Domain/Hosting recommendations Options

[bijou]

This is for my brother's business website. It's going to be a website with 5 or 6 pages at most with a forum attached to it (most likely a simple invisionfree forum). We don't need huge amounts of bandwidth or space.

Should I go with GoDaddy for a .com domain name? Some people advise against putting your eggs in one basket and having hosting with a different company than your domain name.

I was considering DreamHost ($8.95/month) which offers free domain registration.

BlueHost($6.95/month) also offers a free domain name.

Recs please based on personal experience.

[schizo]

GoDaddy is the best for purchasing domain names, but if you get a free one with the host you pick, you might as well use that.

As for the host sites, I've never used either so I can't be of much help there.

[medic]

Out of those I would go with DreamHost, they have a good reputation with certain people who know and somewhat understand hosting. You get the free domain, and unlike most hosts you get to keep your domain if you leave DreamHost and go somewhere else.

They use clustered servers, which is good for anyone. They also make daily backups, with a few clicks you can restore an entire website, including MySQL databases.

I have used them as a host of my personal photography website since 2005 and just now switched, only because I have a dedicated server now.

I also have a coupon that will save you $97 dollars on your first year at DreamHost, check out this post on CB.

Should I go with GoDaddy for a .com domain name? Some people advise against putting your eggs in one basket and having hosting with a different company than your domain name.

Whom ever suggested this is in plain English stupid, you ALWAYS want to have your domain somewhere else. GoDaddy, DreamHost, NameCheap and other registers are the exception. They have two markets, hosting websites and selling domains.

If you go with a host that registers the domain for you, when you leave that host, they keep your domain. Simple as that! My Internet Services is a shining example of that, they will park your domain for a few years. When a host purchases a they hope and pray you love that domain and it become popular, it becomes there bargaining tool.

My suggestion, as a host, is to register your domain with GoDaddy (Unless you choose DreamHost) and do your hosting elsewhere. I have been doing it ever since I started buying domains (I now have almost 1,000 domains, 200+ being personal and parked domains). Hosts have to deal with keeping your website up and running 24/7/365, domains are the last thing they want to deal with.

[bijou]

Thanks for your replies.