Dear Lifehacker, I have a question about personal domains. Should I go for fullname.com or nickname.com ? Which one is better? Thanks, Domain Man
Domain name picture from Shutterstock
Dear DM,
There is no single correct answer to this question for everyone, but there are some issues you need to consider before taking the plunge:
Is the domain name you want available? If you dive back 20 years or so, it was feasible to register just your surname as a domain. This was potentially very handy — you could set up email addresses for everyone in your family ([email protected]) and also personal web pages using subdomains (susie.smith.com). Unless you have a very unusual surname or are prepared to put up with a really odd top-level domain, you probably won’t be able to manage this trick these days.
Even your full name is quite likely to be claimed as a domain name these days if it’s at all common. Many people register the .com, .net and .org version of their name, to say nothing of regional variations such as .com.au. If yourfirstnameyourlastname.com isn’t available and you’re not happy with yourfirstnameyourlastname.info (or other variants), then your nickname may be a wiser choice.
If both your full name and your nickname are available, I’d suggest grabbing both. You can always make one automatically redirect to the other, and you can switch how that works depending on what you use the domains for over time.
What are you going to use the domain for? There are many potential uses for a personal domain — we rounded up eight of the most interesting last year. If you’re setting up a personal branding page to advance your career, you’ll want either your name or something that reflects your professional skills. If you’re intending to roll your own file sharing service, you may be happier with a nickname.
Where do you use the nickname? If you already use the same nickname on forums, for Twitter, and in other public-facing contexts, then registering that same nickname as a domain gives you a consistency of identity.
Would you be happy for potential employers to know your nickname? This isn’t a problem if your nickname is something neutral, but sheepshagger.com might give the wrong impression if it’s the first result from a Google search.
While a personal domain is very handy, it isn’t always necessary. If you want to set up a personal landing page, there are plenty of useful services to help with that. If you’re looking merely for a neutral email address, Gmail and Outlook.com are fine. Good luck with the domain search!
Cheers
Lifehacker
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Comments
5 responses to “Ask LH: What’s The Best Choice For A Personal Domain?”
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Agree… domains are like Pringles… you can’t stop at just one 🙂
To the OP… unless your name is Ghdkewrpp Mzertyqwsa then I’d be amazed if domains for your FirstLastName .anything is still available.
Now if you’ll excuse me… I’m off to register GhdkewrppMzertyqwsa.com, .net, .info, etc etc 😉
Exactly what I was going to say! I have a bunch of domains that all point back to my ‘main’ one. For $8.95 a year, you can’t go wrong 🙂
If you’re an Australian individual, you might find it worth looking in the .id.au namespace, reserved for natural persons in Australia. New Zealanders have .geek.nz for the same purpose. If a .com domain has been taken for what you want, consider checking these out.
I concur with the sentiments in the previous comments regarding having multiple domains. More addictive than caffeine and tobacco combined. I think I have about twenty.
My name is uncommon enough that I managed to register lastname.net and .org a few years ago, but sadly the .com has been squatted for years.
My recommendation: find a unique available domain, and then legally change your name to match it. If it worked for Kim Dotcom, it can work for you too.