IT or website people. Some help please?

[Brett]

Any help appreciated...

I have just started a new company and need to register a domain name. I have viewed a few different companies online and the prices seem to vary.

I have never owned a domain or website before so not entirely clued up on what I need.

Initially it is just me running the business from home/the office so i will simply use my domain instead of my old xtra.co.nz one. I will also be designing a website for the domain and obviously will need someone to host it for me. As it is a new startup, I need to keep costs as low as possible but want it to look professional as well.

.co.nz vs .com .... are there really any benefits over having a .co.nz domain over a .com one?

By claiming a domain, how do I then use it instead of my xtra.co.nz domain (ie brett@hisowndomain.co.nz as opposed to brett@xtra.co.nz) for emailing? Can I change this with my xtra account or do I need to find another webmail server?

I am probably complicating this all a lot more than it need be...so apologies.

Help is appreciated though.

Brett

[Brett]

Note...was looking at something like registerdirect's $60/annum domain register package and once website is up and running they could host it too and I could upgrade the package to whatever I need when I need it.

http://www.registerdirect.co.nz/

[mashman]

I did this (http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/) some years ago.

Other than that there are plenty of free tools you can use for building your website... have fun... and good luck to ya :) Cheap as chips.

[yachtie10]

Lots of options in domain registration

Wether you use .co.nz or .com is up to you but what is your business. IMHO if its a new zealand based business with mostly NZ customers you should use .co.nz
same when you choose your provider if the traffic is going to be mostly nz based choose one that is hosted in NZ.

happt to help if you want but you dont say where you are

Cheers

[SpankMe]

I did this (http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/) some years ago.

Don't think he wants a dynamic DNS. I use iServe (www.iserve.co.nz) for KB's DNS, which I just now see has been taken over by Orcon. No advantage in having a .com, unless your business is international.

[Scuba_Steve]

I would say if your aiming at NZ customers do a .co.nz domain, I like many others tend to associate the .com with America.
I use webbase (http://www.webbase.co.nz/)myself they tend to be quite cheap, NZ based, linux servers & I've had no prob with them very reliable & easy to use :yes:

[steve_t]

Like Spank, I use iServe.
What I do for email is use a catchall (which results in loads of spam) so really anything@whatever.co.nz and that mail gets redirected to my xtra mail. I then use Outlook to manage my mail with outgoing mail appearing to come from info@whatever.co.nz although it goes out through xtra's smtp server. Not sure if this is the best way or even a good way of doing it but it works

[avgas]

I have always preferred .com
sounds more professional......bigger.

but that is just me.

.co.nz on a international perspective sounds like operating out of a hut in Africa.
nz is the code for nambia isn't it:blink:

[Brett]

Thanks for the quick feedback guys.

Business is in integrated facility services/management, intending on taking on the likes of spotless and ISS. Basically property management and facilities management as one tailored solution but aimed at commercial property owners/syndicates, retirement homes, rest homes and businesses across NZ. So the focus will primarily be NZ based but with a longer term view to potentially getting into Australia as well.

I am a big believer that NZ businesses need to have a global focus if they are going to truly grow a successful business, however since my business will be focused around NZ based assets, clearly NZ is my primary target market and thus I also tend to think that a .co.nz domain is going to be more in keeping with my market.

I don't think that a DNS is what I am after, although admittedly I don't entirely understand them. Longer term I will be developing a website that has a customer interface with software that we have already built that allows all of my customers to view their work in the system and to add new work to be undertaken, view what they have spent in the last 'x' months and thus a projection on their next 'x' months capital outlay. This is cloud based software so all that customers would need is to log onto their user account in the cloud/programme. However this is an aside and over and above the scope of what i want to achieve in the next 2 weeks which is simply a business website so that my potential customers can start learning who I am! More money can be spent on marketing etc. once I am actually making some to cover the cost!

FYI I am based in Auckland.

[mashman]

Don't think he wants a dynamic DNS.

Fair enough. I only used it to repoint my domain to my home router for when my IP address changed after a power outage or firmware upgrade etc... Meant i didn't have to pay for a static IP address :) tight bastard that I am :yes: Perhaps I should resurrect the project hmmmm...

I briefly used 2Day, as did a friend of mine, and they had ok online services for admin etc... think the were $25/month

[Mully]

Your ISP may offer hosting as part of your home internet package - I think Scodafone give you 30gb or some such.

[Brett]

Your ISP may offer hosting as part of your home internet package - I think Scodafone give you 30gb or some such.

Ok cool, will have a look. Thanks for that.

[BuzzardNZ]

beware if you pay someone to design a website for you. A mate of mine signed up with some American crowd that basically offered to do what you're looking for. 9 grand later, no website and no come back, poor bastard got scammed big time.

[rainman]

By claiming a domain, how do I then use it instead of my xtra.co.nz domain (ie brett@hisowndomain.co.nz as opposed to brett@xtra.co.nz) for emailing? Can I change this with my xtra account or do I need to find another webmail server?


something like registerdirect's $60/annum

www.domains4less.co.nz: $20/yr for a .co.nz, now includes 6 months free web hosting. Also does free email redirects so you can still use the xtra.co.nz "behind the scenes" or for personal stuff as well. And they do mail and web hosting too if you want those later, or you can buy them elsewhere.

Disclosure: just a happy customer.


Longer term I will be developing a website that has a customer interface with software that we have already built that allows all of my customers to view their work in the system...

Depending on how the software has been built, that can be tricky (or easy). You also need to think about security a bit when you integrate from an external Internet system to something used in-house... I assume your developer is well aware of this stuff, but feel free to PM me if you want any advice.

[Gremlin]

You register a domain with someone (Telecom, Vodafone, Orcon etc etc). You pay them a monthly fee (or yearly) to use it.

You register something called records against each domain, which tell other servers where to send the various traffic, so emails can go to one server, website another, and so on. Records and domains are simply to make it easier for humans, as machines deal in numbers (and the records translate email or www into numbers). When you visit www.kiwibiker.co.nz (kiwibiker.co.nz being the domain), your computer asks for the record for www, gets a number, and goes there for the requested page.

If you want to use xtra (as you already have it) they'll be expensive, around $6-12 a month for a domain, but they'll be able to provide domain email addresses etc. There are cheaper options, depends how much effort you want to go to.

For most of my clients, we take both .co.nz and .com, 1 as security against someone else taking it, 2, people get to the website or whatever either way, 3, I can revert to one if the other is down, for whatever reason. Then you also have to ask yourself if you want .co, etc etc

And to summarise:
The domain can be managed by person 1 (I manage 40+ domains for our clients)
Person 2 can host the website
Person 3 can provide your internet connection...

[sil3nt]

beware if you pay someone to design a website for you. A mate of mine signed up with some American crowd that basically offered to do what you're looking for. 9 grand later, no website and no come back, poor bastard got scammed big time.:blink:

If your spending that much money you surely want to go meet the people at their office!

[MaxCannon]

If you are serious I wouldn't trust xtra (or any other ISP) with your Email.

I'd point you to a hosted Exchange.
We partner with a locally based one and they have been very good to date.

Email is the killer app for business.
Recently one NZ ISP lost a bunch of mailboxes.

I'd also recommend backup of whichever machine you are putting your documents on.
The number of times I get handed a dead laptop by some desparate person who has not backed anything up and now it's all gone.....

I guess in short. You could do it on the cheap or you could get some professional IT help for a few bucks and save yourself a ton of time and worry in the future.

(Yes I work for an IT company but I'm so busy right now I don't really want any extra work).

[Berries]

Agree you should get both .co.nz and .com if you are going to take it international.

Are you thinking of making your own website ?

[GOONR]

Thanks for the quick feedback guys.

Business is in integrated facility services/management, intending on taking on the likes of spotless and ISS. Basically property management and facilities management as one tailored solution but aimed at commercial property owners/syndicates, retirement homes, rest homes and businesses across NZ. So the focus will primarily be NZ based but with a longer term view to potentially getting into Australia as well.

I am a big believer that NZ businesses need to have a global focus if they are going to truly grow a successful business, however since my business will be focused around NZ based assets, clearly NZ is my primary target market and thus I also tend to think that a .co.nz domain is going to be more in keeping with my market.

I don't think that a DNS is what I am after, although admittedly I don't entirely understand them. Longer term I will be developing a website that has a customer interface with software that we have already built that allows all of my customers to view their work in the system and to add new work to be undertaken, view what they have spent in the last 'x' months and thus a projection on their next 'x' months capital outlay. This is cloud based software so all that customers would need is to log onto their user account in the cloud/programme. However this is an aside and over and above the scope of what i want to achieve in the next 2 weeks which is simply a business website so that my potential customers can start learning who I am! More money can be spent on marketing etc. once I am actually making some to cover the cost!

FYI I am based in Auckland.

PM Sent, I'll help ya get started!

[Marmoot]

So the focus will primarily be NZ based but with a longer term view to potentially getting into Australia as well.

Do a .co.nz, and when you expand to Australia make a new .com.au website. That would give you additional chance to do well in the Google.co.nz (and Google.com.au) search.

.Com would provide less relevance to the search, as well as to your audience. NZ and AU people would prefer to deal with more-trusted local websites (the impression of "local people") as opposed to some unknown american/nigerian on the other side of the world.

[Gremlin]

Remember that for .com.au you need an Australian business number. They are a little more restrictive than others re reserving a domain.

[Brett]

Guys, thanks very much for all of the advice, I am certainly gleaning the info I am after.

MaxCannon - agree, hosted exchange to protect email might be a good idea...also someone with good spam filtering would be lovely.

No, not thinking of building website myself. I know what i want, but would rather have it done properly than stuff it up myself and have something that looks exactly like I did it. Don't want to get it done from the middle of Uzbekistindiaasiaplace for the lowest cost possible, would rather give some business to a local designer Besides I can instruct virtually everything I want so creative input would not be too high, just putting my ideas together.

doman4less looks pretty good. All I am looking to do is get the business up and running to return some capital and then would be willing to invest in heavier IT.

[Edbear]

Guys, thanks very much for all of the advice, I am certainly gleaning the info I am after.

MaxCannon - agree, hosted exchange to protect email might be a good idea...also someone with good spam filtering would be lovely.

No, not thinking of building website myself. I know what i want, but would rather have it done properly than stuff it up myself and have something that looks exactly like I did it. Don't want to get it done from the middle of Uzbekistindiaasiaplace for the lowest cost possible, would rather give some business to a local designer Besides I can instruct virtually everything I want so creative input would not be too high, just putting my ideas together.

doman4less looks pretty good. All I am looking to do is get the business up and running to return some capital and then would be willing to invest in heavier IT.

Get hold of this guy, rudy@yhp.co.nz and if you want to know how good he is, call John at www.jamesblond.co.nz

[jonbuoy]

I´m sure a lot of people are going to say differently but if its a small startup business their are plenty of providers out their that will sort out the whole package -email, domain, web host and web design tools, remote webmail access anti spam and antivirus email scanning. I use 1&1internet, you can build an fairly nice looking basic website with their website design tools with no knowlage of website design.

If your not doing e-commerce or expecting millions of hits per hour or looking for flashy video and sound these will be fine. Your free to change and update as you like without paying someone to do it.