If I buy a domain name, am I stuck with that company forever?

I am looking at buying a .com domain. I have never done this before. People recommended 1and1.com to me, but feel free to tell me if there is someplace better! I am concerned that if I register a domain with one company, and then I want to move to another company, that the original company won%26#039;t let me. If I get my domain from 1and1.com and then decide to switch to a different company in, say, a year, do I have to get a new domain? Does my domain stay with the company I register with? I am completely new to all of this. I get the difference between the domain [just the name] and hosting [the actual website]--do they both have to be the same company? I just don%26#039;t want my ignorance to cost me down the road. Any advice for beginners would be appreciated!

If I buy a domain name, am I stuck with that company forever?

You should be able to change your domain to any company after your contract is up, if you have one. Some places will make you stay on for a year, like a mobile phone contract. But after that it is your domain and you can take it where you want.

Some other good domain sellers are godaddy.com and Netfirms.com. Usually you want to keep your site hosting and domain with the same company - it makes things a lot easier.

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If I buy a domain name, am I stuck with that company forever?

they will let you, but you may have to pay a canceling fee first.

Other Replys:you register your domain through a registar then a hosting provider hosts the domain. usually the registar does hosting as well, eitther way you can transfer your domain its yours. make sure you save your login info for the registar

Other Replys:Hi,

Domain names are never really purchased. It%26#039;s more like renting. The registration fee is usually for a year, at least everywhere I have ever purchased a domain name from.

Just because you purchase(rent, if you will) a domain from one company does not mean you have to host with them. You also don%26#039;t have to stay with them if there is something about their service that you don%26#039;t like. Most companies charge you for Domain Name Transfer though.

A lot of places will offer you free hosting for a period of time, if you purchase your domain name from them.

I am not sure if they are still offering it, but Microsoft office live had free domain name and a free hosting package. (Basic package though, no bells and whistles.)

Myself, I purchased my Domain Name from Verio and host it at Thinkhost.com

I love Thinkhost, they are powered by 100% renewable energy. Good hosting company if your into eco-friendly. They have good up time and are monitored for crashes 24/7.

Well, I hope this helped you. Feel free to contact me if you want further info.

peace,

mavin

Other Replys:an honest, above board registrar has no claim on your domain.

they are just the company you are paying to represent you to ICANN.

ICANN is the governing body of the internet.

I personally have the bulk of my domains registered with Godaddy, this is personal choice based on experence.

Godaddy gives you total DNS control while 1and1 doesn%26#039;t.

Godaddy also includes a free hosting account with every domain.

this can save you a ton of money in hosting fees.

1and1 is a German company, tech support is outsourced to the Philippines and India, while GoDaddy is American with American call centers in Arizona.

GoDaddy rocks.

Other Replys:YOU NEVER BUY YOUR DOMAIN NAME - THAT%26#039;S IMPOSSIBLE - ALL YOU CAN DO IT - YOU CAN JUST LEASE DOMAIN NAME FOR CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME - 1 or 2 or 3 years - depends what the company doing that service does - That is first thing you need to know - just before expiration of yr lease you can re-lease it again from any other comapany - if you don%26#039;t pay on time internet register will upon typing yr previous domain name put - this name is available for registering for a certain period of time (i think is one month) and after that bye bye if you don%26#039;t pay up - first who pays for yr previous name has it -

- i saw also ads to buy domain name BUT ANY AD SUGGESTING YOU BUY DOMAIN NAME FOREVER IS FALSE ADVERTISING - you just lease the domain name as i said before for certain perion of time - also note here that you will not receive any notice when the time comes that you have to re-lease yr name - you need to take care of that and do it on time -

- these internet guys are businessman - they know they%26#039;ll make more money by leasing than by selling

- also company that you pay to register (lease) yr domain name is just broker - internet name register is international organization and company you pay to just has database of all free domain names and they earn a fee (same like broker keeps database of houses to sell and makes brokerage fee when sells it) as middle man between you and international organizations that keeps domain names under their control -

any company you work with does not own free domain name -

as i said they%26#039;re just broker

go with some reputable company like godaddy.com - they have my renewals subpage and you won%26#039;t have any problems - DON%26#039;T FORGET 2 THINGS:

- YOU JUST LEASE IT

- RENEW ON TIME

Other Replys:You can purchase a domain from one company and move to another you just have to have the admin email address set to something you can access because it all takes place through email.... If you decide to move you email your current hosting company to let them know you want to move your domain. You need to know the DNS Server names of the new host prior to this so they can change in and redirect your domain name to the new servers. http://www.cdconsult.biz is a good web host.

Other Replys:ICANN rules will not allow a newly registered domain name move to another registrar for 60 days after the name is registered. Other than that, if you are dealing with a reputable domain name registrar, you should not have any problems.

Hosting companies will want your name registered with them, so do your research before you choose a company. Cheap hosting is available all over the web, comparison shop.

Since you are a newbie make sure there is a lot of customer support and advice available.

Good Luck on your Venture!