Once you have registered your domain the details you provided will be stored at the registry and some of them will be available for scrutiny via the whois database. Of particular importance is the email address that you have used for the contact details for your domain and this must be kept up to date to avoid missing important emails such as renewal notices. Other important details that are likely to be changed include the nameservers that your domain is delegated to. These details can be changed through your registrar either by logging into the domain management link on their webpage or by calling them on the telephone. Be aware that only the registrar that you registered your domain with can manage your domain unless you transfer it to another registrar, in which case you will only be able to manage your domain through the new registrar.
If you prefer to call your registrar (or reseller) to change any details its as easy as picking up the phone and letting them know what you require. Be aware that some registrars do not offer phone service or charge for its use. I personally prefer to manage my domains via my registrars web page anyway, its easy, quick to do and saves the registrar and myself time. Not to mention its available 24 hours a day and wont get impatient with you if you have to make many changes or forget something.
To manage your domain simply go to your registrars web page, somewhere usually very accessible you will see a link that will say manage, manage my domains, my domains, domains or similar. Click on this and you will most likely be directed to a page that asks for login details. In the very least you will have to type in the domain name (without any www.) and the password. Some domains also require a username as well, in the case of a GTLD it is usally webmaster. All of these details are usually emailed to you when the domain is initially registered however if you dont know the log in details or have lost them dont despair. Usually on the same page as the login you will see a seperate section for retrieving a lost domain password. The vast majority of them just require you to type the domain name into a box and click a button and the domains password will be emailed to the domain owners email address. Which is yet another good reason why the domain details should be kept up to date. If your domain details are not up to date and you cant retrieve your domain password in this fashion then you will need to contact your registrar, fullfill their identification requirements and then have the contact details amended. With most registrars this can be quite an ordeal and rightly so as the intention is to protect your domain from the less scrupulous.
Once you have logged into your domain management age there are really only two things that you will probably ever need to change, the nameservers that your domain is delegated to and the contact details.
Nameservers or DNS servers perform a vital role in the operation of your domain. These are almost always the nameservers of the company that is providing hosting for your domain and you should ensure that they tell you what their nameservers are when you engage their services. A more detailed description of what nameservers do can be found on the
Hosting Services page of this website.
Contact Details are usually divided into three sections, admin or owners contact details, billing contact details and tech contact details for your domain. They are very easy to change and comprise of name, organisation, address, telephone number and email address.