What is a Domain?

A domain is your identity online. It separates you from everyone else and once you buy it, as long as you keep renewing it, no one else may register it. There are two parts to a domain - the domain name itself, and the TLD (top level domain) extension, like .com .net or .org.

The most popular TLD is the .com extension - it is synonymous with online business. But due to its popularity, getting a good domain name with '.com' has become difficult. It is predicted that by 2010 most will unavailable.

Most TLDs have a meaning behind them - .EDUs are used by educational institutes, and .ORGs are intended for non-profit organizations. A domain with a TLD of '.ca' is very likely based in Canada. There are other TLDs such as .info, .ws, and .biz. These are all associated with either a company or with a country. But of course there is nothing set in stone. You can choose any TLD you like if it is available.

What to watch for when registering a domain?

1. Never register a domain name of a copyrighted or trademarked name. eg. Microsoft.bz The portion of the name before the TLD is subject to all laws relating to copyright and trademark. The owner of the name can easily locate you and demand a surrender of the name or ensue with legal actions.

2. Make sure to inquire if the registered domain name is being registered to you. Some hosts will register the name with their name at the top of the domain record. This gives you very limited control over making changes and transferring the domain name.

3. The information you supply when you purchase a name is publicly available, you must provide real information when registering a name. If you do not, you stand a chance of losing your domain name.

4. You will also need to select the term of your domain name in years. If you are unsure about keeping the name a one year registration should do just fine. Many companies exist, however, that will provide buy your domain name if the registration lapses. They will then turn around and sell it for profit. If you should forget to renew or make a late payment, you could easily lose your domain name.

Can I make my personal Info false or Private?

The information you supply when you purchase a name is publicly available, you must provide real information when registering a name.
However there are services like Domain By Proxy that will mask your information for an annual fee. They provide you with an anonymous email address among other things. Also when you register names with GoDaddy they provide you with this option.

What is Domain Parking?

Domain parking lets you buy a domain and then have a 'coming soon' page on it. This is usually a good thing to have as it does allow for some traffic to build to your site as users type in searches. Most domain registrars provide this by default.

What is a Sub Domain?

Consider subdomains as an extension of your domain. For example, your site is www.xyz.com. A subdomain would be abc.xyz.com. A sub domain is useful when you want to separate content from your site for other purposes. Subdomains are usually treated as separate sites from the main domain site.

What signs and characters can be used in a domain name?

The maximum length of a domain is 63 signs/characters, excluding the ending (as in ".com"). You can choose all alphabetical letters, numbers as well as the hyphen "-", also sometimes referred to as the "dash" or "minus" sign. The "WWW" you often see on the front of domain names is not part of the domain and special characters (e.g. §,$,%,&,?,=) are not allowed.

What is the WHOIS database?

WHOIS databases contain contact and registration information for every domain registered with a particular registrar. WHOIS databases are maintained by individual registrars and not by the central registry. For this reason some information may not be up to date or may be misleading. Furthermore, registrars update their databases every 20-48 hours, so registration information regarding a domain name may be misleading.

What does it mean when a domain is "on hold"?

When a domain is on hold it means that the registration has officially expired, but the domain has not been released for new registration. There are a couple of reasons why the domain may be on hold. Some registrars hold domains for indefinite amounts of times, and there is no way of knowing when the domain will "drop" or become available again for registration. Sometimes registrars allow the former owner some leeway to re-register the domain after the official expiration date. Every registrar operates differently, and it is therefore somewhat of a game figuring out when an expired domain name will be available for registration again.

Are domains case sensitive?

No, domain names are not case sensitive. WWW.DomainName.com is the same as www.domainname.com is the same as www.DOMAINNAME.com - they can never point to different websites.

What is a TLD ?

TLD stands for Top Level Domain. The part of the domain name after the very last period "." Top Level Domains are divided into two categories: gTLDs: General TLDs such as .com, .org, .net and .info, which are not associated with a particular country or region and ccTLDs: TLDs such as .us, .de, .co.uk, .ie, .ca, etc. These TLDs were assigned to geographic locations, however, some, as in the TLD .tv, were sold by their owners (in this case the island of Tuvalu) to corporations to market and sell outside of the country. The TLD .tv has now come to stand for "television" in the Internet.

Can I register an all-numeric domain name?
Yes

What's the minimum number of characters in a domain name?

Most domain name extensions require a minimum of 2 characters for a domain name, although a few countries have set higher minimums for names registered under their extension.

What extra services can I expect when I register a domain name?

Some registrars offer "name only" services, where they do nothing more than register the domain name for you. Others offer a wide variety of other services (but they may charge a higher registration price to reflect these additional services). The most common such services include email forwarding; email sent to you@yourdomain.com is forwarded to your current email address. This is a very cheap and easy way of having your own "custom" email address. Also, website forwarding; this comes in two flavors: pointing your website at a given IP address, and pointing your website at a directory. The latter is great for anyone hosting a site on an ISP's site, as you will not need to move the site. The name will automatically be resolved to point to the correct directory.

under construction page : depending on your personal preference, you may prefer to have www.YOURNEWNAME.com point at a standard "under construction" page rather than not point at anything at all.

sample page : some registrars allow a single free "sample" page so that visitors to the site www.YOURNEWNAME.com would see your company name and address and maybe a phone number or a simple description of the services your company provides.

Somebody else has already registered the domain name I wanted. What can I do?

You can offer to buy the name off its current owner, or look for an alternative domain name. If your company holds a trademark on the terms in the domain name, it may be worth seeking legal advice about the possibility of recovering your domain name.

I registered a domain name, but I made a mistake while registering and registered the wrong name/changed my mind about registering it after paying. Can I cancel my registration?

Under the current Domain Name Service Agreement that all accredited Registrars operate under, all sales are final. If you want to register a different domain name, you'll have to pay again.

I'm thinking of registering " the"

While this tactic may get you some "free" traffic, it's also a great recipe for a lawsuit. If the .com domain is trademarked, it's better to steer clear of trouble. If the .com domain is "generic" (that is, it is a dictionary word which is not trademarked) then you're safer. Ultimately, it's your decision.

I'm thinking of registering a misspelling of a popular site's domain name (example: Yahhoo.com, AOLL.com). Is that a good idea?

This is commonly known as "typosquatting" i.e. buying a domain name with the expectation of siphoning traffic off of the legitimate site by snaring people who can't spell well. There have been a number of court cases as a result of this kind of behavior - most were decided in favor of the site owner. Ultimately, it's your decision.

I want to buy a domain, but I don't want to move my existing site from its current location at [long URL]. What can I do?

Make sure that the registrar you buy the domain name through offers "website forwarding" - i.e. a service that will automatically redirect visitors from your new domain name to your existing URL.

What are the "hidden costs" of domain name ownership?

It's important to remember that a domain name is only "yours" for as long as you keep paying the renewal fee. If you keep a domain name for 5 years, you'll have to pay 5 separate fees (although some registrars will let you purchase names for several years up front, sometimes at a substantial discount).

I can't think of any good domain names. Any suggestions?

Try and think of domain names associated with current or future growth areas, or topics that are always popular such as golf and finance. Think of domain names that specifically relate to YOUR industry or line of business. A good way to brainstorm is to sit down with a clean piece of paper, let your mind wander, and write down every idea you get as a result... sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised at what your unconscious throws up!

What happens if someone else has applied for the same domain name as me, and their application is pending?

Although the information returned by a Whois search is only updated once or twice a day, domain names that have been purchased are essentially "locked" instantly so that they cannot accidentally be sold to two separate parties. In other words, even if somebody beat you to a domain name by just 1 second, you're out of luck - and in a day or so you'll be able to see their ownership details through the Whois tool.

What are the best know top-level domains?

.com - This is the most popular TLD . It is used mainly for US commercial organizations. BUT, in its capacity, it represents the highest standing for any domain name. Anyone can have a '.com', but it is more difficult to think up a unique name that hasn't already been registered.

.net - This is the second most popular TLD . It generally describes the entity owning the domain name as a network and is used mainly by organizations that provide network connection services.

.gov - Generally used for government agencies.

.int - Intended to be used for sites relating to International Treaties or containing international databases. For this reason, it is not widely used.

.mil - Mainly used by military organizations of the US government.

.org - In general, non-profit organizations tend to use this extension.

.name - This is a new TLD and is intended to allow individuals to register their names (i.e. firstname.lastname.name) as a personal domain name on the Internet.

.biz - This is a new TLD for businesses; '.biz' is intended to be an alternative to the '.com'.

.info - This is also new, and is freely available to anyone with a business, government or non-commercial site.

What should I use as a domain name?

You can use a word or phrase as a domain name. When thinking of a domain name, think of catchy words or phrases that are easy to remember and that will bring more traffic to your site. Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your web site. If your web site is a business site, it is a good idea to use the companies name as the domain name or if your site is a personal site try to think of a domain name that is related to the topic of your web site.

Also try to keep your domain name as short as possible, around 5 to 20 characters is fine. The shorter the domain name the easier it will be to remember.

How do I acquire a domain name?

There are two main ways you can get a domain name. You can either register your domain name yourself or you can get your web host or ISP (Internet Service Provider) to register it for you.

To register a domain name yourself you will need to choose a Registrar. A Registrar is an ICANN accredited domain registration company. There are hundreds of Registrars on the Internet nowadays. The market is becoming increasingly competitive; which means that you can purchase domains names for a low yearly fee.

Most web hosting companies will offer domain registration services to their clients. When you register a domain name through a web host they will register your domain name for you through their own approved registrar. An advantage to having your web host register your domain name for you is that, they have probably done this process many times before; they have all the necessary information ready at hand. This process will save you time and, as long as you give the 'correct' domain name desired, there will be no unfamiliar dealings with Registrars.

Why should I keep my domain name registered?

If you loose your domain name you can loose your whole online identity.

Because you can only register a domain name for a year or so, you will need to make sure that you renew it before the expiry date. Once your domain name expires you will no longer own that domain name. Your Registrar will then own it and be able to sell your domain name to the highest bidder. To make sure you don't loose your domain name you will need to make sure you renew your domain name at least two weeks before it expires.

Also make sure that your information is registered properly, especially if you didn't register your domain name yourself. Ensure that your information is displayed as the registrant, administrative and billing contacts; most importantly make sure that the email addresses for these contacts are ACTIVE. When you receive any information about your domain name, such as renewals, price changes, etc. an email will be sent to this email address. If you can't receive any mail from the email addresses listed under the domain names contact then you are at risk of not receiving important notifications about your domain names, which could result in loosing your domain name.

People often miss the importance of having their own unique domain name for their web sites. A domain name represents you, your company and your online presence; as does a 'business card'. If you don't have your own domain name you won't be able to promote your own online identity and web site on the World Wide Web.

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