We’ve written before about domains and how you can use your own domain with Runbox. However, there are some considerations to be made before you decide to get a domain and it’s easy to overlook some of the responsibilities you might be taking on.
In this blog post we want to add some further details to the topic of registering and owning a domain based on some of the ongoing considerations (and problems) our own customers have had to face when managing their domains.
Reasons for registering a domain
People register domains for all sorts of reasons and these can be any or all of the following as well as others not listed:
- a more personal look to an email address
- an address that you never need to change as you can move your domain from one email provider to another and keep the same addresse(s)
- to help promote a business (looks professional) and if you are an online business it looks like you know how to deal with trading online
- people can see that the address is genuinely yours especially if the domain also links to a website
- unlimited (within reason) choice of what you can have before the @ symbol as you own the part after the @ symbol
- specifically relating to Runbox we don’t count aliases using your own domain towards your quota of 100 aliases per account
It’s not always straight forward though
Overall we think that owning a domain is a great way to put your personal or business stamp on your part of the Internet and some of the practical benefits are invaluable.
However, despite the benefits of owning your own domain lots of people don’t want one, and others find that after they have their domain it can lead to unforeseen problems later on.
Below we first look at some of the issues regarding privacy, and then move on to some of the other things to be aware of when you are considering registering your own domain.
Domains and privacy
With a privacy focused service like Runbox we often get asked questions about owning a domain and who gets to know you own it. Less often we get asked questions about what happens if you decide you don’t want your domain any longer and we consider that to be quite an important situation to consider. Here we outline some of the things to consider on these questions.
Registration
When you register a domain you supply your registration details to the registry and registrar and that means in theory it is possible to know the person behind an email address using a domain. If you use a Runbox domain such as @runbox.com then all that can be found out is that Runbox owns the domain.
Expired domains
In some circumstances it is wise to consider that a domain is for life and not just for… your current project or fad.
If you don’t renew a domain it will expire and eventually be available for someone else to register. It is then a simple process of setting up your email service to accept any email sent to the domain (you don’t need to know the previous addresses on the domain) and then the new domain owner could potentially get private messages that were actually intended for you.
This is perfectly legal because whoever registers the domain is entitled to use the domain to receive any email sent to it. You would have to go to court to challenge whether they had a right to receive messages that were intended for you but we’re not aware of anyone doing this or any cases that would lead us to think you would be successful.
Runbox guarantees that it won’t recycle email addresses that have already been used on our own domains and this helps protect your privacy even if you stop being a customer. By using your own domain name, you can maintain full control over your email service, ensuring greater stability and flexibility. This way, you won’t be affected by external factors, such as changes with third-party providers, and you can confidently manage your email operations on your terms.
Other things to think about
There are some other considerations if you decide to register a domain of your own and some of them are below. These may be enough to put you off registering a domain, but when considered alongside the benefits you might still decide it is worth having a domain of your own.
- Cost: Domains aren’t free, but many are relatively inexpensive and you can register a .com domain with Runbox for as little as $14.95 and a .uk for $9.95 Domain prices do change from time-to-time but you will always get a up to date price if you search for available domains on our domain registration page.
- Domain renewal before expiry: You don’t just pay for a domain once, you have to pay for ongoing registration. Renewals usually cost the same as the initial registration fee (except in the circumstances below). You can often lock in the price by paying for registration for many years in advance. Some domains require you to renew a number of days before expiry or you lose the right to renew the domain when it does expire.
- Domain renewal after expiry: For a short period after many domains expire you can still renew them and for the original renewal price. However, if you leave it too long the renewal price for a domain that might usually cost you $9.95 could increase to at least $250 plus the original renewal fee. This is a fee imposed by the registrar not by Runbox.
- Domain expiry: If you don’t renew a domain it will expire and eventually be available for someone else to register.
Of all the potential issues of owning a domain remembering to renew them on time and according to the rules for your particular domain type are the most common.
If you are considering registering a domain and would like help in deciding what to register and how to go about doing that then please contact Runbox Support.