Get
Your Own Domain Name
Tech Tips. Vol. 2004 No. 05
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The part of an email address that follows the '@' is a domain
name. Domain names are also used in web site addresses; they
follow http:// or www. A domain name consists of a name and
an extension (technically, a "top-level domain").
Certain top-level domains (.org, .edu, .gov) can only be used
by organizations meeting certain criteria. Others (.com, .net,
.info, .us, .biz) are freely available. You must be authorized
to use a given domain name, either by securing rights to the
name through a domain registrar, or by permission of the domain's
owner.
Why would you want your own domain name?
For email, most individual users (and some organizations) use
a domain they don't own, most often one supplied by their Internet
service provider (ISP). That is, they are 'username@comcast.net'
or 'username@earthlink.net', etc. Yet, there are some key advantages
you gain as an individual by having your email on a domain that
you own:
- You don't have to be suzie1234@domain because you will
no longer be competing with thousands of other Suzies who
share the domain. If the domain is yours, you can use whatever
prefix you want!
- You can carry your email address with you when you change
ISPs. If you remember to renew your ownership as necessary,
you'll never have to change your email address again.
- There are usually fewer email constraints, that is, restrictions
on message size, number of recipients, etc.
For organizations, there are additional benefits: your corporate
name is an asset. You've probably invested significant time,
effort and money in building that name. Protect and leverage
your name by owning its representation as a domain! In fact,
you should consider owning all the extensions you can, and
any common misspellings or variants of your name.
(Perhaps you are already using a domain based on your organization
or brand name, and believe you own it. If you acquired the
domain through a web developer or other service provider,
though, beware: some providers register your domain to themselves,
not to you. Keep reading to learn how to find out who really
owns the name you're using.)
It's surprisingly easy and cheap to own a domain
You don't have to pay a lot to own a domain name. We like
GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com): it costs about $8.95/year to register
a domain, and less if you are transferring from another registrar
or registering more than one domain name. Most registrars
also offer email packages and web hosting, often at modest
prices. For example, you can purchase an email box from GoDaddy
for about $10/year (or 5 for $20/year).
To find out if the domain you want is available (or who really
owns the domain you're using), you need to inquire at a "whois"
facility. Try this: go to www.godaddy.com. Right there on
the home page, you can inquire about a domain name. If it's
taken, you'll be given the opportunity to see who owns it,
and when their ownership expires. You can even put in a "backorder"
for a name that's already taken, in case the current owner
fails to renew his claim. If you find an available name you
want, it's easy to register right on line, and order your
mailboxes, too. Once you register a domain, it takes 48-72
hours to 'propagate' it across the Internet, after which you
can begin using it.
Copyright 2003-2005 by Shulman Clark
Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.
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