Let’s just get right down to business: I GOT A NEW DOMAIN!!!
I was so unbelievably THRILLED to finally grab “twentysomethingvision.com” WITHOUT a hyphen. The previous site was twentysomething-vision.com. I still own it, but it redirects to the real deal: Twentysomething Vision.
Say My Name, That Domain
When I started thinking of domain names, I went through so many different ideas. Twenty Something Blogger, Always Smiling, Keep Smiling, Find Your Happiness, a lot of cheesy but positive names like that. I even wrote down “Forever Twenty Somethings”, and then quickly realized that my online reading material tricked me into thinking that name was not taken!
In my search for “Twenty Something Vision”, I was disappointed to find that this was already taken. I checked out the existing site. The domain owner hadn’t posted in a few months, or maybe even a year! I didn’t know how the process worked, I was brand new to all of this: hosting, domains, WHOIS.
I considered reaching out to the site owner, but then I worried about making a deal, getting ripped off, or what if the domain owner never saw my email because the site was practically abandoned?
So I compromised. I settled in with “Twentysomething-Vision”. It wasn’t what I was looking for, but hey! It’s a domain…it’s a blog…it’s MY blog!
Checking records
Fast-forward to a little less than two years later…I received an email from someone I did not know, saying twentysomethingvision.com was going to be up for sale soon, and they would be happy to sell it for me. I didn’t respond, and they mentioned they wouldn’t bother me if I didn’t reply. They kept their word.
I ignored these domain reseller emails, but I checked out the WHOIS records to see if the domain truly was available soon. It turned out someone JUST repurchased and updated the domain. How did I miss that? Why didn’t I think to keep checking if it was expired all this time?
I read an article that inspired me to look into this a little further (this article is no longer available but was on Chris Bailey’s site and focused on domain registration spam, when strangers offer to buy your domain or when they know your domain registration is expiring soon).
A month later, I received two more emails, each from a different sender. It contained the same message. I responded the same, with no response. I checked to see if twentysomethingvision.com was available…”not available” was the verdict. Each. Time.
Check ALL the registrars!
Another month later, I received THREE emails within 4 days. On that final day, I searched for the beloved twentysomethingvision.com through my registrar (NOT through these resellers). My heart stopped, in a good way! I couldn’t believe my eyes. THERE IT WAS! “twentysomethingvision (available)”. I couldn’t believe it.
I checked another provider (my primary is domain provider is Bluehost). THERE IT WAS, AGAIN! I checked GoDaddy (Available!), Namecheap (Available!), HostGator (Available!), they were all available!
I get a domain! You get a domain! Everybody gets a domain!
Once I confirmed the domain was available, I did a little more research to figure out the most cost-effective choice with the best service. I knew I would keep this one for a while, so I wanted to be sure. Then I made my purchase, and BAM! My web host helped switch my main domain. They “dashed” to remove the hyphen.
I give the domain resellers a little credit here. If it wasn’t for their emails, I never would have thought to check for the domain I really wanted. Their emails prompted me to follow up, and it worked out in the end.
Next Steps
This month is already jam-packed! #jampackedjune #dontbejelly
It’s been a productive month. I’ve been working on an official logo for the site (yay!). There are some exciting events going on. I’m going to my very first blogger conference, I’m learning how to use Lightroom, and I can’t wait to share more experiences with you!
~Twentysomething Vision