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Domain Name InformationHow to register your domain
by:
Ted Prodromou
Once
you launch a new website you must register a unique domain name with an authorized registrar. Once
the computer network was 1st starting, all domain names and IP addresses were registered through one organization, Internic. Eventually Network Solutions took over the role as “keeper” of the computer network domain names. Today, there are hundreds of websites wherever
you can register your domain name but Network Solutions still maintains the main information of domain names. Several websites charge as little as $2.95 per year for your domain name piece others charge as more as $35 per year for the exact same service. Several even as offer one year free if you register your domain name with them and host your website on their servers. Why pay $35 once
you can register your domain name for more less at another website?
So why makes Network Solutions charge $35 a year if they are the keeper of the information and their resellers charge a fraction or even as nothing? Who knows and who cares! Register your domain with one of the cheaper providers and you'll be fine. A word caution - be care who you choose to host your website. Acquiring a free year of your domain name isn't worth it if your webhost is unreliable and your website is down more than it's up.
You pay for your domain name on a yearly basis. It's a separate charge from your webhosting bill. Once
you register your domain name choose the autorenewal option if it's available. This way your domain name wish not expire if you forget to renew it. If your domain name expires, it's free for anyone else to register so you need to stay on top of once
it's expiring. Besides registering your domain name for a 3 to 5 year term wish often save you money. For example, godaddy.com charges $8.95 a year for your domain name but only $7.25 a year if you register for a 5 year term.
When you register your domain you can create some contact names. The three contacts are Administrator, Technical and Billing. Most of the time the same person is all 3 contacts. If you web designer registers your domain name for you, do sure you are selected
as the Body
contact. This gives you control over the domain name and you must be notified if person is trying to do changes to your record. If you aren't one of the contacts then person can remove ownership of the domain name without your permission.
To see a record of your domain name, go to www.networksolutions.com and use their WHOIS utility which is placed in the bottom left corner of their house page. Just enter your domain name and click Search. You'll see the complete record of your domain name, wherever
it's registered and wherever
your website is hosted. For a complete video of how to use WHOIS, visit www.valiss.com/video/whois/whois.html.
When you register your domain name you'll have to the option of devising it a private registration. I extremely
recommend paying the additional fee to do your information private. If you leave your registration public anyone can look up your domain information which includes your house or business address and your email address. Galore spammers scan public domain registration records to find valid email addresses to spam.
I always use a yahoo or hotmail email account once
registering my domains. This way if spammers to find my email address, I can simply get a new “throwaway” email address and I won't obtain spam at my primary email address.
Always do sure your domain record remains locked. Lock-up your domain name is a feature enforced
a few years ago. Once
you want to remove your domain name to a some registrar you must unlock it. Once it's unbarred the new registrar can “pull” your domain name from your current registrar. Once the remove is complete, the domain name wish be barred to prevent anyone else from “pulling” your domain away from you.
Just simply about the author:
Ted Prodromou spent over 25 years in the computer industry working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular One. Now he's the owner of Valiss IT, a consulting firm that provides personalized web design and small business marketing solutions. Visit http://www.valiss.comfor lots of free “how to” articles simply about marketing your business online.
Copyright 2005 Valiss IT, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This article may be reprinted only if it remains unchanged.
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