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What is a domain name? (www. YourDomainName .com) It is a component of your internet address that is assigned to you that allows someone to locate you on the world wide web. It is your permanent address that can follow you no matter where in the world you might move. This
is a very powerful tool for individuals as well as businesses. It allows for email addresses such as (you @ your-name .com), web site addresses (such as this site) personal and business.
What does it mean to register a domain name? When you register a domain name it is assigned/licensed to you and associated with a (DNS) computer on the internet that you designate during the effective period of registration.
How long can a name be? The new long format allows for a minimum of 2 characters up to 63 characters plus the extension. Valid characters are (a-z) and (0-9) and the dash (-) as long as it is contained with in the other characters. It can not be a leading or trailing character.
If you use capital letters they will be translated into lower case which is what the domain name system (DNS) recognizes.
What is a domain name extension? (www. your-name .com) It is the (.com, .net, .org .biz .info) that follows the name that you have selected. It can indicate the kind of organization that is hosting the site. .com/commercial, .net/network, .org/nonprofit,
.biz/business, .info/informational. These are the most common top level extensions used by individuals and businesses today. More and more people are buying all five to protect their name from others taking advantage of their hard work. Anyone can register a domain name in any of the five extensions if they are available.
What about registering all three extensions? Should I? It is a good idea if you are a business. At today's low prices domain registration is a minor cost compared to the marketing expense over the long term. Someone could cash in on your efforts.
If someone else registers the names you could be in a legal fight with no guarantee of success. You know your attorney fees, registration fees in comparison is vary cheap insurance. We have businesses registering many variations of their name. Some businesses have registered as many as 250 domain names.
Who
should register a domain name? All businesses especially small
businesses need to have a presence right now, not necessarily to gain market
share but simply to survive and to be compatible in an environment that
eventually will be the primary way that buyer and sellers communicate.
This is also the way individuals will communicate. You should have domain
names for both you and your business. More and more people are registering
domain names for their family while there are still choices. If you are
creative and look hard enough you will find a good name. Names are being
registered at an incredible rate of over 400,000 per week, but the real
rush is yet to
come. Some projections are a 93% increase over the next three years. Registering
all the names within your budget that you think you might want in the future
is not a bad idea. The cost is a lot lower than trying to buy from
someone else in the future. Besides, if you decide later that you don't
want them just don't renew them and they will go back in the pool. Some
names go for big money, example: business.com/$7,500,000, AsSeenOnTV.com/$835,000
very few names sell at this high rate but their is a big market in reselling
domain names.
What is DNS? Your domain name is a long set of numbers that would be very hard to remember so we use descriptive words and let the (DNS) Domain Name Server software translate the domain name into sets of numbers (IP address xxx.xx.xxx.xx) so that a browser can locate your site. Two
servers a primary and a secondary DNS. Your domain name is considered parked at the servers you specify. When you register a domain name with M Media it is parked free for you until you are ready for it. more DNS
Where do I get information about the DNS? There are two DNS fields in the registration form which are optional. You may register a domain name without DNS information and M Media will park your domain for FREE on the servers
that we use until you are ready to use it. This will typically occur when you find your web hosting company. Your new web host will supply you with the information needed for your new DNS location.
What is a URL? (URL) Uniform Resource Locator which is a line of text that uniquely specifies a resource such as a complete file. Each computer (called a server) that hosts a web site is assigned it's own unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. A string of numbers and dots. You could
type in the string of numbers and dots, but entering and remembering the name is a lot easier. Let the DNS which has special software do the work.
Why should I pay for registration when other advertise it for free? Their
is a lot of misleading advertising out their making claims of free or cheap
deals. If you spend a lot of time and read and re-read their agreement or ask
all the right questions you will find hidden charges, (example: interNIC will
bill you $70 separately or the name is in their name, or it is a sub-name and
extension of their name).
Why
are your fees so low? M Media is a high volume Registration
Service Provider with automated technology dedicated to bringing you information
you can use. Our visitors, members and customers return often to find useful
information. In turn our volume allows us to offer the low prices.
What
are the fees to register a domain name? Our fees are typically
$12 a year, depending on what extension you get; some are more expensive,
as much as $60 each a year.
What
method of payment can I use with M Media? M Media accepts
company check as well as all major credit cards American Express, Discover,
Master Card, Visa.
Why
do I have to pay in advance? This prevents individuals from tying
up domain names who do not intend to pay. With M Media's low fees
their is no need for credit. What if you wanted a name but someone had
it tied
up for say 30 days, should you find another name now or wait to see if
the name is going to be taken or not?
What if the name I want is taken? Just retry another name until you find a name that is available. With M Media the search is FREE and you can search as often as you like.
Can I find out who owns a domain name that is already taken? When you enter a name in the search box at M Media and the name is taken you will have the option to view the record of who owns the domain
name.
Could my name be misspelled? M Media prides itself with it's automated leading edge technology. Your information will be submitted to the registry exactly the way you entered it. No manual processing here.
What about long term registration? 5 yrs - 10 yrs? Long
term registration is good for us but not for you. If you decided
to move your domain to a different registrar you would have to pay a
fee. A shorter term gives you more control over your domain name. Many
registrars
want to tie you up for long periods of time.
M Media wants your business and wants you to stay with us because you want to, not because you have to. If your registrar were to sell or merge you may not like the new owners. Two year terms gives you the control you need. Your can renew at anytime to add additional years to your registration
term.
How long does a registration last? Can it be renewed? M Media offers one year and two year terms. Your should renew your registration about 30 days before the end of the current term. You will have up to the end of the current term
to do so but early is better. You can renew at anytime prior to the end of the registration current term.
Can anyone register a top-level domain (.com .net .org .biz .info) worldwide? Yes. The top-level domain names .com .net .org .biz .info domain names are available to anyone worldwide.
Can someone else register my name while it is being processed through the registry system? M Media prides itself with it's leading edge automated technology that guarantees
fast submission unlike some who use manual processes. Domain Name registration in on a first come first serve bases, first time stamp wins. with M Media your information is processed in real time.
Do I have control of my domain names? Yes. Your have complete control of your domain name for as long as it is registered at M Media.
Can I sell my domain name? Yes. You have complete control of your names and if you find a buyer you can sell it.
Can I move my domain name to a different registrar? Their is no need to change registrars. A reputable web hosting company should not ask you to transfer registrars. They will
however provide you with their server information where you will park your domain name while using their service. M Media will still be your registration service provider and you will still have control of your domain name. If for some reason you are not satisfied with our service you may always change to another registrar. Their charges vary.
Can I transfer a domain from another registrar to M Media? Yes. The transfer fee adds one FREE year to the end of you current term. If you are paying a high rate or have registered a domain name with
another registrar such as Network Solution you do not have to renew with them. You can transfer at anytime and not loose any of your current registration term with M Media. Just send us a list of the domain names that you wish to transfer (click on the transfer link).
Transfer problems: xyz has not yet responded to the admin
approval request to transfer the domain (your domain name.com)
The most common reason for this is that the admin contact's email
address is outdated at their prior registrar. Please ensure that your prior registrar has a valid, current email address for the admin contact.
How long does it take to register a domain name? M Media's real time application process should only take a few minutes to complete. Once your application has been processed and approved your name is registered.
I just registered a domain name but when I type it in my browser nothing came up? Your domain name is just that, a domain name. It is not a web site rather it is a name for your web site. When your web hosting company
has your web site ready they will supply you with and address and we can point the domain name to the site. It may take a few days for the routing to point to your new host. The fastest way is to use your Domain Management access.
Why doesn't my domain name show up in whois? It usually takes about 48 hours for the registry to activate a new domain. This is referred to as propagation. The amount of time it takes to update the DNS. You should not be concerned about strange messages or
no response for a few days. Not all WHOIS searches produce the same results. Just disregard any messages and try again later.
How do I change the contact information that is displayed in the whois results for my domain name? Go to the Manage Your Domain section of our site and enter your user name and password .All the domains
in your account will be listed. You can make the changes their.
After
I register my domain name with M Media? What is next? There
are many things that we'll help you do with your domain name(s). Build
a web site, use it for a email site (you @ yourname.com) build
a corporate presence on the world wide web, re-direct it to another web
site (URL forwarding)
or resale your names for a profit.
Are the names we get with M Media the same quality as interNIC? All registrars write names to the same registry. Their is only one registry for each of the .com .net .org .biz .info domains. All
registrars write to the same one, this includes interNIC. Since all registrars use the same protocol and software their is nothing a registrar can do in regards to the performance of a domain once it has been submitted. Registrars just hold the WHOIS information. If a registrar server should go down for some reason the only thing that could happen is that the whois information would not be available for
a while. With the automated system that M Media uses the submission is captured exactly as you entered it.
What is ICANN? ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a non-profit organization. It is responsible for overseeing the management of internet domain names.
Will my name and contact information be publicly available? Yes. The information that you provide on the registration form (except for your secure payment information) is publicly available on the whois site. This information has been deemed
necessary to facilitate the enforcement of consumer protection, trademark issues and other laws and technical problems and allows for rapid resolution of these problems.
URL forwarding? URL
forwarding is redirecting a domain name to another site. If you have
a site xyz.com and register a name xyz.net or zzz.com you can redirect those
names to xyz.com. You can have one web site and register several names
and redirect them to one site. If you have a free site with a "their name/your name.com" you
can redirect your new registered name to that site.
Still Have Questions? Contact M Media or call us today at 512.341.2500 to learn more!
M Media's
dedicated hosting services, delivered with real-time monitoring,
reporting and growth requirement analysis, allow customers to deliver
scalable enterprise solutions.
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