Frequently Asked Questions

The NearlyFreeSpeech.NET FAQ (*)

Domain Registration (*)

How do I change the name servers of a domain registered here?

What are the steps involved in an inbound domain transfer?

I let my domain expire a while ago. Now I'm trying to renew it and I get "renewal failed." Why?

I have a domain with a proxy privacy registration service. Can I transfer it to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

I want to transfer a domain to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET. Will my site/DNS/email go down if I do?

What happens to my domain's name server settings during a transfer?

Can I add or remove RespectMyPrivacy on a domain I already registered here or transferred?

Is NearlyFreeSpeech.NET an ICANN-accredited registrar?

No, we are not. We have integrated the registration services of Public Domain Registry, an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, into our member interface to provide domain registration. Public Domain Registry enables us to offer great prices and, more importantly, enables us to support our members ourselves, all the way through the domain registration process.

We have on several occasions considered ICANN accreditation and decided against it. The development effort required to individually integrate different systems for each registry would significantly detract from our core mission to develop the best possible web hosting. It would also incur a lot of development expense and accreditation costs to recoup, which for a company of our relatively small size would most likely translate to several years of higher prices for domain registration. And yet, our domain registration service would be essentially identical to what we can already offer. Since the actual service for any given TLD is ultimately provided by the registry for that TLD, domains don't offer a lot of room for innovation at the registrar level. Charging significantly higher prices for the same service -- or, at best, maybe 1% better -- doesn't sound that great.

In addition to that, we sort of like our current position. With few exceptions, the domain registration industry is dominated by large players locked in a mortal race to the bottom of the barrel in terms of price and quality. They can and do make mistakes and cause problems for their customers. This is particularly visible in how they handle complaints. A billion-dollar company making a few pennies off of a domain didn't get to be that size because they keep a team of lawyers on standby to scrupulously hold every complaint about every domain to the highest legal standard.

If your registrar makes a mistake or a dumb decision... and they all occasionally do... you probably won't have their entire executive & technical staff on your contacts list. We do. And if we agree it's a dumb decision, we do not hesitate to use those contacts to "advocate vigorously" (and typically very, very effectively) for our customers on those rare occasions when things go awry. In fact, our registrar has learned to contact us with complaints about domains registered through us before they do anything, rather than after the fact, so we've even been able to head stupidity off at the pass more than once. Don't underestimate the power of having an 800-pound freedom-loving gorilla in your corner! (But don't overestimate it either. Public Domain Registry isn't perfect; no registrar is. Although it's extremely rare — like "count the cases on one hand with fingers to spare" rare — they do have the right to handle a situation in a way we disagree with. And, of course, if a domain gets suspended or canceled for good reason, the gorilla is totally fine with it.)

Will you remind me before my domain expires?

If I still have time left on my existing domain registration with another registrar, can I keep that time if I transfer the domain to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

Why is my domain transfer taking so long?

What happens to my domain after it expires?

Why is the domain I transferred to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET not pointing to my site?

Why am I still paying for RespectMyPrivacy service on my expired domain?

Can I create child name servers (glue records) within my domain?

What's the maximum number of years for which I can register a domain name?

What does the error "The name server modification failed." mean?

What is whois verification?

How I do I get the transfer code for a domain registered here?

Will you be adding additional top-level domains to register?

Where are the actions for editing my registered domain?

Do I need to put valid contact information on my domain registration?

What happens if my domain transfer fails?

Can you send the domain transfer approval to a different email address?

I have a bunch of domains to register/renew/transfer. Can you help?

How do I renew my domain name?

How long does it take to transfer a domain away from NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

How do I transfer a domain registration away from NearlyFreeSpeech?

What top-level domains do you support for registration?

When should I renew my domain name?

How do I get rid of a registered domain I no longer want?

Why does domain registration have different Terms of Service than NearlyFreeSpeech.NET hosting?

Why did my domain transfer fail?

I renewed my expired domain. Why is it still parked?

Why does my domain registrar show as "external?"

What are the steps of a domain registration?

I deposited funds for my domain registration renewal but it hasn't been renewed. What's wrong?

What does the error "the contact information you entered was not accepted by the registry" mean?

I don't want to keep my domain. How do I stop receiving emails that it's going to expire?

When is RespectMyPrivacy enabled during domain registration?

Why doesn't the domain name I just renewed show up in the renewal monitor?

Why do I get "Invalid URL" when I click the email link to approve or cancel a domain transfer or verify a domain contact?

Does NearlyFreeSpeech allow managing DNSSEC (DS) records?

How do I update the public WHOIS contacts for a domain registered here?

What are ccTLDs, and why don't you support registering them?

How does manual registration of domains work for subscription members?