If you’re considering getting a domain for yourself with your name, I have some things you may want to consider first.

Having a domain you control on the internet is a huge and awesome thing. It’s what the internet is designed for. Thanks to technical challenges and on-going costs it makes sense why most don’t have one, but it’s still a really cool thing to have.

That said, a lot of advice on the internet is confusing on this subject and often written for previous eras of the internet.

One area not often talked about enough is that once a domain is used for important services and accounts it becomes difficult to be sure it’s not being used anywhere in the future and becomes an on-going commitment.

This Domain Is forever Link to heading

When you have a domain (and you start using it for email in particular) you need to commit to at least keeping the registration under your control forever.

Whoever controls the Domain and its records has the real control on where the Emails to that domain go. On the internet “Proving Ownership of a Domain” is one of the most important “authentication” methods on the internet. Receiving an email and clicking the link in that email, used for password reset emails, is just another way to prove you control that exact domain so you must be that person.

This is actually a really important feature of having your own domain because it means no tech company can just decide you don’t get to have a website or email anymore. Being in control of your domain means you can switch to whoever you want at any time. It’s part of the power and ownership a domain gives you.

However, if you lose the registration then someone else can claim that ownership and power to pretend to be you in all kinds of ways. Resetting passwords, receiving notices/letters, and even just receiving marketing emails that reveal things about you.

Whatever domain you pick, you must commit to keeping it forever or risk someone gaining access to important accounts. Every domain that you use somewhere important (like bank accounts, key social media accounts, or important services with sensitive information) becomes another domain you must remain committed to renewing every year.

Domains that expire are monitored on lists and there are bots written to automatically buy those domains in the hopes of reselling them back to you at an inflated cost. There are also people who do this in order to hack into accounts you may have.

Picking the right domain name to use becomes a little more important because of these risks.

Personal Domains Link to heading

A simple option is simply get one (1) domain that features your real name. For instance this website is my real name. You could also use initials or etc. instead.

The personal domain makes a lot of sense to keep the number of domains to upkeep limited and also lets you have a personal “place” on the internet entirely your own.

With a domain you can even use things like Google Workspaces (~6-12/month) that give you all the benefits of Google’s services with legal agreements that Google will treat your data special and keep it separated, secure, and private. Companies use Google Workspaces and Google wants them to know that just because Google hosts their data that doesn’t mean they are watching them and gaining an advantage over them.

However, I think something important to consider is that domain is way more unique than a simple Gmail account. Your domain, whatever email(s) you use on that domain, still has your name on it. social@ or newsletters@ both contain your real name in the domain even though the “user” part doesn’t say it.

Personally, I don’t enjoy signing up for certain things meaning that the person can easily see my name, visit my website, and learn all about me at any time.

Which leads me to my main advice….

Get A “Company” Domain Link to heading

I think a better first or “main” domain for most people would be to create a pseudo-company domain.

I’m not saying you need to incorporate a new business. This isn’t actually a “company”. This is still meant to be a personal place on the internet just for you, but I think most people would be better served by a domain that doesn’t immediately identify them in the domain name itself.

Think of this domain as a kind of pseudonymous username on the internet. You should be able to be whatever name or person you want on this domain. You want something which is somewhat presentable to use in a normal setting and also easy to say over the phone.

Your initials, if you can get that domain, isn’t a bad option. Getting a domain that doesn’t end in .com is also a valid option.

I am Cuban, so “cafecitos” are something I’ve grown up with and I love coffee. I made a series of domains that I use for personal things that play off that like cafecito.photo for my photography (www.cafecito.photo).

Whatever name or email I use there isn’t immediately revealing who I am without me putting in the work to make my website say it. And yet, if you want to make a name for yourself on the internet you can still always decide to put your name or your website and Google will dutifully index it for you.

Picking a pseudo-company domain gives you the options and control to do what you want.

Keep It Personal Link to heading

It’s important that even though this is a “company” domain to think of this more like a personal discord server or group chat and not a company.

If you want to start a company/business or even make being a creator your business I recommend using another domain for those things.

This domain, and any accounts associated with it, should be personal things you use and meant to stay private to you. If you leave a company you should still have this domain and all the data connected to it. If your employer or business is sued this should be clearly off limits to any legal discovery because it has nothing to do with your employer or business.

Let this continue to be just a fun place you have on the internet to do whatever you want with it.

Consider: Do you need a domain? Link to heading

After everything I’ve said so far it’s still important to consider if you really need a domain or not.

I am not trying to discourage you or anyone else from getting a domain. But because of the commitment and technical knowhow needed it is worth thinking about.

Sometimes we want a domain just because we don’t realize there are viable alternatives that would work for us.

For instance:

  • A Github account gives you a free website at <username>.github.io that is fully under your control, free, and fast.
    • Additionally the README feature for Github Profiles lets you recreate what a landing page on a personal website would accomplish with very little effort.
  • If you wanted to De-Google and host your own private cloud services you might be better off simply using Tailscale; a VPN which lets you directly connect your devices anywhere and has features to make it easy to access them in your browser.
    • This normally requires Tailscale to be installed on every device you want to use it (think “also on your friends’ and family’s’ devices”), but Tailscale has a service called Funnel that lets you expose any of the services on your devices to the public internet as well.

Personally, I still want to use my own domain(s) for aesthetic reasons, but technically I don’t actually need them.

Having your own domain(s) is still important for having your own public place on the internet under your control. And it is the only way that doesn’t rely on some tech company not shutting down the service you’re relying on like what happened to GeoCities or Yahoo Answers (both shutdown by Yahoo over time). But, maybe that doesn’t matter to you or these things you’re putting on the internet are for short-term purposes anyways (like getting a specific job).

What I recommend Link to heading

  1. I think it’s worth getting a Domain
    • It gives you a personal place on the internet all your own.
    • You are not locked in to any tech companies services and can pick services, servers, and hosts which respect your data; including the ability to migrate it somewhere else.
  2. If you get a Domain and want to actually use it; Be prepared to maintain (at least) the registration for decades.
  3. When picking a domain, especially your first, I recommend creating a “company” type domain. Something that doesn’t immediately identify you.
    • After, you can still get a domain with your name and you have both as options.
    • Whatever domain you pick consider how easy it is to spell over the phone.
  4. If this seems like a lot (but trust me, it really isn’t) then consider if you really need a domain
    1. Github provides websites for any Github User.
    2. Tailscale lets you access any server or computer running private services or etc.
    3. ProtonMail is a great alternative to Gmail.

Ultimately, domains are a fun and empowering way to carve out your own little corner of the internet. Whether you go with your real name, a creative pseudonym, or decide you don’t need one at all, the most important thing is that your online presence feels right for you. Take your time, think about what you want to share (or keep private), and remember: you can always change your mind later. The internet is big enough for all of us to find our own space.