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Domain Name Registers

S

steiney

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 6, 2009
504
36
Hello All,

I have never posted in General Discussion before, but I have a question that I think fits.

I need to register a domain name but have never done this before. Which domain name register is the best? I know about GoDaddy.com, but I know you can get better prices elsewhere. Instead of searching through Google results, I thought I'd ask the MacRumors community which register they prefer.

Also, is private registration really important? They make a big deal about it on domain register websites, but is it really necessary?

I appreciate any input or opinions! Thanks in advance!

steiney
 
Last edited:
Well, Hostway.com is $8.99 per year, so I want to see if someone can beat that.
 
I've just bought a few domains on Hover.

They are not the cheapest, but I found there customer service to be excellent.
 
Hey, thanks for the reply. What would I need customer service for? I'm about to register at netfirms.com. They have a discount offer that puts the price at $4.95.

Also, do I have to put real contact info where requested? I would like to not have people spamming me and such.
 
steiney said:
....Also, do I have to put real contact info where requested? I would like to not have people spamming me and such.
Click to expand...

you're supposed to....however one way domain name registers make money is selling you a service that provides you with "real contact" info that makes them the official contact so your personal info doesn't appear.....they'll want money for this service of course
 
But can anything bad happen is you provide false information?

Also, is a domain able to be directed to another website regardless of which domain register you use, or do only certain registers offer redirecting domain name?

Thanks, btw.
 
You can have that information unlisted. I forget the term, but it's possible. When people do a whois? search, they'll get the name and address of the registrar. I'm using godaddy right now, but as I remember netfirms is easier for that. DON'T use netfirms for hosting BTW.
 
steiney said:
But can anything bad happen is you provide false information?

Also, is a domain able to be directed to another website regardless of which domain register you use, or do only certain registers offer redirecting domain name?

Thanks, btw.
Click to expand...

most domain registers allow domain redirecting (including Netfirms) ... the fake name and information route can cause problems if you ever want to prove ownership and have complete control of the domain ... because technically ... some joe schmoe and not yourself will be listed as the actual owner.

you should be able to redirect a domain to any website you want yourself through a control panel that you will have access to. :cool:
 
Oh, well I actually found a coupon last night that brings netfirms.com price down to $4.95.

Yojitani: Also, I forgot to ask you, why should I not use Netfirms.com for hosting? Bad customer service? Servers down often? I'm new to buying domains names and hosting service, so I don't know the things that can go wrong.
 
My only advice is don't buy the domain from your web host. Buy the domain from godaddy and use a different webhost. That way you'll not have transfer issues if you opt to change web hosts down the road
 
steiney said:
Oh, well I actually found a coupon last night that brings netfirms.com price down to $4.95.

Yojitani: Also, I forgot to ask you, why should I not use Netfirms.com for hosting? Bad customer service? Servers down often? I'm new to buying domains names and hosting service, so I don't know the things that can go wrong.
Click to expand...

Both, actually. I ran my wife's site (wordpress powered) on netfirms at first (they had this great deal $10 for domain and hosting for a year!), but there was a lot of downtime and it was slow. Customer service was useless until I decided to switch hosting companies. Then they suddenly contacted me every day!

FWW I use SharkSpace. They've been exceptionally good. I got quite a discounted deal through webhostingtalk. It's a good place to look for reviews of hosting companies and deals on hosting packages.
 
I keep mine registered through dyndns it costs me about 30 bucks a year for the domain name and forwarding to my home IP. It works out well if you are keeping a home built server in your bedroom closet to run a web site.
 
Oh, well I'm a Realtor, and I just need a couple of different domain names to point to my personal website within my broker's website.

I think I'm just going to register the domain names with netfirms.com and point them to the appropriate address.
 
hi I don't recommend some domain name registrars like:keskinmavi.com they are all scam because I seen the copy of elements on other domain name registrars I rcommend to register domains on the webhosts like:bluehost.com and it's free for life
 
Okay, thanks for all the help and suggestions.

I ended up registering with Netfirms.com, because I got the price down to $4.95 per domain by using a coupon code.

Now I can't get either of the domain names to forward to the address I want. I keep going into the domain manager, checking the forward option, entering the address and saving it, but when I come back to it, everything is erased and the forwarding option is unchecked.

I guess I should contact their customer service instead of bothering you guys about it. If anyone thinks of anything off the top of their head as to what I might be doing wrong, I'd love to hear it.
 
Don't base it on price, guys. There are registers out there who are under $10/year for a .com domain, but they're not worth it.

Find a reputable registrar who you can trust. GoDaddy is not the best choice, unfortunately. They've pulled some very slimy stunts over the years. Dotster is a pretty clear shot, but they're more expensive and a bargain hunter will be able to find a more desirable choice. Always read up on discussions about the registrar as much as you can before signing up, too, to see if you can get a head up on any stunts they may pull.
 
I saw on the macbreak weekly podcost, hover.com. They look interesting, I'm tiring of the spam and crap the godaddy pukes out and this looks like an interesting alternative.

Anyone use them before? While I may tire of godaddy's shenanigans, I've never had a problem with them so its put up with the crap or spend money to transfer my domains
 
moniker.com is <$10/year AND is professional and responsive. They have great features for managing multiple domain names, as well. They are one of the registrar's favored by the parking/buy-and-sell crowd.

Their claim to fame is "never lost a domain". Meaning that nobody has ever tricked them into transferring a domain without the owner's approval.

I do NOT recommend anonymous registration if you have any kind of serious business. Just looks too shady. If you are concerned with privacy, get a cheap/free VOIP account for phone and a real P.O. box from the post office. (Yes, somebody can go to the post office and get your real address. But they have to go to a lot of trouble to do that.) The VOIP number and P.O. box are enough to keep people from showing-up at your home expecting a retail store, or to register their complaints in person, LOL.
 
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