Protect Your Domain Name or Risk Losing It

Your domain name is an important part of your brand and identity. Losing it could be disastrous! Yet, month over month we see people lose their domain name, either because they ignore or forget to renew them, or do not keep their contact information - especially their email address - current and up to date.

A whole new industry has been created out of lost and neglected domain names. It is now common place for an expired domain name to be snagged the moment it is released back to the 'available' pool. These poachers will grab any domain name that has a decent search engine ranking and forward it to anything from a competitors web site, to a pay per click advertising site. They are hoping to have you pay a big ransom to get your domain name back or to capitalize on the residual traffic left over by your domain name's high search engine ranking.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from these tactics:

  • Activate the 'Domain Lock' feature with your registrar. This prevents changes in contact info, DNS servers and most importantly, blocks transfer away requests that could be sent by a poacher trying to steal your domain name
  • Keep your contact information, especially your email address current and up to date. Be sure to white list the domain name of your registrar so renewal and other important email notices don't get caught in your Spam filters. If you are worried about listing your email address in the public Whois database, ask your Registration provider about Whois Privacy Service
  • Most registrars send out occasional Whois Confirmation emails to domain owners, giving them the opportunity to double check and correct any invalid or outdated information. Do Not ignore these emails, double check the information and correct any errors
  • Be on the lookout for fraudulent renewal notices that arrive both in email and especially by regular paper mail. There are a few companies sending very officially looking paper mail renewal notices that look very much like invoices. They are not! They are carefully crafted marketing documents designed to fool an accounts payable clerk into thinking its a bill that has to be paid!

Your domain name registration provider should be more than a domain name clearing house. They should help you manage your domain name with locking and privacy solutions and most of all, help you protect your name and brand, the one you worked so hard to create. Talk to your domain name registration provider to be sure you have done everything you can to protect yourself today!

About the Author: Robert Schwartz has helped thousands secure and manage their Internet identity and is President of LaneChange.net a Total Domain Management solutions provider. Find out more at http://www.LaneChange.net

In The News:
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/poker/poker-sites-wait-baited-breath-100608.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEfUOAxGvXSC6HZPzOk00kA9RW1Ewimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=PTSncZVxrEwJimgurl=www.gambling911.com/files/publisher/Online-Poker-Large-Cards-Computer_3.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Gambling911.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/ultimatebetcom-cake-poker-domain-names-seized-100608.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGvbvSJWBeG62qw8EkqKuDCvkhG4QUltimateBet.com, Cake Poker bDomain Names/b Seized/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fGambling911.com,nbsp;FLnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Gambling911.com has learned that UltimateBet.com, CakePoker.com and DoylesRoom.com were among the online poker room domains that had been seized by the b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/governor-beshear%25E2%2580%2599s-attack-web-domains-could-jeopardize-kentucky-growth-100508.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNFDtKlyibylqAHw8w9DzG-30AnWqAGovernor Beshear’s Attack on Web Domains Could Jeopardize Kentucky b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGambling911.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/poker/kentucky-commonwealth-seizes-doyles-room-online-poker-site-100608.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEg4KdVG64oph5FaP-GyqTDn9eFsgKentucky Commonwealth Seizes Doyles Room Online Poker Site/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGambling911.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/internet-commerce-could-be-hurt-kentucky-domain-case-100608.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGYYMDHnKVG6NhSF7cVqBqLA0mQnQInternet Commerce Could be Hurt by Kentucky bDomain/b Case/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGambling911.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/poker/poker-sites-wait-baited-breath-100608.htmlcid=1254959654ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEfUOAxGvXSC6HZPzOk00kA9RW1EwnobrGambling911.com/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254959654hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.financialpost.com/small_business/story.html%3Fid%3D862404cid=1254860446ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNFMRl2qOecuZZJLYn1I9fS5kProZgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=RaSa8KNIbhUJimgurl=a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.financialpost.com/small_business/863942.bin%3Fsize%3D404x272 width=80 height=54 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Financial Post/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.financialpost.com/small_business/story.html%3Fid%3D862404cid=1254860446ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNFMRl2qOecuZZJLYn1I9fS5kProZgWhat#39;s a Web bname/b worth?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fFinancial Post,nbsp;Canadanbsp;-/font nobr17 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1As increasingly businesses line up to get on the Internet bandwagon, the importance of understanding the nuances of bdomain names/b could make or break your b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24458722-2,00.htmlcid=1254860446ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNG6E5yltdGuGQCJYppbjuQEvFPRFAWatchdog shuts down child abuse websites/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNEWS.com.au/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254860446hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://domainnamewire.com/2008/10/06/what-the-economic-meltdown-means-for-domain-names/cid=0ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEzVhIoTXVcKjsbVcQ2o4hu0h92FwWhat the Economic Meltdown Means for bDomain Names/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDomain Name Wire,nbsp;TXnbsp;-/font nobr19 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1So what does this mean for your bdomain names/b? It depends on if you have a short term or long term view. And if you have a diversified portfolio. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/kentucky-governor-calls-online-gambling-operators-shady-100608.htmlcid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGkQzWbyrJNWoVwj7lGEJsCoRHEKwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=EYvH-JpWuq0Jimgurl=www.gambling911.com/files/publisher/Kentucky-Welcome_0.jpg width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Gambling911.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/kentucky-forfeiture-hearing-issues-multiply-31612cid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEXSMU-EJEDz9sXMg2ZU2xE3gex1QKentucky forfeiture hearing issues multiply/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPokerListings.comnbsp;-/font nobr12 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Shari Geller Tomorrow#39;s court hearing to determine the fate of 141 online gambling bdomain names/b seized last month by the commonwealth of Kentucky has b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pocketfives.com/online-poker-scene/emergency-internet-gambling-summit-in-kentucky-to-occur-today-3395204cid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNG-anfBUnBChhPIFjXeUB7Dh32oSgEmergency Internet Gambling Summit in Kentucky to Occur Today/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrPocketFives (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081007/NEWS01/810070409cid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGt8JBFWVHelIGxmBjoSllfZNXhtQHearing on Internet gambling is today/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrLouisville Courier-Journal/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/10/06/ap5515715.htmlcid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNHmFKunHUEd9NHTZQLZ8CaWGZHpNgOpponents to Ky. online gambling case gathering/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForbes/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/kentucky-governor-calls-online-gambling-operators-shady-100608.htmlcid=1254902324ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGkQzWbyrJNWoVwj7lGEJsCoRHEKwnobrGambling911.com/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254902324hl=ennobrall 9 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release%3Fid%3D238828cid=1254740540ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNHIM_6_DN4RyYFUJwovLMVAkAzqrArss.com bDomain Name/b set for $750000 USD Sale/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPR Newswire UK (press release),nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 6, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Sedo, the leading marketplace for buying and selling Internet bdomain names/b and websites, has been appointed by Torex Retail Holdings (Torex(TM)) to oversee b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/715123.htmlcid=1254842886ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNF1Xy-YPt3eboLrmtBeJhAA1lOThgCalif. man registers Web site domains in bnames/b of politicians he b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Miami Herald,nbsp;FLnbsp;-/font nobr17 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Morally, it#39;s wrong to take somebody#39;s bdomain name/b and use it for your own personal purposes,quot; Rocklin chamber board member Bill Halldin said. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/10/05/Man_takes_on_tribe_over_domain_names/UPI-91781223180800/cid=1254367378ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNE4xKfCcptgio-FijZMBTubXZ-qMAMan takes on tribe over bdomain names/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fUnited Press Internationalnbsp;-/font nobrOct 4, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1MIAMI, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A Florida Indian tribe is considering a lawsuit against a former bodyguard who has staked claims to Web bdomain names/b. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/godaddycom-launches-new-hosted-microsoft,567630.shtmlcid=1254866605ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEwwING6le3_rD2aaQADctmE3okNwGoDaddy.com Launches New Hosted Microsoft Exchange Plans for b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEarthtimes (press release),nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr20 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Go Daddy Group, Inc. has more than 31 million bdomain names/b under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a bdomain name/b every second. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/buyersguide/article.php/3776171cid=1254866605ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNFKadMWF7U9iQFiMwI-9OiEiRpMHgGoDaddy.com and Microsoft Announce E-mail Progeny/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSmall Business Computing/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1254866605hl=ennobrall 22 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/Zero-net-gain-in-website.4562783.jpcid=1255017174ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNEDG2SWZXooyA3p6L_4xlE8ulNAuwZero net gain in website dispute/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSheffield Telegraph,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1He said: quot;I bought the bdomain name/b a couple of years ago. I beat Coca-Cola to it and did it to sell on or to develop the site myself and attract advertisers b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.onlinepokerwebsite.net/articles/108/1/1160/Citizens-Reject-Seizure-of-Online-Poker-Domain-Names.htmlcid=0ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGqF85JeZmEAC1Js-SrjVTY_qh9EQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=cwuFAut76HoJimgurl=www.onlinepokerwebsite.net/content_images/titan%2520poker-pkr.jpg width=53 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Online Poker Website/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.onlinepokerwebsite.net/articles/108/1/1160/Citizens-Reject-Seizure-of-Online-Poker-Domain-Names.htmlcid=0ei=pzDrSKsyptTqA5TxpYEJusg=AFQjCNGqF85JeZmEAC1Js-SrjVTY_qh9EQCitizens Reject Seizure of Online Poker bDomain Names/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fOnline Poker Website,nbsp;Floridanbsp;-/font nobrOct 4, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The next court date in the case concerning Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear#39;s attempt to seize online poker and Internet casino bdomain names/b is Tuesday. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
domain names - Google News

Domain Name: Why Do You Need One Anyway?

I come across sites all the time that are obviously... Read More

Expired Domains Explained

It is annoying to find that you have a great... Read More

Internet Domain Registration ? Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions on Domain Name Registration

Here are the top ten most frequently asked questions regarding... Read More

ICANN Registrar: za-Domains for Anybody

Cologne, 12.10. 2004. ICANN accredited registrar Secura announces today,that the... Read More

How to Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Company

As the editor of DomainNameWire.com, I'm frequently e-mailed by people... Read More

Public Domain - Internet Gold Mine

With the advent of the internet and the ease of... Read More

Your Domain Name, Your Business Address

Would you purchase anything from someone with a "@yahoo.com" or... Read More

42 Killer Domain Secrets Exposed!

The Basic StuffEvery website needs a domain name. Example "WebBootCamp.com"... Read More

Domain Name Registration and Privacy

The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few... Read More

Domain Name Trademarks

As your Internet business grows, the value of your domain... Read More

Domain Names

Domain names are relatively straightforward! Or at least that's the... Read More

How to Profit with Domain Name Speculation

Domain Name speculation has become big business. According to recent... Read More

Understand the Domain Name System

Ever wonder why DNS systems came into existence? Efficiency. Every... Read More

Whats in a Domain Name?

You've decided to start up your own website. You've weighed... Read More

What is a Domain Name and Where to Register?

A domain name is an alias for an IP address.... Read More

How to Conduct a Domain Name Search and Why Your Domain Name Matters for Long Term Branding

Creating a website is not just about designing your pages... Read More

8 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name

If you're just starting out on the Internet, choosing a... Read More

Domain Names and Longevity

It begins as an idea -- a company name, a... Read More

The net-Domain: Backbone of the Web

We do not always realize that figures are just quantity... Read More

Domain Name Secrets Revealed

If internet is about interactivity between websites, domain name is... Read More

Whats In A Name: Selecting the Right Business Name

With all that's written about selecting a domain name, I... Read More

Domain Name Registration - Key Tips

Domain name registration is a necessary, easy, and strategically important... Read More

Does the Length of a Domain Registration Affect Your Search Engine Rank?

Does the length of your website's domain name registration affect... Read More

Choosing A Domain Name

--About Domain Names--Choosing a domain name for your web site... Read More

Get Your Own Domain Name Or Die Online

Would you buy from someone with an "@yahoo.com" e-mail address?... Read More