I've designed my business cards in Photoshop. Across the bottom I have my Ph.#, my website, and my eMail address. The last I checked what I planned for my domain name, it was available. I probably won't have a web-site until spring, but could I buy the name now, so nobody else takes it, and then I can get started on getting business cards, promotion pieces, etc printed now? Thanks.
Yep, grab the domain name you want now. It's a very cheap exercise.
You could just put up a single web page indicating that the site is 'coming soon...' and your contact details so clients can still get hold of you.
It would also make sense to start using an email address attached to the domain name - eg. [email protected]. Even if you wanted to keep using your old email address, you can just have any email to the new address automatically forwarded to your current email address.
domain names are so cheap I've bought names for businesses I might want to start in the future.. When they're as cheap as 8-10 bucks a years, that's less then what i spend on lunch to insure that i have a domain name i want. keep the receipt, write it off and have the peace of mind that you won't have to figure out some OTHER name for your website.
Personally I recomend 1and1. 1and1.com. Their domains are 6 or 7 a year and if you ever want to get your own hosting they have very good prices forthat as well.
godaddy.com is easy to register domains with, as well as tucows.com
I would recommend registering your domain with a company that is not going to be your webhost. I've read some horror stories regarding domains not being released back to customers who were trying to break their service with their hosts and wanting to point the domain name to a new host.
I registered through Google. Not much different from any of the others. Pretty painless and it was a snap to set up an email using the domain name and then forwarding that to my gmail account. I am in the same spot you are, i.e., I don't really need the domain now although I did want the email address. I happen to use Smugmug to post photos but expect that in a year or so I'll begin building the domain. I did much the same for a BLOG site just so it would be there when I wanted to start using it more heavily.
