Domain names

[Adam5000]

I know there's a forum for domain names but this is a basic newbie question.

What I'd like to know is, what's the advantage of registering a domain name.

Is it like "Oreo" cookies? I know "Oreo" is a registered name and no one, except the Oreo company, can make cookies and call them "Oreo". And no one, except the Peter Pan company, can make peanut butter and call it "Peter Pan", and so on.

What's the advantage of registering a domain name?

[crescenta]

No matter where you go, the domain goes with you. You can change web hosts. The freebie web host where you house your site may go belly up at any time, and you have no control over that. You work really hard on your site, but if the ISP or host discontinues offering services, *poof!* there goes your site. No one will know where to find it and you have to start from square one to get the traffic back. With your own domain, the site goes wherever you want it to go, whenver you want it to. It will never get "lost."

Think of it as having a telephone number that you *never* have to change, no matter how many times you move. Or better yet, think of it not as a *number*, as in "213-555-1234" but more like "CALL-DAVE." Which is easier for people to remember? Which sounds like you took the trouble to make it easy for people to find you? Which *will* make it easier for people to find you?

A domain name lends credibility to your site--you took the trouble to register it (but that's cheap, something like $10-15 a year) and you took the trouble to find a host for it. (Or you are hosting it yourself.) That shows some commitment. www.freebiecheapskatesite.com/~youwillneverrememberthisURL does not look as nice as MYDOMAIN.COM. Even more importantly, www.freebiecheapskatesite.com/~buymywidgets will not be as easy to remember as BUYMYWIDGETS.COM will be--*especially* when www.freebiecheapskatesite.com goes down next year and takes your site with it.

There are a ton of really great reasons to have a domain. Easy to find, more credibility, portability--the list goes on and on.

[Adam5000]

I think that's what I've got now. The address is a .com address and when I first contacted the people who are hosting the site, I had to pick a "Domain name" that wasn't already taken. They charged me an extra fifteen dollars for something. Could it be registered and I don't know it?

[cmatcme]

Probably, that "extra fifteen dollars for something" is your domain name fee. They may've forgot to tell you. Visit the domain you registered and you'll find out. :)

cmatcme

[mack]

I would say the 15 bucks was foryour domain name. As the previous poster mentioned try visiting your domain to see if it is infact live.

If you have a control panel through your hosting company. log and and you should be able to control your account from in there.

If you cant resolve your issue from there, your best bet would probably be to contact customer support.

Mack.

[Adam5000]

This is a great group. Thank you all for your help. You've provided a lot of insight about the advantages of registering a domain name. I'll send the host an e mail and ask them if the name is registered.