TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Traci Pearson wondered: <<I have a URL registered
(PearsonTechComm.com), although I still don't have my website up...
Today I happened to try that URL, and it comes up with a page full of
links to colleges and online classes. What's up with this?! And what
can I do about it?>>
When you type a URL, what most often happens is that your browser
tells the host to load a page named "index.html" (or .htm), which
tells the browser (and you) what is available on the site. If you
haven't uploaded that page yourself, the service provider has two
choices: they can submit a substitute page (here, to a list of folks
who are paying to have their links listed on that default page), or
they can send back a "404: page not found" error. Neither is
particularly helpful to Web surfers, but since the service provider
can make some money from the first option, it makes sense for them to
redirect to a page of sponsored ads.
It's dimly possible that your domain or the registry service was
hacked, in which case contacting your service provider or registrar
will solve the problem. But that's less likely.
In the meantime, note that you have a reasonably comprehensive
signature, to wit:
Traci Pearson
Pearson Technical Communication
Writing, Editing, Information Design • Printed and Electronic
pearsontechcomm -at- comcast -dot- net
www.linkedin.com/in/tracipearson
www.twitter.com/PearsonTechComm
(303) 410-9101
If your site won't be ready for some time, you should at least create
an index.html file that contains this information as a placeholder.
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Geoff Hart (www.geoff-hart.com)
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
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Effective Onscreen Editing: http://www.geoff-hart.com/books/eoe/onscreen-book.htm
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