Choosing a Domain Name:

Choosing your domain name is the first step in getting started on with UWGB Domains. Your domain name is really just a unique Web address that can be used to build out your own digital presence. As you make your choice, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:

• Domain names are not easily changed.
• Choose a domain that you can live with; you will not be able to register another domain later
• You may wish to include your name in your domain because its a way for you to build your own digital presence.
• Don't use a course title as your domain--You can create a subdomain or a series of pages specific to the course.
• You can claim a subdomain that doesn't have anything to do with your name, but it does create a more professional presence if you feel comfortable doing so. Here are some considerations for choosing your subdomain:
  • Is your name relatively common?  Consider adding a middle initial when you claim your subdomain. 
  • Can you shorten your name for a web address? Sometimes we want to cultivate a professional identity, but you want to make it easier for people to find your site--your URL can be different than your website title and tagline! 
  • Do you want to use a pseudonym? Sometimes people don’t want to be easily found by a professional name or they want to try to keep their personal brand and their professional brand separate (authors do this all the time!) Some people don’t want to have an online presence for valid reasons--if you’re one of those people, you may wish to not create a public portfolio and instead create a Word document or PDF binder of your work. 
  • Do you want to use your UWGB username as the [blank]? You absolutely can—just know that it may not make sense to someone typing out the web address. 
• Note: when you claim your subdomain, you will want that [blank] to be all lowercase letters without special characters or spaces! If you would like to "represent" a “space” you can do so with a dash (e.g. kate-farley).  

The Sign-Up Process

Once you've thought about what you'd like for your domain name go to https://www.uwgb.org
Choose to "I'm here to claim a domain"

Next, you will be asked if you'd like to sign up with the free subdomain (default) or if you'd like to register your own domain for $15/year.
If you choose the free subdomain you may choose the first part of the subdomain name:

• Example: katefarley.uwgb.org is a subdomain name

If you choose to register your own domain you may choose something like this:

• Example: katefarley.org is a domain that I registered on my own, and am paying to own the domain name for $15/year