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 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 some years ago.

Don't think he wants a dynamic DNS. I use iServe 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 myself they tend to be quite cheap, NZ based, linux servers & I've had no prob with them very reliable & easy to use

[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

[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 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...