Minimize HTTP Requests

80% of the end-user response time is spent on the front-end. Most of this time is tied up in downloading all the components in the page: images, stylesheets, scripts, Flash, etc. Reducing the number of components in turn reduces the number of HTTP requests required to render the page. This is the key to faster pages.

One way to reduce the number of components in the page is to simplify the page’s design. But is there a way to build pages with richer content while also achieving fast response times?

• Combine multiple script files and css files into single files.
• CSS Sprites are the preferred method for reducing the number of image requests.
• Image maps combine multiple images into a single image.
• Reduce the number of images and files in the html page

Reduce DNS Lookups

The Domain Name System (DNS) maps hostnames to IP addresses, just as phonebooks map people’s names to their phone numbers. When you type www.yahoo.com into your browser, a DNS resolver contacted by the browser returns that server’s IP address. DNS has a cost. It typically takes 20-120 milliseconds for DNS to lookup the IP address for a given hostname. The browser can’t download anything from this hostname until the DNS lookup is completed.

When the client’s DNS cache is empty (for both the browser and the operating system), the number of DNS lookups is equal to the number of unique hostnames in the web page. This includes the hostnames used in the page’s URL, images, script files, stylesheets, Flash objects, etc. Reducing the number of unique hostnames reduces the number of DNS lookups

Avoid Redirects

The main thing to remember is that redirects slow down the user experience. Inserting a redirect between the user and the HTML document delays everything in the page since nothing in the page can be rendered and no components can start being downloaded until the HTML document has arrived.

Make Ajax Cacheable

One of the cited benefits of Ajax is that it provides instantaneous feedback to the user because it requests information asynchronously from the backend web server.
To improve performance, it’s important to optimize these Ajax responses. The most important way to improve the performance of Ajax is to make the responses cacheable, by adding an Expires or a Cache-Control header. Some of the other rules also apply to Ajax:

• Gzip Components
• Reduce DNS Lookups
• Minify JavaScript
• Avoid Redirects
• Configure ETags

Post-load Components

You can take a closer look at your page and ask yourself: "What’s absolutely required in order to render the page initially?". The rest of the content and components can wait.
JavaScript is an ideal candidate for splitting before and after the onload event. For example if you have JavaScript code and libraries that do drag and drop and animations, those can wait, because dragging elements on the page comes after the initial rendering. Other places to look for candidates for post-loading include hidden content (content that appears after a user action) and images below the fold.

Preload Components

Preload may look like the opposite of post-load, but it actually has a different goal. By preloading components you can take advantage of the time the browser is idle and request components (like images, styles and scripts) you’ll need in the future. This way when the user visits the next page, you could have most of the components already in the cache and your page will load much faster for the user.

Reduce the Number of DOM Elements

A complex page means more bytes to download and it also means slower DOM access in JavaScript. It makes a difference if you loop through 500 or 5000 DOM elements on the page when you want to add an event handler for example.
A high number of DOM elements can be a symptom that there’s something that should be improved with the markup of the page without necessarily removing content. Are you using nested tables for layout purposes? Are you throwing in more <div>s only to fix layout issues? Maybe there’s a better and more semantically correct way to do your markup.
The number of DOM elements is easy to test, just type in Firebug’s console:
document.getElementsByTagName(’*').length

Split Components Across Domains

Splitting components allows you to maximize parallel downloads. Make sure you’re using not more than 2-4 domains because of the DNS lookup penalty. For example, you can host your HTML and dynamic content on www.example.org and split static components between static1.example.org and static2.example.org
For more information check "Maximizing Parallel Downloads in the Carpool Lane" by Tenni Theurer and Patty Chi.

Minimize the Number of iframes

Iframes allow an HTML document to be inserted in the parent document. It’s important to understand how iframes work so they can be used effectively.
Pros:

• Helps with slow third-party content like badges and ads
• Security sandbox
• Download scripts in parallel

Cons:

• Costly even if blank
• Blocks page onload
• Non-semantic

No 404s

HTTP requests are expensive so making an HTTP request and getting a useless response (i.e. 404 Not Found) is totally unnecessary and will slow down the user experience without any benefit.
Some sites have helpful 404s "Did you mean X?", which is great for the user experience but also wastes server resources (like database, etc). Particularly bad is when the link to an external JavaScript is wrong and the result is a 404. First, this download will block parallel downloads. Next the browser may try to parse the 404 response body as if it were JavaScript code, trying to find something usable in it.

Original Source: http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html

The public conception still contains many misunderstandings regarding the legalities of buying and selling domain names. Many people have heard stories of malicious "cybersquatters" who deliberately register company names and then demand outrageous sums as a ransom for their return. Regrettably, these few bad eggs have sufficed to give the entire industry a lingering bad reputation, even though their activities have since been brought under control by more up-to-date legislation. One thing is clear, and that’s that domain name disputes are never as simple as they may appear.

The important thing is to know that buying and selling domain names is perfectly legal, as long as the domain being sold does not infringe on the trademark rights of a third party. Today, the vast majority of domain investors operate within this legally-acceptable territory. However, in some cases a domain owner is unaware of, or chooses to ignore, the legal constraints. Fortunately, in these cases, a trademark holder has numerous channels for addressing their ownership dispute. These resources are described below.

Domain name sellers should be aware that it is their responsibility to ensure that their domain name is free from possible trademark infringements before listing it for sale. Ignorance of the law is no excuse! Use the links and information provided here to inform yourself about your rights and the legalities governing domain name ownership to reduce the risk that you will lose your domain.

Trademark holders should be aware that possessing a trademark for a given term does not automatically mean that you have a legitimate legal claim to a domain name. Possession of a valid trademark is only one of three requirements that you need to meet to win ownership of a domain name via ICANN’s Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), the policy governing ownership disputes for the generic TLDs (.com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info) or the U.S. Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (15 U.S.C. sec. 1125).

Just as important are the requirements that (1) the domain registrant have no legitimate interests in the domain and that (2) they evidenced bad faith in registering the domain. Both elements require evidence beyond the mere registration of a domain. Please take the time to inform yourself about the UDRP and other legalities governing domain names using the resources provided below.

Before you make a complaint, make sure that you have consulted a qualified trademark attorney with experience in domain names. Legal disputes should generally be considered a last option: the cost for a UDRP case is $1,500 plus legal expenses, and there is no guarantee that you will win (for a complete schedule of UDRP fees, click here).

If you sue and lose, your chances of then being able to purchase the domain from the current owner is greatly reduced. In addition, frivolous UDRP claims against domain owners can result in a finding of reverse domain hijacking – a practice in which trademark holders engage in a bad-faith attempt to use the UDRP to wrongfully strip the legitimate registrant and user of a desired domain name simply because the complainant holds a trademark in that name or one similar to it.

Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
(the entire UDRP can be found here)

Mandatory Administrative Proceeding.

1. Applicable Disputes. You are required to submit to a mandatory administrative proceeding in the event that a third party (a "complainant") asserts to the applicable Provider, in compliance with the Rules of Procedure, that
   1. your domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights; and
   2. you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
   3. your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

   In the administrative proceeding, the complainant must prove that each of these three elements are present.

2. Evidence of Registration and Use in Bad Faith. For the purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(iii), the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be present, shall be evidence of the registration and use of a domain name in bad faith:
   1. circumstances indicating that you have registered or you have acquired the domain name primarily for the purpose of selling, renting, or otherwise transferring the domain name registration to the complainant who is the owner of the trademark or service mark or to a competitor of that complainant, for valuable consideration in excess of your documented out-of-pocket costs directly related to the domain name; or
   2. you have registered the domain name in order to prevent the owner of the trademark or service mark from reflecting the mark in a corresponding domain name, provided that you have engaged in a pattern of such conduct; or
   3. you have registered the domain name primarily for the purpose of disrupting the business of a competitor; or
   4. by using the domain name, you have intentionally attempted to attract, for commercial gain, Internet users to your web site or other on-line location, by creating a likelihood of confusion with the complainant’s mark as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your web site or location or of a product or service on your web site or location.
3. How to Demonstrate Your Rights to and Legitimate Interests in the Domain Name in Responding to a Complaint. When you receive a complaint, you should refer to Paragraph 5 of the Rules of Procedure in determining how your response should be prepared. Any of the following circumstances, in particular but without limitation, if found by the Panel to be proved based on its evaluation of all evidence presented, shall demonstrate your rights or legitimate interests to the domain name for purposes of Paragraph 4(a)(ii):
   1. before any notice to you of the dispute, your use of, or demonstrable preparations to use, the domain name or a name corresponding to the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services; or
   2. you (as an inpidual, business, or other organization) have been commonly known by the domain name, even if you have acquired no trademark or service mark rights; or
   3. you are making a legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the domain name, without intent for commercial gain to misleadingly pert consumers or to tarnish the trademark or service mark at issue.

Original Source: https://sedo.com/legal/index.php4?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us