Freaky Frugalite

Continuing with my series on blogging for pay (see the first part here), I mentioned about getting your own domain. TRUST ME- you definitely want to own your own domain and not get it from Google or a third-party (like Blogger or Bluehost or Hostgator). You want to own your own domain name outright. Buy it from a registered domain name company, like GoDaddy.com or eNom, directly.

You see, when I was a young and inexperienced blogger, I bought my first domain from Blogger/Google. $10, so easy. Little did I know that I was basically being locked out of my own domain. I initially hosted my blog (this was my New York Renovator blog) on Blogger. But later, I decided to move away from Blogger and wanted to go to my own web hosting with Bluehost. I discovered the painful lesson that in order to change my nameservers and to change everything over, I had to go through enormous hoops and hurdles (ever try to contact Google via email?! Rrrrright) to get the secret PIN that Google held so I could transfer my domain name to another account. It was teeth-gnashing. I still haven’t done it, actually. I managed to obtain my username and password (that Google had set up for me with eNom) so I could transfer hosting to my new Bluehost account, but my domain name is still licensed though eNom through Google, andI have no control over it. It’s just a confusing mess as to how to get it transferred. And the sad thing is that I have three of them stuck in the rut this way. *sigh*

Please, buy and own your own domain name. I now buy my domain names through GoDaddy.com, only. I have an account there where all my accounts and all my domain names (the new ones that I had the smarts to order through them) are owned and controlled by me 100%.

I RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO THROUGH A CERTIFIED REGISTRAR like GoDaddy to get your domain names. The prices between GoDaddy and Blogger are the SAME price; and some at GoDaddy are even less expensive than going through Blogger/Google or some other third-party channel. I pay $15 a year for one, when I could have gotten it for $7.50 at GoDaddy, grrr). And the domain name is 100% in your control. You do not need to email someone, asking for the username, password, permissions, etc to tinker with your OWN domain name. And if you buy from GoDaddy, you can still have your blog hosted for free at Blogger and Wordpress, just as you would if you bought the domain name from them, anyway.

The nice thing about GoDaddy.com is that they are always having specials. I trust them, and I only use GoDaddy for my domain names. I have the opportunity of being a GoDaddy affiliate, so if you want to order something with them, I get a little cash for referring you. I would be ever so humbly appreciative if you ordered something using my GoDaddy affiliate link. It would mean the world to me, actually. And believe me, GoDaddy is reliable and safe, and I just love their service. I’ve ordered many domain names from them, and they are the only company I will give my business. They’ve been good to me.

So if you click on the banner below, we both benefit. You get a great deal, and I get a small reward from GoDaddy for telling you about them. The deal is really good, too- $7.49 for certain domain names, and 10% any order. You can’t combine the offers, so choose wisely.

Thanks so much!

Related posts:

1. Blogging For Pay, Part 1: Preparing For Your Future
2. Web Hosting Articles
3. I Am Woman, Hear Me *Sigh*