'Net Features : 1&1

Taking Security to the Next Level

Administrator — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:45:00 GMT

:: By Kelly Meeneghan, 1&1 Internet

With such a heavy reliance on the Internet, online security should be one of the top priorities for both website owners and their visitors. According to a recent study conducted by 1&1 Internet, Inc., more than half of the participants (67%) confirmed that they, or someone they know, have had their personal information lost or stolen as a result of doing business online. As a website professional, it is imperative that all aspects of your work provide a secure environment for both yourself as well as website visitors. Neglecting to exercise significant measures to ensure Web safety can result in extremely damaging losses of information and in turn, credibility. Understanding these priorities, Web hosts put in place security measures to ensure safe and reliable online operations.

1) Redundant Web hosting

Redundant Web hosting has become a staple in many online hosting solutions. Mirroring data on at least two separate servers have proven to be a strategic solution towards preventing downtime, which is always an inevitable risk. Taking it a step further, hosting providers have introduced more complex redundancy procedures like Dual Hosting. Such technology hosts your site and data on two different server clusters in separate physical locations creating a form of ‘geo-redundancy.’ Due to this added layer of security, if one data center experiences any kind of disturbance, your information will automatically be switched to the other location to remain accessible. While necessary maintenance takes place on the interrupted server, there is zero disruption on your website and your visitors online experience.

2) Security Scans

Even though you may think your site is immune to malicious activity, simple mistakes like a misspelling when entering code or forgetting to close a parenthesis can leave your online representation vulnerable to potential hackers. Such infections can not only affect a website’s function, but could also potentially harm visitors to the website and damage your online brand. As this risk can occur at any time, often without your knowledge, security tools like SiteLock allow you to continually inspect your site for any suspicious or dangerous behavior. Among a list of benefits, SiteLock conducts website application scans, SQL injection scans and cross site scripting (XSS) scans across multiple website pages. These valuable scans will detect if the website has been intruded, evaluate the need for upgrades to third party applications, identify the potential for data breaches and provide any necessary steps needed for users to regain maximum security of their website immediately.

3) Secure Data Transports

When working with online transactions, businesses should seriously consider obtaining a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate which is a security protocol that encrypts your site to ensure secure transactions, data transfers and logins. An SSL certificate will provide for a safe flow of information between your Web server and browser, guaranteeing message integrity. By obtaining your SSL certificate, you will be able to visibly show visitors how safe your site is. Activating the lock icon in the browser as well as displaying a “Smart Seal” will help your site illustrate a more secure online representation as compared to competitors and increase consumer’s trust in your business.

4) Recovery Tools

It is inevitable that businesses will experience human error. Web professionals should be prepared should they encounter an experience such as realizing you have overwritten important data or exited without saving. These errors cost valuable time and effort that most individuals have little to spare. Web hosts implement tools such as 1&1’s Webspace Recovery Tool which allows for the recovery of up to six days of data entry, making information restoration a painless process. Take the extra step of prevention to avoid wasting valuable time in a frustrating situation.

Online security is an essential aspect for the success of any Web professional and their visitors. By utilizing these steps and mentioned tools, you will give your online work the opportunity to go beyond these hesitations and instill peace of mind for all online viewers.

The Low-Down on Domain Names

Administrator — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:00:00 GMT

By Kelly Meeneghan, Manager, 1&1 Internet, Inc.

For any business, having a clear address to your physical location is imperative to ensure that your current and potential customers/clients can find you. This accessibility ultimately leads to an increase in both clientele and sales. The same goes for the Internet. It's now common knowledge that in order for a business to succeed, you must create an effective online presence. The first step to accomplish this feat is to start with a domain name, a virtual address, with which the public can use to find a business on the Web.

A domain name is the sequence of letters after a “www.” through the “.com/.net/etc” of a URL. Representing an Internet Protocol (IP) resource, a domain can be associated with the personal computer used to access the Internet, the server computer that is hosting a website or the website itself. Put simply, this name replaces the use of overly complicated and detailed technical codes, which are assigned to every space on the Internet. Without a domain name, no one will be able to find and view a website, directly entering domain names is in fact the fastest and most convenient way for people to discover a business.

As you decide to venture into the online world, choosing an effective domain name should be top priority. Understanding how computers read domains can help guide you through the process of choosing the most appropriate and effective domain. It is useful to know that domains are organized by the Internet from right to left, the opposite of how we normally read.

Therefore, the first section you come upon is the top-level domain (TLD), or domain extension, which identifies the purpose and mission of the website. For example, in 1and1.com, .com is the TLD. In fact, it is a gTLD (general top-level domain), which illustrates that it is available for world-wide registration regardless of citizenship, residence or age. Most commonly used, .com is often the first gTLD that businesses consider. Though a smart decision due to its popularity, we encourage businesses to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the other gTLDs. For example, .org extensions are best utilized by non-profit organizations while .name’s are adopted by personal pages. Some businesses prefer .biz to illustrate its professionalism and those that have optimized their website for mobile viewing must use .mobi. Each holds their own purpose and is chosen at the discretion of its owner. By specifying your type of business through the domain extension, you can create a greater impression on visitors rather than misleading them by selecting an inappropriate domain.

Taking TLDs a step further, there are ccTLDs (country code top-level domains), which are assigned to specific countries and are not available to everyone. Such domains include .us for the United States, .de for Germany and .es for Spain, to name a few. The purpose of ccTLDs is to encourage local businesses to identify themselves as a business of that country. Specifying the country of residence within the TLD can help businesses better target their local audiences more directly. Each country has their own registration restrictions. Therefore, be sure to understand these guidelines before making an investment in the domain.

Next, the section to the left of the TLD is considered the domain. Some businesses wish to showcase the official business name, well-known slogan, industry or location through their domain. Though all can be good ideas, 1&1 suggests that the business chooses to feature the official business name. This keeps it simple for you and your visitors to remember and not hinder their potential return to the site in the future. If the name is not available with the desired TLD, like .com, consider an alternative TLD before changing the domain name. Perhaps a .org or .biz TLD will be suitable and therefore you can keep the unique domain.

Once a domain name is decided, it needs to be registered with a domain registrar. This grants you the right to use the domain but it does not assign you legal ownership. Different TLDs and registrars may list domains at different price points, so be sure to shop around to find one you are comfortable with. Once completed, you are ready to begin designing your website.

About the Author: Kelly Meeneghan is a manager for 1&1 Internet, Inc. (www.1and1.com). As a global leader among Web hosts, 1&1 provides businesses with the tools necessary to get online and be successful. Meeneghan also wrote the contributor piece, Ditch Your Yellow Pages, for WebsiteMagazine.com.

1&1 Offering Simple Shopping Cart Integration

Michael Garrity — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:15:00 GMT

It will certainly be a happy new year for 1&1 MyWebsite users, as the company just announced a hot new partnership and integration with the ShopIntegrator E-Commerce Solution.

This big news means that merchants and Web designers working with the 1&1 MyWebsite platform can now easily incorporate a hosted shopping cart into their website, turning it into an online store in just minutes.

ShopIntegrator is a McAffee-secured e-commerce solution aimed predominantly at small and medium-sized businesses. It provides mobile- and tablet-ready online checkout functionality, allowing merchants to sell their own products, services or digital downloads from their own websites.

By integrating the ShopIntegrator solution into its platform, 1&1 is able to offer users a more sophisticated and cost-effective checkout system than the typical Amazon or PayPal shopping carts without requiring them to sign up for 1&1 eShop. Merchants simply have to add the ShopIntegrator e-commerce widgets into their sites to receive a flexible and fully-featured online retail solution, as well as various product management tools.

Merchants can also customize their ShopIntegrator shopping carts and online stores with designer settings for creative checkout customization, multiple currency converters, real-time product and stock control, European VAT handling (for VAT registered merchants), shipping cost creators, discount codes, special offers and shipping status email updates.

In addition, the ShopIntegrator e-commerce software can securely handles a range of payment processors, such as CardSave, eWAY, PayPal and Sage Pay. It also offers a couple of offline payment options that allow customers to pay by check or bank transfer, or on collection or delivery of the products or services.

Interested merchants can check out the 30-day free trial of ShopIntegrator. There is even a tutorial available to help simplify the integration process even more.

Ditch Your Yellow Pages for the Web

Administrator — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:54:00 GMT

By Kelly Meeneghan, Manager, 1&1 Internet, Inc.

There used to be a time where a phonebook was America’s number one source of information. Whether you needed a plumber, an electrician or to find any other business, the hard-copy Yellow Pages were your first stop to find a business. However, now consumers are disregarding phonebooks and relying more on the power of the Internet to find new stores and businesses rather than traditional marketing efforts.

This change in focus is requiring businesses to explore and adopt online marketing methods into their business strategies in order to generate success.

66 Percent Trust Search Engines Most to Find Local Businesses

When searching for new and local businesses, two out of three Americans depend on search engines such as Google or Bing! to provide trustworthy results. As a professional, it is important understand the significance of being included within a search engine’s organically generated results pages. Consider if you are a car mechanic and a consumer types into Google, “car mechanics near me.” If your business does not appear on the first page or two of the results, your online efforts may be deemed as useless. Consumers do not dig through multiple pages in order to find a company’s information. In fact, research analyzed by Chitika Insights found that only 6 percent of consumers click to the second page of results, encouraging the importance of first page inclusion.

In order to achieve a high placement on result pages, businesses need to increase their website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). One way which SEO can be achieved is by strategically planting keywords, or relevant terms, into a professional website. These keywords are found by searches engines to indicate if your website is credible and relevant for the website to be placed higher on appropriate results pages. Additionally, fresh and updated content keep search engines interested thus improving your website’s SEO to ensure that customers find you more quickly.

More than Half Visit the Exact URL First

Some consumers are choosing to go directly to a business’s website as an alternative to search engines. Surprisingly, 62 percent were specifically typing a business’s URL as means to find more information. Business owners should consider their domain name as their virtual address. The name should be short and concise while communicating the business name specifically. While “.com” domains are most common, your business name may not be available with the popular domain extension. If this is the case, consider other alternative messages including the industry or your most popular product/service. No matter which option you choose, you want to make sure it is clear what your company does and it will be a name that customers will remember.

Social Media is a Popular Research Tool

When taking your business to the next level it is important to pay attention to the trends consumers are currently adopting. A leading and evolving trend that has proven its staying power is social media. As brands such as Facebook and Twitter make their way into everyday language, it is beneficial for businesses to interact with potential customers though these platforms. 1&1’s research proved that 37 percent of consumers have used social media to find new businesses to work with. Directing attention to your company’s Facebook page establishes both credibility and visibility for potential customers. These sites are checked on a daily basis and normally bookmarked on computers and mobile devices by consumers providing ample opportunities for consumers to see and learn about your business.

Furthermore, less than half (48 percent) of consumers are using the newspaper to discover new businesses. Social media platforms are taking over how consumers get the latest news, event listings and sales. Most networks are free of charge and include a step by step installation process, ensuring that even the most novices of beginners can benefit.

23 Percent Trust Online Directories over Phonebooks

When evaluating your online representation, it is important to align your marketing strategy to where consumers are looking. This includes online directories. Nearly a quarter of Americans (23 percent) are trading in their physical phonebook for online directories. These are forums for you to list your businesses where potential customers can see basic information, including business name, URL and contact information.

The Internet is already a great source of information and avenue to answer consumer questions on a regular basis. If they are traveling to a new area, just moved or looking to try something new, a simple search online is the first step to solve consumer’s problem. Getting listed on online directories will immediately increase your visibility to potential customers.

Traditional marketing efforts are commonly thought of as the industry standard when a new business is launched. Appearing in local newspapers, radio and local promotion used to be the only option for a new business. However, the heavy reliance on the Internet has changed consumers’ behaviors. Only 33 percent of consumers are influenced by local promotions while an even smaller number, 28 percent, are influenced by radio mentions when searching for businesses. Whether you have an existing website for your business or are starting from scratch, it is important to make the most of your business’s online visibility. Implementing these online initiatives will help consumers find and become more familiar with your company, increasing your credibility and overall customer traffic.

About the Author: Kelly Meeneghan is a manager for 1&1 Internet, Inc. (www.1and1.com). As a global leader among Web hosts, 1&1 provides businesses with the tools necessary to get online and be successful.

1&1 Offers Free Websites to Veterans

Allison Howen — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:36:00 GMT

Just in time for Veterans Day, Web hosting provider 1&1 is showing its support for the United States troops with the launch of its new Veteran Appreciation Program.

The Appreciation Program provides veteran small business owners with a free 1&1 MyWebsite Plus package for six months. The package helps entrepreneurs quickly create a professional website without the need of software.

"While in service, military men and women risk their lives for their country every day," said Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet. "Therefore, we would like to show our appreciation by offering assistance to them to achieve their new career goals. By providing US veterans a foundation for creating and growing their own business using the Internet, they will be better positioned to conquer the business world."

The 1&1 MyWebsite package comes with a variety of features, including sector specific images and text, optimization for mobile devices and social media functionality. It is important to note that the Veteran Appreciation Program is only available to new customers, and customers will be charged $19.99 a month after the promotion expires. Veterans can sign up for the program by visiting veteran.mywebsite.com and providing an accepted form of military identification upon ordering.

1&1 Shines Spotlight on SEO

Allison Howen — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:00:00 GMT

If your company is having a hard time gaining visibility in the search engines, you might want to check out the new SEO solution from 1&1.

The popular Web hosting company developed and launched SEO Spotlight to help companies with a limited marketing budget acquire visibility in the search results. The solution acts as an interactive advisor and includes a keyword generator that automatically assembles the best search terms for a website.

The new SEO tool also offers tips for back-link strategies and provides support for creating a Google Places entry. Additionally, SEO Spotlight can be used to keep an eye on the competition – users simply need to submit a competitor’s Internet address into the system in order to monitor the competition’s rankings in relation to their own.

"Prior to the development of 1 &1 SEO Spotlight, there has been extensive market research," said 1 &1 CEO Oliver Mauss. "We found out that most solutions miss the mark on the needs of many small and medium businesses. With our new SEO tool, for the first time there is an offer that fully considers the requirements of beginners and can be used without programming knowledge."

SEO Spotlight is included in the 1&1 MyWebsite package, but can also be purchased starting at $9.99 per month with all 1&1 shared Web hosting, eShop, Dedicated Server, Dynamic Cloud Server or other MyWebsite packages. Furthermore, the company is currently offering a free 30-day trial period for the new tool.

Enhance SMB Site Security for 2013

Allison Howen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:17:00 GMT

Better website security should be among the most popular New Year's resolutions for merchants in 2013.

This is because the “Website Attitudes Study” from popular hosting company 1 &1 reveals that 54 percent of online consumers worry about the risk of their personal information being compromised online. Moreover, the study found that 33 percent of surveyed consumers have either had their own personal information compromised or know someone else who has had their personal data lost or stolen online.

This data makes it no surprise that consumers are becoming more cautious when it comes to inputting personal data online. However, 47 percent of these consumers believe that small businesses are the biggest target when it comes to malicious online activity, which means that online customers are less likely to make a purchase on a small business’s website. In fact, only 14 percent of survey respondents believe small businesses are fully protected online, while 29 percent of respondents admit to abandoning a transaction because of security concerns. Conversely, 70 percent of the respondents claim that they are likely to spend more money with a business that shows it takes steps to enhance its online security.

Luckily, a new service from 1 &1 and SiteLock provides better protection to websites that are built with hand-coding or open-source applications. Typically these types of sites carry higher security risks because simple mistakes, such as forgetting to close a parentheses when entering code or not applying updates to an open-source application, can leave the site vulnerable. However, the new SiteLock feature enables 1 &1 clients to scan their site for design vulnerabilities, so they can stay informed about their online security levels. Additionally, the feature comes with a shield icon to display on websites to show both hackers and customers that the site is protected.

1&1 Unveil New Features for MyWebsite

Michael Garrity — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:30:00 GMT

1&1 Internet Inc., the worldwide Web hosting company, announced this week two new feature upgrades for their successful 1&1 MyWebsite product.

MyWebsite offers users industry-specific templates for well over 200 types of businesses and is, according to 1&1, ideal for small businesses that have an outdated website, or none at all. Each template comes adorned with individual text, picture and design modules that make it easy for computer users of any skill level to create a professional-looking website in just a couple of minutes.

Now, this helpful product has been made even better with a pair of new, useful upgrades.

The first is that every MyWebsite site can now be optimized to display on smartphones. As you probably know, smartphones are rapidly gaining in popularity, with 40 percent of current mobile users over 18 in the U.S. now operating them. And now, MyWebsite site owners can make their pages easily viewable on these nifty handheld devices. This new feature identifies the mobile device being used when the page is accessed and will automatically customize it for display, which means that potential customers can now access your content on-the-go, increasing the chance of sales for the owner.

It should be noted that in addition to the growing number of consumers using smartphones, recent IDC research shows that in the fourth quarter of 2010, smartphones surpassed global PC shipments for the first time ever, which may be an indicator that mobile devices are becoming the primary method for accessing the Internet for many users.

The second hot, new feature is a social media interface that will automatically and seamlessly connect your business with Facebook and Twitter. This will allow owners to inform visitors about new offers or news easily through both their primary website and their social media presence. This interface also gives users a lot of flexibility, such as making it possible for companies to include recommendations from other social platforms in their website and/or add a "Follow" or "Like" button.

In the end, these upgrades will allow SMBs using MyWebsite to benefit from the popular and important trends of mobile Web and social media in a way they were never able to before.

Users interested in trying out 1&1's MyWebsite can try a risk-free 30-day trial. After that, users can move up to the entry-level, Plus or Premium packages, the lowest of which starts at just $9.99 a month. The smartphone optimization is only available in Plus and Premium packages ($19.99 and $29.99 a month, respectively), but the social media interface is available with all of them. (Note: Current customers can now use both features for no additional fee.) Also, 1&1 also rolled out 30 new layouts for their Plus and Premium packages, increasing the flexibility and customization of website creation for users.

Top Domain Registrars

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:10:00 GMT

RegistrarStats (via Domain Name Wire) released the leading domain name registrars for the first half of 2009. While the data only covers .com, .net, .info, .org, .biz, .us and .mobi, it does provide excellent guidance on who's leading in the very competitive industry of domain registration and who's falling behind.

Who were the three leading domain registrars so far this year?
- GoDaddy – up 8.42% to 34,453,064 domains (includes Wild West Domains, GD’s reseller unit)
- eNom – up 2.6% to 9,039,185.
- Tucows – up 3.3% to 7,432,309
- 1&1 - up 3.9

While those registrars mentioned above are increasing the number of domains they manage, others are losing some control. Network Solutions is down 1.1%, Melbourne IT is down 3.5%, Moniker is down 2.4% and Dotster is down 2.8%.

MyBusiness Site from 1&1 Released

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:05:00 GMT

Hardly anyone (at least that I know) actually codes individual websites anymore. Not to say that it doesn't happen at all, but thanks to the introduction of popular CMS and Weblog software platforms like Drupal or WordPress, it's much less common than it was ten years ago. It's become so standard in fact that you don't need any technical savvy at all, as there are many tools available that aid in the design and development of a website. The latest of these is the 1&1 MyBusiness Site from web host 1&1 (schedule for release today - the site is not active yet).

"Before developing 1&1 MyBusiness Site, we did some very detailed market analysis," explained Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet. "As a result, it was clear that a lot of traditional hosting packages are simply too complicated to fulfill the needs of a great many small business owners." The research Mauss and 1&1 commissioned found that 40 percent of the 1800 small businesses surveyed are still without a company website. Further, 24 percent of companies that do not have a website are interested in creating one, but are concerned that existing offers are too complicated or costly. The most common reason for not having a website are concerns about the time needed to create one (36 percent) and concerns as to whether having a website is necessary for the business.

If you see the value in creating a Web presence but are unsure how or where to get started, this may be a good choice. The service costs $9.99.month with no set-up fees or contract terms, plus one domain name and email acconts are included. There is a free, five-day, no-obligation trial available.

1&1 Partners With Sedo

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:24:00 GMT

Web host 1&1 launched a service today which enables its clients to find already registered domains names up for sale alongside unregistered names. The service is powered by Sedo, a marketplace for buying and selling domain names and a 1&1 sister company.

According to the official statement, "1&1's participation will bring registered domains to a wide range of consumer and business user groups and will enable the user to make a more appropriate choice from the very start of an online project."

1&1's Domain Marketplace allows users to browse an expanded selection of domain possibilities from unregistered names to already registered domains for sale with a set price. The registered for-sale domains are listed in addition to the unregistered domain suggestions, which are offered via Sedo's DomainsBot technology. One can purchase or bid on registered domains with Sedo by clicking directly from the 1&1 shopping cart.

Oliver Mauss, CEO 1&1 Internet Inc., said, "Our new Domain Marketplace feature provides an enhanced overview of available domain options. As the Internet further matures, there has never been a more relevant time to consider leveraging an already registered domain."

eShops at 1&1

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:59:00 GMT

Web host 1&1 is moving full force into the ecommerce market with a new line of eShop packages (a stand-alone ecommerce solution). Priced starting at $9.99 per month for a maximum 50 products (Advanced eShop priced at $49.99 a month for up to 20,000 products), aspiring merchants will receive some great features including eBay integration, secure payment processing and marketing tools.

Built using the template-driven Shop Designer, users can "point and click" publish their sites and use a drag-and-drop interface to post products. eShops include secure online payment methods via PayPal, WorldPay and the 1&1 Merchant Account, which gives you low rates on credit and debit transactions. eShops accept all major credit cards, variable currencies and automatically calculates state taxes.

Advanced stock management and order management functionality
Customer management functionality and customer groups
Over 100 design templates
Product promotion on popular shopping search engines, like Shopping.com
Discount tools - Bulk prices, special offers and customer group discounts
1&1 Marketing Tools - Simple Submission, to submit your website to search engines, and an E-mail Marketing tool to send newsletters
Cross-selling to make other product recommendations
Generous web space and traffic allowances

In order for 1&1's many US hosting customers to experience eShop technology, 1&1 has added a free basic level eZShop to all new and existing Home, Business and Developer Linux web hosting packages.

Dedicated Servers at 1&1

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:09:00 GMT

A new range of dedicated servers has been launched at web hosting provider 1&1. The servers, which features the latest energy saving AMD processors are a good option for eCommerce companies or those which run database, file or applications servers.

Pricing ranges from $99 (Business Server I with Dual-Core Opteron CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB disk space, RAID1) to $499 per month for 1&1's new Titan Server (2xQuad-Core Opteron CPU, 16 GB RAM, 1,500GB disk space, RAID5), which is built for running intensive database applications and virtualization. A key feature of 1&1 Linux and Windows dedicated servers is Plesk 8, which delivers deployment and simplified server management from an intuitive control panel.

1&1 Partners With RatePoint

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:52:00 GMT

Provider of customer feedback and online reputation management services RatePoint (whom you can read about in the August issue of Website Magazine) and web hosting provider 1&1 have announced a strategic partnerhip this morning. The RatePoint platform will be offered within all of 1&1's hosting packages.

As consumer generated content reaches phenomenal proportions, solutions like RatePoint enable businesses to manage feedback by utilizing a web-based process to collect, manage and promote authentic consumer reviews directly from their websites.

“As the world’s largest hosting provider, we are in a unique position to understand the needs of businesses with an online presence. Businesses today need to take advantage of online tools that help them build a more personal, engaging experience with site visitors,” said Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet Inc. “We’ve partnered with RatePoint as part of our commitment to providing our customer base with progressive tools to maintain an innovative web presence. Not only will RatePoint’s platform help our customers stand out on the Web and promote their business quality, it will have a tremendous impact in converting site visitors into loyal customers and improving customer satisfaction.”

Image Is Everything Online

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:00 GMT

According to a study conducted by MaCorr Research and released today by 1&1 Internet Inc., over three-quarters of Americans admit to having concerns about how they appear online as a result of personal material placed on the Internet.

The survey found that 27 percent have regretted posting material about themselves online, yet 76 percent of Americans admit to judging individuals solely based on their material online.

Over half (58 percent) of Americans now routinely 'Google' new people they meet. Another survey of 700 people who publish their own personal website(2), as opposed to just social networking, found that 85 percent believed this offered more control over their online image, and 77 percent saw their website as providing a better impression than social networks such as MySpace or Facebook.

The '1&1 Online Identity Survey' found that an astonishing 77 percent of the American public express some degree of concern regarding the issue of 'online identity.' Significantly, the majority of Americans, 89 percent, now believe there to be personal material (i.e. blogs, photos, Facebook profiles) relating to them on the Internet. Over 30 percent of people have been embarrassed by what others have published online. Almost 1 in 5 (18 percent) of Americans believe their online image gives an inaccurate portrayal of themselves, with some 27 percent later regretting posting material online.