How it works

Configuring 2-Step Authentication

1. 1. Select Recovery Email Address from the Verification Methods dropdown.
   2. Enter and confirm the Recovery Email Address that will be used to retrieve the verification code. (This email address will automatically be used as the Recovery Email Address used for resetting your account password as well.)
   3. Click Next.
   4. Wait a moment for the verification code to be emailed. Then enter the 6-digit verification code.
   5. Click Check to confirm the verification code and complete the 2-Step Authentication setup.

1. 1. Install an authenticator app, such as Google or Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, or LastPass on your phone or computer. (In this article, we’ll demonstrate how to set up 2-Step Authentication using Google Authenticator on your mobile device.)
   2. Select Authenticator App from the Verification Methods dropdown.
   3. Enter and confirm a Recovery Email Address that will be used as an alternative method to retrieve the verification code. If your authenticator app is not accessible, the verification code will be sent to this address instead. (This email address will automatically be used as the Recovery Email Address used for resetting your account password as well.)
   4. Click Next. A QR code will appear on the next page.
   5. Open the Google Authenticator app. Click “BEGIN SETUP” or use the plus (+) icon to add a new token.
   6. Select Scan QR Code and use your phone’s camera to scan the code that’s displayed in your webmail. A new token will be added to Google Authenticator.
   7. Enter the token’s 6-digit code into the field in your webmail.
   8. (If you can’t scan the QR code, click on “Can’t scan the QR code?” in your webmail. In the Authenticator app, choose to create a new token by Manual entry. In the Account field, enter a token descriptor, such as the username of your account. In the Key field, type in the secret key that’s displayed in the webmail. Then enter the token’s 6-digit code into your webmail.)
   9. Click Check to confirm the verification code and complete the 2-Step Authentication setup.

Logging in with 2-Step

Configure Third-party Applications with App Passwords

Permalink.

There may be times that you find your email Spam Filters to be too aggressive or not aggressive enough for your individual preferences. You have a large amount of control over how incoming Spam is handled by your email account. You can modify your Spam Filtering preferences by following the steps below:

1.  Logon to your web-based mail at https://smartermail.scarabmedia.com.
2.  Click on the SETTINGS icon in the left-hand pane (as shown below)
3.  Under Settings click on FILTERING to expand that submenu (as shown below)
4.  Click on SPAM FILTERING (as shown below)
5.  Select “Override spam settings for this account” (as shown below)

6.  Click on the ACTIONS tab in the right-hand pane (as shown below)
7.  For Low Probability of Being Spam click the down arrow under ACTION and select how you want these scored emails to be handled. You can select “No Action” to have them go directly to your Inbox,  “Add Text to Subject” to have them delivered to your Inbox but with a modified Subject letting you know they may be Junk E-Mail, “Move to Junk E-Mail Folder” to have them quarantined, or “Delete Message” to have the message removed entirely upon receipt.
8.  Repeat Step 7 for Medium Probability of Spam.
9.  Repeat Step 7 for High Probability of Spam.
10. Click on the [SAVE] button at the top of the screen to commit your changes.

Permalink.

In Microsoft Outlook if you are getting the error 0x800ccc0f “The connection to the server was interrupted” when attempting to receive email it may be that your Outlook Personal Folders are corrupted.

To resolve this error step-by-step instructions can be found at How To Repair Your Outlook Personal Folder File.

For Outlook 2013 and later you can use the Automatically Start the Inbox Repair Tool

For Outlook 2007 and before you will have to locate the ScanPST.exe program on your computer. Below is a chart that shows the typical installation locations of this file:

Permalink.

By default the Windows 10 Mail App should have access to your email. However, if you have modified your Privacy Settings in Windows 10 then you may receive an error when attempting to add an account or retrieve email using the Mail App. To resolve Error 0x8007139f follow the steps below:

1. To begin open the Settings menu
2. Go to Privacy
3. Select Email from the list of options in the left-hand pane.
4. Enable Allow Apps to Access Your Email and make sure the Mail and Calendar option below is also enabled.

   

If these options are already enabled when you enter the menu, disable them, Restart your computer, then re-enable them. After your computer restarts, the Windows Mail app will allow you to use the app without error 0x8007139f.

Permalink.

When a sender’s Mail Server attempts to connect to your Mail Server to deliver email, we first check the sender’s Mail Server against our Blacklist of known abusers (Brute-Force Hackers, Email Harvesters, and High Volume Spammers) . If they are listed then the connection is dropped as if your Mail Server does not exist. We routinely block @ 8 million connections every day from a list of  127,000-500,000 known abusers that are continuously updated.

If they pass this primary test, we then say “HELLO” to the sender’s Mail Server and ask them to identify themselves and who they are sending mail for. If the identity of the sender’s Mail Server is not a FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) or cannot be verified through a rDNS (Reverse Domain Name System) lookup then their email is not accepted for delivery. However, if the identity of the sender’s Mail Server checks out as valid then the sender’s address is also checked against a list of known Spam domains and email addresses. If the sender is listed then their email is not accepted for delivery. If they fail either verification then the sender should receive a NDR (Non-Deliverable Response) from their Mail Server telling them that the message was undeliverable due to Spam Filters. If, on the other hand, either the sender’s email address or their Mail Server is recognized as “Trusted Sender” then the message goes straight to your Inbox.

If the sender’s email address seems okay but your Mail Server does not recognize the sender as either a Trusted Sender or as having sent email to you in the past 288 days (10 months), then we ask the sender’s Mail Server to please try again in 120 seconds. This waiting period is called Greylisting and is really effective at stopping Spam because  most spammers do not attempt redelivery, whereas legitimate Mail Servers are required to attempt redelivery a minimum of 4 times. A two minute waiting period for an email from an unrecognized sender might seem to be an inconvenience but Greylisting can be 90% effective at reducing Spam as spammers have more than plenty Junk E-Mail to deliver elsewhere to bother returning 120 seconds later to deliver just to you.

Once the message passes Greylisting, or is recognized by your Mail Server for having sent email to you in the past 288 days, then the message is subjected to 179 tests to determine if it is Spam (Junk E-Mail). Each test assigns the message a score, ranging from a maximum of -10 for each HAM (the opposite of Spam) and Whitelist checks it passes to 1-20 (with an average of 5-10) for each RBL (Realtime Block List), URIBL (Uniform Resource Identifier Block List), Checksum, Content Filter, or Bayesian/Statistical check it fails. After all of these tests are run the total score is tallied and an action is determined based on a scale of -100 to +100 as follows:

By default most email clients (Outlook, Windows Live Essentials, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc.) do not download the contents of their Junk EMail Folder and this folder is normally accessible only through your webmail account. If your email client is using IMAP or EWS to synchronize with your email account you should be able to manually subscribe to this folder if it is not already subscribed.

If desired, you can also override the way that your Mail Server handles Low, Medium, and High probability of Spam messages by logging in to your webmail account at https://smartermail.scarabmedia.com  and going to SETTINGS > FILTERING > SPAM FILTERING. You can choose what actions you want taken for these three levels. Your options are NO ACTION, MOVE TO FOLDER, ADD TEXT TO SUBJECT, or DELETE.

Permalink.

Permalink.

To add your email account to Mac Mail on OS X El Capitan (v. 10.11) as an IMAP account, follow the instructions below:

1. Open the Apple Mac Mail app and click the Mail menu from the top left of the screen and then select Add Account > Other Mail Account and click on the [Continue] button.
   
2. Fill in your name, email address, and your password. Click on the [Sign In] button.
   
3. In the new window select Account Type (IMAP/POP). Either option you choose, apply the same settings going forward.
4. For both the Incoming and Outgoing Mail servers enter: smartermail.scarabmedia.com
5. Click the [Sign-In] button. You have now completed setting up e-mail on El Capitan’s Mail app. You can send and receive your email on your email client using a secure connection.

You may also want to take this time to make the following adjustments to your Mac Mail app:

• How to change how often Mac Mail checks for new messages
• How to disable IMAP Idle in Mac Mail

Permalink.

Exchange Web Services (EWS) is a newer data synchronization protocol that seamlessly syncs email messages, contacts and calendars with Apple Mail, iCal and Address Book.

Follow these steps to set up Apple Mail to sync with SmarterMail via Exchange Web Services :

1. On your Mac, open System Preferences.
2. Click Internet accounts.
3. Click Exchange.
4. Complete the display name, full email address and password fields.
5. Click Next.
6. Enter the URL https://smartermail.scarabmedia.com/ews/exchange.asmx 
7. Click Next.
8. An account summary screen will display. Click Continue.
9. Click Add Account.

Apple Mail is now configured to sync with SmarterMail. Depending on how much data there is to synchronize, the first sync may take a few minutes.

NOTE: For mailboxes that store large volumes of email (>5000 messages or several GB in size), it is highly recommended that they be set up to connect using IMAP instead as EWS performance may suffer when processing large volumes of email.

Permalink.

Exchange Web Services (EWS) is a newer data synchronization protocol that seamlessly syncs SmarterMail messages, contacts and calendars with Microsoft Outlook 2011 or 2016 for Mac.

Follow these steps to set up Outlook 2011 or 2016 to sync using Exchange Web Services:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Open the Outlook menu and select Preferences.
3. Click the Accounts icon.
4. Click the Exchange icon which will open a new window.
5. Enter your email address.
6. Set the Method to “User Name and Password.”
7. Enter your full email address (e.g. user@example.com) as the username.
8. Enter the associated password in the password field.
9. Uncheck the Configure automatically checkbox.
10. In the Server field, enter the URL https://smartermail.scarabmedia.com
11. Click Add Account.

Outlook is now configured to sync with SmarterMail. The initial sync may take a few minutes if there is a lot of data.

NOTE: For mailboxes that will store large volumes of email (> 5000 messages or several GB in size), it is highly recommended that they be set up to connect using IMAP as EWS performance may suffer when processing large volumes of email.

Permalink.

To add your email account to Apple iOS (iPhone or iPad) as an IMAP account, follow the instructions below:

1. From your device’s main screen click on the SETTINGS icon.

2. Select MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS from the left-hand Settings pane (Newer versions of iOS will have PASSWORDS & ACCOUNTS instead).

3. Click on ADD ACCOUNT Account Settings pane.

4. Select OTHER from the Add Account screen.

5. Click on ADD MAIL ACCOUNT in the right-hand Other Settings pane.

6. Enter your Name, Email Address, Password, and a Description into the New Account fields, as below, and click on the [NEXT] button when complete.

7. Enter the following information on the IMAP screen, as below, and click on the [NEXT] button when complete.

For both the Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server enter the following:

Host Name: smartermail.scarabmedia.com
User Name: your full email address (i.e. johndoe@mydomain.com)
Password: your password

8. Once it is complete VERIFYING these settings, you should have the screen below and can click on the [SAVE] button.

After following these steps if you experience problems sending email please see https://news.scarabmedia.com/help-center/i-cannot-send-email-with-ios-device-iphoneipad/ for an additional changes that you will have to make to the advanced Outgoing SMTP Server settings on your Apple iOS device.

Permalink.

Changing your email password is pretty simple. Just follow the step-by-step instructions with screenshots below to change your password.

1.  Sign-in to your web-based email at http://smartermail.scarabmedia.com using your email address and your old password.

2.  If this is the first time that you have logged in to your web-based mail you may be prompted for your Time Zone, Country, and Postal Code so that your mail is displayed in local time (otherwise skip to Step 4). Select your Time Zone and Country and enter your Postal Code and click on the [NEXT] button.

3.  You may then be prompted for an Account Recovery Email Address. This address is used in the event that you forget your password and want a Password Recovery email sent to your backup address. If you have a personal account (i.e. GMail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc) that you also use, enter it here and click on the [FINISH] button.

4.  At the main screen of your web-based mail, click on the SETTINGS (Gear) icon in the left-hand pane.

5.  Enter your new password into the “New Password” and “Confirm Password” fields. Click on the [SAVE] button at the top of the screen when you are done.

Please note the minimum requirements for a new password:

• 8 or more characters (12 or more recommended)
• Mixed-Case (UPPER and lower case letters)
• At least one number
• At least one symbol (i.e. ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) – _ = + [ { } ] \ | < , . > / ? ; : ‘ “)
• Must not contain your User Name

6.  If you are using an email client (such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or a tablet or smartphone) to retrieve your mail, you will have to update your email password there as well after changing it in your web-based mail.

Permalink.

Although it should be a matter of common sense, people tend to overlook best practices for the sake of convenience.

1. Create unique password every time. When you are changing a password for an existing account, it should never be the same as the previous password. Also, do not use incremental passwords when changing it. i.e password1, password2, password13, password14, etc. If ever an old password is leaked to the internet and your account would be compromised in a minimal number of tries. A new password should be distinctly unique, and strong (random, Mixed Case Letters, also containing numbers and symbols).

 


2. Change your passwords once every 6 – 12 months. Since passwords have a fixed length (commonly 8 -16 characters), a brute-force attack to guess the password will always succeed if enough time and processing power is available to the attacker. So, it is only a matter of time before your password is compromised, no matter how secure it may be. It is therefore always recommended to change the passwords frequently. Schedule an recurring appointment on your calendar to change your passwords once every 6 – 12 months.

 


3. Never keep the same password for different sites. It is very tempting to create one set of passwords for all your email accounts, another password for all the banking sites, another password for all the social networking sites, etc. It is very important to keep unique passwords for each and every one of your accounts. If you have trouble remembering more than one password (and who doesn’t) then by all means use a Password Manager to keep track of them for you.

 


4. Never send your password in an email.  It is a common Phishing scam for hackers to send emails as a support technician asking for your username and password through email. Legitimate website or organization will never ask you for your username and password. Likewise, email accounts can be forwarded or compromised, resulting in your password sent to a trusted person being compromised as well.

 


5. Change passwords immediately when they are compromised. If ever you have the slightest suspicion that your password has been compromised, change it immediately! Don’t waste a single minute thinking about it.

 


6. Don’t use the “Remember password” option on the browser without setting a Master Password first. It is a temptingly useful feature of modern web-browsers to offer to store your username and passwords. You certainly can take advantage of this feature but only if you have enabled the “Master Password” option. For example: If you do not set master password on the Firefox browser, anybody who uses your Firefox browser (or any malware or virus that affect your computer) can see (and use) all the passwords that you have previously stored. Also, be very careful with this option when using a computer that doesn’t belong to you and always choose “Not Now” in the remember password pop-up.

 


7. Don’t type your password on a computer that does not belong to you. If possible, don’t use someone else computer that you don’t trust implicitly to login to any website, especially to very sensitive websites such as financial institutions. It is a very common practice for hackers to use keyloggers that will log all the key strokes on a system, which will capture everything you type including the passwords. Even if you do trust the person, resist the urge to enter passwords to sensitive accounts as their device may be infected with malware or viruses that have installed a keylogger.This same rule applies when using a device connected to Wi-Fi that doesn’t belong to you. It is a trivial matter for a malicious person to monitor internet activity over Wi-Fi and capture your usernames and passwords. If you have to login to an account over Public Wi-Fi be sure that your connection is encrypted before doing so.

 


8. Never write down your passwords. Creating a very strong password and writing it down on a paper is almost as bad as creating an easy to remember weak password and not writing it down anywhere.  It is an all too common practice for people to write down their passwords and keep it somewhere next to the computer. You should never write down the password on a paper. Papers can be lost, they can be read by others (including visitors, on-site technicians, and even by hackers if you have a webcam). If you want to carry your password around with you all the times, consider using a password manager that runs from USB stick.

 


9. Don’t share with anyone. Although we are taught as children that sharing is good, sharing your passwords is bad. Passwords are like underwear, you really shouldn’t share them with anybody, under any circumstances. And by “anybody” this includes family members, spouses, and children. It’s not a matter of trust (or lack thereof) as much as it is a matter of safety and security.

 


10. Don’t type your password when someone is looking over your shoulder. This is especially very important if you type slowly and search for the letters in the keyboard and type with one finger, as it is very easy for someone looking over your shoulder to figure out the password. If you wouldn’t let someone look over your shoulder when entering your Credit Card PIN number into an ATM, why would you want someone looking over your shoulder when entering your password?

Permalink.

Rarely a day goes by when another high-profile provider is compromised due to weak or insecure passwords. To date over 1.2 Billion account passwords have been leaked to the internet for use by hackers and script-kiddies. The saddest thing is that the vast majority of these passwords consist of, or contain, the same 500 phrases. As such, our system blocks the use of any kind of variation of these passwords. New passwords must not contain or consist of a variation of the following 500 most commonly used passwords:

So, for example, using the password of “Pa$$w0rd”, “P@ssword”, or “p455word” would neither be advisable or allowed, as these are all a variation of the 101st most commonly used password. Likewise the password of “TimeLord” would not be advisable or allowed either as this contains the 495th most commonly used password “time”.

For a password to be truly effective it should neither contain a name or a word found in a dictionary (in any language). It should be a randomly chosen series of letters (of Mixed Case), numbers, and symbols. For help with choosing a secure password see https://news.scarabmedia.com/help-center/guide-to-creating-strong-passwords. It is important, both to protect yourself, as well as to protect the integrity of the Hosting Services you share, to use strong and secure passwords.

A series of more comprehensive lists of commonly used passwords can be found at https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists/tree/master/Passwords

Permalink.

There may be times that you find your email Spam Filters to be too aggressive or not aggressive enough for your individual preferences. You have a large amount of control over how incoming Spam is handled by your email account. You can modify your Spam Filtering preferences by following the steps below:

1.  Logon to your web-based mail at https://smartermail.scarabmedia.com.
2.  Click on the SETTINGS icon in the left-hand pane (as shown below)
3.  Under Settings click on FILTERING to expand that submenu (as shown below)
4.  Click on SPAM FILTERING (as shown below)
5.  Select “Override spam settings for this account” (as shown below)

6.  Click on the ACTIONS tab in the right-hand pane (as shown below)
7.  For Low Probability of Being Spam click the down arrow under ACTION and select how you want these scored emails to be handled. You can select “No Action” to have them go directly to your Inbox,  “Add Text to Subject” to have them delivered to your Inbox but with a modified Subject letting you know they may be Junk E-Mail, “Move to Junk E-Mail Folder” to have them quarantined, or “Delete Message” to have the message removed entirely upon receipt.
8.  Repeat Step 7 for Medium Probability of Spam.
9.  Repeat Step 7 for High Probability of Spam.
10. Click on the [SAVE] button at the top of the screen to commit your changes.

Permalink.

How it works

Configuring 2-Step Authentication

1. 1. Select Recovery Email Address from the Verification Methods dropdown.
   2. Enter and confirm the Recovery Email Address that will be used to retrieve the verification code. (This email address will automatically be used as the Recovery Email Address used for resetting your account password as well.)
   3. Click Next.
   4. Wait a moment for the verification code to be emailed. Then enter the 6-digit verification code.
   5. Click Check to confirm the verification code and complete the 2-Step Authentication setup.

1. 1. Install an authenticator app, such as Google or Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, or LastPass on your phone or computer. (In this article, we’ll demonstrate how to set up 2-Step Authentication using Google Authenticator on your mobile device.)
   2. Select Authenticator App from the Verification Methods dropdown.
   3. Enter and confirm a Recovery Email Address that will be used as an alternative method to retrieve the verification code. If your authenticator app is not accessible, the verification code will be sent to this address instead. (This email address will automatically be used as the Recovery Email Address used for resetting your account password as well.)
   4. Click Next. A QR code will appear on the next page.
   5. Open the Google Authenticator app. Click “BEGIN SETUP” or use the plus (+) icon to add a new token.
   6. Select Scan QR Code and use your phone’s camera to scan the code that’s displayed in your webmail. A new token will be added to Google Authenticator.
   7. Enter the token’s 6-digit code into the field in your webmail.
   8. (If you can’t scan the QR code, click on “Can’t scan the QR code?” in your webmail. In the Authenticator app, choose to create a new token by Manual entry. In the Account field, enter a token descriptor, such as the username of your account. In the Key field, type in the secret key that’s displayed in the webmail. Then enter the token’s 6-digit code into your webmail.)
   9. Click Check to confirm the verification code and complete the 2-Step Authentication setup.

Logging in with 2-Step

Configure Third-party Applications with App Passwords

Permalink.

Short answer: Absolutely not!

Long answer: You can use any email client of your choosing to access your email using either POP3 or IMAP. The Web-based Mail is just another way you can check your mail (especially if you are away from your preferred device). You can also choose to access your email using your smartphone if you wish. You are not limited to using the Web-based Mail to retrieve your email.

Note: To manage email for your domain or make changes to your account, you would need to either do this from the Web-based Mail, or you can contact us at support@scarabmedia.com and have us make the change for you.

Permalink.

Almost all Mail Providers offering webmail allow you to remotely retrieve email from other external accounts. If you prefer using your existing webmail, such as Google, Outlook.com, or Yahoo! Mail) you can configure that account to retrieve your email from your email account(s) hosted at AHN/ProjectA/Scarab Media.

Simple login to your preferred wemail account and follow the appropriate instructions below:

• For GMail or Google Apps use the Accounts and Import instructions.
• For Outlook.com use the Add a POP Account to Outlook instructions.
• For Yahoo! Mail use the Add a POP Account to Yahoo! Mail instructions.
• For all other Mail Providers, please consult their Knowledge Base for FAQ for assistance on how to retrieve email from a remote POP Account.

In all cases the settings you will need are below:

POP3/IMAP Server: smartermail.scarabmedia.com
Port: 110 (for POP3) or 143 (for IMAP)
Use TLS: Yes
Username: Your full email address (i.e., yourname@yourdomain.com)
Password: The password for your account.

Many services will also allow you to remotely send email using their account. In such cases the settings are precisely the same as for retrieving mail, the only difference would be the Port which would be 587.

Permalink.

This article applies if you are receiving a similar error when logging into your webmail account:

 Page:

/Login.aspx

Message:
The page or resource that you are accessing is unavailable or an error has occurred.

This specific webmail error is actually caused by outdated cookies being stored in your browser.

If you clear your browser’s cookies, you should have no problem logging in to web mail once more. You can find instructions on clearing your cookies here.

Permalink.

You can contact our General Support by phone during regular business hours at  (541) 488-1702. If there is an emergency outside of our regular business hours you can contact our Emergency Support at (541) 488-1702 x301. This will page our on-call technicians, and you will receive a response within 2 hours. In your message, please make sure you leave your full name, organization name, domain name, and a phone number where you can be reached.

You may also contact our General Support by email at support@scarabmedia.com. We respond to all requests received before 5pm Pacific Time M-F the same day, or next business day for requests received after-hours.

You can also submit a Support Ticket any time. We respond to all Support Tickets received before 5pm Pacific Time M-F the same  day, or the next business day for requests received after hours.

Permalink.

Scarab Media provides in-house Technical and Customer Support. We are available Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm Pacific Time (and after-hours for Emergency Support).

If your request was received outside of business hours (after 5pm, on a weekend, or on a national holiday) then we will contact you immediately the next business day.

If for some reason you haven’t heard back from us the next business day, then it is possible that your email/voicemail may have not reached us. In such a case give us a call direct at (541) 734-7308 (or Toll-Free at 1-888-755-7308), or file a Support Ticket.

Permalink.

Scarab Media, Project A, Inc. keeps a rotating backup of nightly, weekly, and monthly snap-shots of all Hosting services which are kept offsite for disaster recovery. We can restore a backup of an individual file or your entire site upon request, usually in the span of a few minutes.

For previous customers who have cancelled Hosting services with us we provide a link to a backup of your site upon cancellation which is valid for 30 days. After that we may retain a backup for up to 6 months after cancellation, we can make no guarantees of such, but we will gladly take a look for you if you ask.

We certainly do NOT retain backups of your website indefinitely. It is an unfortunately common occurrence for us to receive desperate requests for a backup of their Hosting two, four, seven, and even ten years after cancellation!

If your data is important to you then we strongly recommend that you treat it importantly by retaining your own backups (notice the plural) of your website in multiple locations.

Permalink.

Registering a domain name provides an easy way for people to find your website and build credibility on the Internet. You can use domain names to support your business and assist in creating a dynamic online presence. Your domain name establishes your online identity and increases branding, marketing and communication opportunities. You can Register multiple domain names to:

• Keep your competition from registering a domain name that draws customers away from you.
• Promote the products and services you offer.
• Drive more traffic to your website.
• Enjoy more opportunities to market to — and be listed on — search engines.
• Create distinct advertising strategies to reach different target markets.
• Provide customers more ways to find you on the Internet.
• Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page.
• Protect your brand and online identity from unsavory parties.

To get started, check to see if the domain name you want is available. If available, either contact us and we can register the domain for you, or you can go to Check-Out and register the domain name for a period of time you specify.

Checking a Domain Name’s Availability

1. Go to our Registration Home Page.
2. In the Domain Name Search field, enter the domain name you want to register, and then select the domain name extension from the list.
3. Click GO.

If the domain name you requested is already registered, we provide available alternatives. For example, you might be able to select a .info or .ws domain extension, rather than .com. Or you could register www.coolexample.info instead of www.coolexample.com.

If the domain name is available, follow the instructions to complete the checkout process. Be sure to include valid contact information for each contact. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the governing body for domain names, requires valid contact information (registrant, technical, billing, and administrative). If you enter false information, your domain name can be canceled.

Your contact information is public and accessible through the Whois database at most registrars. However, you can protect your privacy by registering your domain name with us using our private domain name registration services.

When you purchase a private domain name registration through our affiliate company, Domains By Proxy® (DBP), the Whois database lists DBP’s name, postal address, and phone number — instead of your personal contact information.

Permalink.

If you’re thinking about registering more than one domain name, you’ve got the right idea. Registering and using multiple domains names is great for building your business, protecting your brand name, and creating a dynamic online identity.

When you register multiple domain names, you can:

• Keep your competition from registering a similar domain name drawing customers to them instead of you
• Promote the different products and services you offer
• Drive more traffic to your website
• Enjoy more opportunities to market to — and be listed in — search engines
• Create distinct advertising strategies reaching different target markets
• Provide customers more ways to find you when searching the Internet
• Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page
• Protect your brand and online identity

Permalink.

Domain names are registered in one year increments (up to a maximum of 10 years). Most people will commonly renew their domains every year. A lot can happen in a year (let alone 10 years); contact email addresses may change, your bank may issue you a new Credit/Debit Card number, your phone number may have changed, you may have moved, etc. When such changes occur you may not have received your invoices for your annual renewal (we bill 30-60 days before expiration), or your Credit/Debit Card on file for auto-pay may have expired. In such cases we will make every effort to contact you at your last known email address, phone number, and physical address, but unless we successfully get a hold of you to update your payment information your domain name may not be renewed on time.

It happens sometimes. Besides renewing your domain for multiple years at a time, or just remembering to keep us updated to any changes in your contact information or billing information, your domain will enter a 30-day Grace Period after it expires. During this Grace Period your domain can be renewed for it’s normal cost. It’s all good…let out a big sigh of relief.

However, after the 30-day Grace Period your domain is held by our Registrar in a Redemption Period. Registrars can hold an expired domain for up to a maximum of one year after expiration in this Redemption Period. During this time we can “redeem” your domain, but at whatever increased cost the Registrar is asking for the domain. In many cases your domain can be redeemed for around $150 (which includes a 1 year renewal), but if your domain is a high-profile domain the cost to redeem may be $5000 or more.

In such cases, you have three options:

1. You can pay the Redemption fee. If your domain is that good and that important, then it’s probably worth it.
2. We can back-order your domain and when it is released from the Redemption Period by the Registrar it will be automatically re-registered for you. Back-orders cost $20.00. A back-ordered domain may take anywhere from 45 days to a year before it becomes re-registered (assuming no one else pays the Redemption fee before then for your domain).
3. We can order an alternate domain for you that is similar to your original domain. Domain registrations are $15.00 a year.

Permalink.

Permalink.

Non-caching DNS (Domain Name Services) Servers will see your domain changes immediately. Caching DNS Servers may take anywhere from a few minutes to as long as 24-72 hours to propagate your domain changes.

Permalink.

A domain name represents a physical point on the Internet — an IP address. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) governs coordination of the links between IP addresses and domain names across the Internet. With this standardized coordination, you can find websites on the Internet by entering domain names instead of IP addresses into your Web browser.

Here’s an example: Think of a street address for a house or business — let’s say the White House. The street address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is an exact location — like an IP address. You might not know the exact street address, but when you visit Washington, D.C., you can tell your cabbie that you want to visit the White House and still get there. This is how a domain name is used: It’s an easy way to reach the exact location of a website without having to remember the numeric address.

A domain name consists of, at least, a top-level and a second-level domain. See What are top-level domains (TLD) and country code top-level domains (ccTLD)? and What are second-level domains (SLD) and country code second level domains (ccSLD)? for information on these terms. Domain names must be registered with an ICANN-accredited registrar. We are an ICANN-accredited registrar, and you can register domain names through us.

Many TLDs, also called extensions, can be registered by anyone. The extensions .com, .net, and .org are good examples that anyone can register.

Others, primarily country-code extensions (ccTLDs), have residency requirements — like .eu (representing the European Union) and .us (representing the United States).

Still others, like .aero, .biz, .edu, .mil, .museum, .name, and .pro, are restricted to a certain type of entity or community — like .edu, which is reserved for educational entities and .gov, which is reserved for government agencies.

Permalink.

Registering a domain name provides an easy way for people to find your website and build credibility on the Internet. You can use domain names to support your business and assist in creating a dynamic online presence. Your domain name establishes your online identity and increases branding, marketing and communication opportunities. You can Register multiple domain names to:

• Keep your competition from registering a domain name that draws customers away from you.
• Promote the products and services you offer.
• Drive more traffic to your website.
• Enjoy more opportunities to market to — and be listed on — search engines.
• Create distinct advertising strategies to reach different target markets.
• Provide customers more ways to find you on the Internet.
• Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page.
• Protect your brand and online identity from unsavory parties.

To get started, check to see if the domain name you want is available. If available, either contact us and we can register the domain for you, or you can go to Check-Out and register the domain name for a period of time you specify.

Checking a Domain Name’s Availability

1. Go to our Registration Home Page.
2. In the Domain Name Search field, enter the domain name you want to register, and then select the domain name extension from the list.
3. Click GO.

If the domain name you requested is already registered, we provide available alternatives. For example, you might be able to select a .info or .ws domain extension, rather than .com. Or you could register www.coolexample.info instead of www.coolexample.com.

If the domain name is available, follow the instructions to complete the checkout process. Be sure to include valid contact information for each contact. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the governing body for domain names, requires valid contact information (registrant, technical, billing, and administrative). If you enter false information, your domain name can be canceled.

Your contact information is public and accessible through the Whois database at most registrars. However, you can protect your privacy by registering your domain name with us using our private domain name registration services.

When you purchase a private domain name registration through our affiliate company, Domains By Proxy® (DBP), the Whois database lists DBP’s name, postal address, and phone number — instead of your personal contact information.

Permalink.

If you’re thinking about registering more than one domain name, you’ve got the right idea. Registering and using multiple domains names is great for building your business, protecting your brand name, and creating a dynamic online identity.

When you register multiple domain names, you can:

• Keep your competition from registering a similar domain name drawing customers to them instead of you
• Promote the different products and services you offer
• Drive more traffic to your website
• Enjoy more opportunities to market to — and be listed in — search engines
• Create distinct advertising strategies reaching different target markets
• Provide customers more ways to find you when searching the Internet
• Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page
• Protect your brand and online identity

Permalink.

Domain names are registered in one year increments (up to a maximum of 10 years). Most people will commonly renew their domains every year. A lot can happen in a year (let alone 10 years); contact email addresses may change, your bank may issue you a new Credit/Debit Card number, your phone number may have changed, you may have moved, etc. When such changes occur you may not have received your invoices for your annual renewal (we bill 30-60 days before expiration), or your Credit/Debit Card on file for auto-pay may have expired. In such cases we will make every effort to contact you at your last known email address, phone number, and physical address, but unless we successfully get a hold of you to update your payment information your domain name may not be renewed on time.

It happens sometimes. Besides renewing your domain for multiple years at a time, or just remembering to keep us updated to any changes in your contact information or billing information, your domain will enter a 30-day Grace Period after it expires. During this Grace Period your domain can be renewed for it’s normal cost. It’s all good…let out a big sigh of relief.

However, after the 30-day Grace Period your domain is held by our Registrar in a Redemption Period. Registrars can hold an expired domain for up to a maximum of one year after expiration in this Redemption Period. During this time we can “redeem” your domain, but at whatever increased cost the Registrar is asking for the domain. In many cases your domain can be redeemed for around $150 (which includes a 1 year renewal), but if your domain is a high-profile domain the cost to redeem may be $5000 or more.

In such cases, you have three options:

1. You can pay the Redemption fee. If your domain is that good and that important, then it’s probably worth it.
2. We can back-order your domain and when it is released from the Redemption Period by the Registrar it will be automatically re-registered for you. Back-orders cost $20.00. A back-ordered domain may take anywhere from 45 days to a year before it becomes re-registered (assuming no one else pays the Redemption fee before then for your domain).
3. We can order an alternate domain for you that is similar to your original domain. Domain registrations are $15.00 a year.

Permalink.

Permalink.