The first task in building your online portfolio should be to secure a domain name and hosting. Consider both of these decisions carefully, as the former will present your professional identity to the world and the latter will control how that identity functions. This project will have the following goals:
- Register a domain name
- Secure hosting through an ISP
- Set up domain services
Registering a domain name and choosing an ISP are very important decisions. You want to keep one thing in mind: configuration should be as easy as possible. Many ISPs, like the popular GoDaddy.com, will be both your registrar and your ISP. This is often convenient and less expensive, but can be limiting when configuring domain services, like A names and MX records. More often than not, ISPs will use their own registrars. I think they do this to keep the process as cryptic as possible for the end user, making it seem as if the ISP is more important and integral than they really are. Therefore, I like to register the domain name myself, even though it might cost a bit more. This assures me the control over my name, providing me what I need whenever I need it.
That said, many ISPs run excellent specials that include a domain name. For example, I recently saw a television commercial for a special at GoDaddy.com: $7.49 a year includes a free domain name “for life.” Use the promo code “TVSPECIAL.” Sound good? I think so, too. It might sound too good, however. Be sure you investigate deals like this closely before singing up. The longer you use a hosting provider, the more difficult and time consuming it becomes to fire them and move to another.
It is also possible that several of you could share an ISP. If you purchase hosting service, many ISPs will allow you to “park” or use “add-on” domains. This means that one person could secure hosting, and several others could use the service to host their domains, like sub-leasing an apartment or renting a room. This will allow you to share costs, but it would also give the sub-leasees less control over the domain resources. My ISP, Midphase, allows me to use ten “add-on” domains and runs me about $80 a year; that’s 11 domain names at about $7.27 each.
Here’s how I do it. I own about a dozen domain names, and I have most of them registered through Yahoo. While I do not use Yahoo hosting, they provide an excellent control panel to control the functions of my domain names, like DNS. Therefore, Yahoo is my registrar and Midphase is my ISP, or hosting company. However, there’s nothing wrong with using Yahoo to provide hosting.
Searching for a Domain Name
The best way to search for the availability of a domain name is through a WHOIS search. I think the best way to search is through a UNIX command line: whois bigjelly.net . This will return one of two results: the domain name cannot be found which means it’s available; or it will show you who owns the name. You may also perform a WHOIS search on a web site, but be careful. Many unscrupulous companies monitor these searches and will snap up names before you have a chance to purchase them. They will then try to sell them to you at a marked-up price. You should never pay more than $10 a year for a domain name.
Once you have a successful WHOIS search, you should purchase the domain as soon as possible. Remember, when you’re searching for a domain for this class, consider your audience. This is supposed to be a professional portfolio, so the name should reflect that: nothing cutesy. Consider also the ease-of-use. The shorter, the better. Try to avoid numbers and hypens. The obvious choice would be your name, or some easy derivation thereof.
Since this is a professional domain name, there’s nothing wrong with a .com (commercial domain). I use .org (non-profit organization) and .net (ISP), too, since these are the most common. There are many other top-level domains, too, like .pro, .info, .biz, and .name that would also be appropriate, if less-memorable.
Once you have your domain name, purchase service from an ISP. Or do both at the same time. Either way, set up your domain name to use with the ISP, if they don’t do it for you. Once you accomplish this, you’re ready to set up your domain services, including your web site.
Resources
- How to Buy a Domain Name
- Eleven Steps to Buying a Domain Name that Doesn’t Suck
- Buying the Perfect Domain Name
- Important Precautions to Take When Buying a Domain Name
- Yahoo! Small Business (WHOIS and Hosting)
- The Effective Strategy For Choosing Right Domain Names
Continue to Domain Services: Google Apps.
