Directnic

Directnic.com is one of the many domain registrars on the Internet. Based out of Louisiana, the company offers a number of tools and packages to establish new domain names to be hosted independently or through the company's servers. Though not as famous as GoDaddy.com, Directnic has its advantages.

1. Usability
Directnic's interface is uncluttered, with simple, graphical representations of their products and easy to navigate menu bar and Quick Links sections. Once customers get into the meat of the site, Directnic provides a wealth of information in a small space. For instance, when searching for the availability of a domain name, Directnic displays all open extensions and their costs, as well as data on premium domains similar to what is entered in the original search.

The highlight of their interface is the company's renewal process. Directnic allows its customers to renew up to five domain names without logging into their account. According to their site, the process is performed in three quick steps.

2. Domain Privacy
For five dollars a year Directnic conceals the domain's public WHOIS record with their Direct Privacy set up. Not only is this program transferrable between a customer's domains, as long as it hasn't expired, but the cost is the same no matter what the price of the initial domain extensions.

3. Bulk Registrations and Management
A weakness to Directnic is its inability to perform bulk operations. In doing a search of the site's FAQ there is no mention of these types of processes. For the high-use customer this means more time registering and administering their sites and less on creating content.

4. Access Levels and Delegating
Though the site provides information on password protecting domains and directories, Directnic does not offer customers the ability to set up individual access levels and delegate authority.

5. Pricing and Coupons
Premium domains aside, Directnic is competitive with the other registrars on the Internet. Most of the common domains are available at the same price, and their three hosting packages are just a few dollars apart from each other. Because their prices are low Directnic doesn't rely on coupon offers. However, a standard Google/Bing search will provide locations where discounts can be obtained.

Overview
Due to its lack of bulk management, Directnic is not for the mass domain customer. But for the standard user who has a few accounts, Directnic is an easily navigable alternative to GoDaddy.