Thread: 10 Commandments of Domain Name Ownership

I just read an article on Net Locations Blog entitled: The Ten Commandments of Domain Name Ownership. The article serves as a good reminder to us about what to do and what not to do when it comes to ownership of domains.

I've listed below each 'commandment' but you should refer to the article, which discusses the reasons behind each of these commandments:

1. Always (I said always) Register Your Domain Name Yourself

2. Corporate Domain Names Should Always be Registered in the name of the Company

3. Make sure your Registrar only makes changes upon your approval

4. Use a Hard to Guess Password and always Encrypt your Data
(also see forum thread How strong are your passwords?)

5. Never Register a Domain using a Free Email Address

6. Place a Register Lock on your Domain

7. Never forget to Renew Your Domain
(Example: Oops, Hamleys forgets to renew domain)

8. Never respond to Phishing Emails or Click on any Links within them
(example: Beware if you get email)

9. Never accept Free Domain Name offers from Internet Service Providers

10. ....Not sure what happened to 10. If article is corrected, I will updated this thread accordingly.

Can you think of any more 'commandments' that should be added to this list?

Never sell too cheaply! (-:

Never accept the first offer.

The above not exactly "ownership" but definitely relevant.

Add one more thing to this ;

Set online alerts to you on any change in Whois record of your domain name ?

That's all pretty good advice, more geared towards business owners than domainers.
In 2002, I worked for a business that allowed their web designer to register their company name. They didn't have a website, so they went to a local designer and told him to 'make us a website'.

Worst. Decision. Ever.
After they realized his prices were ridiculous and he was taking advantage of them, they found another provider but he wouldn't give over the domain. It was a fight that wound up with a court case being filed, at which time he finally relented, but only after much aggravation, expense (lawyer consultations and court costs) and website down time.

We obsess over this stuff but if you're in the business of selling used cars, the website is something you pay someone else to "make happen" and deal with. Those are all good "10 Commandments" for a business that doesn't revolve around online operations, where the owners might be quick to get a website up without thinking this stuff through.