Domain Names:
Domain Name Registration:
Registering a domain name is very inexpensive and easy.
The minimum domain name registration period is one year. We charge
$9 for a one year registration of standard domain types, such as
.com, .net and .org. A domain name does not need to be registered
at the same company where you purchase web server space (Web Hosting).
This is sometimes convenient, but the domain is controlled by the
registrant, not the web hosting company where your web site is hosted.
A domain name can be chosen
and registered here.
Domain Name Security:
Unless you have complete trust in someone, you should insure
that you are the only person listed as having control of your domain
and not permit anyone to be the "technical contact" on
your behalf.
Information about the registrant of any domain name is publicly
accessible. A domain name should be registered in your personal
name. Unless required, there should not be a company name associated
with the domain. (It is significantly easier to impersonate a member
of a company than an individual.) The address should be a valid
address where you can receive mail; it does not need to be your
home address. The phone number should be a valid phone number where
you can be reached or a message can be left for you. The email address
should be an address where you can be contacted.
As soon as your domain is registered, it is recommend that you
create a dedicated email address specificly to list in the domain
registry database (whois). It is not recommended that you use your
primary email address because, due to the public nature of the database,
it will begin receiving unsolicited email (spam). We recommend creating
an email alias or email forward (a fake email account that points
to your real email account) that can be changed occasionally. This
can usually be done in your web hosting control panel once your
site is online.
Using false information in a domain registration is sufficient
reason to have your domain registration removed from your control.
For people with a desire for more anonymous domain registration,
an identity proxy service may be used that specializes in forwarding
legitimate mail/email/phone communications while keeping the registrant's
identity hidden from public view. We charge an additional $9 per
year for this proxy service, should it be desired.
Domain Control Panel and Domain Nameservers (DNS):
Your domain registrar will provide you with a domain control panel
so that you may set your domain nameservers (DNS) setting. When
you sign up for web hosting, the web host will provide you with
their DNS information. It usually looks something like ns1.gem3.com
and ns2.gem3.com. This is the connection that points your domain
to your web hosting company. If you ever change hosting providers,
you will change this to point to the new provider.
DNS changes don't work instantly. Each Internet Service Provider
(ISP) on the planet must make a copy of the master database before
each of that ISP's users can use the domain name to visit the site.
Most major ISPs update their database daily, but a few only update
every few days. The DNS change will work for most internet users
the next day.
|
