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Domains as a hobby
No, there will be no discount coupon for a domain or service at the end of this article 😀 I wrote this article because the topic of domains is all too often ignored by the online savvy part of society. And it’s something I’ve enjoyed doing as a hobby for over 18 years.
I love to talk and write about domains. That’s why I try to educate both about domains in general and about their security and marketing use. I had my first one in 2006 and it was the domain redfocus.net. And I still have until today. Domains are and will remain the foundation of online business. But it’s also good to look at them as a matter of family and private life.
Why do you need a domain with your last name?
- Email on your own domain is safer – it’s your property.
- It looks good and it’s cool (name@surname.com vs. name.surname@gmail.com).
- You have a domain on which to build a blog.
- You get a space to promote yourself or build your own personal brand.
Do you use a “free” email service like Gmail? Are you at risk?
Yes, the main reason why I keep the family domain with my surname is that I have a nice email name@surname.com. But the second reason is security. If you have name.surname@gmail.com, you are at risk. And not only on Gmail. Why is that?
The email name.surname@gmail.com is not your email. It’s an email that Google has loaned you. But name@surname.com is yours.
The hack that makes you lose everything
If someone hacks your “free” email, you may never get it back. At the same time, you probably have this main email as your login for various services (Facebook, Instagram, whatever). Through hacking, you can lose your identity on dozens or hundreds of networks and services. And that’s even with 2-factor authentication (if an authentication code is sent to your email).
That’s why it’s so important to enable 2-factor authentication wherever you can. Ideally, via SMS, an app or a physical security key (token).
When your free mail ends, so do you
Yes, the Gmail will probably not just end from one day to another, but if… Will you risk it? And what will happen then? Would you lose everything. Why? Because you entrusted your identity to a service that couldn’t handle it. You built your digital identity on a borrowed server.
Source: Depositphotos
Your own email as a guarantee of security
If you have registered your domain, you are certainly safer because you own it. It is possible to “lose” your domain, but it is more difficult than losing your Gmail account. At the same time, you can use the services that Google provides for Gmail safely. That’s not the problem. But your primary email will not be name.surname@gmail.com, it will be name@surname.com.
This is your own email on your own domain, which you will use as your primary email wherever you go. And what if there is no Gmail anymore? No problem, you can use your email directly from your hosting server or you can link your email to another service.
Yes, understanding this whole ecosystem of how domains and hosting work is not for everyone. But as also understanding how mortgages work or how to choose a computer isn’t for everyone. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s not important. Having your own domain will protect you from identity theft for example.
Domain as family heritage
Paying €12 a year, or about €1 a month… is that too much? To have a unique and exclusive domain of your own “family tree” name? To have a secure and exclusive email not only for you, but for the whole family?
anna@surname.com, becky@surname.com, adam@surname.com… the whole family can enjoy the benefits of having their own domain. It’s like having a street and a whole town named after you. 😀
For me, having my own family domain is the first thing I would like to have. You can check if the domain is free here. If is not free? Try to get it. Or keep an eye on the domains that expire every day and maybe one day your friend’s domain or even yours will be added.
What can you take away from this article? Think about how you protect your digital identity. Having your own domain can be one of the basic elements that you and your family can rely on.
Source: Depositphotos
