There is a huge scandal developing about the behaviour of Godaddy.
The owner of FamilyAlbum.com was surprised to find that he no longer owned the domain, which had not expired.
Godaddy had received a complaint about invalid email address and sent an email to this invalid email address demanding the owner correct his invalid email address and predictably when no action was taken by the unaware domain owner (whose mailing address and phone number were correct!) godaddy grabbed the domain to itself and then either sold it for profit or kept it and with it valuable typein traffic.
Godaddy's explanations are vague and the domain still points to godaddy's inhouse domain parking program which makes godaddy a lot of money for each click and the domains new owner is hidden by godaddy service Domains by Proxy.
It seems to me that it would be common sense to try other contact methods instead of email when the whole basis for the godaddy complaint is an invalid email address!
If I would have any valuable domains at godaddy I would be transferring them away right about NOW to another registrar who cares about their customers and their customers business and domain property and is NOT trying to screw their customers for profit the first chance they get.
That this kind of a thing happened means that godaddy is prepared to destroy their customers business without a second thought for undeliverable email address even while phone number and mailing address are CORRECT!
Imagine your best earning website domain taken away on whim like this because of invalid email...
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/02/28/godaddy-responds-to-deletion-over-invalid-email-address/
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/02/27/godaddy-deletes-domain-name-for-inaccurate-email-address/
Showing posts with label Domain Name. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Domain Name. Show all posts
Friday, November 27, 2009
6 Steps to Registering a Successful Domain Name
Domain names are Web addresses that tell visitors where to find your online business. Yet did you know that domain names are also one of the most powerful tools used to build successful online businesses?
Choosing a memorable, relevant domain name is only the beginning. In order for your domain name to really go to work for your business, it will need to help you attract visitors and search engines alike while also supporting your brand. Network Solutions Domain Name Scorecard is an online quiz that's designed to help you determine how well your domain name is performing -- and help you find ways to improve it. This quick, informative quiz addresses the six key areas of domain name registration, including:
Registering Alternate Domain Name Extensions
Why stop at registering a domain name such as janesbagels.com when registering multiple extensions – such as janesbagels.net and janesbagels.org – can help you capture a wider audience? When visitors arrive at the alternate extension domains, you can redirect them to your website.
Registering Domain Names to Protect Your Brand
A visitor may intend to visit janesbagels.com, but mistakenly type jansbagels.com instead. By anticipating these typing errors and registering them as domain names, you can catch visitors before they are led astray by a competitor who may use the same strategy to lure your visitors to their own site.
Registering Descriptive Domain Names
Registering domain names that describe your products and/or services is another helpful domain name strategy. In the example janesbagels.com, relevant descriptive domains may include references to breakfast or catering. Adding a geographic element, such as a city name, is also a good way for local businesses to capture visitors in their immediate area.
Extending Your Domain Registration Term
While many people renew their domain name registration annually, it is possible to renew for an extended term. This option, along with auto-renewal services, can help you avoid losing your domain name due to forgetfulness. Also, search engines view a long-term domain name commitment favorably when indexing your site.
Electing Private Domain Registration
In today's world, private domain registration is more of a necessity than a luxury. Yet many continue to neglect this critical component of domain name registration. For a small monthly fee, private domain registration can keep your personal contact information out of the WHOIS database, where it is available to the public through a simple domain search.
Securing Your Domain Name Registration
By locking your domain name, you protect it from both unauthorized activity and human error - your own. When your domain is locked, a third party cannot transfer your domain to a different registrar without your consent. Domain locking also prevents you from making accidental changes to your domain name servers, which can disrupt your website and business email.
In as little as 30 seconds, Network Solutions' Domain Name Scorecard quiz can give you an overall score based on your domain name's rating in these six key areas. You can then use this information to unlock your domain name's full potential as a business building tool.
Choosing a memorable, relevant domain name is only the beginning. In order for your domain name to really go to work for your business, it will need to help you attract visitors and search engines alike while also supporting your brand. Network Solutions Domain Name Scorecard is an online quiz that's designed to help you determine how well your domain name is performing -- and help you find ways to improve it. This quick, informative quiz addresses the six key areas of domain name registration, including:
Registering Alternate Domain Name Extensions
Why stop at registering a domain name such as janesbagels.com when registering multiple extensions – such as janesbagels.net and janesbagels.org – can help you capture a wider audience? When visitors arrive at the alternate extension domains, you can redirect them to your website.
Registering Domain Names to Protect Your Brand
A visitor may intend to visit janesbagels.com, but mistakenly type jansbagels.com instead. By anticipating these typing errors and registering them as domain names, you can catch visitors before they are led astray by a competitor who may use the same strategy to lure your visitors to their own site.
Registering Descriptive Domain Names
Registering domain names that describe your products and/or services is another helpful domain name strategy. In the example janesbagels.com, relevant descriptive domains may include references to breakfast or catering. Adding a geographic element, such as a city name, is also a good way for local businesses to capture visitors in their immediate area.
Extending Your Domain Registration Term
While many people renew their domain name registration annually, it is possible to renew for an extended term. This option, along with auto-renewal services, can help you avoid losing your domain name due to forgetfulness. Also, search engines view a long-term domain name commitment favorably when indexing your site.
Electing Private Domain Registration
In today's world, private domain registration is more of a necessity than a luxury. Yet many continue to neglect this critical component of domain name registration. For a small monthly fee, private domain registration can keep your personal contact information out of the WHOIS database, where it is available to the public through a simple domain search.
Securing Your Domain Name Registration
By locking your domain name, you protect it from both unauthorized activity and human error - your own. When your domain is locked, a third party cannot transfer your domain to a different registrar without your consent. Domain locking also prevents you from making accidental changes to your domain name servers, which can disrupt your website and business email.
In as little as 30 seconds, Network Solutions' Domain Name Scorecard quiz can give you an overall score based on your domain name's rating in these six key areas. You can then use this information to unlock your domain name's full potential as a business building tool.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Cross-Domain Security
Hi everyone, Bryan here. Peleus Uhley, Senior Security Researcher at Adobe, has written a guest post for the BlueHat blog on potential security issues with cross-domain access permissions for web sites. I’d like to encourage you to read Peleus’ post and also to expand on it a little to talk about the SDL requirements around cross-domain access.
Normally, the Same Origin Policy prevents web pages from interacting with resources hosted on domains other than the one they were loaded from. This is done for security reasons; without the SOP it would be trivial for malicious sites to steal or alter data on other sites. However, there are so many great legitimate uses for cross-domain access (like creating client-side mashups) that several technologies have been developed to allow it under limited, opt-in circumstances. These technologies include:
· Flash’s crossdomain.xml policy file, also used by Silverlight
· Silverlight’s clientaccesspolicy.xml policy file
· IE8 XDomainRequest object
· XMLHttpRequest Level 2 Access-Control headers
· JavaScript document.domain property redefinition
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these (although I have argued in the past that cross-domain XMLHttpRequest would destroy the internet). The problem with using these is that it’s easy to inadvertently expose data to sites you don’t intend to expose data to. Using wildcard domains when determining which domains have access permissions exacerbates this problem. The canonical example of this (no pun intended) is the crossdomain.xml setting
This setting basically opens the web site up to cross-domain access from the entire internet.
To help prevent sites from unintentionally exposing data to malicious external domains, the SDL requires any site with authenticated access to enumerate the specific domains it is allowing access to – no wildcards allowed. Otherwise, the site is free to make its cross-domain access as permissive as desired.
The original draft of the SDL cross-domain requirement was slightly different. Initially, the requirement included restrictions on the use of wildcards based on the depth of the wildcard (i.e. two-dots vs. one-dot vs. no-dots) and whether or not the site provided a “private API”. If a site contained only completely public resources, then it was allowed to use wildcards at the two-dots level or greater; for example, *.live.com would be allowed (two dots) but *.com would not (one dot). If a site had any resources only accessible by authenticated users, then no wildcards were allowed; all domains with cross-domain privileges had to be explicitly enumerated in the appropriate policy file or header.
However, we later realized that this requirement draft was both overly complicated and overly restrictive. If a site is completely public – no authenticated access, no private or sensitive data – then there’s really no reason to restrict its access at all. The reason for this is that cross-domain attacks are luring attacks. To succeed, the attacker needs to lure a victim into performing some action on the attacker’s behalf. For example, a cross-domain attack against a stock trading web site might cause the victim to send the attacker the complete details of his stock portfolio, or might cause the victim to make unintended trades. But in a completely public site, there’s no personal data to steal and no possible authenticated actions to forge. There’s no reason for an attacker to perform a luring attack – they already have the same access to the same data that everyone else has.
When we realized that our requirement was too restrictive, we changed it to its current form. However, let’s re-examine the requirement in light of Peleus’ research on cross-domain access chaining. (To give an extremely brief summary for those who haven’t read it yet: cross-domain permissions are transitive. If site A grants privileges to site B, and site B grants privileges to site C, then site A is implicitly and perhaps unknowingly granting privileges to site C.) For the completely public site the potential of privilege chaining is a non-issue in terms of SDL requirements; we’ve already said it’s acceptable to grant global access if desired. However, the situation is more complicated for the site with authenticated actions.
It is true that even with wildcard domains being prohibited, there is still the possibility that one of an authenticated site’s allowed domains could chain access to a potentially malicious third site. Unfortunately, short of banning cross-domain access entirely, there is no way to completely prevent this possibility. In most situations it would be impossible to map out a list of 3rd and 4th and nth order chained domains at development time, and furthermore it would be pointless since the list could change at any time even after the app has been deployed.
In light of this research, we will be evaluating ways in which we can adapt the cross-domain requirement to continue to prevent unintended access from third-party domains. However, the requirement as it stands now remains useful and relevant. It raises the bar for attackers while imposing minimal design constraints and minimal time investments on the part of the development team.
Please let us know if you have any feedback on this requirement. Do you feel it’s too restrictive? Or maybe it’s not restrictive enough? Feel free to write us or leave a comment here.
Normally, the Same Origin Policy prevents web pages from interacting with resources hosted on domains other than the one they were loaded from. This is done for security reasons; without the SOP it would be trivial for malicious sites to steal or alter data on other sites. However, there are so many great legitimate uses for cross-domain access (like creating client-side mashups) that several technologies have been developed to allow it under limited, opt-in circumstances. These technologies include:
· Flash’s crossdomain.xml policy file, also used by Silverlight
· Silverlight’s clientaccesspolicy.xml policy file
· IE8 XDomainRequest object
· XMLHttpRequest Level 2 Access-Control headers
· JavaScript document.domain property redefinition
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these (although I have argued in the past that cross-domain XMLHttpRequest would destroy the internet). The problem with using these is that it’s easy to inadvertently expose data to sites you don’t intend to expose data to. Using wildcard domains when determining which domains have access permissions exacerbates this problem. The canonical example of this (no pun intended) is the crossdomain.xml setting
This setting basically opens the web site up to cross-domain access from the entire internet.
To help prevent sites from unintentionally exposing data to malicious external domains, the SDL requires any site with authenticated access to enumerate the specific domains it is allowing access to – no wildcards allowed. Otherwise, the site is free to make its cross-domain access as permissive as desired.
The original draft of the SDL cross-domain requirement was slightly different. Initially, the requirement included restrictions on the use of wildcards based on the depth of the wildcard (i.e. two-dots vs. one-dot vs. no-dots) and whether or not the site provided a “private API”. If a site contained only completely public resources, then it was allowed to use wildcards at the two-dots level or greater; for example, *.live.com would be allowed (two dots) but *.com would not (one dot). If a site had any resources only accessible by authenticated users, then no wildcards were allowed; all domains with cross-domain privileges had to be explicitly enumerated in the appropriate policy file or header.
However, we later realized that this requirement draft was both overly complicated and overly restrictive. If a site is completely public – no authenticated access, no private or sensitive data – then there’s really no reason to restrict its access at all. The reason for this is that cross-domain attacks are luring attacks. To succeed, the attacker needs to lure a victim into performing some action on the attacker’s behalf. For example, a cross-domain attack against a stock trading web site might cause the victim to send the attacker the complete details of his stock portfolio, or might cause the victim to make unintended trades. But in a completely public site, there’s no personal data to steal and no possible authenticated actions to forge. There’s no reason for an attacker to perform a luring attack – they already have the same access to the same data that everyone else has.
When we realized that our requirement was too restrictive, we changed it to its current form. However, let’s re-examine the requirement in light of Peleus’ research on cross-domain access chaining. (To give an extremely brief summary for those who haven’t read it yet: cross-domain permissions are transitive. If site A grants privileges to site B, and site B grants privileges to site C, then site A is implicitly and perhaps unknowingly granting privileges to site C.) For the completely public site the potential of privilege chaining is a non-issue in terms of SDL requirements; we’ve already said it’s acceptable to grant global access if desired. However, the situation is more complicated for the site with authenticated actions.
It is true that even with wildcard domains being prohibited, there is still the possibility that one of an authenticated site’s allowed domains could chain access to a potentially malicious third site. Unfortunately, short of banning cross-domain access entirely, there is no way to completely prevent this possibility. In most situations it would be impossible to map out a list of 3rd and 4th and nth order chained domains at development time, and furthermore it would be pointless since the list could change at any time even after the app has been deployed.
In light of this research, we will be evaluating ways in which we can adapt the cross-domain requirement to continue to prevent unintended access from third-party domains. However, the requirement as it stands now remains useful and relevant. It raises the bar for attackers while imposing minimal design constraints and minimal time investments on the part of the development team.
Please let us know if you have any feedback on this requirement. Do you feel it’s too restrictive? Or maybe it’s not restrictive enough? Feel free to write us or leave a comment here.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Domain Security
Private Registration
Many of your customers may feel vulnerable to deceptive practices with their personal information publicly available on the Internet. SRSplus® Private Registration provides you with a solution to your customers' privacy concerns by displaying alternate contact information (c/o SRSplus) in the public WHOIS database listing. SRSplus serves as the gatekeeper.
For the low cost of $5.00 per year, you can offer this value added service that your customers will appreciate.
SRSplus Private Registration provides your customers with:
Privacy – Alternate contact information will be used to keep personal information private
Protection – Reduces e-mail from spammers, guards against identity theft and deters unsolicited telemarketing calls and direct mail
Value – For a low incremental cost, your customer will have the peace of mind that their e-mail address, home address, or phone number information will not be mined from WHOIS and misused
Key features of Private Registration:
E-mail Masking – Your customer’s private registration e-mail address changes every 14 days. E-mail received at this address will be filtered for spam and important messages forwarded to the designated e-mail account.
Synchronized Expiration – Our Private Registration service fee is pro-rated so that the expiration date can be synchronize synchronized with the expiration date of the existing domain name registration.
Full Control – Unlike other proxy services, the customer remains the registrant and holds all the rights on the domain name
Partner WHOIS Listing – You can include your customer service information in our WHOIS listing so that your customers know how to contact you.
Private Registration is available through Partner Manager and our API, so you can offer Private Registration on your Web site.
When you offer this valuable privacy service to your current domain name customers, you’ll earn incremental revenue. Kick off a campaign and see immediate impact to your bottom line.
Domain Protect
SRSplus is committed to protecting you and your end-customers against accidental or unauthorized domain name transfers. Domain Protect adds an extra layer of protection to your customer’s domain name registration, guarding it against unauthorized domain name transfers.
Key features of Domain Protect:
Enabled for free with each new .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us and .name domain name registration
When turned on, helps to block the transfer of a domain name to another registrar. It provides protection from “domain hijackers” or others who may attempt to authorize a transfer of your customer’s domain name registration.
Renew and make modifications to the domain name registrations, including legal name changes.
Easy on/off feature allows you turn off the Domain Protect feature if you are having the Registrant validated for an SSL certificate or if you wish to transfer a domain name to another registrar.
Auto Renew
Auto Renew helps to protect the domain name registrations and other services in your account from a possible lapse in service, and potential deletion, in case you or your customer accidentally forget to renew services. With Auto Renew, you have more control and peace of mind knowing your domain name registration(s) and other service(s) are safely renewing year after year
Many of your customers may feel vulnerable to deceptive practices with their personal information publicly available on the Internet. SRSplus® Private Registration provides you with a solution to your customers' privacy concerns by displaying alternate contact information (c/o SRSplus) in the public WHOIS database listing. SRSplus serves as the gatekeeper.
For the low cost of $5.00 per year, you can offer this value added service that your customers will appreciate.
SRSplus Private Registration provides your customers with:
Privacy – Alternate contact information will be used to keep personal information private
Protection – Reduces e-mail from spammers, guards against identity theft and deters unsolicited telemarketing calls and direct mail
Value – For a low incremental cost, your customer will have the peace of mind that their e-mail address, home address, or phone number information will not be mined from WHOIS and misused
Key features of Private Registration:
E-mail Masking – Your customer’s private registration e-mail address changes every 14 days. E-mail received at this address will be filtered for spam and important messages forwarded to the designated e-mail account.
Synchronized Expiration – Our Private Registration service fee is pro-rated so that the expiration date can be synchronize synchronized with the expiration date of the existing domain name registration.
Full Control – Unlike other proxy services, the customer remains the registrant and holds all the rights on the domain name
Partner WHOIS Listing – You can include your customer service information in our WHOIS listing so that your customers know how to contact you.
Private Registration is available through Partner Manager and our API, so you can offer Private Registration on your Web site.
When you offer this valuable privacy service to your current domain name customers, you’ll earn incremental revenue. Kick off a campaign and see immediate impact to your bottom line.
Domain Protect
SRSplus is committed to protecting you and your end-customers against accidental or unauthorized domain name transfers. Domain Protect adds an extra layer of protection to your customer’s domain name registration, guarding it against unauthorized domain name transfers.
Key features of Domain Protect:
Enabled for free with each new .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us and .name domain name registration
When turned on, helps to block the transfer of a domain name to another registrar. It provides protection from “domain hijackers” or others who may attempt to authorize a transfer of your customer’s domain name registration.
Renew and make modifications to the domain name registrations, including legal name changes.
Easy on/off feature allows you turn off the Domain Protect feature if you are having the Registrant validated for an SSL certificate or if you wish to transfer a domain name to another registrar.
Auto Renew
Auto Renew helps to protect the domain name registrations and other services in your account from a possible lapse in service, and potential deletion, in case you or your customer accidentally forget to renew services. With Auto Renew, you have more control and peace of mind knowing your domain name registration(s) and other service(s) are safely renewing year after year
How to Register Your Own Domain Name
If you have a web site, you should seriously consider registering your own domain name. A domain name is a name like "thesitewizard.com" or "thefreecountry.com", which you can use to refer to your website. Note that you do not have to be a company or organisation to register a domain name. Any individual can do it too.
Importance of a Domain Name
There are a number of good reasons for having a domain name:
•If you ever change your web host, your domain name goes with you. Your regular visitors or customers who knew your site name as www.thesitewizard.com (for example) would not have to be informed about a change of URL. They would simply type your domain name and they'd be brought to your new site.
•If you are a business, a domain name gives you credibility. Few people would be willing to do business with a company with a dubious URL like http://www.geocities.com/whatever/12345.
•If you get a domain name that describes your company's business or name, people can remember the name easily and can return to your site without having to consult their documents. In fact, if you get a good name that describes your product or service, you might even get people who were trying their luck by typing "www.yourproductname.com" in their browser.
•If you want good sponsors (advertisers) for your website, a domain name is usually helpful. It tends to give your website an aura of respectibility.
Registration Overview
Getting a domain name involves registering the name you want with an organisation called ICANN through a domain name registrar. For example, if you choose a name like "example.com", you will have to go to a registrar, pay a registration fee that costs around US$10 to US$35 for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually for (usually) the same amount per annum.
Some web hosts will register it and pay for the name for free (usually only the commercial web hosts), while others will do it for you but you'll have to foot the ICANN fees.
My personal preference is to register the name directly with a domain name registrar rather than through my web host. I've heard stories, in the past, of less-than-reputable web hosts that registered the domain under their own name, making them the owner of the domain rather than you (although I don't know if such web hosts still exist today). Registering with a domain name registrar allows me to make sure that I am registered as the owner, the administrative and technical contacts. Being the owner is vital — if someone else places himself as the owner (such as your web host), he can always decide to charge you some exhorbitant fee for the use of the name later, and there is little you can do. The various other contacts are less vital, but still play important roles. For example, the administrative contact's approval is required before a domain name is transferred out of a web host. If he/she cannot be contacted, the technical contact is used.
Although some web hosts suggest that you put them as the technical contact, you may prefer to keep yourself as one, so that when you want to transfer your name to a new web host, you don't have to wait for your old host to approve the transfer. Apparently a few have been known to take their own sweet time to do this, while unscrupulous ones have actually refused to do it.
Domain names disappear extremely fast. Many people claim that all the good domain names are gone. I doubt that — but it is probably true that most good domain names that are descriptive of products and services have been taken. If you want a domain name for your site, I suggest you act now, or face the anguish of having lost that name later. After all, US$10 (more or less) for a year's ownership of the name is pretty cheap when you realise that you're cornering a good name for your website.
Step By Step Instructions
If you want to register a domain name, here's what you need to do. Please read it all before acting.
•Think of a few good domain names that you'd like to use. It won't do to think of only one — it might already be taken (it probably is!). You can find some tips on choosing a good domain name from my article, Tips on Choosing a Domain Name, at http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml
There's more to it than meets the eye.
•You will need either a credit card or a PayPal account to pay for the domain. This is a requirement of most if not all registrars. It will allow you to claim and get the domain name immediately on application. This is not an option (unfortunately).
•If you already have a web host, obtain from your web host the names of their primary and secondary nameservers. Don't worry if you don't understand what these things mean. Just save the information somewhere. The information can usually be obtained from their FAQs or other documentation on their site, usually under a category like "domain name" or "DNS" or "domain name transfer" and the like. If you can't find it, email them. You'll need the information to point your domain name to your website after you buy your domain. Don't worry if you don't have a web host yet. Just read on.
•If you do not have a web host, you can always allow the registrar to you to park your domain name at a temporary website specially set up for you. This way you can quickly secure your domain name before it's too late and still take your time to set up the other aspects of your site. As far as I can tell, many registrars automatically park your domain by default whether you ask them to or not, so if this is your situation, you probably don't have to do anything special to get it done. Some of those registrars also provide you with a free email address at your own domain name while it is parked at their site, like sales@example.com (where "example.com" is your domain).
List of Domain Name Registrars
There are numerous domain name registrars. Listed below are just a few, along with my comments, if I know anything about them. Note that the domain name industry is highly competitive, with prices wildly fluctuating throughout the year, every year, so it's impossible to really mention accurate prices below unless I spend all my time updating this page. Please check their sites for the latest rates. (Note: all prices are in US dollars.)
•World's Largest Registrar - GoDaddy.com — This extremely popular registrar (possibly the biggest today) offers .com domain names for $9.99 (plus 20 cents) per year ($6.99 plus 20 cents if you transfer from another registrar). They have a web interface to manage your domains, free web redirection (where people who visit your domain will get transferred to another URL of your choice), free starter web page, free parked page or free "for sale" page, and an optional private domain registration where your domain is registered in the name of a proxy company. They offer .com, .us, .biz, .info, .net, .org, .ws, .name, .tv, .co.uk, .me.uk and .org.uk. Note that (as with all registrars) the exact price varies depending on which domain you are registering (for example some domain extensions are more expensive than others). Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted.
•Dotster.com — This fairly popular registrar provides fairly cheap domain prices ($15.75 plus 20 cents per domain), a convenient web interface to manage your domains, an optional privacy facility where your domain name is registered in the name of a proxy company, etc. They offer .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .ca, .tv, .name, .cc, .de, .sr, .md, .co.uk, .us.com domains, etc. If you're transferring a domain here from other registrars, the price is even cheaper ($6.99 plus 20 cents). Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted here.
•Register.com — This domain name registrar has been in business for a very long time: they were one of the biggest around when I started my first websites. They are currently running an offer (only via the above link) where they charge $9.99 per year for a domain name with a free business email account. Although the offer will expire eventually, you can apparently continue to use the $9.99 price for the life of the domain as long as you stay with them. Domains qualifying for this offer include .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us and .info. Country-specific domains have different prices. Note: the special offer link is rather flaky. If you don't get the $9.99 offer the first time you click it, but instead get their normal $35 price, return to this page again (for example, by clicking the Back button on your browser), and click the link again. The $9.99 offer should appear the second time you click it (or at least it did for me). [I've no idea why it works that way; I don't run their site.]
•Moniker — This domain name registrar allows domain name registrations for a plethora of top level domains (TLD), including .com, .org, .net, .info, .mobi, .biz, .us, .co.uk, and so on (the full list is too long to include here). Prices for domain names differ, depending on the extension. Their normal prices are about $10.49 for .com, $6.04 for .net, $10.95 for .org, $5.49 for .info, etc, although at the time I write this entry, it seems like they are having a sale, with $7.59 for .com, $5.59 for .net, $7.97 for .org, and so on. Their web interface allows you to manage matters pertaining to your domain, such as DNS, web forwarding (where you forward visitors to your domain to another URL of your choice), etc. You also have the option to add "Whois privacy", where your domain is registered in the name of a proxy company. Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted by this registrar, although PayPal payments have a surcharge.
•1&1 Internet — This is primarily a large web host that is also a domain name registrar. You are charged $6.99 for .com, .org, .net, .us domains. They also offer .info domains for $0.99 (first year only) and .biz at $8.99. The fee includes private domain registration, which means that your particulars are hidden from public view (done by registering the domain in the name of a proxy company). You also get a free email account, DNS management, domain forwarding and masking, and a starter website with each domain. Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted by this registrar.
In addition, as mentioned earlier, a number of commercial web hosts will give you a free domain name if you are hosting with them, as will many (if not all) of the registrars above.
After You Register Your Domain Name
If you're not sure what to do after you register your domain name, please read the The Beginner's A-Z Guide to Starting/Creating Your Own Website.
Conclusion
Once you decide, you should not procrastinate. I've lost more than one domain name by procrastinating (I lost the latest one by only one day). After all, at the price you're paying, it works out to be less than $1 a month for the majority of the registrars.
Importance of a Domain Name
There are a number of good reasons for having a domain name:
•If you ever change your web host, your domain name goes with you. Your regular visitors or customers who knew your site name as www.thesitewizard.com (for example) would not have to be informed about a change of URL. They would simply type your domain name and they'd be brought to your new site.
•If you are a business, a domain name gives you credibility. Few people would be willing to do business with a company with a dubious URL like http://www.geocities.com/whatever/12345.
•If you get a domain name that describes your company's business or name, people can remember the name easily and can return to your site without having to consult their documents. In fact, if you get a good name that describes your product or service, you might even get people who were trying their luck by typing "www.yourproductname.com" in their browser.
•If you want good sponsors (advertisers) for your website, a domain name is usually helpful. It tends to give your website an aura of respectibility.
Registration Overview
Getting a domain name involves registering the name you want with an organisation called ICANN through a domain name registrar. For example, if you choose a name like "example.com", you will have to go to a registrar, pay a registration fee that costs around US$10 to US$35 for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually for (usually) the same amount per annum.
Some web hosts will register it and pay for the name for free (usually only the commercial web hosts), while others will do it for you but you'll have to foot the ICANN fees.
My personal preference is to register the name directly with a domain name registrar rather than through my web host. I've heard stories, in the past, of less-than-reputable web hosts that registered the domain under their own name, making them the owner of the domain rather than you (although I don't know if such web hosts still exist today). Registering with a domain name registrar allows me to make sure that I am registered as the owner, the administrative and technical contacts. Being the owner is vital — if someone else places himself as the owner (such as your web host), he can always decide to charge you some exhorbitant fee for the use of the name later, and there is little you can do. The various other contacts are less vital, but still play important roles. For example, the administrative contact's approval is required before a domain name is transferred out of a web host. If he/she cannot be contacted, the technical contact is used.
Although some web hosts suggest that you put them as the technical contact, you may prefer to keep yourself as one, so that when you want to transfer your name to a new web host, you don't have to wait for your old host to approve the transfer. Apparently a few have been known to take their own sweet time to do this, while unscrupulous ones have actually refused to do it.
Domain names disappear extremely fast. Many people claim that all the good domain names are gone. I doubt that — but it is probably true that most good domain names that are descriptive of products and services have been taken. If you want a domain name for your site, I suggest you act now, or face the anguish of having lost that name later. After all, US$10 (more or less) for a year's ownership of the name is pretty cheap when you realise that you're cornering a good name for your website.
Step By Step Instructions
If you want to register a domain name, here's what you need to do. Please read it all before acting.
•Think of a few good domain names that you'd like to use. It won't do to think of only one — it might already be taken (it probably is!). You can find some tips on choosing a good domain name from my article, Tips on Choosing a Domain Name, at http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml
There's more to it than meets the eye.
•You will need either a credit card or a PayPal account to pay for the domain. This is a requirement of most if not all registrars. It will allow you to claim and get the domain name immediately on application. This is not an option (unfortunately).
•If you already have a web host, obtain from your web host the names of their primary and secondary nameservers. Don't worry if you don't understand what these things mean. Just save the information somewhere. The information can usually be obtained from their FAQs or other documentation on their site, usually under a category like "domain name" or "DNS" or "domain name transfer" and the like. If you can't find it, email them. You'll need the information to point your domain name to your website after you buy your domain. Don't worry if you don't have a web host yet. Just read on.
•If you do not have a web host, you can always allow the registrar to you to park your domain name at a temporary website specially set up for you. This way you can quickly secure your domain name before it's too late and still take your time to set up the other aspects of your site. As far as I can tell, many registrars automatically park your domain by default whether you ask them to or not, so if this is your situation, you probably don't have to do anything special to get it done. Some of those registrars also provide you with a free email address at your own domain name while it is parked at their site, like sales@example.com (where "example.com" is your domain).
List of Domain Name Registrars
There are numerous domain name registrars. Listed below are just a few, along with my comments, if I know anything about them. Note that the domain name industry is highly competitive, with prices wildly fluctuating throughout the year, every year, so it's impossible to really mention accurate prices below unless I spend all my time updating this page. Please check their sites for the latest rates. (Note: all prices are in US dollars.)
•World's Largest Registrar - GoDaddy.com — This extremely popular registrar (possibly the biggest today) offers .com domain names for $9.99 (plus 20 cents) per year ($6.99 plus 20 cents if you transfer from another registrar). They have a web interface to manage your domains, free web redirection (where people who visit your domain will get transferred to another URL of your choice), free starter web page, free parked page or free "for sale" page, and an optional private domain registration where your domain is registered in the name of a proxy company. They offer .com, .us, .biz, .info, .net, .org, .ws, .name, .tv, .co.uk, .me.uk and .org.uk. Note that (as with all registrars) the exact price varies depending on which domain you are registering (for example some domain extensions are more expensive than others). Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted.
•Dotster.com — This fairly popular registrar provides fairly cheap domain prices ($15.75 plus 20 cents per domain), a convenient web interface to manage your domains, an optional privacy facility where your domain name is registered in the name of a proxy company, etc. They offer .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .ca, .tv, .name, .cc, .de, .sr, .md, .co.uk, .us.com domains, etc. If you're transferring a domain here from other registrars, the price is even cheaper ($6.99 plus 20 cents). Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted here.
•Register.com — This domain name registrar has been in business for a very long time: they were one of the biggest around when I started my first websites. They are currently running an offer (only via the above link) where they charge $9.99 per year for a domain name with a free business email account. Although the offer will expire eventually, you can apparently continue to use the $9.99 price for the life of the domain as long as you stay with them. Domains qualifying for this offer include .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us and .info. Country-specific domains have different prices. Note: the special offer link is rather flaky. If you don't get the $9.99 offer the first time you click it, but instead get their normal $35 price, return to this page again (for example, by clicking the Back button on your browser), and click the link again. The $9.99 offer should appear the second time you click it (or at least it did for me). [I've no idea why it works that way; I don't run their site.]
•Moniker — This domain name registrar allows domain name registrations for a plethora of top level domains (TLD), including .com, .org, .net, .info, .mobi, .biz, .us, .co.uk, and so on (the full list is too long to include here). Prices for domain names differ, depending on the extension. Their normal prices are about $10.49 for .com, $6.04 for .net, $10.95 for .org, $5.49 for .info, etc, although at the time I write this entry, it seems like they are having a sale, with $7.59 for .com, $5.59 for .net, $7.97 for .org, and so on. Their web interface allows you to manage matters pertaining to your domain, such as DNS, web forwarding (where you forward visitors to your domain to another URL of your choice), etc. You also have the option to add "Whois privacy", where your domain is registered in the name of a proxy company. Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted by this registrar, although PayPal payments have a surcharge.
•1&1 Internet — This is primarily a large web host that is also a domain name registrar. You are charged $6.99 for .com, .org, .net, .us domains. They also offer .info domains for $0.99 (first year only) and .biz at $8.99. The fee includes private domain registration, which means that your particulars are hidden from public view (done by registering the domain in the name of a proxy company). You also get a free email account, DNS management, domain forwarding and masking, and a starter website with each domain. Both credit card and PayPal payments are accepted by this registrar.
In addition, as mentioned earlier, a number of commercial web hosts will give you a free domain name if you are hosting with them, as will many (if not all) of the registrars above.
After You Register Your Domain Name
If you're not sure what to do after you register your domain name, please read the The Beginner's A-Z Guide to Starting/Creating Your Own Website.
Conclusion
Once you decide, you should not procrastinate. I've lost more than one domain name by procrastinating (I lost the latest one by only one day). After all, at the price you're paying, it works out to be less than $1 a month for the majority of the registrars.
7 Tips to Finding a Great Domain Name
With the web becoming more and more important as a media to communicate to your customers/clients finding a great domain name is becoming more critical. A great domain name will pay you huge dividends in the future. Before you choose yours read my 7 top tips listed below.
Tip 1- Keep It Short : As far as possible keep it short. Long domain names are more difficult for the user to key in. In addition email addresses that utilise the domain name are also more difficult to spell and key in.
Tip 2 - Try To Use The Keyword: If you are hoping to do well in the search engines like Google, then try and get your top keyword in the name. So for example if you are a plumber and your business name is NJH, then a good one would be NJHplumbing.com. Perhaps you own a rental property in Cornwall then another example that you might consider would be HolidayCornwall.com. This will give you a big advantage in Google as a lot of importance is placed on the domain name.
Tip 3- Do Not Use Difficult To Spell Words : This is a real killer if you choose a domain name that is difficult to spell a lot of people will just give up, for example if you are a heating engineer I personally would not use the word engineer in the domain name as people may struggle with that, so before you buy think "would everyone be able to spell this word".
Tip 4- Should You Use A Hyphen : For example if cornwallholiday.com is not available should you try for cornwall-holiday.com. There are pros and cons to this point. My advice is yes; if the name without the hyphen is not available then go for the one with the hyphen. You then get what you want.
Tip 5- Character Types, What's Allowed : Domain names can only be made up of letters, numbers and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. In addition domain names cannot be case sensitive.
Tip 6- Use a Domain Name Suggestion Tool: You can bet your life that the domain name you want has been taken. If that is the case use a "domain name suggestion tool" - key this into Google and lots will appear. I personally like this one http://gi.net/domain.php?action=domain_suggest (I only use this for suggestions I do not buy through them although I am sure they are very good).
Tip 7- Buy the Domain in Your Name: When you buy a domain name be sure to buy it in the entities name that you want to own it, for example it may be in your name or your companies name. A friend of mine paid his web designer to buy the domain name, the web designer purchased it in his own name, a year later they have fallen out and his x web designer legally owns the domain name.
In these days we need to be more creative in our advertising, having a website is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. It should form part of our advertising and marketing push to obtain more work. I hope the tips listed above help you in finding a great domain name.
Tip 1- Keep It Short : As far as possible keep it short. Long domain names are more difficult for the user to key in. In addition email addresses that utilise the domain name are also more difficult to spell and key in.
Tip 2 - Try To Use The Keyword: If you are hoping to do well in the search engines like Google, then try and get your top keyword in the name. So for example if you are a plumber and your business name is NJH, then a good one would be NJHplumbing.com. Perhaps you own a rental property in Cornwall then another example that you might consider would be HolidayCornwall.com. This will give you a big advantage in Google as a lot of importance is placed on the domain name.
Tip 3- Do Not Use Difficult To Spell Words : This is a real killer if you choose a domain name that is difficult to spell a lot of people will just give up, for example if you are a heating engineer I personally would not use the word engineer in the domain name as people may struggle with that, so before you buy think "would everyone be able to spell this word".
Tip 4- Should You Use A Hyphen : For example if cornwallholiday.com is not available should you try for cornwall-holiday.com. There are pros and cons to this point. My advice is yes; if the name without the hyphen is not available then go for the one with the hyphen. You then get what you want.
Tip 5- Character Types, What's Allowed : Domain names can only be made up of letters, numbers and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. In addition domain names cannot be case sensitive.
Tip 6- Use a Domain Name Suggestion Tool: You can bet your life that the domain name you want has been taken. If that is the case use a "domain name suggestion tool" - key this into Google and lots will appear. I personally like this one http://gi.net/domain.php?action=domain_suggest (I only use this for suggestions I do not buy through them although I am sure they are very good).
Tip 7- Buy the Domain in Your Name: When you buy a domain name be sure to buy it in the entities name that you want to own it, for example it may be in your name or your companies name. A friend of mine paid his web designer to buy the domain name, the web designer purchased it in his own name, a year later they have fallen out and his x web designer legally owns the domain name.
In these days we need to be more creative in our advertising, having a website is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. It should form part of our advertising and marketing push to obtain more work. I hope the tips listed above help you in finding a great domain name.
How to Use a Good Domain Name Suggestion Tool
Domain name is an important part of your online business. Without a good and meaningful name, you can never expect to make your business a success. You can choose a good domain name by using a number of online domain-name suggestion tools. Here are some simple tips to choosing a domain name by using one of the domain-name suggestion utilities.
Choose your theme: Theme and subject of the domain name form an important part of a domain name. You may wish to decide on the main theme of your web site. Once you choose the theme of the web site, pick a name that relates and works well with the main theme. Let us say that you are dealing with selling flowers online. Then, you may wish to pick up a domain that reflects this glower selling theme. For example, choosing a theme enriched domain name like onlineflowerselling.com will work very good.
Find the domain name: Experts prefer and recommend .com as your preferred domain name. Most successful online entrepreneurs like to find a name based on the keywords. These keywords always relate to the main theme of the web site. If you are selling red flowers, then you must choose domain keywords that reflect the flower-selling theme. For example, you can choose a keyword like red flowers, online flowers or virtual flowers.
If you do not own a domain name then you can make use of a number of online domain tools to find your name of choice. Before buying one, you may also wish to use a keyword search tool to check the availability of good keywords. Let us say that you want to find keywords that relate to orchid flowers. Then, you will need to find all keywords that connect to orchid flowers and online sales of orchid flowers. This means that your keywords will be a combination of themes like orchid flowers that you want to sell online to your virtual customers. For example, you can choose keywords like online orchid flowers.
Tip: Most popular keyword search tools are
www.keywordtracker.com and
www.keyword.adwords.com
Now that you have your preferred keywords, you can use free online domain name tools like
http://www.nameboy.com/
http://www.domaininformer.com/tools
Enter your keywords plus domain extension in the search bar and find out the availability of the domain names. If it is available, then you can place an order for it almost immediately as someone may pick up that name before you.
Registering domains: You can register your domain name only when it is available. To find whether the name of your choice is available or not, you can make use of a free online utility called Whois database. Just enter the keywords Whois on the search-engine address field and enter the web portal. Now, you can type the domain name of your choice in the Whois search data entry box and hit Find button. Now, the database will inform whether the domain name is available or not. If it is available, you can buy the name immediately by paying the required registration fees.
Choose your theme: Theme and subject of the domain name form an important part of a domain name. You may wish to decide on the main theme of your web site. Once you choose the theme of the web site, pick a name that relates and works well with the main theme. Let us say that you are dealing with selling flowers online. Then, you may wish to pick up a domain that reflects this glower selling theme. For example, choosing a theme enriched domain name like onlineflowerselling.com will work very good.
Find the domain name: Experts prefer and recommend .com as your preferred domain name. Most successful online entrepreneurs like to find a name based on the keywords. These keywords always relate to the main theme of the web site. If you are selling red flowers, then you must choose domain keywords that reflect the flower-selling theme. For example, you can choose a keyword like red flowers, online flowers or virtual flowers.
If you do not own a domain name then you can make use of a number of online domain tools to find your name of choice. Before buying one, you may also wish to use a keyword search tool to check the availability of good keywords. Let us say that you want to find keywords that relate to orchid flowers. Then, you will need to find all keywords that connect to orchid flowers and online sales of orchid flowers. This means that your keywords will be a combination of themes like orchid flowers that you want to sell online to your virtual customers. For example, you can choose keywords like online orchid flowers.
Tip: Most popular keyword search tools are
www.keywordtracker.com and
www.keyword.adwords.com
Now that you have your preferred keywords, you can use free online domain name tools like
http://www.nameboy.com/
http://www.domaininformer.com/tools
Enter your keywords plus domain extension in the search bar and find out the availability of the domain names. If it is available, then you can place an order for it almost immediately as someone may pick up that name before you.
Registering domains: You can register your domain name only when it is available. To find whether the name of your choice is available or not, you can make use of a free online utility called Whois database. Just enter the keywords Whois on the search-engine address field and enter the web portal. Now, you can type the domain name of your choice in the Whois search data entry box and hit Find button. Now, the database will inform whether the domain name is available or not. If it is available, you can buy the name immediately by paying the required registration fees.
GODADDY is fraud..Money scam..Creditcard detial..No service.GODADDY.COM..Scandal Auckland Internet
We have hosted two sites with GODADDY.COM since last two years. We were regularly paid renew fees, but they charged us renew fees & other charges before it expire.
They automatic take out money from our credit card.We never placed any order for renew.
This year also we have paid hosting fee for 1 year but after six months they again charged on our credit card.
We never place any order.
Also now we can not see any hosting account or any detail of our website in our account. Our site is running but we can not make any changes.We did compalin two times but no reply from company.
If you are hosting anything with GODADDY.COM please beware & check your credit card statement. They automatic charged you any time.
We think this is big fraud with us....Beware..
Nehal
Auckland
New Zealand
They automatic take out money from our credit card.We never placed any order for renew.
This year also we have paid hosting fee for 1 year but after six months they again charged on our credit card.
We never place any order.
Also now we can not see any hosting account or any detail of our website in our account. Our site is running but we can not make any changes.We did compalin two times but no reply from company.
If you are hosting anything with GODADDY.COM please beware & check your credit card statement. They automatic charged you any time.
We think this is big fraud with us....Beware..
Nehal
Auckland
New Zealand
Friday, November 6, 2009
Hyphens in Domain Names
Depending on whom you ask, hyphens in domain names are either a really good idea, or a really bad one. There are pros and cons to the use of dashes in your domain name, and they are worth considering before you register your domain.
Benefits
- Hyphens can really clarify a domain name that has more than one word in it. Famous and amusing instances abound, but, for example, experts-exchange.com looks a lot more interesting when written as expertsexchange.com (a real life example – the hyphenated version was implemented in place of the original a couple of years ago). Even if hilarious ambiguity is not a problem, look at the difference between thisdomainnameishardtoread.com and this-domain-name-is-easy-to-read.com – hyphens can make a huge difference to the ease of reading a domain, and this is especially important if you want to put your domain name on offline marketing materials such as stationery or billboards.
- If the Domain Names you really want is taken, you can always opt for the hyphenated version. This gives you more potential for finding a domain, particularly if your site is one of many in a competitive industry. Domain names with generic terms in them are hard to come by, and considering hyphenated versions can double your options.
- Hyphens are "read" as a space by search engines, so if you separate the keywords in your domain name with hyphens, the search engines will be able to read them more easily and your page could rank a little higher on relevance.
Difficulties
- Hyphens make dictating the name of your website rather confusing. Imagine spelling out my-hyphenated-website.com on the telephone: there's likely to be a lot of confusion when you say "hyphen" or "dash".
- Your potential visitors could quite easily forget that your domain name is hyphenated, and if you chose your domain name because someone already had the unhyphenated version, that means they're getting your hard-earned traffic – especially frustrating if they're your competitor!
- Hyphens make domain names longer, and the longer your domain name is, the more likely it is that your potential visitors will make some sort of error when they're typing your name. Generally speaking, shorter is better when it comes to domain names.
- Hyphenated domain names can look cheap and cumbersome. "Couldn't they afford a proper name?"
Other Considerations
- If you are going to register a domain name that could be hyphenated (or a hyphenated domain name that could be unhyphenated), make sure you register the other version as well if you can. Not only will you grab any errant traffic from those who typed your domain name incorrectly, but you'll be protecting your brand from cybersquatters.
- Try not to let your domain name extend to more than about three words. Any longer, and it could look rather tacky. Be creative: if "local-plumber.com" is gone, you could try something like "leak-busters.com".
- If you are registering a hyphenated domain name, you might as well make the most of it and make it rich in keywords relevant to your site.
- Always try to keep your business name and your domain name the same. If you're an established business and your company name isn't very domain friendly (John Smith Inc., for example), you could pick a domain name that would make a good subheading or slogan for your site.
My Advice
Hyphenated domain names are best registered alongside their unhyphenated counterparts. I don't recommend registering the hyphenated version of someone else's domain; you may be risking cybersquatting or copyright infringement charges, as well as losing traffic. If you have an unhyphenated domain name that could be hyphenated, there's no reason not to register the hyphenated version to protect your brand, catch some more traffic, and boost your search engine rankings. But if the name you originally wanted has been taken, don't just register the hyphenated version; think of something different and register both versions yourself.
Benefits
- Hyphens can really clarify a domain name that has more than one word in it. Famous and amusing instances abound, but, for example, experts-exchange.com looks a lot more interesting when written as expertsexchange.com (a real life example – the hyphenated version was implemented in place of the original a couple of years ago). Even if hilarious ambiguity is not a problem, look at the difference between thisdomainnameishardtoread.com and this-domain-name-is-easy-to-read.com – hyphens can make a huge difference to the ease of reading a domain, and this is especially important if you want to put your domain name on offline marketing materials such as stationery or billboards.
- If the Domain Names you really want is taken, you can always opt for the hyphenated version. This gives you more potential for finding a domain, particularly if your site is one of many in a competitive industry. Domain names with generic terms in them are hard to come by, and considering hyphenated versions can double your options.
- Hyphens are "read" as a space by search engines, so if you separate the keywords in your domain name with hyphens, the search engines will be able to read them more easily and your page could rank a little higher on relevance.
Difficulties
- Hyphens make dictating the name of your website rather confusing. Imagine spelling out my-hyphenated-website.com on the telephone: there's likely to be a lot of confusion when you say "hyphen" or "dash".
- Your potential visitors could quite easily forget that your domain name is hyphenated, and if you chose your domain name because someone already had the unhyphenated version, that means they're getting your hard-earned traffic – especially frustrating if they're your competitor!
- Hyphens make domain names longer, and the longer your domain name is, the more likely it is that your potential visitors will make some sort of error when they're typing your name. Generally speaking, shorter is better when it comes to domain names.
- Hyphenated domain names can look cheap and cumbersome. "Couldn't they afford a proper name?"
Other Considerations
- If you are going to register a domain name that could be hyphenated (or a hyphenated domain name that could be unhyphenated), make sure you register the other version as well if you can. Not only will you grab any errant traffic from those who typed your domain name incorrectly, but you'll be protecting your brand from cybersquatters.
- Try not to let your domain name extend to more than about three words. Any longer, and it could look rather tacky. Be creative: if "local-plumber.com" is gone, you could try something like "leak-busters.com".
- If you are registering a hyphenated domain name, you might as well make the most of it and make it rich in keywords relevant to your site.
- Always try to keep your business name and your domain name the same. If you're an established business and your company name isn't very domain friendly (John Smith Inc., for example), you could pick a domain name that would make a good subheading or slogan for your site.
My Advice
Hyphenated domain names are best registered alongside their unhyphenated counterparts. I don't recommend registering the hyphenated version of someone else's domain; you may be risking cybersquatting or copyright infringement charges, as well as losing traffic. If you have an unhyphenated domain name that could be hyphenated, there's no reason not to register the hyphenated version to protect your brand, catch some more traffic, and boost your search engine rankings. But if the name you originally wanted has been taken, don't just register the hyphenated version; think of something different and register both versions yourself.
Domain Names - To Hyphen or Not ?
A question in internet marketing often comes up regarding the use of hyphens in a domain name. Here are a few considerations when planning your sight.
When being interviewed for a local radio show, invariably the host will entertain questions from the listening audience. Most of the time, the host will plug your book, your product, your event or your cause. Many times a website or url is associated with this. Spouting off a long url will annoy hosts and producers everywhere not to mention scrambling audiences trying to record what you are saying. If you have a hyphenated url make sure you are clear as to the hyphen being included and don't make the url too long. Bill Clinton hyphen my life. Com (www.billclinton-mylife.com) is short enough that the hyphen can be used, can be emphasized with no traffic risk occurring.
Using the above example, it is also wise to reverse the wording before and after the hyphen. Listeners, readers and browsers think what they want in the order that they want. In the example above, www.billclinton-mylife.com
People make up urls when searching the internet. Stream of consciousness enters the browsers mind. In other words they they type what they are thinking at the time. If a browser is looking for The Davinci Code book they may make up their own url for searching purposes and type in www.thedavinci-code.com
Url's without hyphens do look more professional. Hyphens are typically ok in certain contexts but when you start stringing them out with more than three words or three phrases it can get cumbersome. And we all know the attention span of an internet browser. Hyphenated domain names work with targeted key word campaigns and search engine spiders. If that is the purpose of the sight or domain then the hyphens are fine. If your marketing intention is to create a brand, a remembered domain name, top of mind awareness with the domain then hyphenless domains work best.
Many times it doesn't matter what a domain name is if you are promoting it with links, and offline promotion. If I have on the back of my business card, visit www.billclinton-mylife.com
When it comes to underscores, many times the general public will interpret them as hyphens. Since hyphenated domain names are becoming more and more common that is the general notion of the average browser. Underscores also can get lost when a url or domain is underlined as many hyperlink commands do in word processor software programs.
The general rule of thumb is to not use hyphens between words if possible. A domain name with hyphens is harder to describe when said aloud as in our radio commercial. It is commonly accepted that a domain name with multiple words does not include hyphens. But there are exceptions to the rule. With some popular domain names not being available, sometimes a hyphenated url will be and will be used.
Another reason to use hyphenated domain names is when two words joined together like in a domain name could imply or even state a different meaning or unintentional phrases. The following is an example:
It all boils down to what your purpose is with your domain name, website and how you will market it to those interested. Interested parties like to be marketed to and told where to look; uninterested parties will ignore your domain with or without hyphens.
When being interviewed for a local radio show, invariably the host will entertain questions from the listening audience. Most of the time, the host will plug your book, your product, your event or your cause. Many times a website or url is associated with this. Spouting off a long url will annoy hosts and producers everywhere not to mention scrambling audiences trying to record what you are saying. If you have a hyphenated url make sure you are clear as to the hyphen being included and don't make the url too long. Bill Clinton hyphen my life. Com (www.billclinton-mylife.com) is short enough that the hyphen can be used, can be emphasized with no traffic risk occurring.
Using the above example, it is also wise to reverse the wording before and after the hyphen. Listeners, readers and browsers think what they want in the order that they want. In the example above, www.billclinton-mylife.com
People make up urls when searching the internet. Stream of consciousness enters the browsers mind. In other words they they type what they are thinking at the time. If a browser is looking for The Davinci Code book they may make up their own url for searching purposes and type in www.thedavinci-code.com
Url's without hyphens do look more professional. Hyphens are typically ok in certain contexts but when you start stringing them out with more than three words or three phrases it can get cumbersome. And we all know the attention span of an internet browser. Hyphenated domain names work with targeted key word campaigns and search engine spiders. If that is the purpose of the sight or domain then the hyphens are fine. If your marketing intention is to create a brand, a remembered domain name, top of mind awareness with the domain then hyphenless domains work best.
Many times it doesn't matter what a domain name is if you are promoting it with links, and offline promotion. If I have on the back of my business card, visit www.billclinton-mylife.com
When it comes to underscores, many times the general public will interpret them as hyphens. Since hyphenated domain names are becoming more and more common that is the general notion of the average browser. Underscores also can get lost when a url or domain is underlined as many hyperlink commands do in word processor software programs.
The general rule of thumb is to not use hyphens between words if possible. A domain name with hyphens is harder to describe when said aloud as in our radio commercial. It is commonly accepted that a domain name with multiple words does not include hyphens. But there are exceptions to the rule. With some popular domain names not being available, sometimes a hyphenated url will be and will be used.
Another reason to use hyphenated domain names is when two words joined together like in a domain name could imply or even state a different meaning or unintentional phrases. The following is an example:
It all boils down to what your purpose is with your domain name, website and how you will market it to those interested. Interested parties like to be marketed to and told where to look; uninterested parties will ignore your domain with or without hyphens.
Top 10 tips for choosing a business domain name
If you are setting up a website for your small business, as increasing numbers of people are doing, you should take care when choosing a domain name. Here are some tips from the Bytestart team, based on our experiences of setting up business websites over the past decade.
Business Domain Name Tips
1) If you are buying a .co.uk domain name (e.g. yournewbusiness.co.uk), make sure you also buy the other main TLD's (Top Level Domains) for the same prefix (e.g. yournewbusiness.com, yournewbusiness.net). This will ensure that no-one else can come in at a later stage and capitalise on your brand name using another major domain name type. Although there are dozens of TLD types available, we've always purchased the .co.uk, .com, .net and .org variants to protect our brands. There's no harm buying more variants, but do make sure you take care of the important ones.
2) If you do a domain name search and find only the .co.uk is available for your chosen prefix (e.g. newbusiness), it may be worth your while choosing another domain name prefix where most or all of the TLD's are available. We spent quite some time researching suitable domain names before deciding on Bytestart - dozens in fact.
3) It is possible that your small business may grow into different areas of interest, or even change tack altogether. For this reason, it may be an idea not to make your domain name too specific to one area of your expertise. In some cases, the domain doesn't necessarily have to contain words related to your industry or brand - it certainly hasn't held Amazon or eBay back!
4) Keep your domain name as short as possible and simple - it needs to be memorable, and preferably not contain hyphens.
5) A few web marketing firms suggest inserting your major keywords into your domain name wherever possible to help with your search engine rankings. We do not subscribe to this view. Sure, there may be some small benefits in having some keywords in your domain name (e.g. "the-best-web-designers.co.uk"), but your web promotion effort should come later. Your domain name should be chosen to best represent your company's interests rather than to please the fickle search engines!
6) Allowed characters - Domain names can only contain letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Domain names are not case sensitive.
7) Choose a reputable domain name supplier. A company which has been around a while and is well known is a good bet. We'd also recommend choosing a company which provides a user interface so that you can manually edit your domain name details (email forwarding, transferring your domain name elsewhere). We've used Easily for all our domain name purchases for the past decade without a single problem.
8) If you intend to buy a sizeable number of domains, try to 'park' them with one single domain name company. Domains are far easier to administrate and keep up-to-date if they are in a single place you trust.
9) You should ensure that your domain name is not a commonly known brand name or trademark. Something like "Microsoftwebdesign.co.uk" would not be a good choice!
10) Make sure you keep your contact information up-to-date. Although your domain name supplier is bound to contact you when a domain name comes up for renewal, it is your responsibility in the end. Going back to point 8) again, for this reason, having a single domain name supplier will help.
Business Domain Name Tips
1) If you are buying a .co.uk domain name (e.g. yournewbusiness.co.uk), make sure you also buy the other main TLD's (Top Level Domains) for the same prefix (e.g. yournewbusiness.com, yournewbusiness.net). This will ensure that no-one else can come in at a later stage and capitalise on your brand name using another major domain name type. Although there are dozens of TLD types available, we've always purchased the .co.uk, .com, .net and .org variants to protect our brands. There's no harm buying more variants, but do make sure you take care of the important ones.
2) If you do a domain name search and find only the .co.uk is available for your chosen prefix (e.g. newbusiness), it may be worth your while choosing another domain name prefix where most or all of the TLD's are available. We spent quite some time researching suitable domain names before deciding on Bytestart - dozens in fact.
3) It is possible that your small business may grow into different areas of interest, or even change tack altogether. For this reason, it may be an idea not to make your domain name too specific to one area of your expertise. In some cases, the domain doesn't necessarily have to contain words related to your industry or brand - it certainly hasn't held Amazon or eBay back!
4) Keep your domain name as short as possible and simple - it needs to be memorable, and preferably not contain hyphens.
5) A few web marketing firms suggest inserting your major keywords into your domain name wherever possible to help with your search engine rankings. We do not subscribe to this view. Sure, there may be some small benefits in having some keywords in your domain name (e.g. "the-best-web-designers.co.uk"), but your web promotion effort should come later. Your domain name should be chosen to best represent your company's interests rather than to please the fickle search engines!
6) Allowed characters - Domain names can only contain letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Domain names are not case sensitive.
7) Choose a reputable domain name supplier. A company which has been around a while and is well known is a good bet. We'd also recommend choosing a company which provides a user interface so that you can manually edit your domain name details (email forwarding, transferring your domain name elsewhere). We've used Easily for all our domain name purchases for the past decade without a single problem.
8) If you intend to buy a sizeable number of domains, try to 'park' them with one single domain name company. Domains are far easier to administrate and keep up-to-date if they are in a single place you trust.
9) You should ensure that your domain name is not a commonly known brand name or trademark. Something like "Microsoftwebdesign.co.uk" would not be a good choice!
10) Make sure you keep your contact information up-to-date. Although your domain name supplier is bound to contact you when a domain name comes up for renewal, it is your responsibility in the end. Going back to point 8) again, for this reason, having a single domain name supplier will help.
How to choose a successful domain name for your website?
One of the first steps you should take in oder to create your online appearance is to choose a domain name for your website. The domain name will represent you, your hobby or business and will give your website a memorable name.
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Definition: The domain name itself is an alphanumeric unique name that identifies individual web sites on the Internet. The domain can be of any length up to 67 characters, which includes the 26 letters of the English alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-).The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen but, can contain one or more hyphens. The domain names have a suffix or extention, called also TLD (Top Level Domain), which is based on the type of organization it is associated with. Common suffixes include: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us etc.
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Here are some tips how to choose a successful domain name for your website:
1. Start brainstorming for relevant to your domain words.
List as many words as you can think of related to your preferred domain name.
List as many words as you can think of that are related to the content of your website.
2. Make different combinations with the listed words that are:
short,
memorable,
not easily confused,
hard to misspell,
related to the core of the business,
with appropriate sounding to the core of your business.
Shorter domain names are easier to remember and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example lottary.com is easier to remember than playthenationallottaryonline.com. But there are also exceptions to this rule. A longer domain can be easier to remember by human memory than the shorter one - for example tbrea.com is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas, if we expand it to its long form 'TheBestRealEstateAgency.com' we are more likely to remember the domain name.
3. Pick a few of these combinations that you like the most for the name of your domain.
If you like a specific word to be included in the domain name, think of all its forms: noun, verb, adverb, adjective.
Consider also hyphens and numbers: sometimes you are a hyphen away from the dreamed domain name.
4. Start searching for the availability of these domains.
5. If you do business online, register your domain with as many of the extensions as available!
Point them all to your site
Let your name drive more traffic to your site.
6. If your preferred choice is not available, do not discourage and try the next combination!
More than 128 million domain names have been registered worldwide and thousands of new ones are added every day. Be creative and get the best domain name for your website!
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Definition: The domain name itself is an alphanumeric unique name that identifies individual web sites on the Internet. The domain can be of any length up to 67 characters, which includes the 26 letters of the English alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-).The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen but, can contain one or more hyphens. The domain names have a suffix or extention, called also TLD (Top Level Domain), which is based on the type of organization it is associated with. Common suffixes include: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us etc.
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Here are some tips how to choose a successful domain name for your website:
1. Start brainstorming for relevant to your domain words.
List as many words as you can think of related to your preferred domain name.
List as many words as you can think of that are related to the content of your website.
2. Make different combinations with the listed words that are:
short,
memorable,
not easily confused,
hard to misspell,
related to the core of the business,
with appropriate sounding to the core of your business.
Shorter domain names are easier to remember and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example lottary.com is easier to remember than playthenationallottaryonline.com. But there are also exceptions to this rule. A longer domain can be easier to remember by human memory than the shorter one - for example tbrea.com is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas, if we expand it to its long form 'TheBestRealEstateAgency.com' we are more likely to remember the domain name.
3. Pick a few of these combinations that you like the most for the name of your domain.
If you like a specific word to be included in the domain name, think of all its forms: noun, verb, adverb, adjective.
Consider also hyphens and numbers: sometimes you are a hyphen away from the dreamed domain name.
4. Start searching for the availability of these domains.
5. If you do business online, register your domain with as many of the extensions as available!
Point them all to your site
Let your name drive more traffic to your site.
6. If your preferred choice is not available, do not discourage and try the next combination!
More than 128 million domain names have been registered worldwide and thousands of new ones are added every day. Be creative and get the best domain name for your website!
Godaddy Lowers Commissions and Removes Caps on Premium Domain Listings
Domain name registrar Godaddy made three major changes to their Premium Listings service last week. First, the percentage that Godaddy charges for these listings has been reduced to a flat fee of 30% across the board and secondly, the cap on domain name prices sold on the Premium Listings has been lifted. Lastly, Godaddy has also lifted the previous ban it had placed on selling adult, gambling and potentially infringing domains.
Previously Godaddy gave users a choice in commissions with the minimum commission of 32% . In theory a seller selecting a higher commission would give the domain more “exposure”. The Premium Listings also capped the domains that could be sold at $5000 and lower.
Godaddy’s Premium Listings is a simple way for domain owners who have names registered at Godaddy to put their domains in front of the people who are searching for those names. Names listed with Godaddy’s Premium Listings show up when a user searches for an “exact match” domain name from the home page, in the Premium Domains tab on search results, when a domain search is “spun” and in whois results for the specific domain.
Domain Name Wire pointed out that “every time someone searches for a domain you own, they could get a message that the domain is available for purchase. They can then add it to their cart, checkout, and get the domain instantly.”
Premium Listings is currently reserved only for domains registered with Godaddy but DNN suspects that any success with this program could lead to an expansion which would make it available to domain owners at other registrars. Godaddy has a partnership with Fabulous already which includes Fabulous domains within these “exact match” listings. Buydomains listings also are currently appearing within these same “exact match” searches.
Tips on Choosing a Good Domain Name
1. Your Domain Name Should Be Your Website Name
Naming your site after your domain may seem obvious to some of you, but you'll be surprised to learn that not every website is named after the domain name even when the webmaster owns that domain name.
Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they'll automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of thefreecountry.com, they don't have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL.
Imagine if your business (or website) is called "Acme", but somebody else holds that domain name. Instead, you have some obscure domain name called, say, "mybusiness.com". What happens when your customers, recalling that Acme has a product they want, type "www.acme.com"? They'll wind up at your competitor's website. One lost sale.
In the modern world of the Internet, where people automatically turn to the Web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business. There are just fewer things for your customers or visitors to remember. Moreover, you don't seriously think that they'll try to memorise an unrelated URL just because you want them to, do you? The only people who'll memorise it are you and your competitors who want to compare your prices.
What if you cannot get the domain name of your choice? It really depends on how committed you are to that particular name. If you have an existing brand name that you're known for, you'll probably not want to ditch that name just because you couldn't get the domain name. After all, it took you a lot of time and money to establish that name. If so, you might simply want to try to buy over the domain name from the current owner. Check up the "whois" information for the domain, and contact that person listed to see if they're willing to sell it. You probably should be aware that they are likely to want to charge a higher fee than you'll normally get when buying new domains (assuming they want to sell it in the first place).
On the other hand, if you're just starting out, you might prefer the cheaper alternative of trying to obtain a domain name first, and then naming your website (or business) after the domain that you've acquired. So if you've acquired, say, the domain name "acme.com", then your website and business might be named "Acme" or "acme.com". I know this seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but that's the reality if you don't want to lose out on the Internet.
2. Generic Names Or Brand Name Domains?
I know that a number of people seem to think that your domain name really must be some generic name like "cars.com" if you are selling cars. Witness, for example, how much money those generic names are being sold for. But seriously, if you were looking for a car, you'll probably already have some brands in mind, and you're more like to try out things like generalmotors.com or toyota.com rather than just cars.com.
For that reason, I personally feel that a domain name that matches your brand name is very important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people will try in their browser. It is also the easiest thing for them to remember, and whatever that is easily remembered, will be more likely to be tried out than the obscure domain name.
3. Long or Short Domain Names?
Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don't have to settle for an obscure domain name like avab.com when what you mean is AcmeVideosAndBooks.com.
Having said that, there appears to be some disagreement about whether a long or short domain name is better.
Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com".
Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier on the human memory - for example, "gaepw.com" is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas if we expand it to its long form, "GetAnEconomicallyPricedWebsite.com", we are more likely to remember the domain name.
Some of these arguments are actually academic. It's increasingly difficult to get short meaningful domain names. I have not checked, but I'm fairly certain that names like "getit.com" and "good.com" have long been sold. If you manage to get a short domain name though, the key is to make sure it's a meaningful combination of characters and not the obscure "gaepw.com" in my contrived example above.
Long domain names that have your site keywords in them also have an advantage in that they fare better in a number of search engines. The latter give preference to keywords that are also found in your domain names. So, for example, if you have a site on free C++ compilers with a domain name like freecpluspluscompilers.com, it might fare better in a search for "free C++ compilers" than my other site, thefreecountry.com.
Which would I go for? I'd go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one, but I'm not averse to longer names. However, I would probably avoid extremely long names verging on 67 characters. Aside from the obvious problem that people might not be able to remember such a long name, it would also be a chore typing it and trying to fit it as a title on your web page.
4. Hyphenated Names?
Should you get a hyphenated name? There are a few things to consider here:
a. Disadvantage: It's easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like freecpluspluscompilers.com but not free-c-plus-plus-compilers.com. They'll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at your competitor's site.
b. Disadvantage: When people recommend your site to their friends verbally, having hyphens in your domain name leads to more potential errors than when the name does not contain hyphens. For example, how do you think your visitors will refer to your site if it is named "acme-books-and-videos.com"? They might say, "I visited Acme Book and Videos dot com yesterday. It was fabulous." Their friends, remembering that comment later, might type into their browsers "acmebooksandvideos.com". Oops.
c. Disadvantage: It's a pain in the neck to type. Enough said.
d. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.
e. Advantage: The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.
Personally, I prefer to avoid hyphenated names if I can, but I guess it really depends on your domain name and your situation.
5. Plurals, "The", and "My" Forms of the Domain Name
Very often, if you can't get the domain name you want, the domain name registrar will suggest alternate forms of the name you typed. For example, if you wanted website.com, and it was taken (of course it is), it might suggest forms like:
thewebsite.com
mywebsite.com
websites.com
and the like, if they were not already taken as well. The question is, should you take them?
My personal opinion is that if you take the "the..." and "my..." forms of the domain name, you must always remember to promote your site with the full form of the name. Otherwise, people are likely to forget to affix the necessary "the" or "my". For that reason, I always advertise my sites as "thesitewizard.com" and "thefreecountry.com" in their full domain name forms, rather than just "Free Country" or "Site Wizard" (without the article).
On the other hand, I would not take the plural form of the domain name (eg, websites.com) if I cannot also get "website.com", since the chance of the visitor failing to type the "s" in the name is very great. Think about the famous name tussle between etoys.com and etoy.com. Many people wanting to go to etoys.com were apparently going to etoy.com instead. If it happened to them, it can happen to you too.
6. COM, ORG, NET, etc?
One common question I encounter is from people who can't get the ".com" domain of their choice, but find the ".net", ".org" or other country-specific top level domains (TLDs) available (like .de, .nu, .sg, etc). Should they try for these?
The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. If your website or business caters to the local community, such as a pizza delivery business or recruitment agency or the like, then it makes sense to get a country-specific domain. You actually benefit from having such a local domain because the people in your country know that they're dealing with a local entity, which is what they want. After all, if they stay in (say) the United Kingdom, they're not likely to want to try to order pizza from pizzaparlour.com, which suggests a US or an international site. You'll have better luck calling it pizzaparlour.co.uk, ie, with a UK domain.
What if yours is a site or business that can benefit from an international audience? There are actually many schools of thought on this. I'll just mention a few common ones.
The first school of thought goes on the premise that it is better to have a domain name of your choice "myperfectdomain" even if it has a TLD of ".net", ".org" or some other country specific extension, than to wind up choosing an obscure domain name for the simple reason you can't get your first choice. Thus they would settle for domain names like "myperfectdomain.de" or "myperfectdomain.net" or whatever. Against this is the argument that if you get a country specific domain, people might think that your business only caters to that country.
Another school of thought finds that ".net" and ".org" extensions are actually quite acceptable domain names. For some, the ".org" extension actually describes the non-profit nature of their organisation. So, for example, the famous Apache web server can be found at "apache.org".
Others settle for the ".com" extension and no less. As grounds for their arguments, they cite the browser algorithms used to locate a website when a user simply types a name like "acme" into the browser. Apparently, the browser searches for a domain name "acme.com" before attempting "acme.net", etc. As such, people who do that will be delivered to your competitor's site if you do not also own the ".com" extension. Indeed, even if people do not rely on their browser to complete their typing, many simply assume a ".com" extension when they type a domain name, so if your business is "Acme", they'll just assume your domain name is "acme.com" rather than "acme.net" or some other such name.
As you can see, there are actually good grounds for accepting any of the above views. My personal footnote to the above arguments is that if you get a domain name with an extension other than ".com", make sure that you promote your business or website with the full domain name. For example, if your domain name is "dogandcatfood.net", make sure that when you advertise your site or business, call it "dogandcatfood.net" not "dogandcatfood". Otherwise people will assume a ".com" extension and travel to the wrong place.
7. In Conclusion...
In case the forest got lost in the trees (or the reverse) in my arguments here, let me reiterate the main point of this article: get that domain name before you start your site or business.
Don't make the mistake of attempting to retrofit your domain name to your business or website. thefreecountry.com did not originally start out with that name, and I encountered a huge hassle (and lost visitors) as a result of the URL changes. Don't make that mistake too.
If you need help getting that domain name, check out my other article on how to register a domain name. In that article, I also include a list of some registrars that you can use, distinguishing the well-established ones from the less established but cheap ones (so you have a wider choice, depending on what is important to you). The article can be found at http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/registerdomain.shtml
O be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
- Shakespeare
Naming your site after your domain may seem obvious to some of you, but you'll be surprised to learn that not every website is named after the domain name even when the webmaster owns that domain name.
Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they'll automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of thefreecountry.com, they don't have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL.
Imagine if your business (or website) is called "Acme", but somebody else holds that domain name. Instead, you have some obscure domain name called, say, "mybusiness.com". What happens when your customers, recalling that Acme has a product they want, type "www.acme.com"? They'll wind up at your competitor's website. One lost sale.
In the modern world of the Internet, where people automatically turn to the Web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business. There are just fewer things for your customers or visitors to remember. Moreover, you don't seriously think that they'll try to memorise an unrelated URL just because you want them to, do you? The only people who'll memorise it are you and your competitors who want to compare your prices.
What if you cannot get the domain name of your choice? It really depends on how committed you are to that particular name. If you have an existing brand name that you're known for, you'll probably not want to ditch that name just because you couldn't get the domain name. After all, it took you a lot of time and money to establish that name. If so, you might simply want to try to buy over the domain name from the current owner. Check up the "whois" information for the domain, and contact that person listed to see if they're willing to sell it. You probably should be aware that they are likely to want to charge a higher fee than you'll normally get when buying new domains (assuming they want to sell it in the first place).
On the other hand, if you're just starting out, you might prefer the cheaper alternative of trying to obtain a domain name first, and then naming your website (or business) after the domain that you've acquired. So if you've acquired, say, the domain name "acme.com", then your website and business might be named "Acme" or "acme.com". I know this seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but that's the reality if you don't want to lose out on the Internet.
2. Generic Names Or Brand Name Domains?
I know that a number of people seem to think that your domain name really must be some generic name like "cars.com" if you are selling cars. Witness, for example, how much money those generic names are being sold for. But seriously, if you were looking for a car, you'll probably already have some brands in mind, and you're more like to try out things like generalmotors.com or toyota.com rather than just cars.com.
For that reason, I personally feel that a domain name that matches your brand name is very important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people will try in their browser. It is also the easiest thing for them to remember, and whatever that is easily remembered, will be more likely to be tried out than the obscure domain name.
3. Long or Short Domain Names?
Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don't have to settle for an obscure domain name like avab.com when what you mean is AcmeVideosAndBooks.com.
Having said that, there appears to be some disagreement about whether a long or short domain name is better.
Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com".
Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier on the human memory - for example, "gaepw.com" is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas if we expand it to its long form, "GetAnEconomicallyPricedWebsite.com", we are more likely to remember the domain name.
Some of these arguments are actually academic. It's increasingly difficult to get short meaningful domain names. I have not checked, but I'm fairly certain that names like "getit.com" and "good.com" have long been sold. If you manage to get a short domain name though, the key is to make sure it's a meaningful combination of characters and not the obscure "gaepw.com" in my contrived example above.
Long domain names that have your site keywords in them also have an advantage in that they fare better in a number of search engines. The latter give preference to keywords that are also found in your domain names. So, for example, if you have a site on free C++ compilers with a domain name like freecpluspluscompilers.com, it might fare better in a search for "free C++ compilers" than my other site, thefreecountry.com.
Which would I go for? I'd go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one, but I'm not averse to longer names. However, I would probably avoid extremely long names verging on 67 characters. Aside from the obvious problem that people might not be able to remember such a long name, it would also be a chore typing it and trying to fit it as a title on your web page.
4. Hyphenated Names?
Should you get a hyphenated name? There are a few things to consider here:
a. Disadvantage: It's easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like freecpluspluscompilers.com but not free-c-plus-plus-compilers.com. They'll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at your competitor's site.
b. Disadvantage: When people recommend your site to their friends verbally, having hyphens in your domain name leads to more potential errors than when the name does not contain hyphens. For example, how do you think your visitors will refer to your site if it is named "acme-books-and-videos.com"? They might say, "I visited Acme Book and Videos dot com yesterday. It was fabulous." Their friends, remembering that comment later, might type into their browsers "acmebooksandvideos.com". Oops.
c. Disadvantage: It's a pain in the neck to type. Enough said.
d. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.
e. Advantage: The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.
Personally, I prefer to avoid hyphenated names if I can, but I guess it really depends on your domain name and your situation.
5. Plurals, "The", and "My" Forms of the Domain Name
Very often, if you can't get the domain name you want, the domain name registrar will suggest alternate forms of the name you typed. For example, if you wanted website.com, and it was taken (of course it is), it might suggest forms like:
thewebsite.com
mywebsite.com
websites.com
and the like, if they were not already taken as well. The question is, should you take them?
My personal opinion is that if you take the "the..." and "my..." forms of the domain name, you must always remember to promote your site with the full form of the name. Otherwise, people are likely to forget to affix the necessary "the" or "my". For that reason, I always advertise my sites as "thesitewizard.com" and "thefreecountry.com" in their full domain name forms, rather than just "Free Country" or "Site Wizard" (without the article).
On the other hand, I would not take the plural form of the domain name (eg, websites.com) if I cannot also get "website.com", since the chance of the visitor failing to type the "s" in the name is very great. Think about the famous name tussle between etoys.com and etoy.com. Many people wanting to go to etoys.com were apparently going to etoy.com instead. If it happened to them, it can happen to you too.
6. COM, ORG, NET, etc?
One common question I encounter is from people who can't get the ".com" domain of their choice, but find the ".net", ".org" or other country-specific top level domains (TLDs) available (like .de, .nu, .sg, etc). Should they try for these?
The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. If your website or business caters to the local community, such as a pizza delivery business or recruitment agency or the like, then it makes sense to get a country-specific domain. You actually benefit from having such a local domain because the people in your country know that they're dealing with a local entity, which is what they want. After all, if they stay in (say) the United Kingdom, they're not likely to want to try to order pizza from pizzaparlour.com, which suggests a US or an international site. You'll have better luck calling it pizzaparlour.co.uk, ie, with a UK domain.
What if yours is a site or business that can benefit from an international audience? There are actually many schools of thought on this. I'll just mention a few common ones.
The first school of thought goes on the premise that it is better to have a domain name of your choice "myperfectdomain" even if it has a TLD of ".net", ".org" or some other country specific extension, than to wind up choosing an obscure domain name for the simple reason you can't get your first choice. Thus they would settle for domain names like "myperfectdomain.de" or "myperfectdomain.net" or whatever. Against this is the argument that if you get a country specific domain, people might think that your business only caters to that country.
Another school of thought finds that ".net" and ".org" extensions are actually quite acceptable domain names. For some, the ".org" extension actually describes the non-profit nature of their organisation. So, for example, the famous Apache web server can be found at "apache.org".
Others settle for the ".com" extension and no less. As grounds for their arguments, they cite the browser algorithms used to locate a website when a user simply types a name like "acme" into the browser. Apparently, the browser searches for a domain name "acme.com" before attempting "acme.net", etc. As such, people who do that will be delivered to your competitor's site if you do not also own the ".com" extension. Indeed, even if people do not rely on their browser to complete their typing, many simply assume a ".com" extension when they type a domain name, so if your business is "Acme", they'll just assume your domain name is "acme.com" rather than "acme.net" or some other such name.
As you can see, there are actually good grounds for accepting any of the above views. My personal footnote to the above arguments is that if you get a domain name with an extension other than ".com", make sure that you promote your business or website with the full domain name. For example, if your domain name is "dogandcatfood.net", make sure that when you advertise your site or business, call it "dogandcatfood.net" not "dogandcatfood". Otherwise people will assume a ".com" extension and travel to the wrong place.
7. In Conclusion...
In case the forest got lost in the trees (or the reverse) in my arguments here, let me reiterate the main point of this article: get that domain name before you start your site or business.
Don't make the mistake of attempting to retrofit your domain name to your business or website. thefreecountry.com did not originally start out with that name, and I encountered a huge hassle (and lost visitors) as a result of the URL changes. Don't make that mistake too.
If you need help getting that domain name, check out my other article on how to register a domain name. In that article, I also include a list of some registrars that you can use, distinguishing the well-established ones from the less established but cheap ones (so you have a wider choice, depending on what is important to you). The article can be found at http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/registerdomain.shtml
O be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
- Shakespeare
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Using Windows XP Professional on a Domain
What's in a Domain?
However, some of these home networks will be domains, quite unimaginable years ago except in the geekiest of households. (I confess: we've had one for a few years.) First, what's the difference between a workgroup and a domain–based network? A workgroup is two or more computers networked together. A workgroup is often called a peer–to–peer network because the computers are all peers to one another. No one machine is in charge, and security and other settings have to be made on each individual computer. In a domain, on the other hand, the networked computers have a definite hierarchy in that computers are either servers or clients. Domains have a unified security policy set on the domain controllers (servers) and users on client machines are authenticated by a server when logging on. The usual rule of thumb is that workgroups are manageable up to about ten computers; after that a domain is recommended.
However, there are valid reasons for setting up a domain–based home network instead of a workgroup.
Top of page
Why Set Up a Domain at Home?
Let's say you have a high speed, always–on Internet connection and want all your computers behind a highly secure firewall. Windows XP does provide basic home–network security through its Internet Connection Firewall, but for a highly–configurable firewall and top–of–the–line Internet connection optimizer, you'll want Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server. ISA protects your network from hackers, improves Internet performance for clients on your network, and controls client access to the Internet. If you operate your own Web server, ISA lets you keep that server behind the firewall and insulated from the wide world of hackers. However, ISA Server installs only on a domain. As does Exchange Server, should you want to run your own mail server and use all the scheduling and information–sharing functions that Exchange offers.
Or perhaps you're studying for your MCSE exams and your boss won't let you experiment on the network at your place of employment. Set up a domain at home and use it as a test network. Or you're like us, irredeemably geeky and want a domain because you can.
Top of page
How It Works
Windows XP Professional is the ideal client for your domain and operates slightly differently there than it does as a stand–alone or workgroup machine. Because a domain is a much more secure environment, Fast User Switching is disabled. When Windows XP Pro is on a domain, each user must be authenticated by the domain controller (a computer running Windows 2000 Server). User accounts are set up on the domain controller and all configuration is centralized. When Windows XP Professional is not on a domain, it has a somewhat friendlier look. For example, to add a new user, you simply open Control Panel and select User Accounts. Then you're guided through the two steps needed to create the account.
On a domain, however, new users are added on the domain controller. Several screens are required to add a user, though the user account is much more configurable.
Similarly, on a non–domain Windows XP Professional installation, accounts may or may not have passwords, depending on your choices. But on a domain, every user must have a password and every user's log on must be authenticated by a domain controller. So, as you can see, organizing your computers onto a domain can offer many benefits, particularly in the area of security. That's the good news. The bad news is that running a domain requires more administration and more attention to detail. If you don't need a high degree of security for the reasons mentioned, you can get all the other benefits of Windows XP Professional in a workgroup and skip the additional work inherent in a domain.
Top of page
Creating a Domain
Setting up a basic client/server domain isn't all that difficult. You'll need a network interface card (NIC) for each computer and cabling (or wireless hardware) to connect the machines. Install Microsoft Windows 2000 Server on one computer. Use the Configure Your Server Wizard to make the server a domain controller. Next, install Windows XP Professional on the other computers. To connect to a network during setup, you must have the correct hardware installed on your computer and be connected to your network. Use the Network Setup Wizard to set up your system's network connections, including assigning a computer name, configuring the networking protocols, and setting up file and printer sharing.
Note For everything you need to know about setting up and running a domain for your small business or home office, I immodestly recommend Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Administrator's Companion by Charlie Russel and Sharon Crawford (Microsoft Press, ISBN 1572318198).
Sharon Crawford is a former editor now engaged in writing books and magazine articles. Since 1993, she has written or co–written two dozen books on computer topics. Her books include Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual, Windows 98: No Experience Required, and Windows 2000 Professional for Dummies (with Andy Rathbone).
However, some of these home networks will be domains, quite unimaginable years ago except in the geekiest of households. (I confess: we've had one for a few years.) First, what's the difference between a workgroup and a domain–based network? A workgroup is two or more computers networked together. A workgroup is often called a peer–to–peer network because the computers are all peers to one another. No one machine is in charge, and security and other settings have to be made on each individual computer. In a domain, on the other hand, the networked computers have a definite hierarchy in that computers are either servers or clients. Domains have a unified security policy set on the domain controllers (servers) and users on client machines are authenticated by a server when logging on. The usual rule of thumb is that workgroups are manageable up to about ten computers; after that a domain is recommended.
However, there are valid reasons for setting up a domain–based home network instead of a workgroup.
Top of page
Why Set Up a Domain at Home?
Let's say you have a high speed, always–on Internet connection and want all your computers behind a highly secure firewall. Windows XP does provide basic home–network security through its Internet Connection Firewall, but for a highly–configurable firewall and top–of–the–line Internet connection optimizer, you'll want Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server. ISA protects your network from hackers, improves Internet performance for clients on your network, and controls client access to the Internet. If you operate your own Web server, ISA lets you keep that server behind the firewall and insulated from the wide world of hackers. However, ISA Server installs only on a domain. As does Exchange Server, should you want to run your own mail server and use all the scheduling and information–sharing functions that Exchange offers.
Or perhaps you're studying for your MCSE exams and your boss won't let you experiment on the network at your place of employment. Set up a domain at home and use it as a test network. Or you're like us, irredeemably geeky and want a domain because you can.
Top of page
How It Works
Windows XP Professional is the ideal client for your domain and operates slightly differently there than it does as a stand–alone or workgroup machine. Because a domain is a much more secure environment, Fast User Switching is disabled. When Windows XP Pro is on a domain, each user must be authenticated by the domain controller (a computer running Windows 2000 Server). User accounts are set up on the domain controller and all configuration is centralized. When Windows XP Professional is not on a domain, it has a somewhat friendlier look. For example, to add a new user, you simply open Control Panel and select User Accounts. Then you're guided through the two steps needed to create the account.
On a domain, however, new users are added on the domain controller. Several screens are required to add a user, though the user account is much more configurable.
Similarly, on a non–domain Windows XP Professional installation, accounts may or may not have passwords, depending on your choices. But on a domain, every user must have a password and every user's log on must be authenticated by a domain controller. So, as you can see, organizing your computers onto a domain can offer many benefits, particularly in the area of security. That's the good news. The bad news is that running a domain requires more administration and more attention to detail. If you don't need a high degree of security for the reasons mentioned, you can get all the other benefits of Windows XP Professional in a workgroup and skip the additional work inherent in a domain.
Top of page
Creating a Domain
Setting up a basic client/server domain isn't all that difficult. You'll need a network interface card (NIC) for each computer and cabling (or wireless hardware) to connect the machines. Install Microsoft Windows 2000 Server on one computer. Use the Configure Your Server Wizard to make the server a domain controller. Next, install Windows XP Professional on the other computers. To connect to a network during setup, you must have the correct hardware installed on your computer and be connected to your network. Use the Network Setup Wizard to set up your system's network connections, including assigning a computer name, configuring the networking protocols, and setting up file and printer sharing.
Note For everything you need to know about setting up and running a domain for your small business or home office, I immodestly recommend Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Administrator's Companion by Charlie Russel and Sharon Crawford (Microsoft Press, ISBN 1572318198).
Sharon Crawford is a former editor now engaged in writing books and magazine articles. Since 1993, she has written or co–written two dozen books on computer topics. Her books include Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual, Windows 98: No Experience Required, and Windows 2000 Professional for Dummies (with Andy Rathbone).
How to Transfer the Domain Naming Master role in Windows
1.Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
2.Right-click the Active Directory Domains and Trusts icon, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.NOTE: If you are not on the domain controller where you want to transfer the role ,you need to take this step. It is not necessary if you are connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.
3.click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
4.Right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Operation Masters.
5.In the Change Operations Master dialog box, click Change.
6.Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role.
7.Click OK.
8.Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
2.Right-click the Active Directory Domains and Trusts icon, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.NOTE: If you are not on the domain controller where you want to transfer the role ,you need to take this step. It is not necessary if you are connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.
3.click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
4.Right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Operation Masters.
5.In the Change Operations Master dialog box, click Change.
6.Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role.
7.Click OK.
8.Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
How to Install Windows Server 2003 DNS Service Manually
Before you can configure DNS, you must first install the DNS service on the server. You can install DNS either during the initial installation of Windows Server 2003 or after the initial installation is complete. If you use the Active Directory Installation Wizard, you have the option to install and configure DNS when you configure the domain controller.
To install the DNS service on an existing installation of Windows Server 2003, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, point to Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs and then click Add/Remove Windows Components.
2.In the Windows Component Wizard, click Networking Services (click the name, not the check box) in the Components list, and then click Details.
3.In the Networking Services dialog box, click to select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.
4.In the Windows Components Wizard, click Next to start Windows Server 2003 Setup. Insert the Windows Server 2003 installation CD-ROM into the CD drive or DVD drive if you are prompted to do so.Setup copies the DNS service and tool files to your computer.
5.When Setup is complete, click Finish.
To install the DNS service during the initial installation of Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition or Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, follow steps 2 and 3 when you are prompted to install and configure Windows components.
For a DNS server to function properly, the DNS server has to have a forward lookup zone that hosts the locator records for the DNS server’s local domain. A forward lookup zone contains information to resolve names in the DNS domain. You may want to also configure a reverse lookup zone that allows users to determine the name of a local resource based on its IP address. See How to Configure Windows 2003 DNS Servers
To install the DNS service on an existing installation of Windows Server 2003, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, point to Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs and then click Add/Remove Windows Components.
2.In the Windows Component Wizard, click Networking Services (click the name, not the check box) in the Components list, and then click Details.
3.In the Networking Services dialog box, click to select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.
4.In the Windows Components Wizard, click Next to start Windows Server 2003 Setup. Insert the Windows Server 2003 installation CD-ROM into the CD drive or DVD drive if you are prompted to do so.Setup copies the DNS service and tool files to your computer.
5.When Setup is complete, click Finish.
To install the DNS service during the initial installation of Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition or Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, follow steps 2 and 3 when you are prompted to install and configure Windows components.
For a DNS server to function properly, the DNS server has to have a forward lookup zone that hosts the locator records for the DNS server’s local domain. A forward lookup zone contains information to resolve names in the DNS domain. You may want to also configure a reverse lookup zone that allows users to determine the name of a local resource based on its IP address. See How to Configure Windows 2003 DNS Servers
Making Your DNS Service Fault Tolerant
Most network administrators know that Active Directory is dependant on DNS. What you might not realize is that there is a good chance that your DNS server is performing several other critical tasks in the background. A DNS failure can be more catastrophic than most people realize. In this article I will explain why this is the case and how to avoid such a situation.
When I first started doing freelance technical writing ten years ago, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to need to set up a network in my home so that I could experiment with the various products and techniques that I write about. When I first set up my home network, it was pretty modest. It consisted of two servers and two workstations. I used one of the workstations as a word processor and saved my documents to one of the servers. I used the other server and workstation for experimental purposes.
What started out as helping out a friend by writing the occasional article for his magazine soon grew into a full time business though. I was soon writing nearly 50 articles each month. I had to add dozens of computers to my network just to be able to accommodate all of the products and techniques that I was writing about. I still maintained the basic principle that I started out with of having a production network and a test network. My test network consists of all of the machines that I use to experiment with techniques for my articles on. Pretty much anything goes for the test network since it's just a lab environment, but I have always tried to maintain my production network in an appropriate manner since it contains all of my data and all of the machines that I use for running my business.
Of course cranking out 50 or so articles each month doesn’t leave me a lot of time to play network administrator. Some things are bound to be occasionally overlooked. About a year ago, I learned the hard way that one of the details that I had overlooked when I expanded my network was a second DNS server.
As you probably know, the Active Directory is completely dependant on the DNS services. If a DNS Server goes down, then the Active Directory will completely cease to function until you bring the DNS Server back up. My problem was that the hard drive in my only DNS server failed. There are some techniques that you can use to install Windows onto a server, load the DNS services, and manually recreate the necessary DNS records in order to bring your Active Directory back online. Unfortunately though, my situation was a little more complicated than that.
When you install Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 as the first domain controller in a forest, several things happen. One of the things that happens is that Setup asks you if you want to make that server a DNS Server or if you would prefer to use an existing DNS Server. Like most people who are deploying Active Directory for the first time, I chose to install the DNS Services directly on the domain controller. Therefore, my failed server was acting as a domain controller, and as a DNS server. The first domain controller within a forest is also automatically assigned all of the operations master roles for the forest, and all of the operations master roles for the domain that the domain controller resides in. In case you are not familiar with operations master roles, they are used to designate which servers will handle various house keeping chores for the Active Directory at the domain level and at the forest level. An operations master role failure isn’t usually critical in the short term, but the Active Directory can’t function long term without these various tasks being performed.
There is one other task that was assigned to the server that failed. It was designated as the domain’s only global catalog server. As you probably know, the Active Directory allows you to create objects on any domain controller, and then the objects are replicated to the other domain controllers. This being the case, it would be theoretically possible for two different administrators to create two different objects on two different domain controllers using the same name. To prevent this from happening, the global catalog maintains a list of all of the objects in the domain. When a new object is created, the global catalog is consulted to make sure that an object by that name doesn’t already exist.
You might assume that the side effect of a global catalog failure is not being able to create new Active Directory objects. It’s a little more serious than that though. If the organization’s global catalog fails, then no one other than the domain administrator is allowed to log in. It is possible to designate multiple domain controllers as global catalog servers, but in most cases, there is only one global catalog per domain unless you specifically take the initiative to create more.
As you can see, my situation was dire to say the least. I had a hard drive crash on a domain controller, and the domain controller hosted the global catalog, all of the operations master roles, and DNS. You can seize operations master roles if need be, but doing so requires you to have a functional DNS server. You can designate additional servers to act as global catalog servers, but again, DNS must be functional so that the server can get a list of objects from the other domain controllers.
To make a long story short, my Active Directory was trashed. I tried to manually rebuild the DNS, seize the operations master roles, and designate a new global catalog server, but I just couldn’t get the new global catalog to work right without the old one being available. In the end I had to completely rebuild my Active Directory from scratch. For me, this was a major inconvenience because my network was down for a few days. Remember though that this is a network that I built in my home. You DO NOT want this situation to occur in a corporate environment. The process of rebuilding things would take a whole lot longer and be a lot more complicated if there were users involved. The only thing that you have to do to prevent this type of crash from ever occurring is to make sure that your network has at least two DNS servers and at least two global catalog servers.
The easiest way of setting up another DNS Server is to configure it to be a secondary DNS Server. To do so, go to the machine that will act as the secondary DNS, and select the Add / Remove Programs option from the Control Panel. When the Add / Remove Programs applet launches, click the Add / Remove Windows components button. You will now see a list of the optional Windows components. Select the Networking Services option and click the Details button. Next, select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box and click OK, followed by Next. Windows will now install the DNS services. You may be prompted to insert your Windows installation CD. Click Finish to close the wizard when installation completes.
The next thing that you will have to do is to open the DNS console by selecting the DNS option from the server’s Administrative Tools menu. Navigate through the console tree to DNS | your server | Forward Lookup Zone (be sure to click the plus sign next to the Forward Lookup Zone container even though there are no sub-containers). Now, right click on the Forward Lookup Zone container and select the New Zone command from the resulting shortcut menu. This will cause Windows to launch the New Zone wizard. Click Next to bypass the wizard’s Welcome screen and you will see a screen asking whether you want to create a primary, secondary, or stub zone. Select the Secondary Zone option and click Next. You will now be prompted to enter a zone name. Enter your organization’s DNS name. For example, in my organization, I would enter brienposey.com as the zone name. Click Next and you will be prompted for the IP address of the server that you want to copy zone information from. Enter the IP address of your existing DNS server and click Next. You will now see a summary screen displaying the options that you have chosen. If everything looks to be correct then click Finish.
At this point the forward lookup zone that you specified in the zone name portion of the wizard will appear. We aren’t quite done yet though. If your primary DNS server is running Windows Server 2003 then you will have to configure the primary DNS server to allow the transfer of zone information. To do so, open the DNS console on the primary DNS server. Right click on the zone and select the Properties command from the shortcut menu. When you do, you will see the zone’s properties sheet. Now, select the Zone Transfers tab, click the Allow Zone Transfers check box, and click OK. Now, go back to the secondary DNS server, right click on the zone, and select the Transfer From Master command from the shortcut menu. The zone data should transfer (you may have to try a couple of times). Now that you have a secondary DNS Server, don’t forget to change the TCP/IP configuration on your workstations to make the machines aware of the secondary DNS server.
Now that I have discussed setting up a secondary DNS Server, I want to quickly show you how to designate a domain controller to be a global catalog. Remember, you want to have at least two global catalog servers in each domain to prevent the problems that I described earlier.
To designate a domain controller to be a global catalog server, open the Active Directory Sites and Services console. Now navigate through the console tree to Active Directory Sites and Services | Sites | Default First Site Name | Servers | the server that you’ve chosen to act as a global catalog server | NTDS Settings. Now, right click on the NTDS Settings container and select the Properties command from the resulting shortcut menu. When you do, you will see the NTDS Settings Properties sheet. Select the Global Catalog check box found on the properties sheet’s General tab, and click OK. After about five minutes, the server will begin to function as a global catalog server.
Conclusion
Having a DNS Server can be catastrophic to your network if the DNS Server that has failed is also the organization’s only global catalog server and holds the operations master roles for the organization. In this article I explained how you can create a secondary DNS server and extra global catalog servers to prevent this problem
When I first started doing freelance technical writing ten years ago, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to need to set up a network in my home so that I could experiment with the various products and techniques that I write about. When I first set up my home network, it was pretty modest. It consisted of two servers and two workstations. I used one of the workstations as a word processor and saved my documents to one of the servers. I used the other server and workstation for experimental purposes.
What started out as helping out a friend by writing the occasional article for his magazine soon grew into a full time business though. I was soon writing nearly 50 articles each month. I had to add dozens of computers to my network just to be able to accommodate all of the products and techniques that I was writing about. I still maintained the basic principle that I started out with of having a production network and a test network. My test network consists of all of the machines that I use to experiment with techniques for my articles on. Pretty much anything goes for the test network since it's just a lab environment, but I have always tried to maintain my production network in an appropriate manner since it contains all of my data and all of the machines that I use for running my business.
Of course cranking out 50 or so articles each month doesn’t leave me a lot of time to play network administrator. Some things are bound to be occasionally overlooked. About a year ago, I learned the hard way that one of the details that I had overlooked when I expanded my network was a second DNS server.
As you probably know, the Active Directory is completely dependant on the DNS services. If a DNS Server goes down, then the Active Directory will completely cease to function until you bring the DNS Server back up. My problem was that the hard drive in my only DNS server failed. There are some techniques that you can use to install Windows onto a server, load the DNS services, and manually recreate the necessary DNS records in order to bring your Active Directory back online. Unfortunately though, my situation was a little more complicated than that.
When you install Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 as the first domain controller in a forest, several things happen. One of the things that happens is that Setup asks you if you want to make that server a DNS Server or if you would prefer to use an existing DNS Server. Like most people who are deploying Active Directory for the first time, I chose to install the DNS Services directly on the domain controller. Therefore, my failed server was acting as a domain controller, and as a DNS server. The first domain controller within a forest is also automatically assigned all of the operations master roles for the forest, and all of the operations master roles for the domain that the domain controller resides in. In case you are not familiar with operations master roles, they are used to designate which servers will handle various house keeping chores for the Active Directory at the domain level and at the forest level. An operations master role failure isn’t usually critical in the short term, but the Active Directory can’t function long term without these various tasks being performed.
There is one other task that was assigned to the server that failed. It was designated as the domain’s only global catalog server. As you probably know, the Active Directory allows you to create objects on any domain controller, and then the objects are replicated to the other domain controllers. This being the case, it would be theoretically possible for two different administrators to create two different objects on two different domain controllers using the same name. To prevent this from happening, the global catalog maintains a list of all of the objects in the domain. When a new object is created, the global catalog is consulted to make sure that an object by that name doesn’t already exist.
You might assume that the side effect of a global catalog failure is not being able to create new Active Directory objects. It’s a little more serious than that though. If the organization’s global catalog fails, then no one other than the domain administrator is allowed to log in. It is possible to designate multiple domain controllers as global catalog servers, but in most cases, there is only one global catalog per domain unless you specifically take the initiative to create more.
As you can see, my situation was dire to say the least. I had a hard drive crash on a domain controller, and the domain controller hosted the global catalog, all of the operations master roles, and DNS. You can seize operations master roles if need be, but doing so requires you to have a functional DNS server. You can designate additional servers to act as global catalog servers, but again, DNS must be functional so that the server can get a list of objects from the other domain controllers.
To make a long story short, my Active Directory was trashed. I tried to manually rebuild the DNS, seize the operations master roles, and designate a new global catalog server, but I just couldn’t get the new global catalog to work right without the old one being available. In the end I had to completely rebuild my Active Directory from scratch. For me, this was a major inconvenience because my network was down for a few days. Remember though that this is a network that I built in my home. You DO NOT want this situation to occur in a corporate environment. The process of rebuilding things would take a whole lot longer and be a lot more complicated if there were users involved. The only thing that you have to do to prevent this type of crash from ever occurring is to make sure that your network has at least two DNS servers and at least two global catalog servers.
The easiest way of setting up another DNS Server is to configure it to be a secondary DNS Server. To do so, go to the machine that will act as the secondary DNS, and select the Add / Remove Programs option from the Control Panel. When the Add / Remove Programs applet launches, click the Add / Remove Windows components button. You will now see a list of the optional Windows components. Select the Networking Services option and click the Details button. Next, select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box and click OK, followed by Next. Windows will now install the DNS services. You may be prompted to insert your Windows installation CD. Click Finish to close the wizard when installation completes.
The next thing that you will have to do is to open the DNS console by selecting the DNS option from the server’s Administrative Tools menu. Navigate through the console tree to DNS | your server | Forward Lookup Zone (be sure to click the plus sign next to the Forward Lookup Zone container even though there are no sub-containers). Now, right click on the Forward Lookup Zone container and select the New Zone command from the resulting shortcut menu. This will cause Windows to launch the New Zone wizard. Click Next to bypass the wizard’s Welcome screen and you will see a screen asking whether you want to create a primary, secondary, or stub zone. Select the Secondary Zone option and click Next. You will now be prompted to enter a zone name. Enter your organization’s DNS name. For example, in my organization, I would enter brienposey.com as the zone name. Click Next and you will be prompted for the IP address of the server that you want to copy zone information from. Enter the IP address of your existing DNS server and click Next. You will now see a summary screen displaying the options that you have chosen. If everything looks to be correct then click Finish.
At this point the forward lookup zone that you specified in the zone name portion of the wizard will appear. We aren’t quite done yet though. If your primary DNS server is running Windows Server 2003 then you will have to configure the primary DNS server to allow the transfer of zone information. To do so, open the DNS console on the primary DNS server. Right click on the zone and select the Properties command from the shortcut menu. When you do, you will see the zone’s properties sheet. Now, select the Zone Transfers tab, click the Allow Zone Transfers check box, and click OK. Now, go back to the secondary DNS server, right click on the zone, and select the Transfer From Master command from the shortcut menu. The zone data should transfer (you may have to try a couple of times). Now that you have a secondary DNS Server, don’t forget to change the TCP/IP configuration on your workstations to make the machines aware of the secondary DNS server.
Now that I have discussed setting up a secondary DNS Server, I want to quickly show you how to designate a domain controller to be a global catalog. Remember, you want to have at least two global catalog servers in each domain to prevent the problems that I described earlier.
To designate a domain controller to be a global catalog server, open the Active Directory Sites and Services console. Now navigate through the console tree to Active Directory Sites and Services | Sites | Default First Site Name | Servers | the server that you’ve chosen to act as a global catalog server | NTDS Settings. Now, right click on the NTDS Settings container and select the Properties command from the resulting shortcut menu. When you do, you will see the NTDS Settings Properties sheet. Select the Global Catalog check box found on the properties sheet’s General tab, and click OK. After about five minutes, the server will begin to function as a global catalog server.
Conclusion
Having a DNS Server can be catastrophic to your network if the DNS Server that has failed is also the organization’s only global catalog server and holds the operations master roles for the organization. In this article I explained how you can create a secondary DNS server and extra global catalog servers to prevent this problem
What Is DNS??
(1) Short for Domain Name System (or Service or Server), an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic, they're easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP addresses. Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.example.com might translate to 198.105.232.4.
The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If one DNS server doesn't know how to translate a particular domain name, it asks another one, and so on, until the correct IP address is returned.
(2) Short for digital nervous system, a term coined by Bill Gates to describe a network of personal computers that make it easier to obtain and understand information
The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If one DNS server doesn't know how to translate a particular domain name, it asks another one, and so on, until the correct IP address is returned.
(2) Short for digital nervous system, a term coined by Bill Gates to describe a network of personal computers that make it easier to obtain and understand information
Beware of this Domain Appraisal Scam.
I recently received several e mails from domain sellers who had fallen victim to a domain appraisal scam. The scam starts with a mail the seller receives concerning a domain they own and the scammer showing interest in buying it.
The scammers find information about their targets on Ebay and on Whois.
In the first mail they tell you that they are a new player wanting to invest money in the domain market as a side business and inquire how much you want for the domain.
Next step is the mail in which they accept your asking price for the domain. The scammers tell you that they want you to get the domain appraised as they don’t want to make a bad investment. The scammers want the appraisal from a certain manual appraisal website which they believe to be a good one, ofcourse this appraisal website is part of the scam. This appraisal website gives a highly inflated appraisal value and asks a high fee for it ( up to over a hundred dollars) as they know you need the appraisal to sell the domain.
The end of this story is that once you have mailed your appraisal you never hear from your buyers again. leaving you one hundred dollars poorer and an absolutely useless appraisal richer. This is a very cunningly operated scam and to show you how such a scam mail looks i give you a real example of such an email below.
Email 1:
Hello,
We ‘ve found your domain name listed for sale..
If you are still interested in selling please send your quote and I will
consider it with my partners.
Main direction of our business is software development and technical
support.
Domain names is not our business but a new way to earn on reselling. We are
going to buy domains to resell them at higher prices since we have a large
database of clients interested in good domains.
Looking forward to do business with you.
Regards,
Email 2:
You want 13,500 USD. Ok.
Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?
If it’s just the name it’s ok. A web site is not necessary.
Have you had your domains appraised already? Can you show me your valuation certificates? As far as I know it’s a common practice to show appraisal of domain name (even without traffic and web site) before doing business.
Without an appraisal I risk to overpay. In other words I won’t be able to make a profit on reselling this name. It’s very important for you and me to know the current market value of your domains.
Of course, we must be sure that you are engaging an appraisal company with REAL manual service. I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate auto-generated appraisals. I will only accept appraisals from independent sources I trust. To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies in a forum. (they now give you a link of a forum you have to check out)
Just check this posting.
If the appraisal comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. I also hope you can give me 10 discount of the appraised value.
After I get an appraisal from you we’ll continue our negotiations.
How do you prefer to get paid: Escrow.com, PayPal.com check or wire?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
So if you ever get an email like this, you know what to do. Scrap it. Just remember this wise saying that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
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