The sex industry is a multi-billion dollar business and the may reason why there are so may complications and morale issues surrounding the business when it come to the Internet.

Googling the word "sex" yields around 3,5 billion results on various topics which may not always be suitable for under eighteens.

While Google and other search engines in the industry try to protect their users from accessing the negative aspects of sexually related content by offering their services with a type of safe modeem (enabled by default), it doesn't always prevent under eighteens from accessing these types of websites due to the wide spread of various content available.

The .xxx name is inspired by the former MPAA and BBFC "X" rating, now commonly applied to pornographic movies as "XXX".

The .xxx domain extension was proposed as one tool for sexually explicit material to solve to major issues. Dealing with the conflict between those who wish to provide and access such material through the Internet, and those who wish to prevent access to it.

"Every .xxx site is automatically given a child protection label, and browsers can be set to automatically filter those sites out." - Stuart Lawley, the founder and CEO of ICM Registry

For securing your brand

Perhaps you'd like to create an adult entertainment website and by using a .xxx domain extension you can be sure that you target your market audience without be criticized as a spammer or marketing to an inappropriate audience.

Your business can use the right channels and grow as any other.

Protecting your reputation.

The .xxx domain extension also hold great value to those that wish to separate their business from sexually explicit material by registering domain names associated to there company or brands and blocking these domain names.

Whatever your reasons for wanting a .XXX domain, you've come to the right place.

Check it out: http://www.22seven.com

Google has recently enabled South African users to use their free SMS service, which has been around since 2008.

Sending an SMS from Gmail chat is free, replying via SMS from a phone to Gmail is charged at regular SMS rates.

The service works on a credit basis. Once you activate the service you are issued with 50 credits, SMSes are then charged at one credit per SMS. You account is credited one credit for every reply you receive from your recipient or by waiting 24 hours for one credit every day. You can only have a maximum of 50 credits at any given time.

MTN and 8ta are the only supported service providers, for the moment within South Africa. For supported networks both locally and internationally visit Google's supporting website > link: http://support.google.com/chat//bin/answer.py?hl=en-GB&answer=164876&rd=1

How to enable the service:

   From Gmail, click on Settings, and go to the Labs tab.
   Scroll down until you see “Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat” and select Enable.
   Also enable the “SMS in Chat gadget” and then Save Changes.
   You can send free texts to your friends in the US and many countries around the world.

How to use the service:

Log into your Gmail account. In the Send SMS box above Chat, enter the phone number you want to send a SMS to.

In the dialogue box, enter Contact name of the SMS recipient and check that country and phone number are correct. Then, click Save.

Type your message in the chat window and hit Enter.

Your message will be sent to the phone number you entered.

With the increasing number of web designers entering the market today, either with a formally earned degree or as a self-taught individual, competition can get intense. For those who want to improve their skills to make themselves stand out, here are 10 tips to being a better web designer.

1. Learn HTML and CSS
With popular content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal powering more websites everyday, much of the coding and design is simply point and click. To really add value to consumers, know and understand how HTML and CSS works, so you can make changes and customizations where necessary to provide a unique solution for your client.

2. Focus on Web Design, not Graphic Design
While some of us web designers are also proficient in graphic design, not all graphic designers can be web designers and vice versa. Each field is a completely separate area of design and should be treated as such. The audience for a website may be quite different from a graphic design, as most graphic design is done for a print medium, rather than a computer screen. To be successful, you should specialize in web design.

3. Engage in Frequent Continuing Education
Web design is a constantly changing field as new trends and technology become available. Whether you earned a formal degree in web design or not, chances are what you knew when you started is not relevant anymore, or won’t be for long. Constantly educate yourself on what’s new out there, and learn how to apply it in your work.

4. Plan First, Design Second
While many designers “know” what they want something to look like, or can take a client’s idea and run with it, the planning stage is an important, often neglected stage of design. For an effective plan to be in place, take time to learn about the client’s company/product/service, and what they expect from their website. This is a good time to consider industry trends and what client competitors may be doing. Sketch the website on paper and make notes. Proper planning beforehand can help you make the make the most of your time and resources.

5. Remember Experience
Skills and credentials are important, but if you don’t have experience to back it up, they won’t mean much when it comes to web design. Each project you do provides more experience overall, which will help you move up the ranks. Students may want to consider starting work before graduation, so as to enter the world with experience to partner with those skills and credentials.

6. Strengthen Your Business Sense
Regardless of whether you freelance or work for a firm as an employee, a strong business sense will make you a better web designer. Understanding value, sales, and balancing costs is a very important part of what you have to offer clients. Though you’re designing a website for them, you need to look at it as though you are providing them with a complete business solution. You’ll provide more value to your clients, increasing referrals, and repeat business.

7. Strengthen Your Communication Skills
Communication is vital in any field, but chances are you will have to go back and forth between the client, a graphic designer, and a programmer at the very least. Being able to effectively communicate messages between all involved parties will be essential, as it can make or break the project’s success.

8. Strengthen Your Team Skills
Web design includes several elements, and rarely will you be able to do all of it alone. You’ll need to be able to work effectively with one or more others to build a killer final product. This means being helpful, understanding your position in the grand scheme of things, and doing your part of the work to the best of your ability, regardless of circumstance.

9. Keep Yourself Organized
Organization is vital anywhere, but with web design, it is essential. Organize your computer with folders for each project, and folders for each element: sounds, images, text, etc. This way you know where to look if anything gets missed. Keep to-do lists for each project, keep track of correspondence between clients and other team members working on the project all in one place.

10. Don’t Neglect Your Portfolio
Keep your portfolio current to show your understanding of and experience with the newest technology. Graphic designs from last decade may still work in a portfolio today, but given how much the web has changed in the last 10 years, leaving an old website in your portfolio could be a shot in the foot.

Working in web design is a challenge, as you must be able to keep up with current information and adjust accordingly for each project that lands in your lap. These tips can help you stay flexible to handle anything that may come your way.

Online shopping is often more fun and more convenient than going to a store. You don’t have to fight traffic, search for a parking space or deal with crowds, and you can pick out the exact items that you want. In addition, getting your purchases in the mail can be exciting, especially when you don’t know exactly when they will arrive. However, you need to practice good safety habits when shopping online so that you don’t fall for scams or give your credit card information to anyone but legitimate business owners. Read on for the top 10 tips to use to help protect yourself while shopping online.

1. Stick to websites you know you can trust.

If you use sites such as easionline.com that you already know are legitimate businesses, you won’t have to worry about buying things that are never delivered or giving your personal info directly to thieves. If you’d rather shop from smaller sites, check to make sure they are legitimate first. Search for them in Google to make sure other customers haven’t had problems and look for medallions on the site from the Better Business Bureau or other organizations that verify businesses are legitimate.

2. Read the site’s privacy policy before buying.

Don’t offer personal information to any shopping site until you understand how it will use the information. Read through the privacy policy to get a basic understanding, and don’t shop at any site that doesn’t have such a policy available for customers to browse.  Never purchase anything from a link in an unsolicited email, as thieves use these kinds of emails to get personal data from victims.

3. Don’t buy from sites that are not secure.

Most legitimate websites use secured pages to collect credit card info and other personal info. Secured websites begin with “https” rather than “http.” Your browser may also display a lock in the bottom left corner or top left corner if the website is secure.

4. Click on the lock icon to get more information about the site’s security.

Most browsers will display security certificates or other  information about the site’s security when you click on the lock icon. This helps you detect fake security icons. If nothing happens when you click on the lock icon, the site is probably not legitimate.

5. Look for the Verisign Trust Seal.

Verisign is a company that regularly checks websites to ensure that their security certificates are current and that the website is free of viruses, spyware and other items harmful to visitors’ computers. The seal will be listed next to the website’s listing on Google and other search engines as well as on the site itself.

6. Pay attention to messages about SSL certificates.

Secure Socket Layers, or SSL, certificates help ensure that your information is encrypted so that third parties can’t intercept it. Legitimate businesses purchase these certificates to increase their trustworthiness. The certificate identifies the owner of the site; if it is expired or out of date, your browser will warn you that the certificate is incorrect and ask you if you want to continue to the site. Don’t shop at sites that have invalid or missing SSL certificates.

7. Take extra precautions when shopping on shared computers.

If you use a library or other public computer to purchase items online, the computer itself is not as secure as your home computer. You never know who might use the computer next, so make sure you log out of all shopping sites, email sites and other sites containing personal information before you leave the computer terminal. You should also clear the browser’s cache and delete all cookies from the browser so that the next user cannot access your information.

8. Only give personal information directly to the site you’re shopping from.

Never click on a link in an email to get a coupon or respond to emails by giving out your personal information. If you stick to a policy of only giving your personal information directly to the sellers you are doing business with, you can avoid falling victim to phishing scams, where crooks create fake email accounts, websites and forms to trick people into giving them credit card information.

9. Read the site’s terms and conditions.

In addition to reading the privacy policy, you should read all the terms and conditions associated with doing business with a site. Some sites require you to pay for shipping when returning items, don’t allow you to return items at all or sign you up for special programs that charge monthly fees when you purchase items. Make sure you are aware of all of these terms and don’t buy anything if you are uncomfortable with them.

10. Pay using a credit card rather than a debit card.

Credit card transactions are protected by federal law; if someone makes a fraudulent transaction using your card you can dispute it and won’t be required to pay it. It can be more difficult to dispute transactions with debit cards, and if you don’t report them in time, you may be liable for them.