How many domain names do you have? If you're like most of us, you have quite a few to keep track of and make sure no expiration dates fall through the tracks...which can occur when you change companies and thus email addresses, just for one example. You should have a list, whether electronic or paper, of all your domain names, their expirations dates and user id and password info (and management URL) for each one.

I try to keep all my domains through one central service for easy administration. I am a huge fan of GoDaddy based services and have even become a reseller for them.

I set up reminders in my computer calendar of when my domains are set to expire and deal with them a week early.

Did you know that you have about 40 days to renew your domain names after the expiration date at the regular price, then they go into what is called a "redemption" period that lasts for about another 30-35 days where you can redeem your domains for an additional $100 or so plus the original registration fee? It pays to stay on top of these things. After about 70-75 days, your domain will most likely be released back out to the public. Don't let that happen because then anyone can "steal" your domain name.

Follow - Up on your Real Estate Domain Names today!

OK - we lost our black lab about 3 years ago...this was the most amazing dog...his name was Jake... you know, after that country song..."If I should die before I wake, feed Jake"...do you know it??? Well, years before the kids were born, this puppy literally came into the housing complex that my husband and I were renting our first home together in before we even got married. He knocked at the door - ok, he probably pawed at the door...but still, it sounded like a knock. My then boyfriend or fiancee...don't really remember...was taking a nap on the weekend in our bedroom. I picked up the puppy, took him in and put him in the bed with my honey and told him that he had knocked at the door and I had to let him in. He finished the nap with my husband and when they got up we said that as long as he got along with our young Rottweiler that we would keep him...so that the Rott would have a friend when we were at work all day. They got along great...and that was the start of our time together.

Don't get me wrong - that lab wasn't all love and kisses...he was a terrible instigator! Where as our Rott knew the rules of the house, the lab bent them until they broke! He even escaped a couple of times, taking our Rott with him and it cost us over $300 each time to get them back from the pound. Please understand, it's not like we were bad pet owners, we had a solid wood fence at least 6 or 7 feet high all around their yard. But that lab had wanderlust...and every once in awhile he just had to escape...so much so that he would actually hurt himself trying to wedge himself through holes in fences that were really only small enough for a cat at the most.

Somewhere along the way, we had two kids...and after our dogs' second trip to the pound and the tongue lashing they got when they got home...they never left again. Our Rottweiler made it until he was over 12 years old. And it was quick, thankfully, because he was my first baby. It killed me. Truthfully, until my Rott passed away, I had always thought of my lab as the trouble making, pain in the butt child that we just kept to keep the "chosen one" happy. Then, once my Rott was gone, the lab's true heart shone through. He was so heartbroken at his friend being gone that he could not, would not stay in his yard...he would really shred his skin trying to squeeze out through the fences so that he could come lay on the front porch. That's all he wanted was to be on the front porch - he missed his buddy too much to stay in the back yard. This isn't a rural neighborhood...you can't just let your dogs run wild like we could growing up in Vermont or somewhere. So, after careful observation, and realizing that he would bark at anyone who came near the fence - but he would not charge them...I went to all the neighbors and told them that my dog was heartbroken over losing my Rott...and introduced them to Jake. I told them that I was sure that 98% of the time he would stay on the front porch, since he was already an older dog himself (11 yrs. or so), but that occasionally he might come for a visit. He became the neighborhood dog. The neighbors didn't just fake it to be polite, they all loved it. Daily he would go visit each of them for just a minute or so, and then he would come back to his porch. Everytime we would come through our front gate, he would be there to greet us with his tail wagging. He was even the first person that my neighbor, Diane, said "Happy New Year!" to one year.

About a year before we knew we were going to lose him, we got a Rottweiler / Boxer mix (Rider). He's the newest love of my life. I had hoped that by getting him early enough, Jake would teach him how to be a trustworthy neighborhood dog...but that didn't happen. Rider has only one interest in life and that is to guard me and the children...so he's not suitable as a neighborhood embassador. Finally, it happened. I got a call on my cell phone at 6am or so from one of my neighbors, telling me that Jake was having a seizure in their driveway...it was like he was trying to see if anyone was awake to say good-bye to. It was horrible. I made my husband get up and load him in the truck and take him to the vet before my son (who had deemed Jake as HIS dog) got up for school...my poor husband was so upset. Jake never came home, the vet said that a brain tumor had caused the seizure and he had probably had it for quite a long time.

His death and absence affected the whole neighborhood, but of course mostly our family, more than I ever thought it would. We missed him so much, someone we had taken for granted, he was always there...no matter what your mood, he was always there - happy to see you with a tail wagging and excited eyes.

My Rider dog will be 3 years old this summer, and Jake has been gone for 2 years. My son has never gotten over it. He loves the other dog, but the sight of a lab, any color, not just black, makes him so sad. We all wanted to see the movie Marley & Me when it came out on Christmas day this year, but it was sold out...and we're stubborn. If we couldn't see it on Christmas well we would just wait until it came out on DVD...that was today. It's rated PG. There is one scene in there that isn't bad - but I wouldn't want to explain it to my kids...but I had rented it tonight with the intent that hubby and I would watch it tonight and then since I have to drive on a LONG field trip for the kids tomorrow, that they could all watch it in the car on the way, NO WAY!!! That movie had me bawling for the last 1/2 hour! My kids will never see that movie on my watch! It's a great movie...and if I wasn't me...I would have loved it.

My son's 9th birthday is next week and I was really thinking of getting him another lab for his birthday - and also a friend for my Rider dog. But how sad would it be if everytime we looked at this dog we were sad and thinking of Jake? Or worse...we expected him to live up to a legend that just can't ever be again?

Well, now that I have had my personal melt down / rant...it really is a good movie...if you have a strong heart, I suggest you watch it...if not, save yourself and avoid it at all costs!

I was driving through Vista, CA early this evening on my way home from Target when I saw this sign:

I was so intrigued that I had to get up closer to read the fine print...because I was seriously considering renting the husband...when alas, I discovered that it was only a handyman service sign. You've got to love the tag line, "One call fixes it all!" LOL

OK, so my question is this...they had plenty of time to start this business, get the very cool sign made up...but yet they're still driving around on Arizona plates? That's ok...the sign gave me such a good chuckle that I had to have my daughter snatch a photo with her cell camera.

Maybe they'll get some business from it...because it really is a cool sign! I still may rent her husband myself, I've got some trim work in my house that still needs doing and my poor husband is too busy building a chicken house for our daughter, among a gazillion other things, to get to it...maybe her husband can take care of it!?!

Maybe there's a marketing lesson to be learned here???

According to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of the word "etiquette" is: conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.

Just this last week, there was a post on commenting etiquette by Nelya Calev, her points were sound and I agreed with what she had to say on the subject.

But here's my question...I know we all have limited time to devote to Active Rain, and I certainly don't want to put any restrictions on anyone's time...but I have noticed quite frequently lately that some of the featured blog posts (congrats to all of you!) have been seriously lacking in the authors' replies back to comments. Now, I don't feel that every comment out there deserves a reply within 20 minutes or even 24 hours...we all know there are those out there who just plop down the same 10 word comments just to get their points in for the day, without actually contributing anything to the conversation.

With all that said, I do think that it's common courtesy that if I do take time out of my day to write a genuine, original comment on your blog post - featured or not - that I deserve a reply...think of it as a Thank You Note! Thank you notes make people feel happy and appreciated and like it was worth taking the time out of their busy day to think about you...even for just a few seconds.

I try to respond to all comments on my blogs (not just AR, but all my blogs) within 24 hours...but sometimes it takes up to 72 if I'm out of town or whatever, but they will receive a reply if they leave me a genuine comment on my blog...and usually for the cookie cutter commenters as well ;-)

How do you all feel on this topic?

Being real estate professionals, the word "Ethics" is tossed around continuously. We're supposed to be ethical, we're supposed to put our clients' interests first...but WHERE do we learn that? From a class that we're forced to take in order to get our license? Ummm...I don't think so.

• I believe if you are a not-so-ethical person by nature, you can fake it and learn to behave "above board" enough to keep your backside out of a sling in your real estate career...that's where the class could perhaps come into play.

• I also believe that a truly ethical person is trained...by environment and upbringing. Either you have a great ethical family that you were raised by, or you have the exact opposite and it appauled you so much that you vow not to be that way yourself.

I had the opportunity last week to learn just exactly how much of an impact my actions (even when I think he is oblivious to them) truly has on my almost 9 year old son - and I'm sure on my 10 1/2 yr. old daughter as well. We were driving through Arby's in the nearby town of Escondido to get milk shakes as a treat on the last day of school before Spring Break, and I noticed a girl in the parking lot holding a sign that said "homeless and pregnant". There was a long line at the drive-thru, which gave me plenty of time to argue with myself. "She doesn't look pregnant." "How do I know if I give her money she's not going to buy drugs or alcohol with it?" The list of negative comments going through my head was long to be sure... So I told myself to shut up. I thought, "What if, God forbid, somehow my daughter someday could find herself pregnant, alone and homeless...what would I hope people would do for her?"

So, I requested a $25 gift card at the drive-thru. No money...can't be used for drugs or alcohol...but it could be used to feed a hungry person...pregnant or not. It wasn't a lot. But I did tear up a bit as I handed it to her, she said, "God bless you." I said, "Take care of yourself." Every instinct in me wanted to invite her into my car and take her to the nearest women's shelter. But...I had my two young children in the car with me...and I wasn't prepared to take any chances with their safety just in case. I thought the kids were playing their video games in the back of the car during this whole thing...didn't think they even had a clue, because normally they would have commented or asked questions...there was nothing said.

Life got busy when we got home, my husband and son had plans, my daughter and I were working on a project...life didn't slow down until the next day when I finally had a quiet moment with my husband. He said, "Hey, what happened yesterday with the homeless gal?" I was shocked! My son had apparently asked him when they were alone "what would happen if a lady was going to be a mommy and didn't have anywhere to live?" This became a "manly" talk between my two favorite boys, and the outcome was my son learned both a verbal and a non-verbal lesson about doing your best by others. I was so proud of him for picking up on it...

So the point I am trying to make...is that ethics are learned...either through osmosis or official training. The parents teach the children, vocally and by example...similarly, the same should hold true of the broker teaching the agent, etc...