I was always interested in how you register a domain name and get it hosted on the World Wide Web. I’d seen examples like Richard Wanderman’s LD Resources: http://www.ldresources.com/ (one of the best special education sites on the web!) or The University of Connecticut: http://www.uconn.edu Ldresources.com and Uconn.edu are registered domain names and can be used for Email and web sites.

It took me several months to figure this out so I could register my first domain name with Internic (the company that registers and keeps a database of domain names) and get it hosted by an ISP (Internet Service Provider). The second time it took less than 2 hours to do this. There are probably many ways to accomplish this; I’ll simply lead you through the steps I took (leaving out several of the blind alleys I also explored).

Domain Name

First you need to pick a domain name and see if it is available. You can get some idea by entering domain names in your browser and seeing what comes up. I did this and discovered that someone had already registered Chauncy.com and Rucker.com. A more accurate way to see if your choice has already been registered is to check the Internic WHOIS Database:
http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/ whois

There are several types of domain names. The only ones I’ve registered are for .com and .org (.org for a non-profit organization, .com for a commercial, or private organization).

Internet Service Provider

After selecting an available domain name you need to select an Internet Service Provider. I was familiar with the UConn service, but that wouldn’t be an appropriate server for a private web site. I was also familiar with a few other ISPs, but wasn’t particularly pleased with them. Some are very expensive, offer little storage space, and offer few extra options. Fortunately a friend gave me an article about ISPs that suggested checking “The Ultimate Web Host List - Top 25.” The Top 25 rates ISPs on a monthly basis.
http://webhostlist.internetlist.com/screens/ toplists/main.asp

Once you get to the Top 25 site you can click on “the top 5,” or “top 15,” or “top 25.” I looked over most of the top providers and then selected one of the top 5. Actually that provider had a banner ad on the Top 5 site which offered a special discount price with a very powerful set of options.

I simply clicked the banner ad, read through all the options and signed up with my credit card. I know some people fear buying with a credit card on the Internet, but I find it secure and very convienient. It would have been possible to pay by check.

Register Domain Name

The next step was to call the ISP. (Knowing this saves you at least a week waiting to hear from the ISP.) The ISP I chose has a web site that makes registering a domain name VERY simple. You answer two questions and fill out a standard form: name, address, phone number, fax, and supply the domain name you have chosen. You submit that form and then wait to hear from Internic, the company that registers domain names.

You can deal directly with Internic to register your domain, but it is rather complicated to do so. For example, you need to know specific information on your hosting ISP. You need to know their primary and secondary domain server addresses. All of this kind of information is supplied automatically by the ISP if they help you register.

Apparently Internic can take up to two weeks to register your domain name. However, both times I’ve submitted the form, the procedure, including EMail verification from Internic, was completed in less than two hours. It took about 7 hours before the account was actually active on the ISP.

Costs

Costs will differ depending on the ISP you choose, but here’s an example:

Domain Name Registration:
Internic fee to cover two years of registraion $70.

Internet Service Provider:
One time set up fee: $40
Fee if paid monthly $23
Fee if prepaid annually $215.40 (which I selected)

Thus the two year total cost will be $530.80. That averages out to $22.53 a month, which is less than I had been paying for having a site on another ISP without having my own domain name.

I’m now living happily ever after. The provider is easy to use, has a real person on an 800 number to help when there’s a problem, offers tons of storage space and lots and lots of extras.

Chauncy Rucker