Registering a Domain
Domains are a unique way to identify yourself on the Internet. There are two parts to a domain: the name and the extension. The name is the description of yourself or your site (for example, the name "dogfood" in dogfood.com). The extension represents the domain category. For example, the .com extension means "commercial," .net means "network," and so on. There are many extensions available today: .biz (business), .info (resource sites), .us (American sites), .ca (Canadian sites), to name a few. The "www" is automatically inserted by the web server that hosts your site and is not part of the domain name.
You cannot use a domain name until you register it. In addition, you cannot register a domain name that is owned by someone else. The registration process is fairly simple:
- Decide on a domain name and extension.
- Select a registrar and register your domain name.
- Find a host for your domain name.
Deciding on a domain name and extension is difficult because most names are already taken, especially with the .com extension. We highly recommend nameboy.com, a free service that finds not-yet-taken domain names based on one or two words describing your site.
There are many registrars on the Internet. A simple search engine query for "domain name registration" will return hundreds, if not thousands of results. Be sure to choose a registrar that supports the extension you want (for example, not all registrars will sell the .cc extension). Comparison shopping is wise because registration fees can vary greatly between registrars. Domain names are leased, and the registration fee usually represents the cost for one year of ownership.
Once you have purchased a domain name you will need somewhere to host it. The domain name is just an address; that is, it points to files on a web server. Hosting companies provide web servers and this is where your web site is stored. A search engine query for "web hosting" will return thousands of results. To help you select a web host, we suggest reading the article entitled Choosing the Right Web Host for Your Site.
Your web hosting company is the best resource if you are still confused about domain names. Many hosts will assist you in the domain registration process and ensure that everything is configured properly.
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Transferring a Domain
Transferring a domain can mean two things: switching the domain name to another registrar, or altering the domain record to make the domain point to a new host. We are concerned with the second definition. A domain has to be told which web host to direct visitors to, and this is done by changing the domain's name server records.
For example, say you purchased a hosting account at wonderfulhosting.com. They tell you to put their name servers in your domain record. These name servers might look like:
ns1.jmazedesign.com (66.211.136.131)
ns2.jmazedesign.com (66.211.136.132)
You will then visit your domain registrar's home page, sign in, and edit your domain record. Each registrar is different, but there will be fields in your domain record called "name severs," "primary/secondary name servers," etc. The registrar may or may not ask for the IP address of the name servers (192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 in this example). It takes 12-48 hours for the change to take effect.
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