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Ask Slashdot: Advice For Domain Name Registration?
codepigeon writes: I would like to ask for your advice on selecting a domain name registration service to use (possibly registration with website hosting?). The last time I registered a domain name was around 1999, so I am out of touch with the current offerings.
I have visited a few of the major players' websites. They seem (mostly) similar in prices and services. I have also seen both positive and negative reviews for those companies. I am concerned about being locked in, or surprised with hidden fees. (I paid $75US for a year of service in 1999, now it is only $10.99US?)
I have been trolling Slashdot for about 15 years and respect the views of the users here more than anywhere else. I would love to hear your advice and/or warnings in this matter. I am looking to register a domain name for a development studio that is at the ground level (read: I'm the sole member). I have published a single app to one of the big app stores already and want to have a 'web presence' to publish information about my software and give users a place to submit complaints/requests. I currently don't see the need for any kind of major backend support for the website; simple HTML or JavaScript.
Which is the most trustworthy company to use for registration? Which ones have hidden fees or privacy problems?
I have visited a few of the major players' websites. They seem (mostly) similar in prices and services. I have also seen both positive and negative reviews for those companies. I am concerned about being locked in, or surprised with hidden fees. (I paid $75US for a year of service in 1999, now it is only $10.99US?)
I have been trolling Slashdot for about 15 years and respect the views of the users here more than anywhere else. I would love to hear your advice and/or warnings in this matter. I am looking to register a domain name for a development studio that is at the ground level (read: I'm the sole member). I have published a single app to one of the big app stores already and want to have a 'web presence' to publish information about my software and give users a place to submit complaints/requests. I currently don't see the need for any kind of major backend support for the website; simple HTML or JavaScript.
Which is the most trustworthy company to use for registration? Which ones have hidden fees or privacy problems?
I've been pretty happy with NameCheap, the CEO recently did a AMA on reddit, you should check it out.
sysadmins and parents of newborns get the same amount of sleep.
host with someone different from where you register your domain. That way if you find the hosting isn't to your liking, you can repoint your DNS and won't get held to ransom. What I'm doing at present is registering with MyDomain and then hosting on GoDaddy, which is fine for low-volume sites.
For my Canadian sites, I register with webnames.ca, use MyDomain's DNS service, and host on whatever's cheap.
Hover (www.hover.com) is great. No bait and switch tactics, spamming you on your way to checkout, sleazy superbowl ads or other gimmicks. And you get private listings included in the base price. They aren't the cheapest, but they are competitive. They will even switch you over for free.
1and1.com is $0.99 for the first year for a .com, then it's a yearly $14.99. So why the hassle of having to migrate to another registrar after one year? $14.99 is expensive.
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Been using them for 5 or 6 years now
:(
Excellent (!!) service, competitively low prices, fantastic control over your domain (be the master of your domain!)
Switched from GoDaddy because of their extremely poor customer service and questionable business practices and politics
GoDaddy was a BIG supporter of SOPA and PIPA (google it up)
Also be sure to google Namecheap cupons and save a few bucks - there are always monthly specials
----- In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream...
Whatever you do, don't check with a registrar to see if your domain name is available, unless you're prepared to buy it at that moment! I recently had GoDaddy appropriate a good domain name that I was considering. It turns out that this reprehensible practice is quite common.
gandi.net because they have anonymous redirection of the whois data. they handle hostmaster messages in store-and-forward so that your details are not given out. there are other benefits as well, not least that they properly grok ipv6.
$14.99 a year is not expensive.
For a domain name it is. Go buy yourself a 10-year domain registration at OpenSRS, Name.com for $11/Yr, or Namecheap for $10.50, or EasyDNS for $12/Yr.
Let's see.... the 1and1 registration costs $150. The others are $135 or less for 10 years.
There is absolutely no reason you have to use your registar's name servers.
Unless you want to avoid paying twice. If you don't use the name server that typically comes with the registration at no additional charge, you have to pay for both the registration and the name server.