Offered a Free Domain Name? Look This Gift Horse in the Mouth!

St. Jerome coined this old saw about gift giving aregistrars you might want to take another look at
long time before the Internet Age. About 1600the whole package. Maybe the deal is as good as it
years, actually. A gift should be valued for the spiritlooks...and then again, maybe it isn't.
behind it, not its value; so don't look too closely atIf after you've taken a sharp pencil to the deal and it
that gift horse's teeth. Fine. But you've been aroundstill looks good, keep one more thing in mind. You
long enough to know nothing is free. The old sayingwant to be sure that the domain name will be
that applies best in this case is the one that goesregistered in your name and not in the name of the
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts;" a bit of ancientcompany or individual that is developing or hosting
wisdom that has been altered for the Internet ageyour website. Why? Because a domain name that
to say: "Beware of Geeks bearing gifts."was originally purchased for less than ten dollars can
If you're out to find the best deal on domain namesbecome extremely valuable when coupled with a
and web hosting you will find several purveyors ofwebsite. It doesn't matter what kind of a contract
these products offering you a free domain nameyou have with the developer, if the domain name
with your hosting. Everybody wants a cheap domainisn't in your name when your business relationship
name and inexpensive hosting. Do you really think thewith that developer goes south you will be sorry.
price of the domain isn't taken into account with thatThere's one more old saying to remember:
package? Before you buy, see what the price of the"Possession is nine points of the law." And you won't
domain would be without the package. If it'sbe in possession.
substantially more than the going rate at other