About domain registration

[satimis]

Hi folks,

google search on low cost domain registration brought me numerous. Followings are only part of my search result;


http://www.registerfly.com/domains/
.com $9.99/annum

http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/defaul...%2Ehk%2Fsearch
.com $8.95/annum
http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/compar...isc=gooxt021bc
special offer
.com $6.95/annum

http://ipower.com/domain-names.html
.COM $6.50/1-yr. $13.00/2-yr $19.50-3/yr

http://www.active-domain.com/
.com $3.95/annum
http://www.active-domain.com/price.htm
.com $9.95/yr

http://www.dnbuy.com/
.com $8.97/yr


I found it difficult to make a selection, Apart from cost service is also important. Could you please shed me some light.

TIA


B.R.
satimis

[schwim]

Hi there satimis,

It's hard to screw up as a domain registrar, but I've gotten to deal with most of the companies you posted. Of those, I liked GoDaddy the best, because of it's complete automation. You can generate and retrieve auth codes automatically, alter all important information without assistance(name servers, tech/owner info, etc.), and the price is more than fair. If you're dealing with multiple domains, their control panel is pretty handy about it as well.

I don't think I'd run with the ultra-cheap hosts, as it's sometimes hard to get them to do stuff for you if you need something out of the ordinary done(auth code regeneration, altering an email contact if your old one is no longer accessible).

thanks,
json

[satimis]

Hi schwim,

Tks for your advice.

I liked GoDaddy the best, because of it's complete automation. You can generate and retrieve auth codes automatically, alter all important information without assistance(name servers, tech/owner info, etc.), and the price is more than fair. If you're dealing with multiple domains, their control panel is pretty handy about it as well.

Noted with tks. Several folks also recommended this registrar

On my recent search a folk had bad experience on GoDaddy. The story was about GoDaddy's form mailer. For that to work, he contacted GoDaddy set it up for PHP. The response was PHP having been installed and available, but it wasn't working. They wouldn't allow the PHP mailer to work. So the folk spent several hours trying to adjust the script without result. Finally he called GoDaddy again and they said it was misconfigured (on their end), so they adjusted it.

I don't think I'd run with the ultra-cheap hosts, as it's sometimes hard to get them to do stuff for you if you need something out of the ordinary done(auth code regeneration, altering an email contact if your old one is no longer accessible).

Agree. $8~9 per yr is reasonable.

Before start registration what attention I should pay apart from transferring fee and term. Tks.


B.R.
satimis

[schwim]

Hi there again,

Keep in mind that you will never find a host that doesn't have it's share of dissatisfied customers. GoDaddy is no exception. Also, if you're using them for domain management only, it's a moot point, as it just propagates the name resolution, and has nothing to do with hosting of any kind, so that's why I said it was hard to mess up

With GoDaddy, it's very straight forward when signing up, and you won't need to watch for anything sneaky. They strictly adhere to registrar regulations, and I've never had anything go wrong with them.

I also host a dedicated server with them, and of all my hosts, they have been the nicest to deal with. Keep in mind that if you purchase a server through them, they expect you to be the administrator. They're much more helpful with script problems and such on shared hosting accounts, but if you're running your own server, then they expect you to actually run it. I only say this so you understand that some customer complaints are them expecting too much of a hardware provider.

thanks,
json

[satimis]

Hi schwim,

Tks for your further advice.

I'll request GoDaddy for domain registration only, nothing else for the time being. I'll build and admin my own web server.

Regarding registrar regulations, in case for transfer of domain how many months in advance I have to nofity my current registrar before expiration of current registration to allow the new registrar making application to the current registrar for such transfer.

What other terms I have to observe. TIA

B.R.
satimis

[schwim]

Hi there satimis,

There's not much restriction on you.

Most registrars(GoDaddy included) require you to wait 60 days after initial registration before you can transfer it to another registrar. This is a common practice, and there's nothing underhanded about it.

As for how close to expiration you can be before you can't transfer a domain, there is no set rule, but I wouldn't let it get any closer than one month to expiration. If the domain transfer is still in process when the domain expires, the transfer will fail, because the domain will be locked. There is a grace period for expired domains, so you're not in risk of losing it, but you do lose the money you paid for the transfer. It takes about 2-4 days to transfer registrars, and once that's done, it takes another 24-48 hours to change name servers(if you are also changing locations of the physical site). Doing this while your domain still has one month left ensures that nothing will cause a problem in it's transfer, and since your transfer fee usually includes the first year of renewal, you also are ensured of not having to mess with it for another year.

That's honestly about it. Always keep your contact information up to date, as if you have a bogus email address listed, it's a nightmare to prove ownership. Other than that, it's a pretty simple process.

thanks,
json

[cypher543]

I'm with these other people... GoDaddy is my favorite.