Buying a Web Hosting Account with godaddy.com

For those of you in class who have not yet taken the first steps for buying a Web hosting account through godaddy.com, please spend about 45 minutes this weekend following the steps below to set up the framework for your godaddy/Wordpress account. This way we'll all be starting from the same approximate point on Monday morning:

• Search for promo codes (coupons) for godaddy on the Internet: I found gdz952z for a 30 percent discount at checkout. Feel free to use that code, or another you find, at checkout.
• Go to godaddy.com in your browser: Do a domain name search to see if the combination you want for your Web site address is available. I bought chrisharvey.info for $1.99 for the year. You might also check out .com, .org, .me or us. If you click on the code on the selection page, it will explain each domain name.
• Complete the Domain Registration Information. IMPORTANT: I used a work address and phone number, because this information will show up on the WHOIS listing, which is public information. I used a work email and left the company box blank. See more info on privacy two bullets down.
• I registered for 1 year, and clicked “unCertified” Domain. (Godaddy charges $4.99 a year to assure consumers you are who you purport to be. You can choose to pay this extra fee if you'd like.)
• Privacy and Domain Protection: If you don’t have a work address, you may have to pay between $11.99 and $24.99 for varying levels of privacy protection on step 3 of the registration process. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU’RE ALSO ASKED AT CHECKOUT IF YOU’D LIKE A PRIVATE REGISTRATION; AT THIS STEP, YOU CAN BUY IT FOR $6.99 A YEAR. It also asks you at checkout if you’d like to buy .mobi (a mobile account) for $6.99 a year for those interested. I did not do this.
• Choose hosting type. I chose Economy, for 10 gig of space, at $5.19 a month. It unfortunately at this step doesn't ask you for how long; it assumes a year. This can be changed at checkout to shorter periods. You'll see in steps to come.
• At CHECKOUT, be sure to enter your promo code, gdz952z (or another you've found). If this doesn’t work for you, simply search for another coupon on the Internet. Search for godaddy.com promo codes.
• Check your address and password info. I left off my home phone number.
• Be sure to jot down your login info and keep it in a safe place!
• While checking over your info in your cart, you can change your hosting term from 1 year to monthly (3 months or 6 months, for instance), if you'd like to shorten. Click on hosting in the green navigation bar, add 3 months or 6 months of hosting, and then click on your shopping cart to delete the longer option you initially started with (for one year). This cut my order price in half – from about $44 to $26 -- when I chose 6 months.
• Type in your credit card info, click on the terms of agreement, and order.

When done, you may click on Go Directly to My Account to get to your account manager.

We'll pick up at this step on Monday.