Blog Building Experiment

Purchasing a domain name is the first step towards getting a blog up and running on the Internet.  A domain name is simply the address a user types into their Internet browser’s address bar when they wish to visit your page on the Internet.  A domain name is one example of a “URL”, which may be more familiar terminology.  Examples of familiar domain names include http://www.blogbuildingexperiment.com and http://www.google.com.  Domain names can also end in “.net”, “.org” and “.us” to name just a few, although “.com” is considered the most popular.

Once you’ve decided on a domain name, the easiest way to register it is usually online through a “domain name registrar”.  A domain name registrar is simply a company who has the proper authorisation to register Internet domain names on the behalf of customers.  The cost associated with registering a domain name can range from around $7.00USD per year up to around $30.00USD per year, depending on who you go through.  This site’s domain name; http://www.blogbuildingexperiment.com was registered through MyDOMAIN for $8.95 USD.  Other popular domain registrars include Go Daddy and Moniker.  You can check the availability of any domain name online for free through a domain name registrar to see whether or not a specific name has already been taken. 

It’s generally not advisable to purchase a domain name through the very cheapest domain name registrar you can find.  The simple reason for this is that you’re more likely to run into problems with getting a poor set of domain configuration tools and subpar support by going with a rock-bottom priced registrar.  Also, if you decide to change your mind later on and transfer your domain name to another registrar, you’ll likely run into more issues with the transfer if the domain was initially registered on the cheap.   I’ve had no problems thus far using MyDOMAIN as my registrar, although I’ve also heard good things about Go Daddy and Moniker among others.  While it’s important not to penny pinch too much when purchasing a domain name, I’m yet to see much benefit in spending $20.00USD or more on registering a domain name.

It’s often considered good practice to choose a domain name that matches the name of your website.  This way users will have an easier time identifying your domain name as being associated with the name of your site and will make your site more recognisable to users in search engine results.  Some good guidelines for choosing the right domain name can be found here.  This blog’s domain name breaks some of these guidelines like the small length rule, in favour of having a more descriptive name.

Once you’ve purchased a domain name, you’ll probably find there’s a few options to configure.  For the time being, most of these can be left at their defaults until you’ve performed the next step in getting your blog online - Purchasing Web Hosting.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 3:35 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.