How to Start an E Business

Create a name for the business. This involves coming up with a name that is easy to remember, and also catchy enough to stay right on the tip of consumers' tongues. Search the names of your competition to give you ideas, and then write a list of possible names for your business. Use a process of elimination to decide which name suits your business best.
Build a website by finding a hosting company that specializes in eBusiness websites. The top three eBusiness Web hosting companies are JustHost, HostMonster, and BlueHost (as listed on the 'Top 10 Web Hosting' website, a site that compares Web hosting companies). Consider a hosting company that will register your domain name for you. You can also register the domain name on your own using Network Solutions or Dotster.
Launch the website by submitting the URL to Yahoo, MSN, or Google, for example. Each search engine will ask for a list of keywords to describe your business. This is done to allow the search engine to rank your website among other similar websites. The process of coming up with really good keywords is known as search engine optimization (SEO). Put thought into the keywords you choose. Try to put yourself in the position as the consumer, and ask what terms you would type in to find your product. Search engines put a lot of weight into keywords when determining how a website is ranked. Don't leave this step to chance. Give it some real thought.
Market the website. This can be done through a number of ways. Article marketing allows you to post articles about your product niche in free article directories such as Ezine Articles or Article Street. In turn, people who read your articles on these sites have a chance to come visit the website, and hopefully buy a product or two. Post a press release online in which you can announce the start of your eBusiness, telling potential customers what you are selling and how the product can be beneficial. Hand out business cards every chance you get (think of friends, family, and people who would benefit from your product). Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth as a source for marketing. Show pride in your business to make people want to find out more about your product. Advertise in newspapers as well. Remember that an eBusiness has the potential to reach customers around the globe, so advertising on websites that complement your product may be a good idea as well.
Keep the website updated and maintained. Do something to the site at least once a week. No one wants to buy products from a stale online store. Customers want to know that you are an expert in your product line, so offer free How-To guides and blogs, as well as other content that requires continuous updates. Visitors like interaction as well. Place a poll or survey link that is centered around your product line. Anything that keeps potential customers coming back is good.
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How to Add a CNAME (6 Steps)

Log into your account at the website of the company where you purchased your domain name. If you have a Web hosting account with another company, and you transferred DNS management to the new company's name servers, log into the Web hosting site instead. If you're not sure which company controls your DNS settings, first try the Web hosting company and then the domain registrar.
Find the website's DNS management page. Depending on which company you use, the location of this page on the website will vary. You can often find it by selecting 'DNS Management,' 'DNS Settings,' 'DNS Hosts,' 'Zone Editor' or something similar. On some sites, you may have to first select the 'Domains' option and then select the name of your domain.
Find the section of the DNS settings page that allows you to add a new record. In some cases, you may need to click 'Add Record,' 'Edit' or something similar. The website will ask you for up to four pieces of information: a record type, a host name or alias, a value or destination, and a time delay or 'TTL.'
Set the record type to 'CNAME,' and then enter the new domain prefix in the host name or alias field. For example, if you are creating the 'pictures.mywebsite.com' subdomain, enter 'pictures' in this field. Do not add a period at the end of your entry -- you DNS editor will do this automatically.
Set the value or destination field to the location or address to which the new subdomain should point. For example, if you are creating a subdomain called 'pictures.mywebsite.com' that should point to an image folder on your Web server, you might enter 'mywebsite.com/data/images' as the value or destination. You can also point subdomains to other websites. For example, if you have Tumblr blog and want readers to be able to access it from your own website, you might create the subdomain 'blog.mywebsite.com'. In this case, you would enter 'domains.tumblr.com.' (including the last period inside the quotes) as the value or destination.
Leave the TTL setting at the default value and then save the new entry. The CNAME record should become active within four hours, although it can sometimes take up to eight hours for the new information to propagate to all of the other DNS servers on the Internet.
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How to Plan a Bike Ride Fundraiser

Select a date for the event based on other athletic events in the area or fundraisers that may take away from your core audience. Choose a rain date if the target audience is diverse in cycling experience or geared toward families and children. However, if the charity ride will be geared toward experienced riders or mountain bikers, weather should not deter them from riding.
Form a steering committee that includes at least an event coordinator and volunteer coordinator who have experience organizing a cycling event and/or participating as a rider in similar events. They will help you avoid overlooking details that are important to cyclists and bike rides.
Establish a budget, expenses and target fundraising goal.
Select a location and a back-up location (ideally four to six months in advance.) You'll need enough time to get permissions, submit necessary permits and coordinate municipalities to lock down the details of the event. Keep the back-up location in mind, and be ready to move fast if your first choice is denied.
Choose the bike route. For a mountain bike event, match trail difficulty with the experience levels of the riders. You may want to select one route and have more advanced riders complete multiple routes. Mark trails clearly with arrows and warning markers that cannot be confused with existing trail markers.For a road bike ride, come up with a set of distance options for riders. Typically, a set of 10-, 25-, 50-mile routes will satisfy most charity cyclists. If you feel adventurous, include a 75- or 100-mile route. Use the longest route as the 'base' for all other distances; for the shorter distances, figure out turnaround points. Develop a turn-by-turn cue-sheet.
Establish rest areas every 10 miles for a road bike event and every 3 miles for a mountain bike event. For each rest area, arrange for a set of volunteers (preferably one that has some form of medical experience), water, food, first aid, a safe place for riders to set their bikes and a means for riders to go to the bathroom.
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How to Access Horde Email

Log in to your Web hosting control panel by following your host's instructions.
Select the 'Create Account' option within the main screen of the control panel to create a new email account. Enter a user name and password and press the 'Create' or similar button. If your Web hosting package allows, you can create several email addresses using this method.
Press 'Mail Accounts' from the main screen of the control panel to see a list of your email addresses. Select the 'Webmail' option next to the email address of your choice to log in to the email account. If an additional screen opens offering you several choices of Web mail services, click on the 'Horde' option to access Horde email.
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How to Get a URL Address

Decide what you want your domain name to be. It's a good idea to have a few banes in mind in case your first choice is taken, especially if you want a .com or .net address. (For example, while a name may be taken on a .com, the .net version of that domain may be available.)
Choose a domain registrar to register and purchase your domain--such as Go Daddy, Network Solutions or Bluehost. Many hosts are similar, but you'll want to make sure you're getting what you want. Consider looking at reviews (a link to a site with popular reviews can be found below), then checking each host that catches your eye personally. Make sure you're using an ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)-accredited registrar, that the company has good technical support and its their website is easy to use. Review usage and support policies to see exactly what you're getting.
Sign up for an account with the domain registrar of your choice, then begin the process of signing up for a domain. On many sites, you can begin this process by using the company's search function to check for the availability of a domain. Otherwise there is usually a 'buy now' option somewhere on the main page for you to use.
Type in and select the domain of your choice if it is available. The process will differ depending on what host you choose, but when you are finished and have paid for the domain, you will be able to use it immediately. Be careful when paying for your domain, as the host may attempt to select certain payment options or add products to your order by default. Double-check your cart before you complete your payment.
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