Beginning: Buying Your Own Domain Name

Owning a Domain Name is the wired-age status symbol. Every "great" webmaster has one. However, acquiring one is not exactly second nature. Signing up for a domain name requires a plethora of technical information, including IP Addresses, name servers, and technical contacts. Then comes the problem of finding a good Domain Name registrar. Getting gouged by so-called Domain Name registrars happens all too frequently these days. Use these guidelines to protect yourself and get the best service for your dollar.

Getting Started:

What is a Domain Name?
What information do I need before I register?
Who should I register with?

What is a Domain Name?

Most people in the lower 48 have a postal address. This address is used by the Post Office, utilities companies, the government, visitors, door-to-door salesmen, bill collectors, etc., etc. The address tells them where to find you, regardless of whether you want them to or not. Domain Names work the same way. If someone wants to visit your web page, they need the page's address, or Domain Name. A Domain Name generally begins with www. and ends with .com, .org, or .net (for example, www.freeservers.com.).

What information do I need before I register?

In order to register a Domain Name, you need to know a couple of things about your web host. Here is a list of information you will need to collect before registering your domain name. As an example, I have included the information for Freeservers next to each item:

Primary Nameserver--ns3.freeservers.com
Primary IP Address--209.210.67.153
Secondary Nameserver--ns4.freeservers.com
Secondary IP Address--208.185.127.168
Tech Contact--webmaster@freeservers.com

Along with this information, you will need a valid e-mail address, an active billing address, and, when registering a Domain Name with most Domain Name registration companies, an active credit card. After collecting this information, you are almost ready. The last task is to select a Domain Name Registrar.

Who should I register with?

This is the big question. There are several Domain Name registration companies out there, and many of them offer great special services, in addition to registering your domain name. However, you'll need to watch out for a few things.

When shopping around, make sure you find a company that will give you a top-level Domain Name, or a Domain Name that contains only the name that you choose, like www.yourdomain.com. If something is appended to the Domain Name, like www.yourdomain.something.com, then it is not a top-level Domain Name, but is instead a sub-domain name. Sub-domain names cannot be used with most web space providers, including Freeservers (except for the sub-domain names offered by Freeservers).

Next, be wary of how much the company is charging you to register your Domain Name. In the United States, a fair price for registering a Domain Name is $35 for one year, $70 for two years, etc. If a Domain Name registrar is charging more than this, make sure that the extra expense is justified; otherwise, you may be getting ripped off. If a Domain Name registrar charges less than $35 a year, be sure to read all of the company's policies. The company may be trying to mislead inexperienced registrars. Finally, make sure that there are never any charges for modifying your Domain Name information at any time during your ownership of the Domain Name.

To make the Domain Name registration process easier for Freeservers members, we have partnered with Register.com, a Domain Name Registrar, who offers a simplified registration process for Freeservers members. If you register a Domain Name at http://northsky.register.com, they will automatically fill out all of the necessary name server information for you. You will only need to supply them with your personal information. Register.com charges their usual fee, $35 a year, for this enhanced service.

Once you have registered your Domain Name, let everybody know. The more people that visit your web pages, the more bragging rights you will have as a citizen of the wired world.

Note: If you already have a subdomain name with Freeservers (i.e., something.freeservers.com), you can still register for a top-level Domain Name. However, you cannot simply point your new Domain Name at an existing account. You will need to register for a new account with Freeservers. Since Freeservers Domain Names are free and we help you transfer your existing web site with our SiteCopier, this process should be fairly simple.