Note: you can reduce the timeout value in your record in advance of the switch.

I think it depends on how much support and control you want from the registrar. I'm currently using: register.com, godaddy, 1&1, namecheap.com, and gandhi. From a price perspective register.com is the most expensive but I have always been impressed by their support -- on the first call I always reached someone very technically savvy. 1&1 is the cheapest and their packages are fine if you are not planning to host your own server. I run my own mail, domain, vpn, webhosting servers from home and I like namecheap the best - few $ more than 1&1 but a much easier and powerful control of your host records if you like to tweak stuff.

One other thing -- if you're going to hire someone else to design your webpages & stuff you can usually negotiate a package price with them to host your site. Nice to have a single point of contact in case things aren't working. Just make sure that -you- own the domain name and the rights to the html source.

I've found that most larger corporate networks do not obey the TTL and timeout values.

I just moved from enom (registerfly) to godaddy for a few domains...those are not being treated as spam by some fortune 100 companies... Basically since the smtp dropped and then changed within a 72 hour period apparently that means I'm a spambot.

Better change your name SpaceBot.

I have found that having an SPF record in my DNS has helped to not be labeled a spam bot. Larger companies tend to pay attention to SPF reords. Please don't confuse the true SPF with Microsoft's version which simply confuses things. I would recommend that everyone setup SPF records. It has cut down considerably on spam, and my domains being tagged as spam bots.

BTW, I host most of my domains through HE.net but do have one godaddy domain. I much prefer HE.net as their servers seem faster and I have much more granular control over my domain/virtual host setup.

When I added SPF txt records I found that it helped with about half the sites that didn't like my little outpost server on the outer rim. I still have to forward a few outbound domains through my ISP. I suspect I'm getting tagged through the reverse DNS lookup which doesn't look much like me or my ISP.

Ok a quick question here.

The web hosting company for our church is about to go under (illness). I have all the webfiles backed up and am ready to shift to dreamhost - probably today.

If the other site goes down in the 24-72 hr transfer period, does that mean we have no web presence during that time?

What about email?

Our registrant and webhost are 2 different companies. Our registration is locked (donated to us) and we don't want to shift that - just the website.

I am reading the wiki's from dreamhost but am a bit confused... any suggestions on how to do this as painlessly as possible?

Every move is different, but the last time I moved a domain it was as painless as could be.

I made sure the site was correctly configured at dreamhost, then changed the DNS entries at Godaddy. 20 minutes later the Dreamhost site was live, and 1and1 was gone.

A quick tip: put some kind of text on the new hosters pages so you know which hoster you are hitting.

Thankfully DNS propogation is much quicker nowadays. I remember having to wait 4 days for a domain to be live, nowadays with Godaddy it's ready in under half an hour.

To add to what ScottC said... Get the site on the new hosting company working the way you want it to. You'll have to test the web side using an IP address and then have your registrar switch to the new hosting company IP address.

I've seen this with my domains as well. Some people get SPF confused with Microsoft's Sender ID and then SPF won't work correctly. You need to test your domain name(s) to make sure that your ISP has everything configured correctly. If not you need to pressure them to get it right. Often the reverse DNS is mucked up and because of that you are label a spammer and your email is rejected.

It amazes me how many "email experts" in companys have no idea how DNS really works and how MX, text and other records impact email.

This was exactly my experience when I moved to Dreamhost (thanks, Scott, for recommending them -- they've been terrific). I think my email and website were up and running on Dreamhost in 5 to 10 minutes. Godaddy seems very good about propagating domain changes through the DNS system.

I appreciate what ScottC and Ptravel have said about GoDaddy service, but please note that GoDaddy cannot control DNS propogation, though they can certainly aid it by handling changes properly and in a timely manner. While you may see your website almost immediately, this does not mean that a customer across the planet or even in the same town with a different ISP will see it on the first or even second day after a change.

GoDaddy can't control DNS servers out of their control, but I was under the impression that their physical location within the internet and their means of connecting to it will influence DNS propagation.

That's controlled by the OLD DNS record + settings at individual providers settings. The only thing that'd be faster is servers under their control.

Thank you all for the guidance and recommendations.

We propogated our site last night. Email was down for only ~ 20 minutes, the site itself went offline at 7:30 p.m. and was up when I got up at 7 a.m. today.

Seamless from beginning to end.

Thank you for recommending dreamhost.