|
When
you launch a new website you must register a unique domain name with an
authorized registrar. When the internet was first starting, all domain names
and IP addresses were registered through one organization, Internic.
Eventually Network Solutions took over the role as “keeper” of the internet
domain names. Today, there are hundreds of websites where you can register
your domain name but Network Solutions still maintains the main database of
domain names. Some websites charge as little as $2.95 per year for your
domain name while others charge as much as $35 per year for the exact same
service. Some even offer one year free if you register your domain name with
them and host your website on their servers. Why pay $35 when you can
register your domain name for much less at another website?
So why does Network Solutions charge $35 a year if they are the keeper of
the database and their resellers charge a fraction or even 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. Getting a free year of your domain name isn't worth it if your web
host is unreliable and your website is down more than it's up.
To see a record of your domain name, go to www.networksolutions.com and use
their WHOIS utility which is located in the bottom left corner of their home
page. Simply enter your domain name and click Search. You'll see the
complete record of your domain name, where it's registered and where 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 making it
a private registration. I highly recommend paying the additional fee to make
your information private. If you leave your registration public anyone can
look up your domain information which includes your home or business address
and your email address. Many spammers scan public domain registration
records to find valid email addresses to spam.
I always use a yahoo or hotmail email account when registering my domains.
This way if spammers to find my email address, I can just get a new
“throwaway” email address and I won't receive spam at my primary email
address.
Always make sure your domain record remains locked. Locking your domain name
is a feature implemented a few years ago. When you want to transfer your
domain name to a different registrar you must unlock it. Once it's unlocked
the new registrar can “pull” your domain name from your current registrar.
Once the transfer is complete, the domain name will be locked to prevent
anyone else from “pulling” your domain away from you.
GoDaddy.com $1.99 Domains 
|
