piece of the Internet and growing your website into both a recognizable and profitable brand.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about the naming your domain.

News

Philadelphia Bloggers Pay Business Tax: Fair or Unreasonable?

Is this fair, or just ridiculous?

Is this fair, or just ridiculous? The city of Philadelphia wants to charge bloggers $300 to continue posting on their blogs — the equivalent of a "business privilege license." While this fee would apply to professional or money-making blogs, it also applies to blogs created by residents as a hobby or part-time blogs that make no money. Additionally, bloggers are required to pay taxes on any earnings they received from the blog, however small the profit.

While taxes on a lucrative blog seem fair, taxing those who run popular or successful blogs that don't turn a profit seems a little ridiculous, even for a cash-strapped city. The city of Philadelphia's take: if your blog has the potential to become lucrative, you must pay a tax, regardless of how much money is actually generated.

On one hand, these are the same sorts of rules that freelance writers and others must follow; on the other, these blogs aren't turning a profit. If everyone started charging such a tax, I'm afraid that otherwise awesome content would never see the light of day. What do you think about this tax?

Wedding

5 Sites For Creating Your Wedding Website

I already told you why you need a wedding website, now I'm making it easy to set one up of your own!
5 Sites For Creating Your Own Wedding Website

I already told you why you need a wedding website, now I'm making it easy to set one up of your own! If you don't have the time or web skill needed to create a site from scratch, fear not! There are plenty of sites that do the hard work for you, allowing you to customize your site with designs, colors, photos, and even music that fit you and your betrothed's style. Here, five simple places to get started creating your own wedding website. And don't forget to check what information you should include to make you and your guests' lives much easier.

plants

Cool Idea: Give Your Houseplants a Vacation

I have been following David Horvitz's blog for a few months or so.

I have been following David Horvitz's blog for a few months or so. For all of 2009 (not necessarily every day, but frequently), he sends out small texts of simple instructional ideas through his mailing list, and then posts screenshots of them on his blog. Many of his instructions involve mailing things to far-off addresses, like "Take a photo of your head in the freezer and mail it to a museum in Greenland that has no current exhibition." I've never followed through with his suggestions. But I think this one, shown above, giving your house plants a vacation, is fun and something I might actually do. I've gotten to the point that I don't even notice my houseplants anymore, unless they're in desparate need of watering. So it would be fun to switch it up and lay my eyes on someone else's ficus for a while. What do you think? Would you do this?

 

 

digital life

What Do You Think of the Word "Blog"?

I found myself watching TiVoed episodes of Miss Guided this weekend and got a kick out of a scene where a student's gossip blog creates drama on campus.

I found myself watching TiVoed episodes of Miss Guided this weekend and got a kick out of a scene where a student's gossip blog creates drama on campus. Namely, the main character, Becky, learns she's at the bottom of the "do-able" teachers' list and complains about the site to the principal, calling it a "blurgh." The principal, who is played by the dorky SNL alum, Chris Parnell, says "it's a blog, Becky, not a 'blurgh.'" It was a hilarious scene, but I couldn't help but wince. Blog has become such a dirty word and a huge fragment on the population doesn't understand what it means. I love blogs more than anyone, but I can't say I love the word.

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

boy

Band of Outsiders Blogues Simply

Sometimes the bells and whistles are not required.

Sometimes the bells and whistles are not required. Realizing we sort of missed the Band of Outsiders Fall 08 collection during the madness of fashion week, we poked around to catch up on the happenings of the brand. Boy, the labels womenswear collection, is probably exactly how we'd dress if we lived in the fantasy world we invent while walking with our headphones on (okay, maybe not all of us). What convinced us even more, of the brands alignment with our fantasy world, is the simplicity of their website. Two blogs, one for Band and one for Boy, are made up cleanly with press images, goofy polaroids, and You Tube videos. There's no godawful Flash Player (something we all do agree on) there are no links to previous collections. There's simply a rolling log of succinct, clean images, and some links to likeminded websites. The feeling is like visiting an old friend, someone who you don't 'network' with, who you just like. Before long, you realize that this relationship is just much, much better than peripheral nonsense because, without the flash player, your left to enjoy some funny polaroids and cool clothes.



You Tube video courtesy of Hint Mag




Coutorture Editorials

Weeds

Little Boxes on the Hillside

Molly directed me to these Flickr photos from the Westlake District of Daly City, California.

Molly directed me to these Flickr photos from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folk musician Pete Seeger in 1964. Many Casa readers, however, probably recognize it as the theme music for the TV show "Weeds."

You can find out more about Westlake on America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb. I'm curious: Do you like these homes, or do you find the design too dated? Tell me when you take a look the gallery and read more

Teamsugar

Blog I Love: Beauty Product Junkies

One of my favorite beauty blogs on the Web is actually right here on TeamSugar: Created by our very own Atoxicsparkle, it's called Beauty Product Junkies, and it has more than 1,700 members.

One of my favorite beauty blogs on the Web is actually right here on TeamSugar: Created by our very own Atoxicsparkle, it's called Beauty Product Junkies, and it has more than 1,700 members. If you're a fellow junkie, you should definitely check out BPJ: This is an incredibly active group where users post everything from product reviews to Beauty Marks to instructions on how to achieve different looks. There are also weekly Beauty Challenges, where users Beauty Mark their favorite products.

I'll be featuring the results of those challenges on BellaSugar, along with other occasional BPJ content. So, if you're a Beauty Product Junkies member, don't be surprised if you get a message from me asking to feature one of your posts on BellaSugar. (You can always say "no thanks.")

I love reading Beauty Product Junkies just for fun, but Atoxicsparkle and the other members have also been a huge help as I was gearing up to launch BellaSugar. So thanks, guys! Anyway, if you aren't familiar with this group, be sure to check it out.