Today
that's no longer the case. Now that the Internic no
longer
has the stranglehold on domain registration, there are
a variety
of websites that will register a domain for you with
varying
prices.
One
word of advice: Don't pay $70.00, but don't go with
the
cheapest you can find, either. The old adage, "you
get what you
pay for," rings very true here. I have been using
Registrars,
which charges $60.00 for 2 years. Although I have seen
registration advertised for less, I like the nice password
protection control panel that Registrars gives you.
This control
panel makes it easy for you to go in and alter the IP
addresses
anytime you wish in case you switch web hosts. For more
on
Registrars go to their site at http://www.merlesworld.com
k.cgi?registrars
Make
sure that you read the fine print before committing
to some
of the less expensive services. I have heard stories
of
companies that lock you into hosting on their servers
for the
first one or two years, or some other unusual demand.
While I
haven't confirmed any of these tales, it always pays
to be
careful.
Some
other registration sites with good prices are:
http://www.budgetregister.com
14.99 per year
http://www.dnscentral.com 15.00 per year
http://www.123domains.com 13.99 per year
http://www.000domains.com 13.50 per year
http://www.domaininvestigator.com 20.00 per year
http://www.joker.com 12.00 per year
For
a complete list of alternatives go to
http://www.newregistrars.com/registrars.html
If
you have someone else register the name for you, like
your
host, make your name is put down as the owner and administrative
contact. The only place the host's name should go is
under the
"technical contact." If they set themselves
up as the owner they
will then have complete control of your domain, which
could be a
nightmare down the road if you ever decide to change
hosts.
Trust me on this, I've seen it happen.
For
help choosing a name try NameBoy http://www.nameboy.com
It
works great for generating new ideas.
Registering
a domain is not difficult. When you're ready to do
it, make sure you shop around and compare prices and
features.
You'll be glad you did!
---
Merle http://www.merlesworld.com
Freebies for Webmasters and a
Whole Lot More! Subscribe to Merle's Mission Newsletter
by
sending mailto:subscribe@merlesworld.com
The "Best of Merle's Mission E-book"
http://www.merlesworld.com/software/merlesmission99.exe
Secrets
of Business in the New Millennium get the e-book here
http://www.merlesworld.com/tk.cgi?Businessin2000
