technology – Page 2 – Sherri Ross

Tag: technology

04
Aug
2015

#TechTuesdays: What is DNS and How Does it Affect My Blog?

Today kicks off a new feature on the blog called Tech Tuesdays (thanks to suggestions at the Bloganista Mini-Con this past weekend). With the series, I am hoping to help demystify some common technology terms and issues I’ve had bloggers ask me about. If you have a question you would like me to tackle in the series you can email me at sherri [at] yougotrossed dot com. While I do not know everything, I have a good handle on many subjects and will be glad to offer what I do know. I will try to explain it in simple terms, so please keep that in mind when reading.

DNS stands for domain name servers which are basically the “pointers” that direct people to your blog on the internet. There are DNS servers all over the world and they all work to direct internet requests to the proper web sites. All web sites on the internet are actually associated (attached) to an Internet Protocol (IP) address and DNS associates a web name (your domain name, for example) with its corresponding IP address. A request comes into a DNS server for a name and the server quickly runs through its DNS records (address book) and finds the requested name and then the corresponding IP address. It then points the incoming request to the IP address and boom, your site comes up!

For those who may not be familiar with technology terms, a server is (or can be) basically just a powerful computer. When I refer to “your domain name” I mean the internet address used to get to your blog. As as example, my domain name is http://yougotrossed.com. All you see and all you know, as a reader, is http://yougotrossed.com, but servers store web sites by IP address so when you type in my domain, a request shoots through the internet to the domain name servers (DNS) for my site and finds that domain in the DNS records, then finds the corresponding IP address, and then goes to get the web site associated with that IP address. Once that happens, YOU get my blog in your web browser.

One of the biggest problems with DNS arises if you move your blog or web site to another place (host). Many times the DNS will need to change on the back-end to point people to your new address. That can be confusing if people are not familiar with how DNS works, and – by default – it can take up to 48 hours to propagate once the change has been made on the DNS server. That propagation sometimes means that your site may be “down” for a while if you make a change to your host or the location of your blog or site.

DNS can be a tricky beast for newcomers and it took me years to master it, but I love troubleshooting it now. Typically, if you own your own domain (like I do – yougotrossed.com), then your DNS servers are with your registrar or hosting company (where you bought your domain or where you host your blog). But that doesn’t have to be the case – you can have DNS in a different place than your blog, but that’s a complicated story for another day.

I hope this helps you understand how people get to your blog on the internet a bit better and what issues can happen if you move it. Just remember, even if problems come up, everything is fixable when it comes to DNS. If you would like more information or help with DNS – or any other technology aspect of your blog – I’m happy to meet with you one on one if you reach out to me at sherri [at] yougotrossed dot com.

17
Nov
2014

What Are You an Expert At?

categories: bloglikecrazy, technology

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shoutsfromtheabyss/6199518254 — Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Oh well, it’s my blog and I can do what I want to. (See what I did there?) 🙂

When I first meet people that I’ve only previously interacted with on social media, many don’t know what I actually do for a living. I try to keep my professional and personal life separate, but they do intertwine sometimes.

I’m the director of information technology for a local advertising and tech firm. We produce some of the greatest marketing, commercials, sites, apps, and more that I’ve ever seen. I’m quite proud to be associated with such a stellar company. I also have a great team that I work with, both in my specific department, and other teams throughout the agency.

I haven’t always wanted to be a techie. When I was very young, I wanted to be an entomologist. After that sort of passed, I wanted to be a psychologist and that was my major when I started college. Soon after though I switched to computer information systems. Once I completed my degree, I moved into a system administrator position at my then current job. Following that, I moved to Birmingham and worked at a software company doing support for their main program while learning more code. I then moved to Virginia to work for the Executive Office of the President for a while as a software trainer in the Office of Management & Budget. I left there and was then hired as a support specialist at a non-profit in Virginia and worked my way up to the IT manager position when the current manager moved to Colorado. When I decided I wanted to come back to Alabama, I was fortunate to find this amazing opportunity and have been here the last four years.

I’ve learned so much over the years of moving up the proverbial ladder. I’ve learned more about hardware in my current job than I did in 4 years of college. I’ve also learned to give thanks for the opportunities I have been given and the chances people have taken on me. One thing I try to pride myself on is working hard and finding good, talented people. Those two things are essential to any management position. I learned from some of the best mentors and bosses one could ask for and tried to use those skills in hiring the best of the best, which I have successfully done a few times now in my last few positions.

Remember, as you grow your skill set and people give you opportunities you may not have otherwise gotten, pay it forward and help others grow and give them opportunities. I forget that sometimes and I’m glad I have people around to remind me. I’m a leader, but I’m not always a good leader. I am working on that – I want to always be a good leader if possible.

04
Sep
2014

Girls, the time is now.

categories: women

I was recently interviewed about being a woman in the technology sector, namely challenges I faced getting to where I am and continue to face. This isn’t the first time I’ve had the question; people are fascinated that I’m the director of IT for an advertising and technology company. It wasn’t an easy road, but it wasn’t as hard as people think. I studied hard, worked harder, and continued to move up in positions throughout my career because I proved myself.

My biggest disappointment with the technology sector these days is that there aren’t enough of us in it. By us, I mean women. Many times over the years I was the only female at the table in a room with 10 or more men. It took a while to learn I was there because I earned it and my contributions are important. I was intimidated at first, painfully quiet during discussions. The more meetings I went to, however, the more I realized some things were missing from the conversation and that was my cue.

These days I’m more than comfortable being the only woman at the table, leaning in, learning, and sharing my knowledge. I am grateful I have been in more than one position to pay it forward and hire equally qualified and smart women in the field. The one question I always get asked is what advice would I give girls considering technology as a career. My answer is, “Don’t give up. Stick with it, even when you are singled out or made to feel inferior. It is a predominantly male field, but it won’t always be like that with our brains and determination. Girls, the time is now to start taking over the tech industry!”