I started to become active on the Internet some time in late 2010. That’s about when I seriously pondered my online presence.
It’s not that I haven’t been online before that. Sure, there was Email, IRC chats, etc. And I was using Pacific Internet dial-up then.
There was something before PacNet but I can’t recall it now…
Yea, that was a long time ago. Especially long if you consider how fast the Internet has evolved!
Aside
Beginning with this second post, I plan to allocate up to 2 hours for writing.
Plus another 30-45 minutes to do formatting, add images and proof-read.
Perhaps 15 minutes for some SEO and last-minute edits.
So all in, I’d spend at most 3 hours to bring out an article.
That’s my goal… starting today!
The Birth of My Online Presence and Identity
So, one of the early things I became aware of was my online identity. But before we get to that, there’s this “hobby” that emerged from being on the Internet.
It’s got something to do with names…
Domains, Domains, Domains! And What The Gurus Said…
Yup, domains are the key to the Internet — they spell out how your online presence is located and referenced by other people.
Specifically, a domain name equates to your online ID, much like your NRIC has your registered name; or a person’s driving licence, popularly used in many Western countries as a valid ID.
Which meant that getting a domain name which spelled your actual name, or something very close or related to it, was akin to a prized find, since at that time only a few preferred conventions were prescribed.
The conventions insisted by the ‘Net gurus of the time was this: the top-level domain (TLD) ideally should be “com”. Failing which a “net” or “org” is preferred.
Anything other than these three were highly scorned — it meant that you wouldn’t be found readily by people searching for your online properties. That was the prevailing wisdom.
For me, it would mean that “markheng.com” is the best, followed by either “markheng.net” or “markheng.org”, if I wanted a namesake domain name. More on that shortly…
Quickly, this idea of names in domains spread to other online entities, mostly websites I thought I would set up. So the “obsession” with good domain names began. And with a wild mind like mine, it wasn’t easy to stop dreaming up pretty names 🙂
Yeah, it really became sort of a hobby… and an expensive one if one isn’t careful. After all, it does cost about $10 a pop annually to keep each domain registered under your care. And for some special TLDs, the fee can run into tens or hundreds of dollars!
Wait… Someone Has Got My Namesake Domain!
Back to markheng.com.
What? It’s been taken! I couldn’t believe it — who else in the world would be named “Mark Heng”?
Of course I had to take a look!
The other Mark with the same family name turned out to be from Colorado, USA. He is an accomplished artist who draws great caricatures.
According to the website, Mark lived in Boston before settling down in Ireland.
Mark’s online presence goes back to June 2007, when his Blogger site had its first post. But it could have been earlier.
A quick WhoIs check revealed that markheng.com was registered on May 18th, 2004. It isn’t clear if Mark the caricaturist became known online back then or had acquired the domain name (from another party) some time later.
No matter what, there was no way I could have beaten him to it, being such a late comer to the Internet.
Ok, if it were any consolation, this artist Mark didn’t get his namesake Gmail account. That would indeed be tough by any measure, as free Email was way too hot!
Now, an Email address is another form of online presence — it would have your name in it. Having said that, it also meant that my Gmail address wasn’t ideal; indeed, I had to wrap numbers around my name.
But I did score a perfect Email address with Yahoo 🙂
There Goes My Online Presence?
With markheng.com already registered, did it mean I couldn’t have the best shot at getting myself present online?
Well, it wasn’t the end of the world. There were choices still…
I could have gone with markheng.net, since “net” is a nice contraction of Internet. Somehow I didn’t — don’t remember why.
Now “.org” wouldn’t fit as well, because my domain and linked Web property would have nothing to do with any organization of any sort. The purpose of “.org” was quite clear to me then.
So in the end, I opted for “.info” as it seemed to portray what I wanted: information about my online presence. And the price for domain names with this TLD is about the same as the “top” three.
markheng.info it was… and that’s how you are here, right now 🙂

(Incidentally, I managed to secure namesake “.com” domains for my family members without any problem. How nice!)
The Internet is Alive
It goes without saying the Internet is abuzz with activity. Everybody who’s connected to it is participating in what suits them, be it social interaction, searching for information, purchasing stuff, watching movies, listening to top hits, etc.
For the savvy, they have built and launched their Web properties, like websites, blogs, shopping sites, video channels, discussion rooms, etc, to provide content for the rest to consume online.
Yes, that’s like getting a strong foothold on the ‘Net; and such online presence can only gain weight with each passing day.
The key to all this is to stay on the other side of the equation: be a producer of content.
Write good articles; create and share useful videos; give visitors tips and tricks to do stuff better; engage your readers in discussions and contribute actively — these are but some activities content producers do… on a regular basis.
If you want to start simple, try tagging your Facebook posts which deal with a consistent topic or area of interest with a fixed hashtag, like I’d done so with #MarkHWords for musings that I share there.
Yes, it takes work to be established online. No magic overnight success, but constant effort which adds a bit each week to your growing presence. That can only go one way: more awareness of your online identity.
Are You Ready to Create Your Online Presence?
At this point, I’m handing it over to you — the ball is in your court.
I’m assuming you haven’t staked a claim on the ‘Net. If you have done so, I’m happy for you. Keep it going well! And tell us about what you do by commenting below 🙂
So, do you want to be found on the Internet? After all, we live in the digital world as much as the physical. There’s opportunity for you and others to connect online too.
Do you have things to say or do which can benefit other people if they knew where to find you? It’s not necessarily about making money. It could be hobbies you are involved in and you’d love to have other hobbyists interact with you; form a community perhaps.
Or maybe you write poems and would like someone to critique and even learn from. Or have a strong knowledge in Maths and are keen to help others struggling with the subject.
You see, it could be about anything. Yet not just plain anything because it would have your identity on it. For you are the one producing this unique content.
In short, are you ready for your online presence to begin?
By all means, have a look around the Internet, take note of what you see and liked, do a little bit of research. Basically, get started to put yourself on the Web.
If you need a purpose to do so, think about using your presence and identity to help or give back to others online. Be it knowledge you gained or something new you found from it. There’s no better way than sharing in this form… on the ‘Net.
I hope you’d find markheng.info is such an example 🙂
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