Ok, so we’re pretty excited about the 2019 year in the Gregorian Calendar. I mean, we’re already off to a good start as the U.N. General Assembly has officially recognized 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.  And I’d say we love the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements as much as the next online domain name registrar, if not more. Probably more. I mean, heck, do not even get us started on the noble gases. We love the noble gases.

But, if we’re being honest, we’re way more excited for the Chinese New Year. It’s nothing against the common era, but the Chinese New Year is coming up and not only is it a weeklong festival of fireworks, dumplings, sticky rice balls, noodles, hot-pot, and more, this year it is extra special to us…

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If you’ve spent the time building a website, you know how important it is to rank high in the search results. We all want to be “seen” by Google and rise to the top position.

There are a ton of great resources out there to help you learn about improving your website’s SEO and visibility on the web. But one question you may have is what role your domain name plays in that ranking. Does Google count your domain name as a keyword? What about new TLDs (Top Level Domains), such as .design, .tech, .store? Do these new TLDs impact your website’s ranking? Continue reading →

When it comes to a business’s first impression, it’s not an exaggeration to say that it all begins with the domain name. The moment a customer sees the website, they attach meaning to it which creates an imprint in their mind. What do you want your customers to think of your business when they see your domain name?

 

Here’s an interesting take on this: the more emotional their response, the better it is for your brand. An emotional response could be intrigue, surprise, trust, comfort, reassurance, and if you are as creative as Porkbun, may be even excitement, hunger pangs or salivation! The idea is to build a strong association between your website name and a positive emotion that they feel to establish a solid positioning.

 

The new domain extensions come to aid in creating an instant positioning for your business website. Since the new domain extensions are meaningful words, they make your domain name contextual and memorable from the word go, as well as create a lasting legacy for your business.

 

It is for these reasons (and more), some of the top brands and new businesses are all getting on the b(r)andwagon and picking new domain extensions for their businesses. Check out some of them below:

1. Viacom.tech

 

This is Viacom’s tech focused portal for the developer community. It is meant to propel Viacom’s belief in open source and invites the global tech community to join Viacom Open Source Software repository on Github.

 

2. Magazine.store

It is what the name suggests. An online store with all the top magazine in one place. Through its domain name, it clearly establishes what it is and what it does. The website, which is owned by American media conglomerate Meredith Corporation, offers 300+ magazines on its store.

 

3. Freedom.press

Freedom Of The Press Foundation is dedicated to helping support and defend aggressive, public-interest journalism focused on exposing mismanagement, corruption, and law-breaking in government. Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, Edward Snowden is the president of this organization.

 

4. King.host

King Host is a web hosting agency that amplifies human connections on the Internet, simplifying access to the best technology choices to developers and creators, generating value through excellent infrastructure and expert support. They recently moved to king.host from kinghost.com.

 

5. Louder.online

Louder Online is one of the world’s leading digital agencies that specialize in intelligent & effective search, content & social marketing. It helps brands amplify their presence and reach in the online world. Its co-founder, Aaron Agius, is an experienced search, content and social marketer. He has worked with some of the world’s largest brands, including Salesforce, Coca-Cola and Target.

 

6. Emirates.store

This is the website for Emirates Airline’s official merchandise store. They offer travel accessories, aircraft models,  as well as lifestyle and fashion products for men, women and kids!

 

7. Asgardia.space

Asgardia, also known as the Space Kingdom of Asgardia, is a group of people who have launched a satellite into Earth orbit.  It has gained visibility as the world’s first ever space nation – a global, unifying and humanitarian project.

 

8. Stronger.tech

Stronger specializes in high-quality, customized, internet-technology training and services worldwide. Partnering with their clients, they empower organizations to create stronger, more efficient and more secure cultures.

 

9. [Businessname].Business.Site

As part of Google My Business, small business owners are able to take their business online with a with free one page website on BUSINESSNAME.business.site subdomain domain. The service is available globally to all merchants enrolled in Google My Business.

 

10. Lorde.Store

 

This is the official online merchandise and music store of Lorde, the world renowned singer, songwriter, and record producer. When she was 17, she became the youngest solo artist to achieve a number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 since 1987.

 

So, you are ready to make your next website.

 

Alisha Shibli

Alisha is a Content Marketing Specialist at Radix, the registry behind some of the most successful new domain extensions, including .STORE and .TECH. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Having your portfolio online doesn’t necessarily mean not having it in print. You can have two versions of the same book; and there are several benefits to both. A print portfolio might be more memorable in an industry where print is all but dying, but it doesn’t capture a designer’s ability to work in the most common medium. However, having your work showcased online means you can share it easily, and you don’t have to figure out mailing address or spend a lot of money printing it every time you need to update your work. An online portfolio can easily flow from the recruiter’s inbox to the creative director’s desk. Here are a few things to consider when making the switch from print to web:

Keep it straightforward

Hiring managers and recruiters have a lot of candidates to sift through. They will look at several portfolios and resumes over the course of the hiring process and it is imperative to capture their attention as soon as possible. They will value you taking their time into consideration.

For the most part, your information should be compartmentalized with the recruiter’s needs: build out a page for your work, one with your history, and possibly one with your resume. You can always attach a more descriptive cover letter, and full CV in the email introducing your portfolio.

Best Practices

If you build your portfolio following best practices, it can itself be an example of the work you are able to do. Your portfolio should be polished and follow best practices so that employers can see these skills in your work.  When working with clients you won’t always have the opportunity to follow best practices. Clients and other circumstances can pull your work into more restricted directions. It is important to showcase your ability to work within those frameworks but take your own portfolio and brand as an opportunity to build out the ideal scenario. Nothing is in the way but yourself, so have fun with it.

Be Selective

One of the key benefits of having an online portfolio is being able to fit as much content as you can. Just because you’re able to, however, doesn’t mean you should. Find the pieces that best represent your skillset and creative thinking and feature those. Spec pieces, or pieces that weren’t made for an actual client, that better capture your creative thinking and skillset should take priority over work that may be more common. Clearly label the work you did for clients and as spec, and clearly mark what role you played. This will help answer a lot of questions your recruiter might have and give you more time to talk about yourself as a creative.

Make it memorable

With all the templates available for designers, it is important to find the best combination of attributes to make your website memorable.  Squarespace, Wix, even Weebly all offer templates for the designer that is more front-end, while Adobe offers several options for coding your own site. Regardless of the builder you use, make sure your designs are the best option for communicating your work. Consider the scope of work you have to showcase, the number of pieces you could ultimately add, and how you want others to navigate it. A little UI/UX never hurt anyone, even when using a predesigned template.

 

Of course, try using a new domain to make it stick. Why compete for an expensive, and generic .com when you can host your work with your name at .design? Maybe you consider yourself an artist and want to showcase at .art or an illustrator at .ink. It’s 2018 and .com isn’t the only option anymore. Explore the newest extensions and create something truly descriptive and unique. Your website will not only stand out in the sea of .coms, but it will be short and to the point. Recruiters will remember it, and you.

The last days of unencrypted HTTP

It’s accepted wisdom that every website should be served over a secure HTTPS (SSL) connection. HTTPS encrypts browser traffic, protecting your customer’s passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information from eavesdroppers and hackers. In recent years, the price of SSL certificates has plummeted, and the advent of free “Let’s Encrypt” certificates means you no longer need to spend a fortune — or anything at all — to assure your site’s visitors that their data is safe.

All of this will come as no surprise to most Porkbun customers, who by virtue of registering their domains at the Bun find themselves in the vanguard of the push towards a totally-secure web. Porkbun was the first registrar to provide free SSL certificates to every customer on every domain without any renewal fee or upcharge.

Unencrypted HTTP isn’t just unfashionable, it’s about to go the way of the Dodo. As of April 2018, over 70% of all website traffic is now served over HTTPS, up almost 10% from a year ago. Google recently announced that starting in July of 2018, any site not served over HTTPS will be marked with a large grey “not secure” icon in Chrome’s URL bar — not exactly instilling of consumer confidence.

 

 

.app and HTTPS

With the release of Google Registry’s new .app domain extension, Google has taken their commitment to a secure web a step further by enforcing mandatory HTTPS across all .app domains. That means if you register a .app domain, you can still host a site over unencrypted HTTP — but no modern browser will load it.

How did Google achieve this feat? Well, it just so happens that Google maintains a special list known as the HSTS Preload List. Anyone can submit their site to the list, which tells every modern browser: “insecure HTTP is disabled for this domain.” What makes .app unique is the entire .app zone has already been added to the HSTS Preload List, no exceptions allowed.

Thus, if you try to load a .app site over unencrypted HTTP, your browser will refuse, instead displaying an error message that can’t be bypassed. This protects all .app domains from a wide swath of so-called “man-in-the-middle” attacks wherein an eavesdropper intercepts traffic for nefarious purposes. It also improves site loading time as the browser won’t even try to connect to the unencrypted channel first, skipping directly to HTTPS.

.app and Porkbun

.App’s HTTPS requirement can seem scary, but compliance is easy at Porkbun. If you’re hosting your .app site via our site builder or shared hosting package, HTTPS is automatic; you don’t have to do a thing! Want to host your site elsewhere? You can still use your free Let’s Encrypt certificate with a 3rd-party hosting company. For more info, check out our article How to use your free SSL certificate. Already purchased a traditional certificate? That works, too.

Still have questions about .app, Let’s Encrypt, or HSTS Preload? Email us at support@porkbun.com

Announcement: the 2018-2019 .design Student Portfolio Competition Is Approaching!

Attention interior design students and teachers!

Porkbun has teamed up with IDEC.org to host a design challenge that will help get students set up with their very own online portfolio on .design.

For Educators…

this competition is a unique opportunity to help your interior design students prepare for today’s digital job market and incentivize them to take their online portfolio seriously.

For Students…

by entering the competition you get your first year of .design for free. This includes a website builder, email hosting, and a bunch of other features. The winner of the competition will win an Apple iPad Pro, valued at $1,400. 2nd and 3rd place will receive 10 years of free .design domain credits and email hosting, valued at $600 and $300, respectively.

Participants can submit their websites between June 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018.

For competition details, please visit idec.design