Purchasing Your Domain Name

 

First off just what is a domain name?

Your domain name is your address on the internet. And it functions just like the address of your home wherever you live. People and mail must know where to go in order to reach you. Your domain address is how someone can reach you.

For example the domain name of this website is: themegaphone.net. Anyone who might search for us only need to type the megaphone.net into their browser to find this site. We have “contact us” links located throughout the site which functions much like your home mail delivery system. When someone needs to contact us they simply click the contact us link and send the email. The email is then delivered to themegaphone.net.

Ok so now that you realize the function of a domain name how do you get one?

First off you must do a domain name search. A domain search will let you know if a name you would like to use is available or if it is already in use. Once you have found an available domain name that you would like to use you must register it. Much like purchasing your home once you register your domain name you own it as long as you keep it current and do not let it expire. ( If you allow your domain name to expire then it become available again for anyone to register ).

So now you have found your domain name and are ready to register it.  How and where is the best way to accomplish this? There are a couple of ways in which you can register your domain name. Both are used a lot but only one is really a good choice. Let’s talk about the “not so good choice first”.

Not so good choice:

Many people will opt for an advertising gimmick of “free domain name with hosting”. And just like it implies if you sign up for hosting with a particular company they will often times register your domain name for you for “free”. This is great as long as you remain hosting with this company. But read the fine print of the contract with them. Is the domain name really yours? Or is it only yours as long as you host with them? In other words are you allowed to transfer your domain name if you decide to switch hosting companies?

The free domain deal is ok as long as your allowed to keep your domain name even if you switch to another host. However your still caught in that ‘transfer’ trap which can take a week or more to happen. The same applies to purchasing your domain name with the same company you host with. In my opinon no one should ever consider this option. The reason if the difference in downtime to your site when you do decide to transfer your site to another host. But before we talk about that let’s look at the better option to register your domain name.

Preferred Choice:

Register your domain with a domain registry company. There are many of them to chose from. The prices vary so it is worth shopping around. The benefit to registering your domain name this way means you control what happens to it at all times. In other words let’s say you decide to host your blog with The Megaphone Network and you have your domain name registered at My Domain. As the hosting company we only give you the information you will need to point your domain to our servers but we have no access to your domain name. Your site is transfered to us, NOT, the domain name. Therefore if at anytime you decide to switch hosting companies you only need to point your domain name to your new host. We have no control over your doing this, nor do you need our permission or release of your domain name.

Now back to why the not so good option is not so good. If you had your domain name hosted with us as well as your site then you would have to request that we “unlock” your domain and allow the transfer. While this process usually goes ok it can be time consuming and may result in downtime while your waiting for your domain name to be “unlocked” and then the transfer approved.

In summazation both ways will get your domain registered and allow you to get your site up and running. Allowing your hosting company to also handle registering your domain name may sound like the simple option but may also lead to problems down the road.

*note- If you have question about domain names or the registration process use the forum below to contact us with your questions. We’ll be more than happy to respond.

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