Think Twice About Domain Registration

By Lee Hodgson

Filling in simple contact information for a domain name you're about to register sounds like a no-brainer.

Not worth a second thought, right?

Well, actually, it is.

Here's why you should think carefully about what information you give to the registrar.

Tell the Truth

Because WHOIS data are poorly protected by privacy laws and are, in fact, available for companies to buy for $10,000 (U.S.) or less (as stipulated by ICANN), many people are tempted to enter bogus registration information to avoid getting spammed.

Resist the temptation for two reasons.

Registrars put clauses in registration agreements requiring all registration information to be truthful and complete.

Registrars have the right to revoke the agreement if you enter bogus information.

Further, the registrar uses information you provide to contact you. If you register under the name Mickey Mouse and list your e-mail address as mickey@mouse.com, don't expect to be contacted, even if your name is about to expire.

Reliable Address

Many registrars use the e-mail address you supply as the sole method of contacting you. Make sure it's typed properly, in operation the day you perform the registration, and still in operation when your registration expires.

Avoid using a temporary e-mail address, which is any address you won't be using in a year or two. For instance, most people use e-mail addresses supplied by their ISP. Six months down the line, when they get a new cable modem from a different ISP, they forget their old e-mail addresses becomes invalid.

Where can you get a more permanent e-mail address?

Countless companies provide permanent homes for e-mail, many of them Web-based providers such as MSN's Hotmail or Yahoo!.

The danger of using Web-based accounts is that people forget to check them regularly.

If an important e-mail message arrives at an account you never check, it's worse than if the message were bounced back to the sender. The domain name registration company will assume you received and read the message it sent.

POP3 to It

A smart alternative is to purchase a POP3 mailbox through a domain name registrar, Web host or e-mail service and attach it to your new domain name.

If you registered myebusiness.com, you could set up a mailbox called info@myebusiness.com. Or you can set up other e-mail addresses, such as support@myebusiness.com, for no extra charge.

Not only do custom e-mail addresses look impressive on business cards, they guarantee a permanent mailbox for as long as you want to use the domain name.

Be wary of companies offering lifetime e-mail addresses, free or otherwise. The address is only valid as long as the company is in business.

Remember, the registration company will send a renewal notice near the end of the domain name's initial registration period. If you don't have a valid e-mail address you check regularly, you're in grave danger of losing your domain name.

Use a Safe Password

Most registrars ask you to provide a password when registering. This allows you to manage your account using a Web-based domain management system. While Web-based access is extremely convenient, it is a potential security risk. The password is the only thing stopping hackers from accessing your name.

Follow the first rule with passwords: They should be easy to remember by the owner but impossible for a third party to guess. Remember, if others can guess your password, they can manage your domain name and potentially steal it from you.

Here are some dos and don'ts for producing memorable but nonguessable passwords:

• Do use a minimum of six characters, preferably eight or more. Passwords less than six characters are just not long enough to be considered safe.
• Do use a mixture of letters and numbers.
• Do mix capitalized with lowercase letters.
• Don't use the domain name. For example, if your domain name is SpeakEasy.com, don't use SpeakEasy as the password.
• Don't use your first or last name. For any domain name, the first and last name of the registrant are easily obtained using a simple WHOIS look-up.
• Don't use the name of the domain name registration company. Hackers will think of that first!
• Don't use common words, such as love, domain, name, password, guess and so on. Hackers keep lists of common words and try those first.

Dot-com domain names are open for companies and individuals to register. This is why you'll be asked for both an organization's and an individual's name during registration.

Fill the Company Box

If you're registering the name for a company, list the company name in full. The individual should be someone within the company who has authority, not just anyone in the IT department.

If you are an individual, do not enter a fake company name. You have to type something because a blank company field is not permissible. But type something to make it clear this registration is for personal use, such as N/A, None or Personal Registration.

If you enter a company name, real or not, you are assigning registration rights to that company. If the company doesn't exist, you might find it very difficult to transfer the name to a new owner or to perform updates to the registration information, especially if the registrar requires owners to initiate changes or transfers of ownership by faxed letterhead.

Update Information

People change phone numbers and e-mail addresses regularly, so remember to keep your registration information updated at all times. This is as important as entering accurate information in the first place.

As soon as you complete the registration, keep important information in a safe place. That includes domain names you registered, registration and expiration dates, and the registration company's contact details (URL and e-mail address).

If the registrar doesn't contact you before the expiration date, you must contact the registrar. After all, it's your domain name at risk.

The views of our authors don' t necessarily reflect the views and policies of this company or its advertisers.

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