Questions about Domain Names
Q. What is a Domain Name?
A. Domain Name is your address on the Internet.
Q. Why do I need a Domain Name?
A. Because a Domain Name is a portable, permanent and prestigious way of identifying yourself and your businesses on the Internet. You need one in order to establish name recognition and a global identity on the Internet.
Q. How do I register a domain?
A. Please contact us on 01865 856030 or send us an email.
Q. How do I find out if a domain is available?
A. Please call us on 01865 856030 and our experienced team will be able to advise on what is available and look at possible alternatives.
Q. How long does it take to register a domain?
A. For .uk domain registrations it should not take longer than two working days, providing all the information you submitted during the registration is correct and none is missing. For foreign domains the registration process may well take a little longer.
Q. How long can I keep my domain?
A. Once your domain has been registered it will stay registered until you tell us otherwise. We will automatically renew the domain when payment becomes due, unless you have informed us in writing that you no longer require the domain. We will charge you an annual fee for the domain registration.
Q. Is a domain like a website?
A. No. A domain name is just that, a name. You can own a domain name and have no website hosted at that domain. To associate a website with your domain you will need to have an ISP like CI-Net that "host" the domain. You can then either forward traffic for that domain to a website you have created elsewhere, or you can sign up for an account that includes hosting space for your website on our servers.
Q. How do I transfer my Domain to CI-Net?
A. UK Domains: To transfer your .uk domain to us, you will need to contact your current Internet Service Provider and request that they change the IPS Tag for the domain to COMMUNITY. (They will understand this terminology).
Once this is done you should contact us and inform us that you have requested the domain transfer. Our sales team will raise a service order to cover your requirement. We will then check that the IPS Tag has been changed. If so, we will add the domain to our DNS system.
Other Domains: To transfer .com, .org, .net or other domains such as foreign domain names we require that you contact us to inform us of the domain name you wish us to administer. Our sales team will raise a service order to cover your requirement. We will then contact the current domain administrator and request that the domain be released to us. Once this is done we will add the domain to our DNS.
Note that the release of the domain will require the authorisation of the current Administrative or Technical contact for the domain - usually your current ISP - so you should also contact them and instruct them to allow the transfer at our request. Please note that unless you have implicitly instructed the current ISP to release the domain name the transfer process will not proceed.
NOTE: The DNS system, which is the method by which computers "address" each other, can take up to 48 hours to update worldwide. Transfers of domain names either to or from CI-Net may therefore take up to 48 hours to come into effect.
Q. Could anyone use or take my domain from me?
A. No. Your domain is your property, and it cannot be used or taken by anyone else. We will not cancel or transfer your domain without your express written permission.
Click on the Download button on the right to read our fun "Barry the Bunny and his Domain Name Adventures".
