Should you keep your WHOIS private?

[domainyoda]

I have always wondered this!

If your domains are private I assume an end user would never be able to reach you, is that correct?

Or is there other ways to contact you if your information is block or private?

 

[nielsencl]

Private WHOIS normally lists and email address that will be forwarded to your email address if someone wants to contact you.

If you want less spam and to discourage people from contacting you, private whois is a good idea. It also makes it harder for people to know who owns a web site they may not like of have a complaint about.

 

[snowbird]

If you are in the business of selling domains, some feel it's not such a good idea to use privacy protection because you are making it a little more difficult for a potential buyer to contact you. Also if you are running an online business, hiding your whois information might indicate you have something to hide.

I would suggest putting a Google voice phone number in there, create an email address for domaining, and use a PO Box address. That way you are at least using a real physical mailing address someone can reach you at and you are doing more to reach out to your potential buyers while still maintaining your privacy. Lots of times those privacy protection services make it difficult even to send an email. The buyer would have to send an email, then the buyer gets a link via email with a form they fill out on a web page and then submit which then goes to your actual email address. Those extra steps could lead to a missed offer.

 

[lothos]

Or is there other ways to contact you if your information is block or private?

you could provide contact info on the website...

it really depends on your goals and if you want people to find your contact details easily or not.

 

[zidane]

Personally I want to keep my details private. But perhaps it can also depend on which field you are in. I avoid revealing my emails on public to avoid spam, although I have a security for those, seeing a mount of junk emails can still be a pain.

Zidane

 

[gpmgroup]

The legal "owner" of the domain is the name in the WHOIS, if you use a privacy service they only have a contractual obligation to you

 

[Ray]

In my opinion, it is financially wasteful to use a third party whois service. Such services normally cost a monthly fee and can have a negative impact on your website with such services as spam advisor and even SEO from what I have been hearing.

I normally assign a random email to the domain every so often to cut down on spam. Perhaps for the address list a PO box or a generic term. I normally leave my name or the company name visible to others.

It should also be noted that third party sites like domaintools.com allow users to view a whois history of a domain. If the who is information was not protected when the domain was registered, it will still allow users to view the public information by following a history trail.

 

[biggie]

i don't use privacy


as the majority of inquiries i've received from potential buyers, have come via email or phone calls

 

[Kenny]

i don't use privacy


as the majority of inquiries i've received from potential buyers, have come via email or phone calls

Eggs-Actly!!!!!
How can you sell if they cant find you?
Enduser buyers are not generally hip to the tricks of finding hidden whois, so they check, see that they cant contact and move on to the next domain.

Peace,
Cy

Whoops!!!! I just noticed the OP's acct is suspended :lol:
Oh well, good question anyways....

 

[biggie]

Whoops!!!! I just noticed the OP's acct is suspended :lol:
Oh well, good question anyways....

damn, i guess we all missed that

 

[webengine]

I keep it private to avoid spam but its a personal preference, cold calls, spam email and spam mail and prevent with private who is

 

[htmlindex]

I wouldn't worry with Whois privacy. It would make is a lot more difficult for potential buyers to contact you