Hey, How do I get a Domain name?

It used to be that all domain names were bought from one governing body for $35.00 a year, but that group was deregulated and now you can find tons of places selling domain names at really low prices.

The cheapest and most reliable group I know is Go Daddy - http://www.godaddy.com It will cost you $8.00 to buy a domain name. And then $8.00 every year to reserve your name. For a a few additional dollars you can ask them to make the listing private so someone can't use WhoIs to look you up and see your contact info. It's a good idea, because in normal registration they list your first and last name and your address. If you don't want a stalker showing up at your door, I would suggest making your listing private ;-)

If you have a name in mind for your website go right now and see if it's available. You will be surprised how many names are taken. If it's available, reserve it today! You can not imagine how many times I have heard people tell me they had a name they planned on using, but they waited only to find the name snatched up by someone else. It's best to reserve the name and keep it safe for later use. If you aren't ready to put your webpage up, but you want to keep your name safe, you can buy your name from godaddy and ask them to park it there until you find a server to host your page. But remember the moment you stop paying the yearly renewal fee someone else can pick up the name.

If you don't buy the name yourself make sure any group, such as a webdesigner who buys one for you, lists you as the owner and themselves as the technical advisor. The reason I mention this is some webdesigners register themselves as the owner of the domain name. Clients don't realize until they go to move their page to another hosting service that their page is held hostage - not owned by them, but actually owned by the current webdesigner or hosting service.