Ownership of domain name - questions
 

I want a website to sell my stuff. I want to own my domain name, but it seems like a lot of web hosts wind up owning it a let you use it for as long as you want, until you want to switch web hosts. Could someone be so kind as to write a good explanation, with pros and cons of 'what the real story is' on this topic?

This is new news to me. If you buy a domain name, it's yours for the given period of time that you paid for it. You just have to buy your name from an accredited registrar, which can be found here: http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/accredited-list.html

Most of these registrars have an interface that will let you forward your domain name to any webhosting service or IP address. If you are trying to use a webhosting service that only "rents" the name, I probably wouldn't use them. They are trying to lock you into using their webhosting service and I find that kind of scammy. What they are doing is buying the name, which is included in the fees you pay them and I bet you when you're done using the name, they release it to go back into the pool of unused names. Don't confuse buying a domain name with webhosting services. They are two different things.

Woow! Your response is incredably helpful. Greatly appreciated. Thanks.

For what it's worth, you own the domain with GoDaddy (who I use for domain registration, not hosting).

I use Omnis.com and they are pretty cheap for a domain name. There is a company out of France that is really, really cheap but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.
You pay for it for a year, two, three..etc
You can take it with you if you change hosts!

Your domain name is yours. Hosting companies register it for you, but you are the owner.

You're welcome!! I also use GoDaddy. They are an accredited domain name registrar. They also do webhosting and even if you use their webhosting service for a while, then want to change to another, you still own the domain name as long as for the years you've paid for it.

yep, i own mine - pay for it every three years

just a tip - owning your own domain is actually really useful, it means no matter what hosting service you have (and you can change it endlessly), you always have the same email address

I buy all my domains from G0 Daddy and my husband hosts them on his server. you just pay a server to host for you.
Geneva

\\:D/ What she said....exactly!

Janet

First, let's set one thing straight ...

One does not *own* a domain name. You license the right to exclusive use of it for a period of time. If, at the end of that time, you do not renew the license (ie: pay for it again), the domain name becomes available for anyone else to license.

You register a domain with a Registrar. There are many registrars out there ... shop around for price and services. Some registrars also offer additional services: hosting, email accounts, etc. We'll get into that later.

Once you have a domain registered, you can use it or not. You don't have to use it .. you can register a name now with the intent of using it several years from now. Only one person can register any single name, so if there is a name that you want, and it is available, register it now. It costs maybe $15 a year to register a name. I have over 20 names registered. :) For me, that's a small price to pay to have the names I want available for use later, when I want them.

You can also sell the rights to a name to someone else. If I registered the domain MyGlassBeads.com, and you wanted it, I could sell you the rights to it. The price to do this is whatever you and I both agree upon. People go out and 'buy up' domain names, and try to 'sell' them all the time. A popular domain name can sell for thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more!). After I sell you the rights to a domain, you still need to go to a registrar and register it (and pay the registrar their fee).

You host a web site on a Host. A host and a registrar are not the same, although there are many companies that do both. You do *not* have to host your site through the same company through whom you have registered your domains. To use a different host, all it takes is a one-time change of the settings, with your host and/or your registrar, so that the world knows where to find your site. Both your host and your registrar can assist you with this. If you want to move your site to a different host, you can. Just change the settings once again.


Now, for the OP. Some hosting companies offer, as a "service", the option of registering the domain name through them. As others have already mentioned, be careful. Make sure that you are the registered "owner" of the name, and not your hosting company.

Malcolm

yes, you are correct - as long as you pay for it its yours

True, you don't technically "own" it. But for the purposes of this thread, to say that you own it was the best way to get the point across...

I want to thank you all for your input. Last night I signed up with godaddy.com, and this weekend I will begin 'building my website'. Eventually my stuff should be visible and available on www.stonepillowglass.com

Cool name btw, is there a story behind it ?

Good thread too, I'm setting up my website right now and I'm thinking of setting up several iterations of the name and redirecting them all to my site.

Wise move.

My primary domain is artcoinc.com. I often type it in mixed case: ArtcoInc.com. But, if where I'm printing it uses a sanserif font, the upper case i looks like a lower case L. So, I also registered artcoLnc.com, and have it redirected back to artcoinc.com.

I will also register the .net and the .org names too.

I believe that even if the user makes a mistake typing in the URL, I still want them to find me. :)

Malcolm

Malcolm is dead on ... another thing is that other companies, like network solutions, will take orders on a already taken domain so if your late on getting the renewal done ... you'll lose it ... it always pays to know when you need to renew because it might be 4 people deep just waiting to grab up that name.

Also there is usually a 30 day grace period after domain name license has technically "expired"... But don't count on it....

My hosting service for my dune buggy website notifies me in advance (30-60 days) of any renewals for domain name fees or hosting fees.... Any good hosting service may also do this....

Dale

Dune buggy website ???? :grin:

Malcolm

where I got my name
 

[quote=crofootadv;3206923]Cool name btw, is there a story behind it ?

Not a very exciting story behind the name - stonepillowglass - but here it is:
Several years ago a name for a rock band popped into my head. I'm not in a band, don't play an instrument etc, etc. but a name popped in anyways. The name was 'Steel Pillow'. So now I want a website for my glass and I'm thinking - steelpillowglass... , but then I'm thinking that steel doesn't go with glass very well (yeah, yeah I know-I've been walking past steel and glass buildings most of my life) so I thought - stone - ah ha, that's it - stone pillow; in my mind 'stone pillow' feels a little bit softer than 'steel pillow'. (Now I'm thinking that the 'o' sound in stone is softer sounding than the 'ee' in steel.)

I also use GoDaddy to register, but have it hosted by another company. Someone else mentioned getting the other three main top level extensions. I did the same and got .net/.com/.org that way no matter which one they typed out, it was mine. Just redirect all the other versions back to your main hosted site. If you register multiple domains sometimes you also get a pricebreak, so if you plan to register - decide what you want and do it all at once.

Again.....Dune Buggy website????? :-k