Buying A Website....Help/Advice

• sjmvsfscs08

  Okay so I want to buy a domain name, but I don't want to actually have someone build the website for me for probably another year. But I just want to make sure that it doesn't slip through my fingers. The website doesn't currently exist, but the name is pretty crucial and absolutely needs to be what I have in mind.
  
  I don't know a damn thing about websites, I am just a city planning major who will graduate next spring and will almost certainly move home to at least try to help the town out and I know I'm going to need a website to do that (probably pretty difficult to explain without going into useless details. I just need the site). I have friends who can build sites or I will simply pay someone to do it. That isn't really my concern right now, I just want to own the rights to the site and everything else can be worked out from there.
  
  Sooo, how do I buy a website name? If I buy it from godaddy.com or somewhere else, do they own it and I am merely renting it from them for ten years at a time? I want to buy it so that I will own it for as long as I want. I don't want to have the situation where in ten years they will make me pay $100,000 for another decade of use if it becomes what I think it will.
  
  Also there is another issue, that is pretty familiar with Justin. Say there is a highly successful HuddleColumbus.com, and I want to make HuddleCincinnati.com....only I am not creating an alternative to their site and taking business from them, I am merely doing what they do for another geographical location. Nothing on my HuddleCincinnati.com would have anything to do with HuddleColumbus.com per se (the topics in Cinci vs Cbus would be totally different), but the purpose would be almost identical. They haven't bought the website though, so would I be clear in that regard from certified letters? I actually want to talk to the inspirational website first and maybe work with them on this, but I want to own the website before I do that.
• sjmvsfscs08

  And no this has nothing to do with ohiochatter haha this site holds a special place in my heart, it's the best place on the web to hook up with students!
• dwccrew

  

  Have a team of lawyers ready for when the certified letters come thru the mail.
• justincredible

  

  I've found name.com to be the best domain registrar. Don't use godaddy, it sucks ass.
• I Wear Pants

  I get domains through Namecheap whenever I need that sort of thing. Apparently I'm not alone in that opinion since Lifehacker readers/writers really like them as well. Do not use GoDaddy though please, they fucking suck.
  
  http://www.namecheap.com/
• sjmvsfscs08

  Thanks for th advice so far, but I guess I'm wondering if I actually own it if I buy it through name.com/namecheap.com, or am I merely renting it in a sense? Sorry for being so pathetically misinformed on the issue haha
  
  I don't want the situation where in ten years they say "Hey you're site it us for another ten years....that'll be $10k now." Does that even happen? Money really isn't a concern, I just want to make sure I actually own it..
• hasbeen

  

  I'm pretty sure you own it as long as you pay.
• password

  

  You can buy your domain and you own it as long as you keep renewing it. You can renew it every year or you can renew it for up to 10 years at a time. I am not a lawyer, but I don't see the problem with your website name, as for the conflict with the huddle, there are all kinds of huddles out there that are sports sites and they are still in business so there was no legit beef with jjhuddle and freehuddle unless there is more to the story than what we know.
• I Wear Pants

  sjmvsfscs08;1085282 wrote:Thanks for th advice so far, but I guess I'm wondering if I actually own it if I buy it through name.com/namecheap.com, or am I merely renting it in a sense? Sorry for being so pathetically misinformed on the issue haha
  
  I don't want the situation where in ten years they say "Hey you're site it us for another ten years....that'll be $10k now." Does that even happen? Money really isn't a concern, I just want to make sure I actually own it..

  That doesn't happen. Domain names you really only ever own the license to. Sort of like radio broadcasting frequencies.
• said_aouita

  

  Reading this thread, I'm curios why godaddy "sucks" so much?
  
  Why are they so much worse then the other sites for domain names?
• I Wear Pants

  said_aouita;1085413 wrote:Reading this thread, I'm curios why godaddy "sucks" so much?
  
  Why are they so much worse then the other sites for domain names?

  Price is my main problem with them along with different things that they don't include for free like domain mail forwarding.
  
  Then there's the whole thing about them supporting SOPA and ACTA as well as their awful commercials.
• Curly J

  

  I Wear Pants;1085414 wrote:
  Then there's the whole thing about them supporting SOPA and ACTA

  They were one of the first ones that came out for supporting it. Big mistake as 'techies' don't forget.
• queencitybuckeye

  password;1085288 wrote:I am not a lawyer, but I don't see the problem with your website name, as for the conflict with the huddle, there are all kinds of huddles out there that are sports sites and they are still in business so there was no legit beef with jjhuddle and freehuddle unless there is more to the story than what we know.

  In such cases, the issue is usually that a lawsuit with little merit is still going to cost thousands of dollars to defend.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  What is your proposed domain name?
• justincredible

  

  queencitybuckeye;1085444 wrote:In such cases, the issue is usually that a lawsuit with little merit is still going to cost thousands of dollars to defend.

  This is the reason I "caved" to them. I talked to a lawyer at the biggest firm in Cincinnati and he said their case was bogus but also asked if it would be worth the thousands of dollars it would take to defend. I said no, and that was that.
• justincredible

  

  said_aouita;1085413 wrote:Reading this thread, I'm curios why godaddy "sucks" so much?
  
  Why are they so much worse then the other sites for domain names?

  http://www.salmanahsan.com/godaddy-sucks/
  
  Also, the whole SOPA thing.
• bases_loaded

  

  justincredible;1085523 wrote:This is the reason I "caved" to them. I talked to a lawyer at the biggest firm in Cincinnati and he said their case was bogus but also asked if it would be worth the thousands of dollars it would take to defend. I said no, and that was that.

  
  I would've called their bluff and represented myself, but I have testicles so it might be a different situation.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  bases_loaded;1085527 wrote:I would've called their bluff and represented myself, but I have testicles so it might be a different situation.

  Still have to waste time going to court, travel if the court isn't in your city, and pay court costs. Probably not worth it.
• bases_loaded

  

  Commander of Awesome;1085531 wrote:Still have to waste time going to court, travel if the court isn't in your city, and pay court costs. Probably not worth it.

  
  Assuming a court would even take the case. It's called principle. I refuse to live in a world where lawyers have the big D
• justincredible

  

  bases_loaded;1085527 wrote:I would've called their bluff and represented myself, but I have testicles so it might be a different situation.

  Good for you? It still wouldn't have been free, dipshit.
• justincredible

  

  bases_loaded;1085533 wrote:Assuming a court would even take the case. It's called principle. I refuse to live in a world where lawyers have the big D

  Sorry I'm not willing to gamble with my finances over something as stupid as a website name for a website that makes peanuts. If that means I'm a pussy I gladly accept that.
• bases_loaded

  

  justincredible;1085534 wrote:Good for you? It still wouldn't have been free, dip****.

  
  I disagree, cock smooch
• queencitybuckeye

  justincredible;1085535 wrote:Sorry I'm not willing to gamble with my finances over something as stupid as a website name for a website that makes peanuts. If that means I'm a pussy I gladly accept that.

  It makes you not an idiot.
  
  You're a pussy for entirely different reasons.
• justincredible

  

  queencitybuckeye;1085541 wrote:It makes you not an idiot.
  
  You're a pussy for entirely different reasons.

  Say that to my face...and I'll curl in to the fetal position and cry for my mommy.
• WebFire

  GoDaddy is fine for registering domains. If you want to do more (like mail forwarding or web hosting), there are other services out there. But for just domain hosting, it's fine.
  
  SOPA and stuff aside, of course.