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cmeisenzahl · Apr 29, 2011, 07:18 AM

I'd like to buy a domain name and have never done it before. What's the best/easiest/cheapest way to do it? How do I have it redirected?

Thanks!

subego · Apr 29, 2011, 07:34 AM

I like Hover. Clean interface. No upsell. No stupid ad campaigns.

You can set up a redirect on your accounts page.

cmeisenzahl · Apr 29, 2011, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by subego

I like Hover. Clean interface. No upsell. No stupid ad campaigns.
You can set up a redirect on your accounts page.

Cool, thanks!

besson3c · Apr 29, 2011, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by subego

I like Hover. Clean interface. No upsell. No stupid ad campaigns.

You can set up a redirect on your accounts page.

Have I been asleep at the wheel, or is "domain forwarding" an accepted term now, or is this simply confusing marketing speak?

imitchellg5 · Apr 29, 2011, 01:47 PM

Hover seems quite expensive.

olePigeon · Apr 29, 2011, 02:04 PM

I like GKG.net for buying domains, though they're expensive for hosting.

The Godfather · Apr 30, 2011, 12:07 AM

The best and easiest way is to buy it from your own web hosting company, so you don't have to setup @ records, or domain forwarding (less preferable).

besson3c · Apr 30, 2011, 12:11 AM

I'm still not quite sure I understand how "domain forwarding" is being used, but you don't need to register your domain with the same company that hosts your website so long as the registrar provides a place for you to enter the name servers of your hosting company.

besson3c · Apr 30, 2011, 12:12 AM

It looks like domain forwarding is basically a CNAME?

Again, I'm not sure how/why this term came to be.

Athens · Apr 30, 2011, 12:41 AM

Ive always been a dotster fan. Not the cheapest but a solid company which you can call if need be and talk to a live person.

subego · Apr 30, 2011, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Hover seems quite expensive.

They automatically include a private WhoIs entry. A lot of places will show a cheap price and then tack on an extra $5-$10 for that.

As I said, no upsell.

Also, though I haven't had occasion to use it, I understand they have really good tech support and customer service, like a certain computer company we all know which sells expensive products.

subego · Apr 30, 2011, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

It looks like domain forwarding is basically a CNAME?

Again, I'm not sure how/why this term came to be.

FWIW, I'm not ignoring your questions, it's just the answers are above my pay-grade.

Waragainstsleep · Apr 30, 2011, 08:29 AM

Yes essentially forwarding a domain is a CNAME.

DNS hosting and domain name purchasing can be a bit of a minefield because no two companies do it the same way and worst of all they all have a tendency to use different nomenclature. There are some who will immediately understand what you mean if you say 'domain forwarding' but you can hear them looking confused down the phone when you say 'CNAME'. When you get into the nuts and bolts of it, DNS can be complicated but for most peoples requirements, it really shouldn't be as bad as it is.

Most users never go beyond A records, MX records and CNAMEs but the number of hosting companies I have dealt with who seem to confuse just these is staggering. Having said that I have worked with so called professionals who have no clue about DNS whatsoever. They just learn a way of doing it without understanding what it is they are doing. Though that is true of a great many other things in IT as well. Try asking someone with very expensive MCSE qualifications to set up an IMAP account on Apple Mail and you'll see what I mean by that.

brassplayersrock² · May 1, 2011, 02:03 AM

With money.

besson3c · May 1, 2011, 02:17 AM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Yes essentially forwarding a domain is a CNAME.

DNS hosting and domain name purchasing can be a bit of a minefield because no two companies do it the same way and worst of all they all have a tendency to use different nomenclature. There are some who will immediately understand what you mean if you say 'domain forwarding' but you can hear them looking confused down the phone when you say 'CNAME'. When you get into the nuts and bolts of it, DNS can be complicated but for most peoples requirements, it really shouldn't be as bad as it is.

Most users never go beyond A records, MX records and CNAMEs but the number of hosting companies I have dealt with who seem to confuse just these is staggering. Having said that I have worked with so called professionals who have no clue about DNS whatsoever. They just learn a way of doing it without understanding what it is they are doing. Though that is true of a great many other things in IT as well. Try asking someone with very expensive MCSE qualifications to set up an IMAP account on Apple Mail and you'll see what I mean by that.

I've also come across domain registrars who either don't let you set your own nameservers, or else make this hard for you by requiring that you contact their support to do this - I *hate* working with registrars like this, I think GoDaddy might be one of them if my memory serves me correctly. Whomever it was, I believe we ended up just transferring the domain elsewhere, which was probably also a PITA getting the unlock code. Don't quote me on this though, it was a long time ago, and it wasn't my domain...

To me, I don't care so much about the prices differences because they are pretty negligible, I look for no-nonsense service and clarity. So far I've been fine with domaindiscover.com, but I tell people that it really doesn't matter so much who your registrar is so long as this is true and you have a good vibe about their level of support should you need it. I guess I'd be wary about super cheap registrations too, namely there being some sort of catch.

Is there a law against not being able to point your domain at your own name servers or not being able to transfer it?