Where Should I Register My Domain Name?

[LVUER]

I want to make a website. So two things I need to prepare (other than the website itself) is the hosting space (which I plan to use Wordpress for this since it's free) and though not a must, a domain name (I really want that www.LVUER.com).

To get a domain name, I need to register for it. Now the problem is where should I register it? There are plenty of company/sites, including local ones (the one based in my own country). And from what I can see, they more or less offer same price tag (at least for .com).

When I register my domain name in US sites/US based company, will I be bound to US laws? Or it only applies when I actually host my files in US based servers? Should I go to famous company (like GoDaddy.com) or should I just register it in local based company so it's closer to me (for whatever reason)?

Or perhaps anyone have good sites recommendation for registering a domain name?

[mugenjohncel]

GO WITH GODADDY!!! They are the best... even if I messed up the site every time I tinker with it when the IT guy I hired is not looking... I just give them a call and they help me restore it (or at least close to how it used to look)

No seriously... go with GODADDY! They even went as far as guide me step by step when installing wordpress in one of my Non-Uncle Mugen websites (Hint: It has something to do with Car Customization)

Of course, if you are just after domain name you can go and register the domain name with Wordpress...

"POOF" (Disappears)

[Applegate]

When I register my domain name in US sites/US based company, will I be bound to US laws?

If you use a .com, you are bound to US laws, I believe. There was a case very recently about mr O'Dwyer, who was to be extradited from the UK because his web site's conduct, while perfectly legal in the UK, was NOT legal in the US. The extradition request was entirely based around the fact he had a .com domain.

Given the extra-territorial reach of the US (the request was only recently settled), if you are concerned your web site might breach US law, it'd be safest to just get a local address (.co.ind or something?) or from a country where you are certain you do not breach any laws, or need not fear breaching them.

The best thing to do is look up a few cheap solutions, then google their company names with keywords like "scam", "deceived", "fraud" and such. The company with the fewest results is (usually) the most reliable. Personally I like one.com.

[PyTom]

I've been using namecheap.com for the past year or so, and I've been happy with them. I was with godaddy before that, but after a while godaddy's upselling got to me - it made the few things I actually want to do at a registrar hard to find.

[Deji]

I have one domain registered with Bravenet and a couple other with Dreamhost (my hosting service). Never had problems with any of them. I pay them once a year and forget about the issue for a year xD;

[PyTom]

I don't like registering domains with your hosting provider. It seems like a bad idea to tie yourself down that way - or to have to deal with the domain as you're on your way out. It's the same reason you want a domain in the first place, so that you can change your email provider without needing to give everyone a new email.

[Stripe]

I've always had great experience with Namecheap too, I'd definitely recommend them~!

(also psst they're doing discounts on .com names at the moment if you use the coupon code BYEBYE2012)

[LVUER]

Right now, considering between GoDaddy and Namecheap. GoDaddy costs about $9.99 for the first year and $14.99 for 2-10 years. While Namecheap costs about $8.99 for the first year and $10.99 for the rest. Perhaps it's just my limited knowledge, but it seems GoDaddy have better reputation and fame. Both also accept PayPal, the only international payment method I currently have.

The only thing left is what kind of features they offer. The most important thing I need (right now) is pointing or redirecting? Basically I need for people who type my domain name to be redirected to whichever sites I want. Like a free-account wordpress?

[Spiky Caterpillar]

I'm considering moving my domains to Dreamhost - spikycaterpillar.com's already there, and as far as I know they aren't selling used domains, which is good. The only real downside for me is that I'm uncomfortable getting hosting and registration from the same vendor.

In my opinion, Dreamhost's UI is better than GoDaddy's; I haven't ever registered anything with Namecheap. Dreamhost's currently a flat $9.95/year, so it'll be cheaper than GoDaddy or Namecheap in the long run.

They do offer redirection, though I personally haven't set it up so don't know how much of a pain it is or isn't.

[SundownKid]

I would prefer something else over Godaddy, they have a history of going in favor of internet censorship. It doesn't matter that much, though, the hosting is what's really important.

[leon]

Out of curiosity I clicked on http://www.lvuer.com link in OP and it seems the domain is already taken by someone else (registered on April 29. 2012)...

As SundownKid said, it's the hosting provider that's important. For domain name just pick the cheapest one. I use GoDaddy for most of my domains, because they are the cheapest (with coupon codes). This site has coupon codes for GoDaddy - http://www.fatwallet.com/GoDaddy-coupons/ (you may need to try a few codes to get a working one, but I get up to 60% discounts from time to time; also some codes don't work with PayPal). However I found GoDaddy to be one the worst hosting providers (and I worked with tons...).

Wordpress.com hosting is not entirely free, only subdomains are free. If you want to use your own domain - it costs (I think) $13 a year. Kind of cheap, but they are also kind of heavy on censorship (I don't know if that applies to own domains or just subdomains) and wordpress.com is pretty limited in terms of plugins and themes, compared to wordpress.org.

Redirecting would mean your domain redirects to lvuer.wordpress.com. To keep it on lvuer.com, you could use masking, but that means your subpages wouldn't have their own URLs (so you can't share a link to a post).

You can get hosting for free from redeyesblackpanda - http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 13&t=14350 As far as I know this the only option for free hosting without limitations (apart for requiring the site to be VN related) and no stings attached.

[LVUER]

Yeah, I know. I was only half joking when I said I want to register www.lvuer.com... though I do not realize someone have register it. I do know someone also make that same username recently on some sites (I want to register my company/studio name, not my own username). LVUER is not a common one, and since he/she just showed up recently, I wonder if it have something to do with me (I mean copying my name or something)? I use LVUER ever since 2001 for every websites I visit/use.

[leon]

The data from whois only shows the last update, not the first registration, so it's quite possible it has been registered before.
I would be a bit surprised to see it's still available actually. With so many domains taken these days, all 5-character combinations for .com have probably been taken by now.

[Thelo]

One thing to remember is that even if somedomain.com is taken, you can often take somedomain.org, somedomain.net, or somedomain.id, etc.

The others are correct that it's fine to register the domain name with the cheapest registrar - it really doesn't matter, it's just something you'll do once, then set to auto-renew, then never think about again.

[leon]

Yes, .net and .org are a decent alternative, but I would stay away from country-code top-level domains, unless it's for a local business - these can seriously hinder your ranking in the search engines outside that country.

That applies only if you can't get a .com of course. The meaning of TLDs (com=company, net=network, org=organization) was lost a long time ago and .com should be the first choice, regardless what your site is about.

.info domains are also a bad choice, because they are often abused by spammers due to their low price (currently $3 at GoDaddy, they used to give them away for free with every purchase of .com a couple of months ago)

.co is another option. This used to be a country-code TLD for Columbia, but is being often used as an alternative to .com. Google confirmed that they will rank .co domains appropriately (globally), based on the content.

Of course price is again a factor when choosing a top-level domain. Prices for .com, .net and .org are usually close together (with constant fluctuations). .co currently have the same price than .com (with GoDaddy), but renewals will be much more expensive. .info are the cheapest (a few dollars), but renewals after a year are about same than .com and others (perfect for spammers and scammers who don't plan their "business" to last that long anyhow).

... it's just something you'll do once, then set to auto-renew, then never think about again.

I never set to auto-renew. You can get discount codes for renewals too. It's just a few bucks, but I'm cheap like that... :p