Many of our Clients tell us they "really don't understand all of this stuff
about domain names, hosting, emails..." Since our core belief is about empowering our clients with knowlege, we felt it was
important to add this page.
Many people confuse their internet service provider (ISP) (such as
your cable company or dsl company) with their domain name and website hosting - these things are not really related - it's
just that sometimes it seems that way because your ISP may include these services in a "bundle" they sell you.
The truth is these things can (and should) be purchased independently of each other. In order to visit websites
or surf the web you must have an internet connection. However, you are not tied to the provider of that connection
for any other services - not even email (unless you want to be)!
Here are the components that you should consider owning seperate from your
internet connection:
1. Your DOMAIN NAME: Often confused with the term "URL" your domain name is a unique identifier that
can be used as a "URL". In order for people to find you on the world wide web (www) you have to give them a unique "address"
- just like you would give them your home or business address to come and see you in person. In reality, this unique address
can be something like "http://www.sitebuildernow.net/~youraccounthere". But any marketing person will tell you that it will
be much easier for people to find you if you can give them something that makes them think of you and/or your business. This
is why you buy a DOMAIN NAME (or many domain names that may all point to one "address"). A DOMAIN NAME is
a unique identifier that is registered in the international ICAAN database which tells the computers that make up the "web"
what your actual address is. Domain names are ordered and managed via a "Registrar". SiteBuilder Now is an authorized reseller for several ICAAN Approved registrars
and therefore authorized to act as your personal registrar. We maintain an easy to use interface for you to order and manage your domain names via our HostManager control panel. Once you register this name it is yours to keep as long as you renew your registration (minimum
of 1 year max of 10). When you register your domain name you tell the the registrar where your website sits (your real address
- see "hosting" below). It is very important that you keep your contact information up to date with your registrar
because if you cannot be contacted they cannot remind you to renew your registration. Once you have a unique Domain Name you can actually change your underlying
web and/or email address any time you want to - as long as you let the registry know where to point to! This means you can
change internet service providers and NOT HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL or WEBSITE ADDRESS! All you have to do is update your
information at your registrar.
2: HOSTING: In order to work your, web pages and email accounts have to sit on a computer that is ready, able and waiting
to "serve" them to the public that you have told where to find them. That is why you will frequently hear the word "server"
intermingled with hosting. For example, when you buy hosting services from SiteBuilder Now what that really
means is we are letting you put your pages and email services on our computer(s) so that they can be "served up" to the people you
want to communicate with. Our computer(s) has/have been assigned permanent "addresses" (referred to as IP addresses) that
all of the computers on the internet recognize. We tell the www where our computers are using our Name Servers these are computers
that we keep up-to-date with all of our IP addresses so the www knows where to find them. When you associate your domain name
to our Name Servers the www knows which computer "hosts" your website and email services. All hosting companies
use Name Servers. You can choose to change your "hosting" provider any time - all you have to do is make sure that you tell
your registrar the location of your new hosting computer by updating the Name Server records in your account. Each hosting
company will provide you this information when you sign up with them. When you sign up for a hosting account with us the only information you will have to provide your registrar is our NAME
SERVER addresses. These generally look something like this: ns1.coburnenterprises.com and ns2.coburnenterprises.com. By changing
just that information at your domain registry the world will be able to find you within 24 to 48 hours of the change. (It can
happen in as little as 10 minutes but it generally takes up to 48 hours for all of the computers that make up the "web" to
store the changes). Please note that if you register your domain with us we will automatically update this information for you during the registration
process. If you transfer your domain to us this information may need to be updated after the transfer is complete. Additionally,
when you order hosting services with us you are given access to a personal control panel where you can manage
many aspects of your hosted services such as adding and deleting email users. To learn more about the details of our hosting
services please see Hosting Packages and Pricing.
3. In order to have web pages you have to create them. We refer to this
as website DEVELOPMENT. Our SiteBuilder Now tools allow you to develop your own website. These tools incorporate all of the elements involved in creating your website
and putting it onto your hosting computer (uploading) all in on easy to use web based interface. If you prefer, you
can hire us to develop your site for you. Or, maybe you want to buy software that runs on your own computer and
develop the site that way. No matter what you decide to do we are here to help you.
