| When registering a small business domain name, | | | | to extract email addresses from the WHOIS |
| many site owners are unsure of whether they should | | | | database. This, along with an email link on their |
| opt for private registration. This feature, offered by | | | | website, is the reason small businesses still receive |
| most domain providers, privatizes your registration | | | | spam mail on their private domain names. Some |
| data and prevents it from being seen in a public | | | | domain owners even get physical mail from |
| database. | | | | unscrupulous domain registrars offering to renew |
| First, the basics. Anyone can search for a registered | | | | their domain names at exorbitant rates. These mailing |
| domain name's ownership information at a number of | | | | lists are typically put together from WHOIS database |
| sites. This is typically called a "WHOIS lookup", and | | | | mining. |
| returns a a variety of information including the name, | | | | By privatizing your business' domain registration |
| phone number, email, and address of the domain | | | | information, you can avoid a great deal of unsolicited |
| owner. | | | | mail. Another reason a small business might choose |
| For individuals registering personal domains, private | | | | private registration is if they are working from home, |
| registration is always recommended. But for | | | | and want to hide the fact that they have no |
| businesses, hiding your domain's ownership | | | | dedicated business address or phone number. |
| information from public scrutiny can hurt your | | | | The balance between privacy and credibility is one |
| credibility. For instance, if an online store does not | | | | that every site owner must consider when |
| accept third-party payment systems such as Paypal, | | | | registering a small business domain. If you plan on |
| some buyers will perform a lookup on the domain | | | | operating a site that asks for payment or other |
| name to see if it returns a valid phone number or | | | | sensitive information, it is always good policy to make |
| address. Your willingness to provide this information | | | | your contact information available in WHOIS lookups. |
| to the public can sometimes be the difference | | | | You may receive more spam, but those few |
| between a sale and a lost opportunity. | | | | customers who will check are worth the hassle. |
| On the other hand, spammers use automated robots | | | | |