Those of us in the peace and love generation entered the technology revolution and gold rush with a bit of the haze still surrounding us. Early adapters that we were, we trusted those more tech-savvy among us when they said they’d purchase our domain name for us, register it, and it would be ours forever.

Over time, of course, our eyes were opened, mostly because of the hours spent fixing something that was only broken because of the need of some scurrilous fellow travelers to control the kingdom. We came to understand we do not own our domain names, they are leased. Safety controls prevented domain hijacking. Those who thought they had the keys were thrown from the castle into the moat (they returned in other forms, but that is a later story).

Today, that question, “you mean, I don’t OWN my domain” is again being asked by those who trusted the honest gatekeepers to take care of them.

A list member asks,

Since there are only 24 hours in the day, and blogging takes time, I'd like to ask a few questions:

1. Do you blog?  What's your blog like?
2. Do you get anything out of it (besides the satisfaction of writing)?  Help for your business, a job, advertising revenue, publicity for your nonprofit organization, a paycheck, help getting your work published, etc.?
3. Are you positive or negative about the whole blogging experience?

The questioner is a writer and wonders specifically if blogging will help bring her work to the attention of publishers.

I was recently asked by a small town client how to prevent spam in the email. There are lots of ways to prevent spam – and if you have a good email company, you should have a lot of what you’ll read here in place already. If you are running your own server, some of these may be ideas for you to institute if you have not done so.

Spam is generated very simply by distributing your email address. The most common ways to distribute your email are:

• in the signature at the bottom of an email address,
• in the From:, To: and Cc: lines of email messages,
• on business cards,
• in online forums, message boards, and lists (which is often against the policies of the forum/board/listserv),
• at tradeshows, conferences and networking events.

There are several solutions, some more effective than others, some more burdensome on the sender, and some that require you to do a bit of thinking before distributing your email address. Bots (robots or spiders) recognize email address two ways: using the "@" symbol and through use of widely used email domains, such as hotmail and gmail (and dozens others).

What’s My Line, an early television show, continues to  hold the longest running game show record, winning 3 Emmy Awards for “Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show.”  The show had a excellent understanding of what it was and what it represented – this surely contributing to its success.

Your business success depends on your line. Can you describe your business focus and purpose clearly and memorably? Are you using jargon or plain, but compelling, words? If you find yourself stumbling when asked what you do, consider revising your business description – or elevator speech.

Viral communication spreads your message faster than swine flu is able to infect us. Are you controlling your message? Or is someone else?

Branding, especially personal branding, is rapidly moving to the top of my interest list (which includes transparency and security both on and off line). Feeling secure online is impacted by how you brand yourself – how you control the messages about you and your company.

Your blog is an extension of your personality. A consistent message, written in your voice, is your brand. Be yourself. And follow a few simple steps to provide your readers a YOU-nique experience. You’ve heard these before, but they are worth repeating.