Domains, What You Need to Know To Get Online with a Great Domain Name

Domains, What You Need to Know To Get Online

First lets get one thing out of the way, you don’t need a website to register a domain name, or to get your chosen name on the domain register you can simply ‘park’ your domain name for possible future usage. Many people and companies do this simply to protect the name from the competition or because they intend to use the name at some future date. So if you want a particular name for future usage, just get the name on the domain register by registering the domain.

• For our purposes in this article, I’m going to presume you want a domain name for your personal or company web site.

Contents

• What is a Domain Name?
• Renewal Dates for Domain Names
• How to Protect Yourself Against Domain Name Scams
• How to Avoid Problems Associated With Unsolicited Letters
• Get Online, Things You MUST Know Before You Register a Domain Name
• Registrar Tricks to be Wary Of!
• ‘Transfer-Out’ Fees
• The Fine Print From Hell
• Multi-Year Registration Fees
• Whois Database Scams!
  • Whois Edit Fees
  • Premium Whois Privacy Services
  • Mining the Whois Database
• Monetisation Scams
  • Domain Parking
• Domains, What You Need to Know To Get Online Conclusion

What is a Domain Name?

Domain names provide a system of easy-to-remember internet addresses, which can be translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) into the numeric addresses (Internet Protocol (IP) numbers) used by the network.

• A domain name for a website can remain unchanged if the website is moved to a different host computer or server. However, an IP address will change if the server changes. This is similar to a business moving premises, the business name will stay the same but the street address will be different.

Renewal Dates for Domain Names

Domain name registrations for domain names can be renewed in yearly increments, but, some country code TLDs must be renewed for a minimum of two years. Your registrar will inform you of the necessary dates for domain name renewals.

• It is important to note that domain names are leased for a fixed term and not owned. If not renewed a domain name can be registered by another party so keep a close eye on those renewal dates or you may lose your domain name to your competitor.

How to Protect Yourself Against Domain Name Scams

Many domain name holders, in particular small business operators, receive unsolicited letters offering domain name registrations, website hosting, redirecting, email services or renewals at far cheaper rates or for periods well beyond the rules for registration. DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT BY THESE SCAMS.

• These letters range from completely bogus invoice like letters attempting to fool the account payer, to letters that are offering a new domain name very similar to the businesses existing one. The letters can result in the business being either the victim of a scam or the unwitting owner of a new domain name.

Make a note of the following information for each of your domain names and keep it handy for everyone involved in the bill paying process:

• Domain name:
• Domain name registrar or re-seller:
• Domain name renewal date:
• Domain name renewal fee:

If the letter is not from your registrar, do not send any money. If in doubt contact your original registrar.

How to Avoid Problems Associated With Unsolicited Letters

Domain name holders and business operators can avoid problems associated with unsolicited letters by becoming familiar with the domain name renewal process, and implementing some simple administrative practices:

• Do not assume any renewal notice is from your original supplier.
• Keep a good record of domain name registration details, including the name of the domain name registrar and the domain renewal date.
• Check your domain name is registered correctly. Use a ‘whois’ search to check the registration details of the domain name, this usually also includes the registrar details. For .uk domains go to Nominet UK, http://www.nic.uk/ for .com domains go to InterNIC http://www.internic.net/whois.html for other country code registrars see my article Domain Name Registrars – Who Are They?
• Carefully check the rates and terms and conditions of the renewal notice and compare this with the current provider of your domain name licence and your original contract.
• Prices for domain names vary all the time, shop around for the best deal, see my article, Where to Register Domain Names.

Get Online, Things You MUST Know Before You Register a Domain Name

So, you’ve decided you want your own virtual world (web site) on the web (world wide web – Internet) and realise you’re going to need a hosing provider and a domain name. These two items are basic necessities you cannot avoid if you want your own web site.

Whilst the initial plan, buy a domain name, get a hosting provider, construct a web site, may seem straight forward and simple there are some fundamentals you need to know before putting your plan into action.

Registrar Tricks to be Wary Of!

‘Transfer-Out’ Fees

Buried in the fine print of some registrars’ ‘Terms of Service’ will be a clause authorizing them to charge your credit card a ‘transfer-out’ fee if you move your domain to another registrar. This transfer-out fee can be many times the cost of the original registration.

• This practice violates the ICANN policy on domain transfers. In most cases, if this happens to you, a simple call to your registrar or credit card company will have the charge reversed.

The Fine Print From Hell

Have you ever actually read one of the many long, odious Terms of Service for anything you buy online? You should. Some registrars bury some truly chilling things in these terms. Read the fine print before entering into a contract, and be vigilant for ‘transfer-out’ fees and ‘no refund’ policies.

Multi-Year Registration Fees

Are you giving your domain name registrar an interest free loan? If you register your domain name for more than the minimum annual requirement, i.e. 5 years, you could be giving your registrar an interest free loan if they only pay the registry fee 1 year at a time.

• Combined with a ‘no-refunds’ policy, you could end up paying your registration fees twice if you decide to change registrars.

Check your domain name is registered correctly (see above) using one of the Whois services. If you have a good registrar such as GoDaddy or JustHost, it should match with the number of years you paid your registrar for.

Whois Database Scams!

Whois Edit Fees

One of the functions of your domain name registrar is to provide you with the facilities to change the whois record. When you register a domain name, the registration details are be published in a publicly accessible database called Whois. Ensure your registrar has a zero or acceptable ‘administration fee’ for when you want to edit your Whois record. (If the details are correct the first time you may never need to edit the Whois record).

Premium Whois Privacy Services

As your domain record is public for all to see, some registrars try to persuade you to ‘upgrade’ to their ‘privacy services’, this is usually called ‘whois masking’ or ‘private registration’.

If you do decide to subscribe to this service keep this in mind; in effect, they register your domain in their name so putting their details into the Whois record instead of yours!

In the eyes of the domain Registry and the Registry’s oversight body ICANN, whoever is listed in the domain Whois record as the domain Registrant is the legal owner of the domain name. In other words, they own the domain, not you, notwithstanding the contract or Terms of Service you enter into with them to register this name on your behalf. What happens if there is a dispute? Your guess!

Mining the Whois Database

Unfortunately, as your domain record is public for all to see, spammers and marketers mine the Whois database and harvest registrants data. This data includes your name, company name, address, fax number and email address. So if you wonder why, shortly after registering a domain name you start receiving spam in your mailbox, now you know. Your email address is being harvested from the Whois database by robots and added to a mailing list. I suggest having an email address registered specifically for domain name registrations.

• As mentioned in, ‘How to Protect Yourself Against Domain Name Scams’. Some registrars mine the Whois database for registrant information and then mail out what look like renewal invoices for either those domain names or variations of them.
• The ‘people’ sending unsolicited letters offering domain name registrations, website hosting, redirecting, email services or renewals at cheaper rates also get their data from the Whois database.

Monetisation Scams

Domain Parking

Domain parking is big business. Have you ever clicked on a link or entered an incorrect web address and wound up on some ‘directory page’ with the added bonus of a dozen pop-up ads? That’s a parked domain default page. These pages can be worth literally millions to those registrars monetising them via domain parking.

• This may not seem important, after all, you’re not using the domain if it’s parked. But consider this, you have no control over the information shown on this parked domain page! Do you really want your domain name associated with porn?

If you have a domain that’s actually worth something parked, take it to a domain parking service who will pay you to park your domain. Alternatively, retain full control, construct your own parked domain page and place your own ads.

Domains, What You Need to Know To Get Online Conclusion

By now you’re probably wondering why some web hosting providers can offer you everything but the kitchen sink for less than $10 per year while others charge more than $100 per year for basic DNS and URL forwarding.

Well some low cost web hosting providers such as JustHost (where this website is hosted) offer you an excellent service at low cost to get your business. Their target audience for this type of service is newbies, entrepreneurs and small businesses who just want to get onto the web and are happy to be on a shared server to keep the costs down. Their hope is that these people and business will flourish and grow. They can then offer premium services such as dedicated servers as they grow. Web hosting providers such as JustHost are in it for the long haul.

On the other hand some web hosting providers often have tricks up their sleeve for making money, either by adding your domain to their parked pool of pages or offering free URL forwarding for your domain, then selling pop-up or pop-under advertisements on your domain.

There are many gotcha’s in the world of domain name registrations, so be careful out there. Ensure you register your domain with a registrar who doesn’t play any of these silly, unprofessional games. Find a domain registrar who:

• Offers a full refund at anytime if you are dissatisfied.
• Never hides fees.
• Registers your domain for the number of years on you order.
• Gives you access to your Whois records, your registrar locks, your auth codes, control over your domain’s DNS settings, hostname records, mail exchangers and nameservers.
• Offers a Whois email privacy service and will never sell your data to a third party.
• Doesn’t try to sell you services you don’t need.
• Doesn’t ‘monetise’ your parked (or otherwise) domains.
• Offers excellent support either by telephone or email.
• Is courteous, professional and helps their small business customers progress to greater things.

You can research your domain name choices at any of the registrars listed in my article, Where to Register Domain Names. Most of these registrars provide domain name registration, domain name hosting, free domain name search facilities and some even give you a FREE domain name if you accept their domain name hosting package. They are all courteous and professional.

Well, I hope you found something useful and enjoyed this article, Domains, What You Need to Know To Get Online. Don’t forget to let me have your thoughts in the comment box below. See you soon.