Where to register a domain?

[luxe]

Hi,

I want to register a domain (.co.za only as the .com is owned).

Is there a preferred registrar in SA that does the domain registration? I see quite a few options on google search, and I know the domain is available from a whois search.

Recommend a registrar, or is it really much of a muchness?

Thanks!

 

[bin3]

I'm very happy with Network Solutions, though I don't think they do .co.za (http://www.networksolutions.com)

I only use them for the domain and pointing the dns to my Google Apps account, but have been happy for > 5 years.

 

[luxe]

So does it matter who I do it with, as long as its registered locally?

 

[bin3]

So does it matter who I do it with, as long as its registered locally?

Most ISP's provide this type of service, so it doesn't really matter who you use. I just feel it's important that you have access to these records so you can change them if you want.

 

[mh348]

Who's your current web host? You can do it through them

 

[zamrg]

Hi,

I want to register a domain (.co.za only as the .com is owned).

Is there a preferred registrar in SA that does the domain registration? I see quite a few options on google search, and I know the domain is available from a whois search.

Recommend a registrar, or is it really much of a muchness?

Thanks!

It's much of a muchness who you choose, they all go through Uniforum - you can do it yourself too. If you want to, you can PM me and I can help you with nameservers and the registration template.

 

[luxe]

It's much of a muchness who you choose, they all go through Uniforum - you can do it yourself too. If you want to, you can PM me and I can help you with nameservers and the registration template.

Thanks Zamrg.

I don't have a hosting provider or a website yet, I understood the first step in the process to be to secure the domain name It doesn't look to complicated, so I'll register it myself this evening, and pop you a PM if i run into issues.

Thanks for the offer, and the advice.

I was looking at www.sadomain.co.za

 

[AniV]

I just registered my domain using www.cozareg.com - they provide a much neater, easier, nicer interface to do the registration yourself than struggle through the Uniforum text email system nonsense.
They don't charge anything for the service, and they provide nameservers free through webhostZA. WebhostZA picks up the domain name and associates it to the nameserver almost immediately. They also sent me a temporary URL and control panel that you can use to begin developing and viewing your site while you wait for Uniforum to propagate the actual domain through onto the internet.

All you have to pay is the R50 domain registration fee to Uniforum, and you pay Uniforum directly.

 

[luxe]

Nice, the sadomain.co.za wanted R100.

Good on you AniV.

 

[zamrg]

I just registered my domain using www.cozareg.com - they provide a much neater, easier, nicer interface to do the registration yourself than struggle through the Uniforum text email system nonsense.
They don't charge anything for the service, and they provide nameservers free through webhostZA. WebhostZA picks up the domain name and associates it to the nameserver almost immediately. They also sent me a temporary URL and control panel that you can use to begin developing and viewing your site while you wait for Uniforum to propagate the actual domain through onto the internet.

All you have to pay is the R50 domain registration fee to Uniforum, and you pay Uniforum directly.

that's real neat - saw cozareg advertised on MyBB a few weeks back but didn't know they offer free NS too. What's the interface like to manage one's zone file? I currently use freedns.afraid.org but wouldn't mind a local NS, not that it makes much of a difference.

 

[AniV]

I was going to go with Hetzner but I freaked out a little when I found out that they charge R29 for the registration service (so R50 plus R29 = R79) when there are places like cozareg.com that offer the exact same service for free. Especially since I wasn't going to host through Hetzner - it seemed pointless to get all set up on their KonsoleH system and then never use it.

For the record, I found out about cozareg.com through the MyBB forums. There was a thread about it that I discovered last week sometime.

 

[AniV]

@zamrg - When I say "I just registered" I literally mean less than an hour ago. I haven't gotten around to messing with the interfaces much, or even gone into my control panel.
To be quite honest all the web-stuff isn't my strong point, I'm learning as I go. Until an hour ago I didn't even know what a nameserver was, much less that I would need one. I still don't, but at least I have one!
When I've played around more I'll report back. I still haven't decided who I'm going to host with though. I have lots of options - I get free hosting through MWeb, what with being an uncapped customer, and they have those great R19pm uncapped hosting packages which look great. There's also a lot of free options available. I have time to decide about the hosting though.

 

[zamrg]

@zamrg - When I say "I just registered" I literally mean less than an hour ago. I haven't gotten around to messing with the interfaces much, or even gone into my control panel.
To be quite honest all the web-stuff isn't my strong point, I'm learning as I go. Until an hour ago I didn't even know what a nameserver was, much less that I would need one. I still don't, but at least I have one!
When I've played around more I'll report back. I still haven't decided who I'm going to host with though. I have lots of options - I get free hosting through MWeb, what with being an uncapped customer, and they have those great R19pm uncapped hosting packages which look great. There's also a lot of free options available. I have time to decide about the hosting though.

ok cool np, feel free to report back when you're familiar with their interface.

The new MWEB hosting is a nice starting point for launching a personal website. My only quirk with them is that it seems to take a while to get setup. (ordered Friday, still waiting).

 

[AniV]

...Aaaand while we're on the topic, I can report that my domain has successfully been registered by Uniforum. I've received the notification from Uniforum and the Tax invoice.
All I gotta do is pay! It was so quick. I'm quite impressed.

 

[Fuma]

I don't like CozaReg. If you fill the form incorrectly, it clears everything and you have to re-enter all the info again.

 

[House]

I don't like CozaReg. If you fill the form incorrectly, it clears everything and you have to re-enter all the info again.

Hi Fuma

Why don't you click on 'Register an Account' on Cozareg.

It literally takes you less than 1 minute and it is also free.

Everytime you log into your account, all your new domain application fields will be pre-filled with your information.

 

[House]

...Aaaand while we're on the topic, I can report that my domain has successfully been registered by Uniforum. I've received the notification from Uniforum and the Tax invoice.
All I gotta do is pay! It was so quick. I'm quite impressed.

Glad you liked it AniV!

We are still busy developing new features on Cozareg, so you can always check back for the latest developments and services.

 

[luxe]

I used cozareg last night at 7pm to register my domain, 7:31am this morning my banktransfer was picked up, and my domain is live.

Good on you House.

Now I need to figure out how to build a website, and how to host it

 

[House]

I used cozareg last night at 7pm to register my domain, 7:31am this morning my banktransfer was picked up, and my domain is live.

Good on you House.

Now I need to figure out how to build a website, and how to host it

Hi Luxe

Thank you.

My suggestion is:

Shop around for hosting providers and take a look at their prices.

Decide what you want to do with your domain. Do you want to add a forum, a blog, have a website designed etc.?

If you want to go the forum or blog route, try finding a hosting provider that provides cPanel access. Usually they have a program (Fantastico) where you can install these sites automatically, simply with a few clicks and adding some info. cPanel is really easy to use.

If you need some help, do let me know.

 

[mh348]

Hi Luxe

Thank you.

My suggestion is:

Shop around for hosting providers and take a look at their prices.

Decide what you want to do with your domain. Do you want to add a forum, a blog, have a website designed etc.?

If you want to go the forum or blog route, try finding a hosting provider that provides cPanel access. Usually they have a program (Fantastico) where you can install these sites automatically, simply with a few clicks and adding some info. cPanel is really easy to use.

If you need some help, do let me know.

Have a look at Serv, they quite reasonable with their pricing and have good support.. They have Cpanel access with fantastico, very easy to install new packages, blogs, cms, forums etc

If you looking for something free, have a look at google apps, email is great.. They also have site, but you have to use their online site creator, which will be fine if you are starting out.. You can later move to a hosting company once you have more experience..