Scrambling to Save My Free Domain Names

As I mentioned previously, I've been having fun setting up simple websites for myself and a few others. I wanted to use custom domains for these simply because they look better and are easier to remember than the free subdomains that come with free blogs. I mean, which would you prefer, riadess.com or riadess.blogspot.com?

The thing is, buying domain names can be an expensive undertaking. I bought the domain for this blog, but I wasn't willing to shell out money for a domain that might not even be used much by the person I would give it to. That is why I searched for free domain names. I acquired a few and mapped them to the websites I set up. I also reserved some to be used for future projects.

This past week, I received a few messages from the free registrar.

It turns out that if you don't use the domains immediately, they can and will be cancelled. Caveat emptor. I lost a few and had to set up temporary websites for the ones that were left.

Now I have three new websites:

• my nameplate site (A nameplate site is like an online business card.)
• a bucket list
• a blog that I will use for Project 365 (a photo a day for an entire year). 

The first two are hosted on Blogger (just like this one) and the last one is hosted on Tumblr. Why Blogger and Tumblr? Both of these services allow users to map domains for free. You can also tweak the HTML code a bit. I would have loved to go with Wordpress, but the fully-hosted version charges $13 a year just for domain mapping. The self-hosted version is free, but obviously, I would need to set up a hosting account somewhere. There are a lot of free web hosting services out there, but most of them charge a fee for domain mapping or have minimum use requirements (a certain number of views over a certain period of time) or both.

If you would like to recommend a free web host that lets you customize the HTML code and map domains for free, please let me know.

Why, you may I ask, am I setting up new blogs when I can barely handle this one? I enjoy the learning process, and I love tinkering. Then again, perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment, ha ha.

Having Fun with HTML

When I bought this domain name, it came with 3 free web pages. I simply selected a template and added a few photos. It was very easy to set up. I also wanted a blog, so I created this on Blogger and set it up on a subdomain. That took a little more work. I had to familiarize myself with concepts such as domain mapping and nameservers.

I had fun with that, which is why I created these two nameplate websites. I used a free web host with a site builder.

My other domain name included a hosting package without a site builder. I thought about using Wordpress (the self-hosted version), but I couldn't because my tiny hosting plan didn't include SQL. Instead, I used a free editor called KompoZer and created this simple page.

It looks rather plain, I know, but it's much better than a parked page, right?

The problem with KompoZer is that I couldn't get the Google+ community badge to appear because it kept deleting part of the code.  I had to edit the HTML using a text editor. I also learned a little about using CSS.

I plan on giving subdomains and email addresses to my relatives. To show them what they can do with a subdomain, I made this Tumblr blog using one of the free themes. I was able to add a couple of widgets because Tumblr allows us to modify the HTML code.

I enjoyed this so much that I've decided to revamp my website. I want to play around with CSS, perhaps even make my website mobile-friendly (according to the Google Mobile-Friendly Test, it wasn't). I can't edit the HTML on my free web pages, however, so I'm going to host it somewhere else.

Don't get me wrong, I love my registrar. Their rates are reasonable and they provide excellent support. They even gave me a free domain during their 15th anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, right now I can't afford to pay for hosting.

I'm probably going to use Tumblr. If you are aware of another free web host that lets you customize the HTML code and map domains for free, please let me know.

Getting Nostalgic about a Domain Name

15 years ago, I had my first domain name. I couldn't do much with it -- just email forwarding and URL cloaking -- but it was mine. I received it for free from NameZero. It wasn't even registered in my name, but that didn't matter. I loved that domain name.

I used it for my Geocities website. There was no webmail or SMTP included in the domain package, but I figured out a way to send email with my domain listed as the sender. I used that email address every chance I had.

A year passed. The free registration expired. I received messages from NameZero asking for the renewal payment. It was in the amount of $24, if I remember correctly. As the weeks passed, the price kept going down, but unfortunately for me, I was a kid with no money, no credit card, and no way to pay NameZero, so my beloved domain name and I had to part ways. 

I've been planning to buy a domain name for some time now, and two weeks ago, I finally got around to it. It's not exactly the same one I had 15 years ago, but for some reason I feel like I just had a reunion with an old friend. Oh my dear domain name, how I missed you!