Domain names… had I known years ago just how valuable they would be today, I would have spent my high school years working for money to invest in buying domains. But are we past the point that it’s too late? I don’t think so.

It seems like every week I hear about a domain name being sold for a ridiculously high price. At some point those domains were picked up for less than the cost of your Starbucks coffee. Pizza.com sold for $2.6 million by a some average guy that bought it back in the 90’s. Domain names as simple as Pizza.com have long been taken, but there are still some .COM names out there.

The prime domain name real estate in the .COM arena has been taken (for the most part) but there are still some left. What about .NET, .ORG, .EDU and other domain name extensions? They are going fast but there are still a huge number of them available because they aren’t “prime real estate”….yet.

Over the last year I have been picking up domain names I find that are clever or will or already have some value. I fully intend on continuing to do so and expanding into other domain extensions like .US, .CA, etc. very soon. The price for domain names is going up and will continue to do so.

I think what bugs me the most is that so many people just assume when they need a domain name, it will be there for them. Those people will be stuck with the domains nobody wants like 7×6gl4.co.uk or something similarly crappy. Companies are investing in domain names because they know what is happening.

Try doing a search to see if you can get your last name in the .COM (”yourlastname”.com). Good luck, if your’s is available let me know because if you don’t buy it I will. These companies are picking up thousands of domains for dirt cheap, then turning around and selling them for 100-1000x what they paid. Even people’s names.

I won’t be left behind while all these are being slurped up. My only regret will be that I couldn’t invest more money.

Want to hear some crazy facts about domain names and the domain name industry? Check this out:

• A single person owns over 200,000 domain names. (Dr. Lieven P. Van Neste)
• Business.com sold for $7.5 million.
• Every last 3 character domain name (for .COM) has been taken.
• The average length of domain names is 11 characters long.
• More domains begin with an “S” than any other letter.
• More domains begin with a “1″ than any other digit.
• The longest domain you can get is 63 characters long.

While there are still many options available to get yourself a cool domain name, the prime real estate is being swept up fast, prices are going up and the number of people starting websites will continue to rise. If you’re wondering where to start, you might want to read the “5 Step Website / Blog Setup Guide” post I made awhile ago.

Another post worth reading is “Are Domain Names Digital Real Estate?”.

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**EDIT**: Drop.io gave away more than 20 - 5Gb 1 year premium upgrades to the first people that twittered them with a suggestion on their service! I just got one myself! This is why Drop.io rocks. Thanks Drop.io

Awhile ago I wrote a review about a pretty cool service offered by Drop.io which I was a big fan of right off the bat. Although the features they had to offer were helpful, there were some drawbacks that threw a kink in my work flow.

There is one thing for sure though, Drop.io is not twiddling their thumbs on the job. They know what needs to be done and are doing it and doing it well. To make things even better, they’re listening to what people want and need. They even picked up on the blog I made about it. They’re on twitter too!

So what new features has Drop.io been dropping in the mix?

• Small improvements (design wise) of their home page and drop page(s).
• You can subscribe to drops via email, which is great when you need to know when something is added or changed.
• The way you interact with documents has greatly improved (added links to delete, comment, send & save).
• You can now send files between drops which is a really helpful feature I think.
• Improved embedding
• Sending files via mms, email, fax, or existing drop.

The feature I have been the most happy to see added was a delete link per document (you had to view the file then delete previously). As great as it has been to see these features added there are still some drawbacks I find annoying during my daily work flow.

On a daily basis I have to proof files with clients (I’m a graphic designer) so Drop.io is a great service to do just that. But I work at a newspaper which means I have to proof anywhere from 10-50 or more ads per day. Within 20 minutes I have proofed several versions of an ad with a client. What am I getting at?

The way files are managed should be improved upon more (which I’m sure they’re doing). I think the following features would really help improve the service.

• Multiple file deletion at once - it’s a pain to have to delete one file at a time.
• Selective archival - it would be nice to be able to archive/download multiple files at once rather than the entire drop or a single file at a time.
• Send multiple files - many of the clients I interact with have several ads. It would be great to see a feature that would allow for sending multiple selected files at once.

So, aside from multiple file management, what else could Drop.io possibly do to make their already awesome service even better?

• User management or selective password protecting. Since I deal with multiple clients, it’s not a good idea to leave the drop unprotected. Clients would be able to view each other’s files. If the drop could be setup so that you could password protect files individually that would be great. Although if the following was an option I suppose this wouldn’t be necessary..
• Send files via link rather than sending the actual file. One of the main reasons why I use Drop.io is because sending large attachments via email isn’t fun with clients. When I noticed that you could send files via email I was pretty happy but quickly disappointed to find out it sent the file itself rather than a link. I don’t want to clutter my clients’ inbox.

All in all, Drop.io is one of my favorite services. It’s super simple to use and is actually quite powerful. Recently I used the conference call feature and was really impressed at how easy it is to use, tell other people how to use and the quality was fantastic.

If you haven’t checked out Drop.io, take a few minutes, it’s well worth it. If there is something you feel is missing, contact someone and let them know, they are really nice and want to hear what people think of their service. They have stated that what is available now is just the tip of the iceberg so I’ll be watching for the upgrades!

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This post was guest blogged by Simon Koldyk

Jarel just recently started on Twitter.com; but, I think we might of gotten him hooked. If you haven’t already go and sign-up on Twitter.com with your name even if you don’t think you want to Twitter just yet, your name might get taken later.

There are a couple of keys to Twitter

• Its always a lot more fun to be following a bunch of people
• Don’t worry about how many people are following you
• Post interesting stuff, I don’t care that you just went to the bathroom
• Twitter is for conversations remember to use the @ command.

The conversations that go on twitter are amazing, everything people are thinking about is brought up and interesting things turn into huge Twitter conversations that can span on to hundreds of people. In twitter you could type “@personsusername say something here” and Twitter will treat that as your talking to them.

There are a few people that I think you should be following.

• photomatt - Matt Mullenweg from Wordpress
• johnchowdotcom - John Chow from TheTechZone
• problogger - Darren Rowse from ProBlogger
  
• TechCrunch - Micheal Arrighton from TechCrunch
• Scobleizer - Robert Scoble from FastCompany
• JasonsCalacanis - Jason Calacanis from Mahalo
• factoryjoe - Chris Messina from Citizen Agency

Once you have a few people you like following you want to use Twubble, it’s this neat little website that finds you new friends that you will probably also want to follow. Twubble gets this information from who you are already following and who they follow.

So now you’ve a few people you’re following and hopefully a few people are now following you back, you can’t always be checking Twitter.com or you’ll waste your whole day away. Thankfully some really smart people have created desktop apps - the two big ones are Twitterific (Mac) and Twhirl (Windows & Mac). Tweets will not show up on your desktop as they appear, although I do warn you that you may need to turn this off time to time to actually get some work done. Twitter is the new place for fast information and connections.

You should also follow Jarel and myself on Twitter

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In college I took a Critical Thinking class and boy oh boy did I feel like it was a total waste of time. It really just seemed like common sense to me. I attended less than %60 of the class and still pulled off over a 100% in the class (extra credit).

What I didn’t realize until later in life was that not all people have the correct thought process to be a critical thinker but most definitely have the ability. Thus the reason for the class.

So to start off let me clarify what critical thinking really is.

Critical Thinking is a form of judgment, specifically purposeful and reflective judgment. Using critical thinking one makes a decision or solves the problem of judging what to believe or what to do, but does so in a reflective way (Wikipedia.org).

Quite often I get frustrated with people around me and shoot my mouth off complaining about how Stupid Sucks. What is the real problem here? It isn’t really stupidity, as much as it is a lack of critical thinking. A better judgment thus decision could have been made but by ignoring simple steps of critical thinking, an inferior decision is chosen.

What can you do to be a critical thinker? Follow along:

1. Learn how to discern the difference between opinion and fact. As simple as that sounds, you would be very surprised and how easily people are mislead by cleverly advertised opinions appearing as facts. Developing your ability to separate the two will take you a long way and prevent you from misleading others as well.

2. Question opinions but in a non-confrontational manner. It’s really surprising at how many opinions don’t have anything factual to back them up yet are dished out as if factual material. We are all entitled to our opinions but minimize the use of opinions in decisions and judgments. By questioning opinions you’ll find yourself making much more accurate choices.

3. Put some effort into higher quality thinking & problem solving. The majority of questions I am asked are usually the derivative of being lazy. In turn, those choosing not to put effort into critical thinking lack the ability when it is necessary. Practice walking through these activities to improve your capabilities. (This list is in thanks to an article by Joe Old.)

• Prioritize
• Identify Purpose
• Determine Consequences
• Determine Effects
• Identify Bias
• Identify Assumptions
• Draw Conclusions
• Make Contrasts and Comparisons
• Do Syntheses
• Develop Hypotheses
• Use Figurative Language
• Make Critiques
• Make Summaries
• Make Evaluations

4. If you want to be a critical thinker, follow the characteristics of one. Nobody said you couldn’t copy the characteristics of those ahead of the curve. Sometimes watching closely and following the people who are really good at something will help you pick up things faster.

So observe and practice. If you have nobody to follow here are some good characteristics:

• Ask Pertinent Questions
• Assess statements and arguments
• Examine problems closely
• Readily admit a lack of understanding or informaiton
• Discard incorrect or irrelevant information
• Maintain a sense of curiosity
• Be interested in finding new solutions
• Clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas
• Examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions, weigh them against facts and look for evidence
• Listen carefully to others and give feedback
• Make critical thinking a lifelong process of self-assessment
• Suspend judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered

5. Don’t be afraid to change sides. Sometimes after you find new facts/evidence you’ll have to switch sides. This is all part of making the best judgment/decision possible. It goes against our nature but is something we must learn to do.

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It seems like lately I’ve been using my cell phone a lot. What would I do without it?! It’s still surprising to see so many people unaware of the nifty little tricks our cell phones are capable of, especially in a business environment.

If you’re still fresh to cell phones take a few minutes in your spare time and check out your manual. I was shocked at how big the manual was for my first cell phone. Of course, I fell prey to the typical guy mentality of disregarding the manual.

I’m pretty tech savvy so I of course figured out the majority of it myself but I was surprised to find a few little features in the manual that I didn’t know about.

Of course, doing a Google search for your phone could clue you in on some other neat things you can do with your cell phone!

Here’s a list of the things I use my cell phone for aside from calling:

An alarm clock - I’ve used my cell phone as my alarm clock for years now. For some reason it’s more effective and easier than a normal alarm clock. Plus, if you’re stuck somewhere and want to take a quick snooze you’ve got your alarm right there with you.

Phonebook - Of course this is the most common use aside from calling but I have addresses, notes for people, etc. that I might need in the future for each contact.

Internet - For about a year I used my cell phone for EVDO because I couldn’t get dsl or cable internet where I lived. EVDO is so much better than dial-up

Entertainment - Pretty much all cell phones have some form of a game…and when I’m utterly bored and stuck somewhere it’s just enough to keep me busy and entertained.

Make shift flash light - I can’t tell you how many times I manage to get stuck in a dark room or something and can’t see anything. My cell phone screen is so bright it will illuminate the room to where I can find even small items.

Texting of course - I don’t text a lot, but I do text every day. It’s my way to keep in touch with my girlfriend while I’m at work and a pretty easy way to get a message to someone quick without having to talk to them. I’m not big on small talk so a short and sweet text message is perfect for the job.

Pictures & Video - Cell phones are great for a quick snapshot or video. Now that phones are getting more and more high tech, this is a feature I may use more often once the quality starts really going up. Now that phones have way more memory it’s not an issue having 50-100 pictures on your phone either.

Music - I don’t really listen to music on my phone but I have a few songs that I really like on it and when I don’t have my iPod or aren’t by a computer and really want something to listen too.

Anyway, those are the majority of uses I have for my phone. I use to have a PDA and used it basically like a micro-computer for email, document editing, etc. but I’ve since downgraded to a sleek and stylish flip phone from LG, the VX8700.

I’m sure there are a ton of other great ways to use cell phones, if you have one share with a comment and I’ll add it to the list

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Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you were insanely busy but you didn’t actually get anything done? Even on the days where I feel like I really accomplished something, I look back and evaluate my work and my day…suddenly realizing that I wasted a significant amount of time.

Earlier this morning I read a post over at JohnChow’s about 5 Online Time Savers. I really felt like they were things that were common knowledge. Unless you’re new to the internet, you most likely already know everything that was posted. So in a sense, the guest blog was preaching to the choir.

I was a little surprised to find out though that some people felt like it was good to have a gentle reminder. I don’t think that could be any more true. We get so caught up in other things we forget about the most useful and simple tools available to us.

Without further ado, Time Management Tips and Helpful Keys - a gentle reminder:

1. Time management is always going to fail you. After everything is said and done, you will have been able to get more done in the time you had but won’t. It’s the nature of life.
2. Set goals, without them, you’re a lost puppy in a caffeinated world going at light speed. When you have something to set your sights on and focus on, you know what has to be done between where you are now, and where you want to be.
3. Use tools available to you to stay organized and on track. Whether it’s a pencil and paper, a PDA, laptop, online tools or something else, there are tons of tools available to keep you and your day organized and focused on your goals.
4. Be aware of where your time is going and prioritize. Knowing where you’re wasting time and knowing when you can waste time is going to help you work and play much more efficiently. Getting your priorities all lined up will help you figure out where and when you can waste time.
5. Get into a routine and stick to it. Routines do suck, I’ll admit that, but they do help you figure out much more efficient ways to do things. When you establish a solid routine you’ll get faster and more efficient the more you do it.
6. Set yourself up to remember the things you forget. I forget things left and right….but I have learned that I will forget those things and how to set myself up to run into those things when I will need them next. For instance, I will forget to call people back by certain times. I know that I check my email as soon as I get home which is at 5:15pm at the latest. So if I email myself a reminder to call those people, I’ll do it and won’t have to worry about remembering anything.
7. Set and Forget….this one goes along with number 6 but I like it. You can spend all day worrying about things, getting things done, calling people, making deadlines, etc. There are notification systems surrounding us. So set a reminder and move on (in a sense forget about it). You have fewer things cluttering your brain while not missing a beat and getting even more done.
8. Stop waiting and start doing (multitasking). I see this one a LOT. So many people say, well I had to wait for this and I had to wait for that…. while you’re waiting you could be doing something else. Get the task started and go get something else started. This is essentially multitasking but a little different (in my opinion).

You might have to learn to use a few things you don’t usually use (ie. cell phone, task manager, advanced email functions, google calendar, etc.) but it will save you time and save you stress.

My girlfriend has a tendency to walk in the apartment and start setting things down. Then later she can’t find anything and is scrambling so she won’t be late. Inevitably, she is late, usually can’t find something and is stressed out. Stay consciously organized and aware. Put things where you know you’ll find them (tangibly and digitally).

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