Regarding email addresses for registered domain contact persons and registrant accounts, I am curious about the best practices. My primary email address is contact@johdnddoe.com, but if someone gains access to my domain, they can change the MX records and prevent me from receiving any transfer notifications. Additionally, registry lock can pose problems for identity verification if DNS records are compromised.
To avoid these issues, using a common email provider such as Gmail and creating an email address like johdnddoe@gmail.com for registrar accounts and registrant information may be a better option. However, I wonder how others approach this topic. Do they use different email addresses for various types of domain name contacts (technical, registrant, etc.)?
Creating company email addresses after registering a domain is quick and simple and provides the same capabilities as free email services. However, owning your email addresses allows for better monitoring of mailbox statuses, without censoring or controlling employee correspondence.
Using company email addresses creates a sense of reliability and formality in correspondence, allowing for more trusting relationships with clients. In addition, organizing these emails is easier and provides access to business correspondence if an employee leaves or falls ill. Address management also allows for the redirection of incoming emails to new employees if necessary. Additionally, using company email addresses on business cards adds a sense of professionalism.
Managing email addresses for domain contacts is somethin' a lot of folks overlook, and it can cause major headaches down the line if not handled properly.
First off, you're totally right about the risks with using your domain email like contact@johdnddoe.com for your registrar accounts and other domain-related contacts. If someone gets access to your domain, they can easily change the MX records, like you said, and boom - you're locked out of your own email. That can lead to missing critical notifications about domain transfers, expirations, or even security breaches. It's pretty much the worst-case scenario for domain management.
So, what do a lotta people do to avoid this? They usually go for a more secure, separate email provider like Gmail, as you mentioned. By using an address like johdnddoe@gmail.com for your registrar and registrant accounts, you're effectively separating your domain's health from your email's safety. Even if someone manages to mess with your domain's DNS records, your Gmail address will still be intact and you won't miss any important alerts. It's a good idea to keep this email super secure, too - two-factor authentication, strong passwords, the whole shebang.
Now, when it comes to using different emails for different types of contacts (like technical, registrant, administrative), it really depends on how paranoid (or cautious) you wanna be. Some people use a single email for everything, which makes things simpler, but it also means if that email is compromised, you're in trouble. Other folks use different emails for each contact type to compartmentalize and reduce risk. So, for example, you might have:
registrant@johdnddoe.com for the registrant info,
techsupport@johdnddoe.com for technical contact,
admin@johdnddoe.com for administrative contact.
But again, if your domain goes down, those emails go with it. A better strategy might be mixing and matching - use your Gmail for the most critical stuff like registrar accounts and the registrant email, and then maybe use your domain-based emails for less crucial contacts.
One more thing - make sure your backup contact information is always up-to-date. Some registrars let you add a secondary contact method like a phone number, and it's definitely worth using that as a backup.
The key is redundancy and separating your assets so that if one goes down, you're not completely screwed. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but the more layers of security and separation you build in, the better you'll sleep at night, knowing your domain and emails are safe.
Using a personal email like contact@johdnddoe.com for critical functions can lead to serious vulnerabilities.
If someone compromises your domain, they can easily alter MX records, effectively locking you out of transfer notifications. A better practice is to create dedicated email addresses through a secure provider like Gmail, such as johdnddoe@gmail.com, specifically for registrar accounts. This adds a layer of separation and security.