That Web Man

I recently had cause to renew some .co.uk domain names that were originally registered a while back with Soho UK. The site associated with those domain names uses the matching .com addresses also registered at the time and moved to another US-based host some time ago.

So the .co.uk renewal rates whilst not too expensive with Soho UK are not as cheap as they could be and all that is needed are simple redirects to the .com sites. It therefore makes sense to transfer the .co.uk domain names to a cheaper registrar.

Now with other registrars/hosts we’ve used for .co.uk domain names, we either ring them up and ask them to set the IPSTAG to another supplier or we do it ourselves through a control panel, in both cases at no cost.

But Soho UK? No:

• CO.UK, .ORG.UK, ME.UK and .LTD.UK can only be transferred by using the Nominet on-line service.There is a charge (currently GBP 11.75) for each domain name.
• You would change an IPSTAG for a domain name if you wanted to transfer control of your domain name to another domain name registrar or Nominet member. If you wish to host your domain name with another hosting company all you need to do is change the nameserver addresses to theirs, just as you would if your domain ended in .com.
• Nominet are the non profit UK Government appointed body which control UK domains. Since 2007 Nominet have been aggressively promoting their on-line website directly to domain owners. Encouraging owners to manage their domain names directly with Nominet. This meens that if you wish to change the IPSTAG or other contact details for your domain name you need to log on to the Registrant Online Services section of the Nominet website. The Nominet website can be found here:www.nic.uk

ORLY?

No. This is what Nominet say:

“If you want to change your registrar, you should first of all contact your current registrar. Your current registrar will be able to make this change for you and it may be at no additional cost…

“If your registrar is unable or unwilling to make this change for you, we can help. You can use this service to move your domain name(s) from your current registrar to another. Please be aware that by using this service it does not cancel any contractual agreement(s) you may have with your current registrar.

“During this process you will be asked for the new registrar’s unique identifier, which is also known as the tag. For example, NOMINET. If you do not know the tag you would like to move your domains to, there will be a search facility to help you find it later on in the process.

“This service will cost you £11.50 including VAT.”

Somewhat different, eh? No aggressive promotion there: more like Soho UK being unwilling for some reason…

Can I apologise to everyone else who uses WordPress: it’s my fault they’ve just released a security update – I was just thinking it had been two months since the last release and lo and behold a security release is … er … released.

In my case that means updating 14 web sites running WordPress. Eek!

Fortunately that only involved manually updating three sites (i.e. downloading the updated version, uploading it over the three installations and running the upgrade script).

The other 11 sites are all hosted at DreamHost* which boasts one-click installations and upgrades, so for these sites the upgrades required a theme back-up for each of the sites just in case and then clicking the upgrade link in the DreamHost web control panel, waiting a few minutes and then clicking the link in the confirmation e-mail. Once done, a quick upload of the customised themes and all done.

* Don’t forget to enter the promo code THATWEBMAN to get your $50 discount.

Talking of domain names, one of the best things about my US-based hosts and the .coms I can register with them is the speed with which I can go from ideas to sites.

I use DreamHost in the States. Even on their cheapest hosting plans, they allow me to register multiple domain names and host multiple sites. Through my control panel, I simply register the domain(s), set up the site hosting and then to make things even easier, have them install WordPress with a new MySQL database. I did this with this site yesterday: start to finish was less than an hour. I also did this with a client web site a few weeks ago: start to finish including a fancy photo lightbox and site banner image was a few hours.

The ‘problem’ comes with .co.uk domain names that take hours to get registered (and also cannot be registered ‘anonymously’ or by proxy) and even longer to get propagated across the Internet.

So yes, I thoroughly recommend DreamHost and all the features that come with it:

Oh and if you click that image and proceed to set up a new account, you can have $50 off a year’s hosting fee if you quote the promo code “THATWEBMAN”.

Instant web presence for anyone. It’s the future and it’s here now.