I use Cpanel and WHM most of the time, mostly because it’s easier and I’m used to the interface already. I still have the hosting package I got from our office but I usually use that to store work related stuff like scripts, tricks, etc.

To find out if you have access to WHM, login to your Cpanel (domain/cpanel) and look for the WHM icon under the Advanced Section. If you see the icon, click on it and a new window should appear and then you can follow the steps provided below:

1. Click on SSL/TLS icon on the main page.

2. Click on Generate a SSL Certificate and Signing Request.

3. Provide the following information:

4. Click on Create.

The next page will provide you with the Certificate Signing Request and the Private Key.

Note: Make sure the domain is hosted on your server and that the information is correct. Validation or installation errors might occur if the CSR shows a different set of contact information from your validation documents.

On a side note, are you interested in learning more about life insurance leads?  I was reading about it and I’m currently thinking of writing an article about it.

Good thing I type most of my notes in Microsoft’s OneNote and that all of my downloads are done via torrent or a download manager. Still, I’ve disabled auto restart just to make sure that I’ve covered all bases. See the steps I did below:

• In the Start Menu go to Run type “gpedit.msc” and press Enter
• A Group Policy editor will open.  Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Template -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
• Enable No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations by double clicking on it.
• Click Ok and close Group Policy Editor

Later versions of WordPress supports automatic upgrades (thank god) and you only need to enter your FTP information, click on upgrade and you are all set. I thought it was going to be the same with my package from Network Solutions but it didn’t work. I was getting a cannot login to the server error. Instead of using my domain as the hostname I switched to the vanity domain but still no upgrade.

The solution? Use localhost as your hostname. I don’t know why but it works. If it won’t, I suggest you call Network Solutions and ask for technical support. Netsol’s tech support is quite just as long as you ask them the right questions…so no out of topic questions like why your phone is not working or why you’re getting emails about health insurance leads.

1. Google Mail

Though I still use yahoo mail every now and then, I now use Gmail to send out emails most of the time. It’s fast, doesn’t have a lot of ads, and it’s free unlike yahoo where you have to pay to have your mails forwarded to another address.

Gmail or google mail was first developed back in 2004 by web developer  Paul Deicht. Used to be a by invitation only program, Gmail or Google Mail can now be used by the public and is becoming one of the preferred email platforms on the net.

Features I like:

• Labs
• IMAP option
• Clean interface
• Fast loading time

2. Google notebooks

Though Google has stopped the development of Google Notebook I still find myself using the application daily to jot down notes and anecdotes. It’s quite useful specially when I’m at work or when I don’t have my laptop with me.

3. Google docs

I still use Microsoft Office most of the time but I really love the sharing capability of google docs. The sharing feature makes it easier for users to share spreadsheets, power point presentations, and documents online without having to open your email and opening an attached file. I would love to see google improve the capabilities and interface of google docs and if possible add an offline feature as well.

5. Google Calendar

One of the apps I always use is Google Calendar. I have the desktop application installed on my laptop so I could see the calendar on my screen all the time. I use it to track my activities, appointments, and tasks.

There are times when I can’t imagine my life without the internet and google. I’d like to say that I’ve come a long way from the noob that I was whose knowledge of the internet revolved on mirc chat to a young woman whose daily life now deals with webhosting and blogging concerns.

It’s an adage I don’t always follow but is a pretty good advice to give out to our clients at work.

When I first started blogging, I latched on to my brother’s domain, letseka.info, without a clue of what I was going into.  The terms were mind boggling and he wasn’t willing to sit down and explain things to me. It’s a humbling experience to have your younger brother know more about a topic you’re interested in, specially when the former isn’t willing to help you learn at all.

But I’m persistent and pretty obsessive when I have a new hobby. I spent some time on the internet just reading and tweaking my wordpress blog, pugilistqueen.letseka.com. It wasn’t until I met some of the Davao Bloggers that I thought of buying my own domain name, and thought it wasn’t exactly a disaster, it wasn’t the best of domain names either.

The best I could come up back then was dabawenyangiska.com, mainly because I was studying in UP (iska) and living in Davao (dabawenya). The name, now that I think I know better, is a mouthful and kinda hard to remember. I’ve since moved on to Tiarara.com and I’m thinking I’ll stick with this name for a long long time. I like it more because it’s shorter, easier to remember and it serves as my personal brand.

Are you interested in buying your own domain name? Here are a few tips.

1. Think longevity.

Always think of the future, don’t or at least avoid hinging on your current lifestyle knowing you might ditch it after a year or two.

2. It’s all about the brand

A domain name’s like your own calling card so think once, twice and even thrice before settling on a name.

3. Keep it short and simple

Who remembers long and complicated names? Even though rss readers and bookmarks are all the rage nowadays, it’s still better to stick to the keep it short and simple mantra. That way people can easily remember your domain name and can easily mention your website during conversations instead of just saying, “there was a blog, I stumbled on a site”.

Now the question of where to buy your first domain is easy. I personally prefer to buy my domains at GoDaddy.com Registration is cheap and they run a gamut of promos you simply can’t refuse. As for support, most people say Go Daddy sucks when it comes to support but I have no idea if it’s true or not. And besides you can always look for solutions and tutorials online instead of writing long support tickets to your service providers.

The pioneer in domain registration, Network Solutions now introduces their domains as NS WebAddress, webhosting packages as NS Hosting Shared and NS Hosting VPS. NS of course stands for Network Solutions.

The good thing about the change is that they made sure that web developers and people familiar with the terms can choose the web professionals page, where the terms are what we know it is.

Domains are still pretty expensive at $34.99 but Network Solutions promises 24/7 Real Time customer support. Your choice if you want to bite, on my end I can read about most of the problems and solutions online, so customer support won’t matter much.

Head over to Network Solutions to get a glimpse of their new website. Ciao!

Read more about Google’s decision here.

Much to my dismay, the earphones were not in top condition. The left side wasn’t working and the sound quality was so freaking bad I opted to use the built in speakers in my laptop, which was equally bad. When the work week ended I finally hauled myself to Park Square Makati to buy myself a new set of earphones.  I had 3 new movies and a handful of new mp3s I’ve yet to listen to so not having earphones was not an option anymore.

5 minutes after I arrived I went out with a brand new set of A4tech earphones,  I didn’t want to linger lest I get tempted to buy other things I shouldn’t buy.

Function wise the MK260 earphones put a new spin to listening to mp3s. The sound quality is so good that I now use my zen stone player more than I used to do before. The buds (I don’t know what they’re called) fits right in the ear which seemed weird at first but it prevents the earphones from falling off and delivers the sound directly to your ears, isolating the usual noise you hear in the background.

At P350, the MK260 is more than worth its price. I’ve been using the earphones daily and I have no complaints about it. I am one happy user.