Stay Connected to Your Fellow Web Warriors With Ventrilo Hosting

How many times have you tried to yell out to your fellow first-person gamers to warn them about an impending danger only to have your cries fall on deaf ears? Tired of your teammates not hearing your last minute instructions before you engage the competition? Then you may need to upgrade your VoIP (Voice over IP) group communication software. Ventrilo (think ventriloquist), one of the leaders in the group VoIP industry, gives users the ability to connect up to eight players via the Web. While it can’t promise to improve your shooting accuracy, Ventrilo can help you and your brothers in the trenches interact thanks to its surround sound software.

There are three ways you can use the VoIP service: hosting your own Ventrilo server on your PC, renting a hosting package from a gaming server, or installing it on a traditional hosting provider.

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On Your Personal Computer

The most popular way to use Ventrilo is on your home computer. However, having eight individual channels coming in and out of your router is going to put some serious demands on your bandwidth—not to mention the internal storage on your personal gaming system. Plus, you might need a special configuration for your router or modem, as well. However, you <em>can</em> download the eight-user software directly from Ventrilo to your home computer and connect with your fellow gamers.

On a Gaming Server

Knowing the feasibility of getting a high-quality connection and still having bandwidth for gameplay is a combination most computers simply don’t possess, Ventrilo makes a pro version of its software available to rent via a network of gaming hosts across the globe, with about a dozen or so in the U.S. For the most up-to-date list of Ventrilo server hosting providers, refer to the company’s website.

On a Traditional Server

Most sources—Ventrilo’s website included—will tell you that you can’t download the software to a hosted server provider because Ventrilo is not an actual webpage. The best Ventrilo host is your own personal server which you manage yourself. Since that is a luxury most cannot afford, some forums have discovered a way to put Ventrilo on a traditional hosting provider.

Thanks to its use of extensions, the Joomla content management system might be able to house the Ventrilo software. That said, you’ll need to have a hosting account that supports the popular CMS. From your Joomla control panel, simply download the Ventrilo software. Once downloaded, you can then open your extension manager and install Ventrilo onto the server. In the setup wizard, select the proper IP and port then publish it to your site. Then, turn on your wireless headsets, round up the gang, and start hunting down virtual enemies of the state.

While there is no single method that is going to work universally for all situations, you should have a way to set up Ventrilo as your VoIP gaming communication system with the three options above.

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Protect Your Personal Information with Private Domain Registration

You know they’re out there—lurking, hiding in the shadows, intent on doing harm. Cyber criminals, spammers, telemarketers, hackers, and identity thieves are constantly looking to get ahold of your personal data. You do your best to protect your information; you use strong passwords, don’t post vital statistics, and generally try to keep a low profile with your online accounts. However, did you realize your business or personal website can be a gateway for these binary bandits to get their virtual claws on your directory info? With protected domain services, you can block access in an effort to protect your privacy, prevent solicitation, and otherwise flummox these ne’er-do-wells in their attempts to sabotage your website.

Privacy Protection

When you register a domain through your hosting provider, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires your personal information to be listed with the public Internet directory at WHOIS. With private domain registration, your domain is purchased by a third party and the company’s contact information is made public instead of your private information. That way, your personal data is hidden from criminals looking to use it to commit fraud, gain access to your financial accounts, or create an alter ego for other nefarious reasons.

Solicitation Prevention

Domain privacy protection can also help protect you from less criminal—yet no less annoying—individuals with other plans for your information. Domain-related spam doesn’t come in the form of emails from Nigeria promising trust fund riches. Instead, well-crafted promotions offering to improve your website’s performance, solicitations for new business opportunities, and other devious cons will find their way into your inbox. Most website owners are probably unaware their personal contact information is there for the taking by spammers harvesting the WHOIS directory. It’s not just your email they’re after, either; telemarketers thrive on phone numbers taken legally from WHOIS.

Other Considerations

Clearly, protecting your personal information and identity is a primary concern to everyone and avoiding spammers is the modern equivalent of not answering the door when the encyclopedia salesman is in the neighborhood. Still, private domain registration can prevent other maladies, as well. Without it, domain hackers can use your info to switch your domain into their name and then sell it to the highest bidder. The WHOIS directory is fertile soil for data miners, too. With access to the contact information of every registered owner of every website in the world, there is no telling what consequences could come from their intrusive activities. Ransom offers are expected when you sign up for a raffle at the county fair, not when you register the domain for your website.

On a separate but related note, it should be stated that private domain registration only keeps your personal data from being published on WHOIS. It is no way meant to be a legal tactic to protect yourself from prosecution or to hide your own criminal or illicit online behaviors. Instead, it is simply a way to keep online outlaws from doing digital damage.

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