Getting Your Domain Name

Your Web site’s URL is the most visible part of your online identity. It’s what you put on your business cards, in your advertisements, and on company T-shirts and letterhead. It’s how people remember where you are on the Web, so an easily remembered URL is as important nowadays as an easily remembered company name. Although you can use a URL offered by free Web space providers or your own ISP (such as http://geocities.yahoo.com), most businesses and many individuals buy their own domain names to make it easy for people to find them on the Web. If your online presence is http://www.GoDaddy.com, people can remember and find your site more quickly and easily. A domain name is generally a worthwhile and very affordable investment, once you’re ready to get serious about your Web site and go beyond a simple personal page.

Choosing a domain name

Dot-com has become synonymous with online business. That’s because the .com ending of many domain names stands for commercial. Originally, the domain name system was set up to categorize online entities by their types. The top-level domain names are the last part of a domain name (such as .com). Each top-level domain stands for a different category. Thus, there’s .com (for commercial), .org (organization, usually nonprofit), .net (network services such as ISPs), .gov (government agencies only), .edu (educational), and .mil (military). Unless you’re a public agency, you can’t get a domain name in one of the last three top-level domains, but you can get them in .com, .org, and .net. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has also approved additional top-level domains: .biz, .info, .name, .pro, .mobi, .aero, and .coop. As you think about possible domain names, you might want to follow these guidelines for making a decision:

- .com, .pro, .aero, or .biz These are for a company or corporation.

- .org or .info These are for a nonprofit organization.

- .net These are for network service, but are usually used as a common alternative to .com, since many .com names are taken.

- .name or .coop These are for personal Web site. You may also want to use a country-specific domain name. You should also consider the following questions:

- Can I pronounce the name easily? Will people know how to spell it just by hearing it?

- Can I spell the name clearly? Many letters (especially ‘‘f’’ and ‘‘s’’) sound similar when spelled out over the phone.

- Is the name easy to remember? Does it have something to do with the content of my Web space, or the product or service I’m providing?

These days, most people realize that they’re probably not going to get their first choice in domain names. Let’s face it, most of the shorter domains are taken, and many of the longer ones are hard to pronounce or to type. So, when you go looking for a domain name, remember that it’s hard to find a good domain but not impossible. Have a list of at least 10 possible domains that would be acceptable, but don’t go register them all. Domain ‘‘squatting’’ is one reason there just aren’t enough domain names to go around anymore. Luckily, most domain name services will help you choose a domain name that’s similar if your initial choice isn’t available.

Once you have your list, the first thing to do is check out the WHOIS lookup at http://netsol .com/whois. Type in the domain name you’d like and click Search. Don’t include the http://www that’s not part of the domain name.

The WHOIS lookup at Network Solutions enables you to look up a domain name quickly and easily.

If you have some money to spend and you really want that domain name, you can always send a letter to the administrative contact offering to buy the domain. Popular domain names can run from a few thousand to a couple million dollars, so be sure to get your credit limit raised before you call! If the results of your domain name search come back empty. Here’s your chance to grab that domain! Click Add Selected Domain(s) to Order to register the domain using Network Solutions, or find a different registrar. Picking a registrar When you go to register your domain name, you’ll need to find a registration company (also called a registrar) to register with. Registrars vary in price and services, ranging from about $7 a year to $80 a year, depending on the extension. Few registrars are more than $35 per year, although several of them are less. A good online guide to picking a registrar is at http://www .register.com.

Some registrars require you to pay a fee if you want to transfer a domain name. Others don’t. The transfer fee shouldn’t be more than a year’s worth of domain name registration. Also, you shouldn’t have to pay a sign-up fee for registering your domain name, and you shouldn’t sign up for more than two years at first. Be willing to sign up for those two years, though a domain name is a commitment. Many registrars require you to create a Domain Name Service (DNS) server entry within a specific amount of time. This policy prevents name grabbing by companies and individuals who just want to ‘‘hold onto’’ a domain name and prevent others from getting or using it. If you don’t have a Web space provider or a domain name yet, hold off on registering your domain name. Most Web hosting companies offer reasonable domain name registration as part of their services.

You would be well advised to be circumspect on accepting any offers of a free Web page site with domain name registration, however. It may be little more than an ad magnet. Those ads could be from your competitors, or on topics that you don’t want but have no control over. It’s best to use your own domain name and a hosting provider that doesn’t add ads. Ask yourself, ‘‘What message am I sending to my customer?’’ There’s another domain name registration option available to individuals, organizations, and many businesses. Although the registry is pretty much tapped out, the country-specific domains are not. Every country has its own rules on registering a domain. Many countries will let nonresidents register domain names for their country-specific codes. That’s how all those .tv Web sites got their domain names they registered with a domain registry at http://www.tv for Tuvalo, a small Pacific Island nation near Fiji. The United States will let you register any .us domain, as long as you provide complete geographic information in your domain name.

Coping with registration pitfalls

There aren’t a lot of things that can go seriously wrong when registering your domain name, but there are a lot of little hang-ups that can happen when you register or transfer a domain name. Just remember that even though ‘‘Internet time’’ is a thousand times faster than the real world, there are still people behind the process of domain name registration. Be patient, and be wary.

Signing up for multiple years at a discount

Domain name registrars often offer a bulk discount if you sign up and prepay for several years’ worth of service at the outset. Although this may seem like a good idea, be aware of how much time you’re actually signing up for. Other registrars might offer up to five years with some type of discount. In general, you should avoid being locked in to a registrar for more than two years. Domain name registrars may change the terms of service agreements in the middle of your contract. With a five-year contract, you could end up committed to new service terms that you don’t agree with. In most cases, you can leave the registrar, but if you break your contract early, you probably can’t get a refund. Also keep in mind that many providers store your credit card information and automatically renew you when your original period expires. If you use a check card, make sure that you don’t get bank fees. If you have a credit card and it expires, you may lose your domain name. Most registrars will notify you when they’re about to renew you, or if your credit card has expired. However, remain aware of the status of your domains.

Why does it take so long?

Some domain name registrars work very efficiently. They have an online sign-up system where you just enter in your information and credit card number, and everything goes very quickly and smoothly, automatically processed with a computer. Others are a little slower. If they’re slow, it usually means that there’s a human being somewhere holding up the process. Usually, that translates into more careful customer service. Even in the fastest systems, there’s a technological barrier to registering a domain name Even in Internet time, the whole process can take several days. During that time, your Web site might be available in one geographical area, but not in another as one server recognizes it ahead of the time when another does.