"I want people to find us from outside"

Your network has a website, a Nextcloud instance, maybe a public dashboard. But they're only accessible from inside the network — or through the VPN. If you want the outside world to reach you, you need a domain name.

A domain (like mynetwork.org) gives you:

• A public identity — people can find you on the internet
• Professional email — admin@mynetwork.org instead of a Gmail address
• SSL certificates — HTTPS for free with Let's Encrypt
• DNS control — point subdomains to different services (cloud.mynetwork.org, status.mynetwork.org)

Domains are cheap — often under $15/year — and they're the first step to having a public presence.