Something a web developer can not go without; a list of state codes. With that in mind, we thought we would share the list we use.

For convenience, we have provided it both in MySQL format and CSV format.

US and Canadian state codes in .CSV format
US and Canadian state codes in .SQL format

Enjoy.

GoDaddy offer a domain 'backorder' service that takes the hassle out of waiting for domains to drop or go up for sale. Around two years ago I started to watch the .com version of a .co.uk domain used for a private project that I was developing and rebranding for public use. I set a calendar appointment to remind me when the domain was due to expire, only to have a different machine 6 months later with a fresh calendar. A month or two after the expiration point I remember the domain and looked it up - it had been renewed.

The second time I looked the domain up, I did so on GoDaddy's domain search. I was offered a 'backorder' service on the domain for £12 GBP ($19 USD). The fee gets you the service for one year. I decided to give it a try for one year and after that point, give up if they domain was not in my possession.

What is included in GoDaddys Backordering Service?

At the time of purchase, my £12 got me the below.

• GoDaddy Auctions Membership
• DomainAlert(R) Pro Monitoring
• Domain Registration fee if Domain Expires

Part of me considered the above to be good value, though the cynical part of me brushed it off as mostly bulked up sales pitch. After-all, what are the changes the domain would even change let alone end up for sale on GoDaddy's very on auction listings?

A year on and I had an email from GoDaddy telling me the domain had been updated (renewed for another year + DNS updated). I deleted the mail and considered the domain lost as until now the domain had just sat dormant without even as much as a holding page.

Forward a month and I receive another email from GoDaddy telling me the domain has been added put up for auction with them and that they have automatically placed an opening bid of $10. If my bid was beaten, I would be advised. I was sent a link to the GoDaddy auction pages. Two weeks later and I get an email saying I won the auction.

Nice. Seems like a fair deal on all parties - I get the domain I had been following for two years, the previous owners get their requested openning bid on auction.

To Summerise

GoDaddy fulfilled their end of the deal; I have them £12 and they got the domain I have previously failed to get myself.

Overall, I'm happy with the service and would use it again. That being said, I do wonder if the domain was for sale elsewhere such as Sedo, would GoDaddy have picked it up from the name servers and let me know? If it had expired, would they have grabbed it for me in time?

If you have used GoDaddy's Backingordering service, or another backordering service - let us know how you found the experience. I'd be interested to know if I just hit it lucky in this case or if many of their backorders end up fulfilled.

What is a CMS website?

Well, CMS stands for Content Management System and refers to software that sits in the background of your website and 'powers' the content your visitors see. Having a website built with a CMS in mind allows you, your staff and your visitors to post content to the website easily and quickly. Generally a CMS will allow you to add pages, images and so forth. You can edit/add content in the same way that you create office documents in office programs, however online.

Are CMS's easy to use?
Yes. If a CMS is not easy to use, its a bad CMS. The idea of a CMS is that everyone and anyone, skills aside, can update their website content with ease.

Do I need a CMS Website?

If you already have an upto date website, and updating it's content is easy and not overly time consuming then you probably don't. If you are getting a new website built or making serious upgrades to your current site then it would be a good idea when keeping in mind future development. Even if you plan not to update your website yourself and pay a third party to update it, it will probably be cheaper for you if you can provide the third party a CMS as it saves them time thus saving you money.

Are CMS's worth the outlay?

This depends specifically on your needs, time and required frequency of updates.

How much does a professional CMS cost?

The cost of a CMS on your website will vary a great deal. If you are having a new website built from scratch and a CMS is in your specification from the start, you are going to save the most money. There are a few free CMS systems out there, and if you are skilled within web technologies you can put your own look and feel on top of these free CMS's relatively painlessly. Many web development companies offer their own bespoke CMS system (we do, price starts from £500). You can also request most web development companies to develop your website with one of the known free or commercial CMS systems if you have a preference. This may work out less expensive, however in some cases it may work more expensive as some developers will be so expierenced with their own bespoke software, less man-hours are envolved.

Can I move my CMS to another host?

The free CMS systems that are already out their will transfer to other hosts relatively easily, providing the new host meets the same requirements that the original did. If you have had a website/CMS developed by a web development company then you should check at the start of the project when you receive the original quote if it is transferable to another host. Some companies will prefer to host your website themselves and therefore charge a release fee (or just outright refuse to release your website at all) to protect their intellectual property.