(This is a the 2nd of a 4 part series on setting up your own email address – if you missed part one, please check that out first)
In part 1, I talked about the “Why’s” behind getting a personalized email address. Today I want to start the process.
So let’s get started. The only things that you will need is a computer (duh) and a credit card to purchase the domain. Don’t worry, domains are cheap. GoDaddy sells domains for less than 10 bucks a year!
(Short note: I am going to use GoDaddy as the domain service provider and Google’s FREE Google Apps (with kickass SPAM/virus filtering) as my preferred solution. There are many products out there, but I have found that these two combined are easy to use and set up.
Step 1: Purchase the domain name
Go to http://www.godaddy.com . Hopefully by now you have decided on what you would like your domain name to be. If you haven’t, go think about it for a while and come back. Don’t worry, we can wait.
In the center of the screen, there is a box to “Search for a domain name”. Type in the domain that you are looking to register.
Once you have found one, go ahead and add it using the “Add” button. GoDaddy LOVES the upsell, and it will try and sell you just about everything under the sun, including the .net, .org, .info, .tv, etc versions. It’s up to you to decide if you want all of these extra domains or not. If you are registering a domain for a business, then this might be a good idea, just so your competitors don’t buy them. If you are doing this for your own personal domain, then it matters much less. (I only own the .com version of my personal domain).
When you are satisfied with your purchase options, click the “Continue to Registration” button:
Click the “No Thanks” links to opt out of all the upsells until you get to a screen that looks like this (click to enlarge):
Fill in the blanks, just like any other purchase you would make on the internet. Click “Continue”. Leave the domain as “uncertified” radio button selected. Choose whether you want to buy 1 year or more. You’ll have to renew this domain on a yearly basis for around 10 dollars. Make sure any other upsell checkboxes or options are not selected, as they are not necessary to setting up an email address. You are only here to purchase the domain name.
In the last section, unless you want to go through a barrage of extra upsell screens, make sure the “No thanks, I’m ready to check out” is selected. Click Continue.
At this point, you can continue with the purchase as you would any other. When you are done, move to the next post, “Sign Up for Google Apps“.
[...] In the next post, I’ll review how to set up the domain name. [...]
Pingback by Setting up a personalized email address – Why should I do this? — November 27, 2009 @ 1:48 pm
[...] (This is a the 3rd of a 4 part series on setting up your own email address – if you missed part two, please check that out first) [...]
Pingback by Setting up a personalized email address – Sign up for Google Apps — November 27, 2009 @ 2:12 pm