charging

Controversy is brewing about domain registrar company Network Solutions' newly instituted practice of automatically registering domain names users search for and then jacking up the price during ICANN's return grace period.Critics call it "extortion," but Network Solutions calls it a service to protect customers from the practice of "front running." The extra charge is, assumedly, the protection fee -- you know, just like the one the mob offers.

Bull or bear, e-commerce is on the up and up and up. From just the ad spending to the total spend, money spent online is growing exponentially as broadband access becomes cheaper and more available.

An announcement of the forthcoming newsletter from the blog search engine sounds like a similar offering to that done by online feedreader Rojo.

To heap on one more thing to screw with your head this Friday, Google is selling vintage commercials through its Google Video search. You heard right, if you want to view the commercial, you'll have to pay a dollar. Anybody else hear Gabriel's trumpet?

Before we know it, the shopping season will be upon us. And, just like Santa's little elves will be working feverishly, we've got to get busy saving up our cash for Christmas. The alternative could be to watch helplessly as our credit card balances increase.

Last April I had a surreal experience with a popular women's magazine I used to write for. An editorial assistant emailed me: "Sorry about not getting back to you sooner about article X. We'd like to publish it. What are your rates?"

If you're a writer, researcher, subject matter expert, enthusiastic hobbyist, or an authority on almost any topic, there has never been a better time to start your own subscription website or online newsletter. And if you're already publishing a hobby website, now is the ideal time to convert at least a portion of the content to fee-paid access.