My name is already a domain name, taken years ago by a travel accessories designer (apparently, they have stores, I've always wanted to go in and buy something with a credit card)

Dude. You totally need to do that!! Possibly get some pictures taken in front of the store...

I would also vote for a gmail, maybe FirstLastEsq, if it's not taken? (Hmm. Guess that's one instance where my unusual name is helpful, no worries on getting my gmail as I want! But all google results are me)

ita! you deserve your exclamation point. You've hit it. I have tried at least 10 different permutations of initials and name, with and without esq. When I google firstname lastname esq I get 1.34 MILLION hits. Great for anonymity, bad for trying to get an email address :)

I'm going to a small biz expo with a networking event in KC on 11/16, and if any Buffista freelancers want to send me cards to maybe pass out (we're supposed to have our own cards, and an elevator speech, which I've got, but are also supposed to have contacts for needs we encounter that perhaps lie outside our area of expertise.)

If anyone wants to send me some of their cards, e-mail me at my profile address for my address. I'll promo you if the chance presents itself.

We have been extremely focused on the technical end of our business for the last couple years. Major time, money, mental energy all on development. Now we are switching gears and turning the focus to marketing and sales. I am neither a developer nor a marketer, but I still have responsibility for it all.

I am going to be assigning part of this to one of my people this week and he will be charged with research and development of social media, facebook, twitter, etc. We have been in business for 23 years and pretty much every one of our customers came to us. We have neglected the whole going out and getting them part.

We have had a website forever, but it hasn't been updated in many years. We are working on that part well enough. I am personally supervising that project.

Facebook - I made a page today! It of course has no content whatsoever, but apparently I can't have a username until 25 people like me. So please like me! [link] Also, grrrr, I can't have a business/product name that starts with a lower case letter. Really, Facebook!

Twitter - I now have a Twitter account! Yes, I know, but time has been limited for me. So if you would like to follow Holt_Laura I may some day tweet! And the business will surely start to tweet someday and it would look nice if we actually had followers so please to follow eMedRec - thank you.

And now that I did the social media setup stuff I have to get back to the technical stuff on my to do list.

I still occasionally see "mailbox full" with AOL users which I don' see with other mail services. So they really are technically behind.

It's funny--I just recently was creating an email list for parents and saw a couple of aol addresses. I confess to instantly assuming they were way behind the technological times.

A number of my clients and friends have AOL addresses. They have had these addresses forever. I always wonder just how much junk mail they get with the old addresses.

What makes me shake my head a whole lot more are the people that send me mail with hundreds of visible addresses. I get an email from a client about once a month when they are looking to hire. I am trying to figure a way to politely tell him not to blast that way. I may just ask his IT guru to tell him.

They have had these addresses forever. I always wonder just how much junk mail they get with the old addresses.

almost none. either AOL has got good spam filters, or it's so old that spammers don't bother :)

That would be an upside then!

Yeah, I still use yahoo, but honestly get almost no spam outside the filters--don't remember the last (well, one virus thing from a friend the other day). But I have a gmail for work stuff if needed. More the issue is all the not-quite-spam from businesses ive had to give my email to that sometimes I want but usually don't...