Are Free Domain Names Worth The Cost?
Everyone likes a bargain. It’s even wise to keep one’s costs down. On the other hand, you’ll be so cheap that you cut your own throat.
Here are 2 ways to register a website name for free and some reasons why you would possibly not want to.
1. You Must Have Your Own Prime Level Domain (TLD) Name
Your business web site should positively have its own top level domain (TLD) name. This means a name like yourcompany.com. It doesn’t mean a subdomain of someone else’s domain name, like yourcompany.someisp.net.
Typically persons hesitate to register a proper domain name as a result of of value, lack of knowledge, or indecision. However, paying the nominal fee charged by the domain registrar for your own domain name can reap wealthy dividends.
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Web address like (ignoring the http half) someisp.web/hosting-accounts/yourco/, or yourcompany.someisp.net, just does not look as skilled as yourcompany.com. It would possibly be free (as in included along with your internet space) however it simply does not cut it.
Consider: If you set your URL on your letterheads, business cards, signs, et cetera, that Net address appearance a lot of skilled?
If you mention your URL on your radio advertising or to a client over the phone, that one will be easier to remember?
Still, what if your internet host goes out of business or you choose that you want to change to another provider. Now, you would like to notify everyone that you’ve got now changed to yourcompany.someotherisp.net. You may also would like to vary all of your stationery, signs, and advertising to reflect the change.
On the other hand, the domain name yourcompany.com, may be transferred from one net host to another merely by informing your domain name registrar of the change.
Therefore, to avoid losing business and incurring unnecessary additional prices, be sure you have got your own high level domain name.
2. Ought to You Get a Free Prime Level Domain?
It is attainable to get a free high level domain from Dot TK (@www.dot.tk). (You’ll conjointly get paid dot tk (.tk) domains from them.) But, there will be disadvantages to employing a free top level domain name.
Here are a number of the restrictions noted on the Dot TK website.
You will register not more than 3 free domain names.
The ownership of the free domain remains with Dot TK. This means that you can’t sell it. (In fact, if you purchase the domain you are doing own it and can transfer it to a replacement owner.)
Conjointly, if you do not have twenty five guests come back to your home page inside a ninety day period, your free domain name registration is cancelled.
You need to possess existing net content somewhere thus that your dot tk name can be forwarded to it.
There may somewhat be alternative disadvantages.
Apparently, Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the case, you’ll have problems with navigation (bookmarking or finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.
Therefore, for serious business use, contemplate rigorously the true value of free domain names.
Source: http://hosting.uniquearticles.org/are-free-domain-names-worth-the-cost/
Free Domain Names
When creating a website the first thing to do is to get yourself a domain name. The domain name is how people will identify your site and often assist visitors in returning to your website. Think of it as your own little place (or should that be name) on the web. While most serious webmasters choose to purchase .com or .net domain names there are some alternatives that can be found that are completely free. In some cases you can get a free domain name as an incentive for a paid service such as paid hosting package.
Free domain names often come with conditions attached such as forced advertising, required backlink or a paid hosting account. The last point meaning that your domain name could be held to ransom when your hosting is up for renewal or if you want to switch hosting accounts. Absolutely free domain names are often unusual such as co.nr or .tk and may seem slightly more untrustworthy than the more common .com and .net domain names. However, if you are simply building a personal site, a little hobby site or a site you will only need for a short period then a free domain name will be perfectly sufficient.
Tips for choosing a domain name
* Try to pick a catchy name people will remember. Short domain names are good for this.
* If high search engine rankings are your goal try to match your domain name to your keywords.
* Try to avoid using too many “-”’s in your domain names.
* Avoid using a domain name that is already a trademark!
* Stick with .com or .net if possible – people trust these and they look more natural.
* Many of the best domain names are already taken so you may need to think slightly outside the square when choosing your domain name.
If you are considering using a free domain name or accepting one as part of a hosting package then always read the terms and conditions to ensure you don’t get caught out by hidden fees or conditions.
Source: http://bestfreedomainregistration.com/free-domain-names/
Free domain names often come with conditions attached such as forced advertising, required backlink or a paid hosting account. The last point meaning that your domain name could be held to ransom when your hosting is up for renewal or if you want to switch hosting accounts. Absolutely free domain names are often unusual such as co.nr or .tk and may seem slightly more untrustworthy than the more common .com and .net domain names. However, if you are simply building a personal site, a little hobby site or a site you will only need for a short period then a free domain name will be perfectly sufficient.
Tips for choosing a domain name
* Try to pick a catchy name people will remember. Short domain names are good for this.
* If high search engine rankings are your goal try to match your domain name to your keywords.
* Try to avoid using too many “-”’s in your domain names.
* Avoid using a domain name that is already a trademark!
* Stick with .com or .net if possible – people trust these and they look more natural.
* Many of the best domain names are already taken so you may need to think slightly outside the square when choosing your domain name.
If you are considering using a free domain name or accepting one as part of a hosting package then always read the terms and conditions to ensure you don’t get caught out by hidden fees or conditions.
Source: http://bestfreedomainregistration.com/free-domain-names/
Google Launches Own Free Domain Name System
December 4, 2009
Google Public DNS, Google's own free Domain Name System, is an attempt to make Web pages load faster at a time when millions of users are accessing the Web several times a day, triggering multiple DNS requests and bogging down the Web page rendering process
In its latest effort to accelerate the rate at which Web pages load for users, Google on 3 December launched its own free Domain Name System, Google Public DNS, into a crowded market that includes several providers already.
A Domain Name System is basically a hierarchical naming system for computers or any resource connected to the Internet. However, because it is not something the average Web user sees on the surface, it helps to think of the DNS as a sort of phone book for the Internet because it translates computer host names into IP addresses. Prem Ramaswami, product manager for Google Public DNS, explained:
"Most of us aren't familiar with DNS because it's often handled automatically by our Internet Service Provider (ISP), but it provides an essential function for the Web. You could think of it as the switchboard of the Internet, converting easy-to-remember domain names—e.g., www.google.com—into the unique Internet Protocol (IP) numbers—e.g., 74.125.45.100—that computers use to communicate with one another."
Google Public DNS is the company's stab at making Web pages load faster at a time when millions of users are accessing the Web several times a day, triggering multiple DNS requests. This can bog down the Web page rendering process, which means users are sitting at their computers, waiting to view Web pages.
Ramaswami told eWEEK that Google Public DNS is focused on improving DNS speed, security and the validity of results. He explained how it works: When a user loads a Web page, that triggers a DNS query to the ISP, which in turn has to go out across the Web to get the correct answer. For example, when a user searches for mail.google.com, his or her ISP resolver will go ask the dot-com servers what Google.com's server is, then go ask Google.com's server what the IP address is for mail.google.com and return that to the Web user.
This process takes longer, Ramaswami noted, because the DNS has to crawl the Web and ask several servers to get the correct answer. Google Public DNS issues DNS queries constantly, regardless of whether people have queried the DNS. This means Google always has the query info in its cache. Each question comes with a "time to live." Before the time limit of, say 300 seconds, expires, Google will ask the question for a big range of domain names.
Google is essentially keeping the caches warm, a method it calls "prefetching," Ramaswami said. He also said this approach minimises packet loss.
Security is another major area Google is focusing on. Read about how Google is mitigating against DNS cache poisoning and DoS (denial of service) attacks here on the Google Code Blog.
Savvy readers will find their curiosity piqued because Google Public DNS deals with domain and IP addresses, but Google is clear about its privacy measures for the service. Google Public DNS stores two sets of logs: temporary and permanent. The temporary logs store the full IP address of the user's computer to spot DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks; Google deletes these temporary logs within 24 to 48 hours. Google pledges not to keep personally identifiable information or IP information in the permanent logs.
Google has more information about Google Public DNS in its FAQ here, as well as instructions on how to configure a network to use the DNS. Google's Public DNS IP addresses are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Google also offers domestic and international phone numbers to call for help support.
Google spokesperson Nate Tyler told eWEEK that Google Public DNS is part of the company's "Make the Web Faster" campaign, which includes Google Chrome, Google Chrome Operating System and SPDY, an application-layer protocol for transporting content over the Web.
Google Public DNS is launching amid a crowded DNS field that includes OpenDNS, UltraDNS and Tucows.
But Tyler said Google Public DNS is less about competing with those providers and more about taking what Google is learning about how to improve the DNS system and offering that to Websites. "We're actually trying to improve other services," he said.
That's a noble overture, but it's unclear how the existing DNS providers, all of which are making good money from their services, will feel about this. Again, Google is entering another niche of the Web where it has the potential to be disruptive; recall the release of the free Google Maps Navigation GPS system.
GPS stocks soured. How will existing DNS providers fare after the emergence of Google Public DNS?
Google Public DNS, Google's own free Domain Name System, is an attempt to make Web pages load faster at a time when millions of users are accessing the Web several times a day, triggering multiple DNS requests and bogging down the Web page rendering process
In its latest effort to accelerate the rate at which Web pages load for users, Google on 3 December launched its own free Domain Name System, Google Public DNS, into a crowded market that includes several providers already.
A Domain Name System is basically a hierarchical naming system for computers or any resource connected to the Internet. However, because it is not something the average Web user sees on the surface, it helps to think of the DNS as a sort of phone book for the Internet because it translates computer host names into IP addresses. Prem Ramaswami, product manager for Google Public DNS, explained:
"Most of us aren't familiar with DNS because it's often handled automatically by our Internet Service Provider (ISP), but it provides an essential function for the Web. You could think of it as the switchboard of the Internet, converting easy-to-remember domain names—e.g., www.google.com—into the unique Internet Protocol (IP) numbers—e.g., 74.125.45.100—that computers use to communicate with one another."
Google Public DNS is the company's stab at making Web pages load faster at a time when millions of users are accessing the Web several times a day, triggering multiple DNS requests. This can bog down the Web page rendering process, which means users are sitting at their computers, waiting to view Web pages.
Ramaswami told eWEEK that Google Public DNS is focused on improving DNS speed, security and the validity of results. He explained how it works: When a user loads a Web page, that triggers a DNS query to the ISP, which in turn has to go out across the Web to get the correct answer. For example, when a user searches for mail.google.com, his or her ISP resolver will go ask the dot-com servers what Google.com's server is, then go ask Google.com's server what the IP address is for mail.google.com and return that to the Web user.
This process takes longer, Ramaswami noted, because the DNS has to crawl the Web and ask several servers to get the correct answer. Google Public DNS issues DNS queries constantly, regardless of whether people have queried the DNS. This means Google always has the query info in its cache. Each question comes with a "time to live." Before the time limit of, say 300 seconds, expires, Google will ask the question for a big range of domain names.
Google is essentially keeping the caches warm, a method it calls "prefetching," Ramaswami said. He also said this approach minimises packet loss.
Security is another major area Google is focusing on. Read about how Google is mitigating against DNS cache poisoning and DoS (denial of service) attacks here on the Google Code Blog.
Savvy readers will find their curiosity piqued because Google Public DNS deals with domain and IP addresses, but Google is clear about its privacy measures for the service. Google Public DNS stores two sets of logs: temporary and permanent. The temporary logs store the full IP address of the user's computer to spot DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks; Google deletes these temporary logs within 24 to 48 hours. Google pledges not to keep personally identifiable information or IP information in the permanent logs.
Google has more information about Google Public DNS in its FAQ here, as well as instructions on how to configure a network to use the DNS. Google's Public DNS IP addresses are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Google also offers domestic and international phone numbers to call for help support.
Google spokesperson Nate Tyler told eWEEK that Google Public DNS is part of the company's "Make the Web Faster" campaign, which includes Google Chrome, Google Chrome Operating System and SPDY, an application-layer protocol for transporting content over the Web.
Google Public DNS is launching amid a crowded DNS field that includes OpenDNS, UltraDNS and Tucows.
But Tyler said Google Public DNS is less about competing with those providers and more about taking what Google is learning about how to improve the DNS system and offering that to Websites. "We're actually trying to improve other services," he said.
That's a noble overture, but it's unclear how the existing DNS providers, all of which are making good money from their services, will feel about this. Again, Google is entering another niche of the Web where it has the potential to be disruptive; recall the release of the free Google Maps Navigation GPS system.
GPS stocks soured. How will existing DNS providers fare after the emergence of Google Public DNS?
Free Public Domain Name System (DNS) From Google
Last Updated: 2009-12-04T09:19:19+05:30
Google plans to provide the world with a faster internet service using its Public Domain Name System (DNS) Service. Although the company does state that the new feature would play a very small role in its vision to make the web faster. It’s also trying various approaches in achieving its target.
The approach is broken down into three main categories: Speed, security and speed issue.
According to a report by Google,"The DNS protocol is an important part of the web's infrastructure, serving as the Internet's "phone book". Every time you visit a website, your computer performs a DNS lookup. Complex pages often require multiple DNS lookups before they complete loading. As a result, the average Internet user performs hundreds of DNS lookups each day that collectively can slow down his or her browsing experience."
“We hope that you will help us test these improvements by using the Google Public DNS service today, from wherever you are in the world," quoted the company.
"We plan to share what we learn from this experimental rollout of Google Public DNS with the broader web community and other DNS providers, to improve the browsing experience for Internet users globally.” Google added.
Google plans to provide the world with a faster internet service using its Public Domain Name System (DNS) Service. Although the company does state that the new feature would play a very small role in its vision to make the web faster. It’s also trying various approaches in achieving its target.
The approach is broken down into three main categories: Speed, security and speed issue.
According to a report by Google,"The DNS protocol is an important part of the web's infrastructure, serving as the Internet's "phone book". Every time you visit a website, your computer performs a DNS lookup. Complex pages often require multiple DNS lookups before they complete loading. As a result, the average Internet user performs hundreds of DNS lookups each day that collectively can slow down his or her browsing experience."
“We hope that you will help us test these improvements by using the Google Public DNS service today, from wherever you are in the world," quoted the company.
"We plan to share what we learn from this experimental rollout of Google Public DNS with the broader web community and other DNS providers, to improve the browsing experience for Internet users globally.” Google added.
Dot TK Opens Registry for Free Domains with Full Name Server Support
LONDON, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Dot TK, the registry for .TK domain names, today announced that they have opened the .TK registry for free domains with full name server support. Since 2001 Dot TK has provided free domain name registration services but only in combination with its URL forwarding service. Starting today Dot TK users will have full DNS control over the domains they have registered.
Dot TK only allowed URL forwarding in the past as this was the only way to prevent domain squatting. Domain squatting is the illegal act of registering a domain name in bad faith, intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark (or other name) belonging to someone else.
Today Dot TK has introduced new technology to count 'hits' on a website, even if this website operates with its own name servers and name server technology. So now the systems of Dot TK will continue to successfully prevent domain squatting, as they have over the last eight years.
"Adding full name server support to our free service allows all users to register sub-domains, to use different Internet protocols and to run their websites in a more efficient way," explains Joost Zuurbier, CEO at Dot TK. "Registrants can choose to continue to use URL forwarding or to use DNS support, with or without the combination of the Dot TK DNS Service. These flexible options are now available for everyone - and all for free."
"New or modified name server updates are updated in just a few minutes through our global root server infrastructure," explains Maurice van der Meer, CTO at Dot TK. "Not only does Dot TK allow registrants to use their own name servers, but we also allow them to manage A, MX and CNAME records of their registered domains through My Dot TK, the Dot TK web interface".
Dot TK is continuing to grow exponentially. With various product releases in 2009, such as TweaK and TK-it!, Dot TK has grown in to the largest free country code top level domain registry in the world. Adding full name server support to its free service offering will boost this expansion even more. Dot TK is a joint venture of the Government of Tokelau, its communication company Teletok and BV Dot TK, a privately held company. Offices of Dot TK are located in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and in Turkey.
More information about Dot TK: www.dot.tk
Media contact: Marcel Trik - marcel@dot.tk
Phone: +31 (0)20 5315726
SOURCE Dot TK
Dot TK only allowed URL forwarding in the past as this was the only way to prevent domain squatting. Domain squatting is the illegal act of registering a domain name in bad faith, intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark (or other name) belonging to someone else.
Today Dot TK has introduced new technology to count 'hits' on a website, even if this website operates with its own name servers and name server technology. So now the systems of Dot TK will continue to successfully prevent domain squatting, as they have over the last eight years.
"Adding full name server support to our free service allows all users to register sub-domains, to use different Internet protocols and to run their websites in a more efficient way," explains Joost Zuurbier, CEO at Dot TK. "Registrants can choose to continue to use URL forwarding or to use DNS support, with or without the combination of the Dot TK DNS Service. These flexible options are now available for everyone - and all for free."
"New or modified name server updates are updated in just a few minutes through our global root server infrastructure," explains Maurice van der Meer, CTO at Dot TK. "Not only does Dot TK allow registrants to use their own name servers, but we also allow them to manage A, MX and CNAME records of their registered domains through My Dot TK, the Dot TK web interface".
Dot TK is continuing to grow exponentially. With various product releases in 2009, such as TweaK and TK-it!, Dot TK has grown in to the largest free country code top level domain registry in the world. Adding full name server support to its free service offering will boost this expansion even more. Dot TK is a joint venture of the Government of Tokelau, its communication company Teletok and BV Dot TK, a privately held company. Offices of Dot TK are located in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and in Turkey.
More information about Dot TK: www.dot.tk
Media contact: Marcel Trik - marcel@dot.tk
Phone: +31 (0)20 5315726
SOURCE Dot TK
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