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Domain Name Frequently Asked...
| Posted by kohashi, 02-02-2004, 09:44 AM |
Domain Name Frequently Asked Questions Database
Note: This FAQ is NOT all encompassing. If you find any technical details missing or wrong please contact me. Also, many of the registrars listed are just the more popular registrars with the crowd here. Many others may fit the criterion, if you know of one, please email it to me with a link to the page that contains the information needed to verify whatever is being asked.
Email: domainfaq1@ohashi.us
General Domain Related Questions
Q: What is the cheapest and/or best registrar (or reseller)?
A: None. The market is always changing and defining price can vary. Some places say free domain WITH widget and others say free domain if you do such and such and others just claim $6 domains. Quality also varies from users experience. Some find an interface they like and advocate the user of a particular registrar for that reason. Some people find support to be the most important feature in domain registrars, and feedback on support quality will vary from person to person. You have to either listen to the general public and their advice or try various registrars until you find one you like.
Q: How do I transfer my domain name?
A: This process varies by TLD (Top Level Domain - .com/.net/.org/.biz/.us/.info/etc). The domain MUST be unlocked in any case. For .com/.net/.cc domains there is a loose process in place where the registrar requests a transfer to another registrar for a domain name. The domain name in question then needs to be authorized by the administrative contact on the domain name (this process varies from registrar to registrar). For many other TLDs the EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) process is used where an authorization key is provided with the transfer request. The entire process is seamless and fast. The transfer requires nothing more than the key, the administrative contact will not be contacted.
Q: How do I make sure my domain is not hijacked and is safe?
A: There is no 100% secure way to do anything online. You can take measures to make it very difficult for anything to happen such as using a strong password (long, alphanumeric passwords tend to be some of the strongest). Remember to change your password regularly. Other things that can be done to help secure the domain is to turn on Registrar-Lock feature.
Q: I want to sell domains online, where do I start?
A: You need to work with a registrar or reseller of a registrar. The official registrar list can be found at http://www.internic.net/alpha.html. Look for a reseller or affiliate program to begin selling domains online. Be sure to do a lot of research about different programs before you commit yourself to one.
Q: Where can I find a script to perform WHOIS lookups on my website?
A: Many free scripts are available at such resources as http://www.hotscripts.com or http://www.resource-index.com.
Q: When does a domain name expire?
A: Domain names are leased for 1-10 years by a registrant. After they hit the expiration date listed in the whois they either enter on-hold period or directly into the Redemption Grace Period.(RGP) The on-hold periods means that the registrar has paid for the name and gives the owner the opportunity to renew at a low cost for up to 45 days approximately (afterwards the domain enters the Redemption Grace Period). The RGP period is a grace given by the registry to renew the domain name for a higher cost (often around $200) and lasts 30 days. If the domain is not renewed during these grace periods it enters the Pending Delete cycle and will be deleted in 6 days for .com/.net domains and 5 days for .org domains.
Q: What is the best way to capture an expiring domain name?
A: Many companies and registrars offer services to catch expiring domain names. A list of some of the larger players:
http://www.pool.com(com/net/org/info/biz/ca/co.uk/me.uk/org.uk/net.uk)
http://www.snapnames.com(com/net/org)
http://www.namewinner.com(com/net/org/info)
http://www.thefirstname.com(com/net/org/info)
http://www.dropwizard.com(com/net/org/ca/co.uk)
http://www.godaddy.com(com/net)
http://www.enom.com/resellers/(com/net)
http://www.namefox.com(com/net)
http://www.dropcatcher.com(com/net)
http://www.detagged.co.uk(co.uk)
There are also many other smaller catching services and the listed drop services may catch more extensions than listed. The pricing is based on bidding or first-come-first-serve basis. Prices can vary from service to service, some cost under $10, while others start at $120. If you want the domain badly enough, cover as many bases as possible.
Q: Someone owns the domain name I want, how do I buy it/get it from them?
A: Perform a WHOIS lookup and contact the administrative contact via email/phone/fax and ask to buy the domain name. Your other alternative is to hope they do not renew the domain name and you can have services try and capture the domain name for you the instant it expires.
Q: Which is better: a hyphenated or unhyphenated domain name?
A: Depending on who you ask you will get a different answer.
The arguments against hyphens are: people do not type hyphens into domains. They carry less resale value in the aftermarket.
The arguments advocating hyphens are: search engines sometimes rank higher with hyphenated keywords. Another popular argument is that they are easier for a user to read.
Make your own decision based on these arguments (which can be further researched on any search engine). Another option is to register both domains and redirect one to the other.
Q: What is the best way to find a good available domain name?
A: One popular method of finding good domains is checking and searching an expired domain name database. You can visit a free list at http://www.deleteddomains.com. Another popular venue is using name generators which most registrars have when you search for a domain name.
Q: What are these .shop, .xxx, .mp3, .law, etc domain names?
A: These are new.net domain names. They are not official domain names and cannot be seen be a large portion of the internet. Users must have their browser enabled with a special plug-in to see new.net domain names. Some ISPs resolve new.net domains as well, but not a significant number. Most users see domain.extension.new.net (i.e. ohashi.shop.new.net) instead of a real domain (search engines also see this). A majority of users will advise you against using these domains for business due to the fact that most internet users will not be able to access your website.
Q: What are .us.com and .uk.com domain names?
A: These domains are in fact subdomains being sold off to users with DNS functionality. They are not ICANN recognized, but unlike new.net domain names, they will resolve for any user.
Q: What registrars/resellers accept PayPal?
A: Enom.com reseller accounts can be funded by paypal. DirectI.com also accepts paypal payments. OnlineNic.com has offered paypal as a payment option now. NameCheap and RegisterFly both accept paypal but are both enom resellers, not registrars.
Q: What is Registrar-Lock?
A: Registrar-Lock is a status a domain can be put in. It means the domain cannot be transferred from one registrar to another.
Q: What registrars offer free API?
A: Enom.com, DirectI.com, ******.com, DotRegistrar.com offer free API (list not comprehensive).
Tucows.com (OpenSRS) offers API free with an account which costs around $500.
Q: BuyDomains.com/DomainDeluxe/UltimateSearch/NameAdminInc/etc owns the domain I want, what should I do?
A: Pay their asking price or make an offer to them. These large companies will not sell cheap, so if they do not respond, take it as a no. These companies are earning hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars by maintaining a strong domain portfolio, they have no reason to sell their domains for cheap. |
| Posted by kohashi, 02-02-2004, 09:45 AM |
.ORG Specific Questions
Q: How come I cannot register a two character (or letter) long domain that shows as available?
A: The registration of two character .ORG domains is no longer allowed. These domains are now reserved, all currently registered two character .org domains are grandfathered and are allowed to be used and sold.
Registrar Related Questions
Enom Questions
Q: What is access.enom.com?
A: access.enom.com is essentially an interface to allow people to change settings on a domain without actually ever having control. If you buy a domain do NOT get an access.enom.com account, but make sure to have to domain name pushed to your own account. That is a common scam, but there is also a legitimate use for access.enom.com: many people need to have access to change the domain’s details.
Q: Why are people giving away all these free accounts?
A: Enom lets you create sub accounts that earn you commission. Using an account under someone means every time you buy a domain name they earn a small amount of money. That amount varies by reseller because some have different pricing levels.
Q: How much does it cost to become an enom reseller?
A: It is free, you can use the Registry-Rocket service which uses enom’s credit card processing and you do not have to make any downpayment.
Q: What is PDQ?
A: PDQ is a more advanced reseller script that allows more flexibility and customization for the reseller. It costs $99/year. Enom describes it as “PDQ is a full featured customizable e-commerce website. It is designed as a powerful tool to sell domain names. You give your site a name, set a color scheme, upload a logo (or not), and set the pricing. We take care of the website hosting, merchant processing and all other eNom services.”
Q: When do I get my commission? I sold a domain but I cannot find the money anywhere.
A: The commission you earn sits for 90 days to help cover enom from charge-backs. You can view your earnings at http://www.enom.com/resellers/CommissionAccount.asp (available under resellers-->sub-accounts-->commission account in the top menu). Once 90 days is up you can have a check made out to you or have it deposited into your account.
Godaddy/WildWest Domains/BlueRazor Related Questions
Q: Where can I register nameservers?
A: Click on the domain name, then click host summary on the right, and then click register nameservers.
Privacy/Proxy Domain Registration
QWhere can I find private/proxy registrations for my domain names?
http://www.alternativeidentity.com/about.htm
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/faq/f...&topic=Domains
http://www.networksolutions.com/doma.../private.jhtml
http://www.enom.com/privacy-protecti...is-privacy.asp
http://registerfly.com/protectfly/ |
| Posted by kohashi, 04-12-2004, 11:26 AM |
|
nice addition Bashar. |
| Posted by Bashar, 04-12-2004, 03:39 PM |
Thanks Buddy  |
| Posted by damainman, 04-14-2004, 01:46 AM |
nice post  |
| Posted by NightProwler, 04-27-2004, 07:08 PM |
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Thanks! This is truely helpful |
| Posted by kohashi, 04-27-2004, 08:20 PM |
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glad you like it NightProwler |
| Posted by CretaForce, 05-11-2004, 04:17 PM |
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Thank you for your post :-) |
| Posted by albc15, 05-15-2004, 09:50 PM |
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this is awesome, great job |
| Posted by kohashi, 05-15-2004, 10:22 PM |
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glad people are enjoying this. I wish more people would read it, because I think many questions asked are already answered here |
| Posted by dannybedor, 05-19-2004, 05:58 AM |
I don't provide the answer just my question...
Q: What is exactly the responsibility differences beetwen registrant, administrative contact, technical contact, and billing contact? |
| Posted by kohashi, 05-19-2004, 06:33 AM |
|
Administrative Contact essentially controls the domain name. The rest I don't know if they practical use. Registrant is who "owns" it, or whom it is registered for. Technical ideally would be someone who manages dns servers or hosting probably. Billing is the person/group that pays for it and should be contacted about payment for the domain. But the only one I really see any use in is Administrative. Every registrar looks there to make updates, transfers, etc. |
| Posted by amusive.com, 05-21-2004, 06:45 PM |
I don't think eNom supports org in their drop service anymore. I was trying to do it on one, and it wouldn't allow me to.
BTW -- nice faq. |
| Posted by Bashar, 05-21-2004, 06:56 PM |
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thats true, Thanks for the note |
| Posted by gx10vn, 09-05-2004, 07:53 AM |
Great post.
Tnx.
But, plz tell me how can I start my domain business? |
| Posted by Bashar, 09-06-2004, 07:36 AM |
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there is many posts about this, and you may post a new thread to discuss this issue too |
| Posted by Neo1901, 01-14-2005, 08:41 AM |
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I could not follow the process of domain transfer. Can anyone explain it in lehman's language |
| Posted by kohashi, 06-13-2005, 05:31 AM |
Quote:
Originally posted by Neo1901
I could not follow the process of domain transfer. Can anyone explain it in lehman's language
|
1. Domain is at registrar A and you want to move it to registrar B.
2. Unlock the domain at registrar A (STATUS: ACTIVE - instead of STATUS: LOCKED which appears in the WHOIS)
3. Go to registrar B and initiate a transfer. (pay, setup account, etc)
4. registrar B emails administrative contact on the WHOIS asking for a confirmination that the transfer is to occur.
5. Confirm the transfer via email and whatever other methods described in the email.
6. Wait a bit (up to a few days) and it should transfer. On a side note, A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of registration/transfer. |
| Posted by vagabond007, 08-11-2005, 11:00 PM |
|
The best guide on net .....how come u ppl are so efficient its pleasur to be on this forumn ..... |
| Posted by kohashi, 08-12-2005, 01:50 AM |
Quote:
Originally posted by vagabond007
The best guide on net .....how come u ppl are so efficient its pleasur to be on this forumn .....
|
Glad you found it helpful |
| Posted by txMom, 11-29-2005, 01:08 PM |
Is this a good place to ask about Nameservers?
I am trying to find out exactly WHO maintains the NameServer registrations. Is it ICANN or InterNic or my registrar or even multiple authorities?
Are there rules about maintaining the nameserver entries intact when Transferring the domain they are part of?
For example, if I have domain.abc and I register ns1.domain.abc and ns2.domain.abc, who maintains that information?
Then if I transfer domain.abc, what happens to the nameserver registrations?
Thanks very much!
 |
| Posted by miscellaneous, 03-22-2006, 11:05 PM |
May I please ask for a clarification, Kevin? This FAQ and answer:
Q: How do I make sure my domain is not hijacked and is safe?
A: There is no 100% secure way to do anything online. You can take measures to make it very difficult for anything to happen such as using a strong password (long, alphanumeric passwords tend to be some of the strongest). Remember to change your password regularly. Other things that can be done to help secure the domain is to turn on ‘Registrar-Lock’ feature.
Is this question about site security, or the actual stealing of a domain name?
Thank you.
. |
| Posted by kohashi, 03-23-2006, 03:43 AM |
nameservers are managed by root servers (verisign runs them).
as far as domain security, i am referring to the domain name being hijacked, not your website hacked. both are possible though. |
| Posted by miscellaneous, 03-23-2006, 10:28 AM |
I do appreciate the response, but I am still confused. What do you mean a domain name being "hijacked"? Can't we just use the word "stolen"? So then I am wondering what the purpose is of "domain name registration" if the name can still be stolen?
Better yet, just how could I start another site called "WebHostingTalk Forums"? That would be "hijacking/stealing" a domain name, yes?
Thank you for the having patience with this simple country fella.
. |
| Posted by three-point-o.com, 03-24-2006, 02:43 AM |
|
great set of FAQ's. thanks for the time of putting it together. |
| Posted by kohashi, 06-13-2006, 11:18 AM |
When I say hijacked it is the same as stealing in principle, just the terminology used for domain names. You buy a car to drive it around but it can still be stolen, same principle. You buy something to use it, just because you pay doesn't mean you are immune to bad things happening.
If you copied a website like this one it isnt hijacking or stealing (unless you took all content too), we're talking about actually taking the domain name, webhostingtalk.com. If you took control of this domain name by some illicit means, that would be hijacking.
Hope that clears things up, sorry for the delayed response |
| Posted by Rimki, 08-21-2006, 05:32 AM |
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Very nice FAQ. |
| Posted by americanahost, 10-30-2006, 11:46 AM |
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nice FAQs , Thank you |
| Posted by Draco, 10-31-2006, 11:41 PM |
i think i haven't seen it but can we add this question:
how long does it take for a domain to propagate?
thanks  |
| Posted by edu4vision, 11-01-2006, 12:37 AM |
Draco,
Usually it just take a few minutes. But in a worst case in can go up to 72 hours... |
| Posted by Saryooo, 03-05-2007, 01:34 AM |
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what if someone hijack our domain? any procedure for this also? |
| Posted by Bashar, 03-05-2007, 01:09 PM |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by eglim
what if someone hijack our domain? any procedure for this also?
|
contact the registrars, or hire a laywer |
| Posted by mossimo32001, 05-22-2007, 02:40 AM |
thanks for this post its really help other people who has no idea about domain registration etc...
But what is the best resller for domain? |
| Posted by ^one^, 07-13-2007, 08:56 AM |
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what to really see at the registrar before buying domain with them? i've read many comment about registrar but do i have to choose only from the comments? are there other things i should know about the registrar before buy domain with them? |
| Posted by Draco, 07-13-2007, 11:32 AM |
mossimo : I've used like 3 o 4 places to register domain and by far godaddy is the best, its a good price and good service, so I ll stick with it.
one: Comments seems to be a great tool to make you decide whetere to register a domain with a certain registar or not, also check their prices and what do they offer (extra services, support 24/7? among others), you can test how fast their support service can be by asking them anything you wanna know before register with them, that'd should do. |
| Posted by Crusaders, 08-13-2007, 03:25 PM |
Hi
I just want to say thanks for the assistance. I am in the processes of buying some domains and I was unsure how to proceed. Guess I must get myself an account at one of the registrars.
Question is it better to have accounts with more then one, like one with Enom and one with GoDaddy.
And are there fees for transfer of domains?
Thanks again for all your help, saved me hours of searching and reading. |
| Posted by Draco, 08-14-2007, 01:32 AM |
I may sound like a godaddy employee (which im not) LOL but for example, to transfer domains at godaddy won't be any more expensive than registering a new domain (6.95 $ plus fee ), this is when you go with them, other places like Enom probably have bigger prices but its up to you to choose which one to use.
You CAN have accounts on both places if you want to, that if you ACTUALLY need to have accounts on both of them , I prefer to have 1 account at one place, it what i need and works for me. |
| Posted by dwhin, 08-14-2007, 03:35 AM |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Crusaders
Hi
I just want to say thanks for the assistance. I am in the processes of buying some domains and I was unsure how to proceed. Guess I must get myself an account at one of the registrars.
Question is it better to have accounts with more then one, like one with Enom and one with GoDaddy.
And are there fees for transfer of domains?
Thanks again for all your help, saved me hours of searching and reading.
|
Hey this was exactly what I was about to ask in my new post in this thread...and you snatched words from my mind.)
I have the same query. I want to purchase a domain for my client who is also taking a Hosting Plan from me. But my host wouldnt allow me more than one as free with the Plan Plus the worst, it doesnt also have the extension desired by
my client.
In that case if I register with another domain seller , I have to register in my own name and address and coz...this seller doesnt allow reselling, I have to purchase the desired domain of client in my own name and address.
Now what??? How do I transfer the domain my client requires which is in my name to my cleint's name without charging anything extra for transfer.
Let me confess here, I am totally new and just starting this domain business after going through so many posts here which helps me a lot in understanding. |
| Posted by crashnburn4u, 08-31-2007, 05:59 PM |
Which domain registrars & resellers provide the DOMAIN LOCK facility?
Is it free?
How much do they charge? |
| Posted by Draco, 08-31-2007, 06:55 PM |
Godaddy and Hostway does
its already included on their services. |
| Posted by almazlamaz, 01-22-2008, 05:19 PM |
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is here any way to contact the owner if the registration was used as private? |
| Posted by txMom, 01-26-2008, 02:31 PM |
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yes, emails should be automatically forwarded to domain owner. You just don't have access to their real email address. |
| Posted by Henrike, 02-13-2008, 06:06 PM |
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The link to official registrars are dead? |
| Posted by jordibares, 05-15-2008, 09:34 AM |
I am quite confused about how this works and hopefully i think i have done my homework, my question will not be too embarrasing.
First of all, i would like to manage my domains independently from the web hosting solution, is any official domain management resource? i moved from hosting A to hosting B and the first one had a superb domain management service while B does not.
I want to renew the domains, change where they point (host service) and of course i want to be able to lock/unlock them.
From my web service provider i have a nice setup and i am happy but that does not mean i will stay forever.
Also i have come across quite a lot of specialized terminology please be nice to me and use plain language if possible.
On the other side of the question, is there any software solution to administer those domains? officially? i am using at the moment RAGE Domainer and is great apart from the fact you can't modify the Name servers... it is mostly a help app rather than an administration app.
thanks in advance for your time. |
| Posted by BBT_Translations, 05-01-2009, 04:04 PM |
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Very informative.Thanks |
| Posted by Donald0814, 03-18-2012, 11:32 PM |
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I think GoDaddy accepts payments through paypal. |
| Posted by Mike_GoDaddy, 03-19-2012, 01:31 PM |
Donald0814,
Go Daddy does accept payment via PayPal; however, Go Daddy only accept PayPal accounts that are backed by a Credit Card.
Go Daddy does not accept the following:
· PayPal account only backed by check.
· PayPal account backed by a non-verified bank account.
· PayPal account backed by a VERIFIED bank account.
· PayPal account backed by PayPal version of funds on hand.
PayPal will not let you select an account the does not meet our criteria. PayPal will prompt you for a credit card number if your PayPal account does not have one applied. |
| Posted by himagain, 03-25-2012, 04:23 AM |
Hi there,
Updates needed for "Registerfly" in there!
Cheers! |
| Posted by maz19, 04-29-2012, 12:51 AM |
nice post  |
| Posted by sablank56, 05-09-2012, 11:49 PM |
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Brand new here- thanks for the note! Very helpful |
| Posted by pri123, 11-04-2013, 12:09 PM |
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Do we need a domain name for database database server? I making an android app and i need a database server...what should i do? |
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