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Set it and Forget it Backups!

carboniteIf you’re looking for a simple, low-cost, reliable backup solution, Carbonite is your service. I’ve used hard drives, backup software and even other online backup solutions. After two years, Carbonite has been the easiest, low cost method I have experienced.

For about $50 bucks a year, you get peace of mind. Setup is pretty simple – you download, install and select the folders you want to back up. The app is really small, so installation is quick. The program runs when you are not using your computer, so you really don’t notice that its doing its job – you almost wonder actually. But it does. And after the initial backup, it scans and updates and changes automatically. Resorting is cake – you open the app, find the version you want, and resurrect it where you want. I’ve done this multiple times and it is cake.

Perhaps most important, there are no storage size limits. I recall online backup services several years ago charging based on how much data you want to back up – the more data, the more expensive. But hard drive storage is so cheap now, the flat fee is all you need.

The biggest advantage Carbonite has over software based, local hard drive backups, is that in case your house or office goes up in flames, your backup data is still safe with Carbonite. Carbonite is remote, so your data is somewhere safe. With a local backup, its right there with your computer, in the line of fire.

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godaddyI have used multiple domain registrars in the past 10 years: Network Solutions, Moniker, DirectNIC, Fabulous, eNom, Register.com, BulkRegister, GoDaddy and NameCheap. While there has been some consolidation in these names, there has also been a major shift in market leaders – GoDaddy being the current “leader”. Unfortunately, size isn’t always the best.

I recently switched from Fabulous to GoDaddy, because Fabulous being located in Australia, caused some banking issues. I did some research and found GoDaddy to be the best reviewed, lowest cost, no frills registrar. So I switched. However, what you won’t see until you switch, are some of the drawbacks with GoDaddy

Cumbersome, Slow Site
You might notice this when you hit the site – lots of stuff going on. And it never ends. Once you get an account, the site is peppered with upsells, offers, more junk than you can shake a stick at. And there are so many options, it makes the site slow and confusing to navigate.

Complex, Confusing Purchase Process

Wow – tons of steps. And most of them “you might be interested in this”…”no thanks” pages. It might be good for them – selling more stuff. But bad for someone like me who knows exactly what I want. It adds to the process. And they really get you, because the the domain names are somewhat cheap, but the other upsells are not a bargain. Once you figure it out, buying is simple, just time consuming.

Fine Print
Here is where the power user will get annoyed. I like to move domains around, play with them, sell them, etc. You can’t do that at GoDaddy – we’ll, not without strings. For instance, you’ll find that changing certain domain settings will add a 90 day lock on your name – you can’t sell or transfer it if you want. And everything is setup to “auto renew”, so they get you when you don’t expect it.

All in all, if you are a casual domain buyer or just looking for a web site or two, GoDaddy might make it easy enough to justify. But for an advanced user, there have got to be better alternatives out there.

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