About a year ago if you wanted to register a domain
name there was only one place to go: "Network
Solutions". For $70.00 (for the first two years) you
could register a name of your very own.

Today that's no longer the case. Now that the Internic
no longer has the stranglehold on domain registration,
there are a variety of websites that will register a
domain for you with varying prices.

One word of advice: Don't pay $70.00, but don't
go with the cheapest you can find, either. The old
adage, "you get what you pay for," rings very
true here. I have been using Registrars, which charges $60.00
for 2 years. Although I have seen registration advertised for
less, I like the nice password protection control panel that
Registrars gives you. This control panel makes it easy
for you to go in and alter the IP addresses
anytime you wish in case you switch web hosts.
For more on Registrars go to their site at
http://www.merlesworld.com k.cgi?registrars

Make sure that you read the fine print before committing
to some of the less expensive services. I have
heard stories of companies that lock you into hosting on
their servers for the first one or two years, or some other unusual demand.
While I haven't confirmed any of these tales, it always pays
to be careful.

Some other registration sites with good prices are:

http://www.budgetregister.com 14.99 per year
http://www.dnscentral.com 15.00 per year
http://www.123domains.com 13.99 per year
http://www.000domains.com 13.50 per year
http://www.domaininvestigator.com 20.00 per year
http://www.joker.com 12.00 per year

For a complete list of alternatives go to
http://www.newregistrars.com/registrars.html

If you have someone else register the name for you, like your host, make
your name is put down as the owner and administrative contact.
The only place the host's name should go is under the "technical contact."
If they set themselves up as the owner they will
then have complete control of your domain, which
could be a nightmare down the road if you
ever decide to change hosts. Trust me on this,
I've seen it happen.

For help choosing a name
try NameBoy http://www.nameboy.com It works
great for generating new ideas.

Registering a domain is not difficult. When you're
ready to do it, make sure you shop around and
compare prices and features. You'll be glad you
did!

About the Author
Merle http://www.merlesworld.com
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