Buying a domain name on NFS instead of GoDaddy

June 18, 2007 12:45 PM

So I just started signing up for a domain on GoDaddy, but then found out I could do it on my Nearly Free Speech account for less instead, but I can't register that domain on NFS right now because I'm partway through the registration at GoDaddy. What do I need to do to sign up for it via NFS?
posted by freddymungo to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

If it were me, I'd complete the transaction at Go Daddy. I wouldn't trust that my domain wouldn't be snapped up by a squatter's automated system that noticed the interest in the domain (i.e., your initiation of the reg process).

I have seen domains snapped up shockingly fast by squatters.
posted by crickets at 1:13 PM on June 18, 2007

I have gotten several domains at GoDaddy and they seemed pretty cheap; how much of a difference are you looking at? Your best bet for the reasons crickets stated might be to suck up the difference but only register them for a year, then transfer them to your preferred registrar.
posted by TedW at 1:18 PM on June 18, 2007

You're stuck now that you've started it at GoDaddy. You can try contacting the folks at NFS, they're friendly (even at medium or high priority they've gotten back to me in 24 hours or less), but I think that you're taking a big risk if you don't finish the reg at GoDaddy now that you've started.

No only do you have to worry about squatters, you have to worry about GoDaddy itself scooping up the domain now that you've shown interest. I've heard they do such things.

Anyway, finish the registration at GoDaddy, and you can use GD's DNS to point to your NFS site in the immediate short term. In the longer term, you can transfer your domain, once you own it, from GoDaddy to NFS.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:27 PM on June 18, 2007

Correction: I meant medium or low priority, in my second sentence above.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:28 PM on June 18, 2007

It's always better to register a domain separately via a registrar (such as Godaddy) than with a hosting company.

If the something happens with the host - they go tits up/you have a falling out with them, etc... You've still got control of your domain.
posted by Webbster at 1:32 PM on June 18, 2007

Complete the registration at GoDaddy, then transfer it to NFS if you really want it there.
posted by kindall at 2:47 PM on June 18, 2007

I did the same thing a few days ago, with the same companies,(!) in the end the nfs registration went through, but I thought the same thing, i.e. that gd was in the process of buying it for itself...
posted by acro at 3:03 PM on June 18, 2007