A “domain name” is the name people use to find your website, such as “mimetic.com”.
You should buy the name that people will naturally think of when they want to find you: your own name. Often, you’ll have to add “photo” or “galleries” to your name (e.g. DavidGrossPhoto.com) because someone else has already taken it. You can buy the right to use a name for as many years as you wish (if that name is not already in use). However, many people have found buying their own domain name is not as simple as it should be.
Here’s how to buy your name with my preferred service, Verio.com. Why Verio? Because they don’t steal your domain name (there are some that buy it but keep control over it), they’re reasonably priced, and they have a good system to help you manage the name.
A quick note: If you wish to buy a second domain name with Verio, don’t go through the process described here. Instead, go to your new Verio account page, the one they made for your when you bought your first domain name. Buy from there, so you can control all your stuff in one place.
Open your browser (such as Firefox, Explorer, or Safari) and go to http://www.verio.com/domain-name-registration/. You’ll see something like this near the bottom of the page:
Write the domain name you want, such as your own name, in first box under (1). Check off “.com” and “.net” and “.org” under (2). If you want to invest in a name, you might as well taken the most popular variations of it, too. Click the “SEARCH” button under (3).
If the name you want is taken, click the button that appears, “TRY ANOTHER NAME”, and start over. If all goes well, click “ORDER NOW”:
Next, you’ll see what you’re buying, and the total price. Don’t bother with the “Private Registration” options. Note that the default time is two years. It makes no difference how many years you buy. You can renew every year. When you’re ready, click “CONTINUE” here.
The next two pages are useless sales pitches. The first tries to sell you “Private Registration.” Just click “CONTINUE”. The next page tries to sell you a server. Just click “CHECKOUT”, near the bottom of the page.
Finally, you’re at the part where you give them your information and pay. It looks like this:
Fill out your information and pay. When you’re all finished, you’ll get an email with the information we need to make your new domain name show your new gallery. Send that email to us, at info@mimetic.com.
Will my website show before I’m ready to show it?
Not if you ask us not to show it! We can hide the gallery until you’re ready to show it. Meanwhile, the world will see something like “Website Under Construction.”
