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Domain Name Survival Guide

When going on a hike, or embarking upon any sort of trip, there are a few essentials that you take with you...Items such as a compass, a map, food, water, extra clothing, etc.  Without these key items, you could get lost, be hungry and far from food, or in some other less than pleasant situation.

Unfortunately, many people register their domain name, and they neglect the "essentials".  Do you know your domain name expiration date?  Do you have your domain name login and password saved in a paper or electronic file so you can keep your account updated?  Is your domain name locked so that no one else can take it from you?  When it comes to domain names, these are your "must haves"!

Do you know your domain name expiration date?

You don’t own your domain name for life.  Your domain name is set up to be renewed on a regular basis, just like a lease.  If you don’t renew your name, someone else can buy it, and you will have no recourse, and no location on the Web for your site; the domain name becomes ‘up for grabs’.

Even if you had a domain name registered through Advanced Access, your domain name remains yours as a completely separate entity from your website.  Renewing your website contract does not renew your domain name.

Find your expiration date at http://www.NetSol.com, click on the ‘Who-Is’ section of the site, then enter your domain name.

Do you have your domain name login and password saved in a paper or electronic file so you can keep your account updated?

In order for you to receive important information regarding your domain name, such as renewal notices, your email address needs to be updated on your domain name account.  Email is the only way that your domain name registrar will notify you of your approaching expiration date.  If your domain name is set up with auto-renew, you will need to keep your credit card updated.  This means that if you change your email address, credit card number or expiration date, you will need to remember to update your domain name account as well.  In order for you to have access to your domain name, you must have your login and password for your domain name management.

If you don’t have this information, you can visit your domain name company’s website.  Many registrars offer an ‘I forgot my password’ option (which will only work if your email address is updated on the account).  Also, many registrars have customer service phone numbers where you can inquire about retrieving your login and password information.  Each company is different, and has a different process for releasing this information.

Find out who your domain name registrar is at http://www.NetSol.com, click on the ‘Who-Is’ section of the site, then enter your domain name.  Scroll down below the registration information and look for the section that says, ‘Current Registrar’.  This is the company you will contact regarding your domain name information.

Is your domain name locked so that no one else can take it from you?

Did you know that a transfer of registrar (moving your domain name from one registration company to another) can be initiated by anyone and can be completed without your permission or approval?  In the past all transfers of registrar had to be approved by the Administrative or Technical contact of a domain name (depending on the company).  If the email wasn’t received or wasn’t replied to or approved using the domain company’s process, the transfer would not be completed.  However, since 2004 ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers) has had a policy in place stating that a transfer can be requested and will go through even if you don’t approve it.  This means if the email gets deleted as SPAM, or is ignored, etc, the transfer will still be completed and someone else could wind up owning your domain name.  You have to make contact if you want to disapprove of the transfer.  This makes it tough on anyone who might be the victim of an attempted domain name hijacking if the email notification is missed.  Remember, to a domain name hijacker ALL domains are valuable…this could happen to you.

What can you do about it?

All it takes is one easy step to protect yourself from potentially losing your domain name in this manner.  You can place a ‘lock’ on your domain name.  Your domain name registrar should allow you to lock your domain name either by phone, fax, email, or online domain manager using your login and password.  Your domain registrar will let you know which method they require.  Once a lock is placed on your domain name, a transfer of registrar cannot be completed unless the lock is removed by you.

In light of this change, many registrars automatically placed a lock on all domains with their company as a courtesy to their customers.  To check if your domain is locked or not, visit http://www.NetSol.com, click on the ‘Who-Is’ section of the site, then enter your domain name.  Scroll down below the registration information and look for the section that says, ‘Lock Status’.  If this says, ‘REGISTRAR-LOCK’ then your name is protected.  If this says, ‘ACTIVE’ then your domain name is not locked and your domain name is not protected.

If you find that you need assistance with checking the status or expiration date of your domain name, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Customer Support Department toll free at 866-518-1571.

For ICANN’s complete policy on transfers, visit http://www.icann.org/transfers.

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