Buying a domain name.

[jayhawk]

Where do I go? Which site can I trust?

[Blayde]

http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp
http://www.1and1.com/

I'd trust godaddy,. but people use 1and1 somewhat as well.

[avanti]

I recommend godaddy, I have 5 domains registered there and I am very satisfied, used them for years! Plus they have Danica Patrick as a spokeswoman!

[hokiethang]

I also suggest godaddy. I've got 16 domains with them, and the only problem I have with them is their whois protection pricing.

[Blayde]

Originally Posted by hokiethang

I also suggest godaddy. I've got 16 domains with them, and the only problem I have with them is their whois protection pricing.

Someone i know has just been entering 'username' for all the fields and ''country' for the address and he seems to have no problem without the protection fee

[Speedtouch]

Through my friend's experiences, they would not recommend 1and1. I'm not entirely sure of the problems they had, but they were annoyed by them.

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by Blayde

Someone i know has just been entering 'username' for all the fields and ''country' for the address and he seems to have no problem without the protection fee

The problem with doing that is depending on the TLD, the company that runs the registry holds the rights to take the domain away from you if the whois information is invalid. I've had it happen before, and the domain registry (Verisign) required me to fax some documents to the registry (including my Drivers License), and they corrected the registration with the information off those documents, before they would release the domain back to me.

That's why I pay the $9 a year per domain to get the godaddy whois protection.

[jeffy777]

Godaddy is great for domains, but don't use them for hosting.

[lamboman]

another for GoDaddy, they are probably the most popular in America.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

Godaddy is great for domains, but don't use them for hosting.

All of my domain names are through GoDaddy, including this one.

[Shawn]

I registered a domain name with Yahoo! Domains a few years back for $1.99 which was great back then.

[markryder]

I also use godaddy, and except for the price issue already mentioned - I'm happy.

[jayhawk]

Thank you for the information.

Price right now is not a concern, the domain name I want is $9.99 through godaddy.

[Steve Levin]

I also use godaddy.

I don't worry about spam because my email address is so old and out there I already get close to 2500 spam messages a day...filters are your friends.

Steve

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I use Netfirms, but that's only because GoDaddy doesn't do .ca

[minigolf]

You can register domains with DreamHost, who obviously do hosting as well.

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by minigolf

You can register domains with DreamHost, who obviously do hosting as well.

I highly do not recommend doing that. As is evidenced with troubles other members have been having, if you register the domain with the host, you'll likely have trouble recovering the domain if there's a problem with the host (such as their sudden disappearance).

If you want to setup a site, for your own sanity and to make your lives easier, register the domain with a reputable registrar (godaddy, network solutions, register.com, etc...) before getting your hosting, don't do it at the same time.

[argatoga]

Originally Posted by hokiethang

I highly do not recommend doing that. As is evidenced with troubles other members have been having, if you register the domain with the host, you'll likely have trouble recovering the domain if there's a problem with the host (such as their sudden disappearance).

If you want to setup a site, for your own sanity and to make your lives easier, register the domain with a reputable registrar (godaddy, network solutions, register.com, etc...) before getting your hosting, don't do it at the same time.

I recently transfered a domain from dreamhost to godaddy without issue. It is all pretty easy and is done through their panel.

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by argatoga

I recently transfered a domain from dreamhost to godaddy without issue. It is all pretty easy and is done through their panel.

Transfers should be easy, and most of the time they work out just fine, but in the case of a problem with the hosting company (say they go out of business), you not only lose your hosting but lose your domain name. With the name registered at Godaddy, if the hosting company goes away, your domain name is still yours.

[argatoga]

Originally Posted by hokiethang

Transfers should be easy, and most of the time they work out just fine, but in the case of a problem with the hosting company (say they go out of business), you not only lose your hosting but lose your domain name. With the name registered at Godaddy, if the hosting company goes away, your domain name is still yours.

True, but I suspect dreamhost is popular enough to stay afloat. I'd recommend getting the "free" domain name there, then transferring it to godaddy at renewal time. Assuming you want to be hosted there instead of at stormhost of course.