choosing a suffix

When you register a domain name today, you can choose your suffix (or "top-level domain" as they're called). Although .com is by far the most popular, there are currently 260 other options: 247 country-specific domains and 13 global top-level domains.

There haven't always been so many choices. When the domain name system was first introduced, only six top-level domains were created.

6 original top-level domains:

• .com for companies

• .edu for universities

• .gov for government agencies

• .mil for military organizations

• .net for network service providers

• .org for all other organizations

Country-specific domains were soon added, giving each nation control over its own top-level domain.

Country-specific domains include

• .cn for China

• .uk for Great Britain

• 248 others

But by the late 90s, this was no longer enough. The crush of applications for domain names created a need for more top-level domains. Many were proposed, and as of this writing, seven were approved. (One more .pro is under consideration.)

7 new top-level domains:

• .biz for businesses

• .info for all uses

• .int for international organizations

• .aero for the air-transport industry

• .coop for cooperatives

• .museum for museums

• .name for individuals

understanding web addresses

The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the standard format for a web address:

http://www.foggymorning.com

This is read as "H T T P colon slash slash dubya dubya dubya dot foggymorning dot com."

http

stands for hypertext transfer protocol. This is the "language" computers speak to each other when transferring web pages and their elements.

www

refers to the specific server (or computer) that stores the web site. Web sites may have limitless numbers of servers and may name them whatever they want. But the standard name for a web server is www.

foggymorning

is the domain name. When combined with the top-level domain (in this case, .com), it creates a unique identity, which may not be duplicated by any other site, worldwide.

.com

is the top-level domain. It identifies what type of organization owns the site. The ".com" in this URL identifies the site as a commercial organization.

What about ip addresses?

Web addresses can be expressed either in numbers or words. People find it easier to remember names than numbers, so we use domain names like foggymorning.com. But computers prefer to communicate with numbers. So every domain name is correlated with a unique number, or IP address. So foggymorning.com could also be found with an address like this:

http://234.56.78.525

IP addresses consist of 4 numbers, each less than 256, connected by periods.

(See how web pages are served, p. 200.)

acquiring a domain name

How can I check if a domain name is available?	Easy. You can do a simple, no-commitment web search through any web-hosting service (or other accredited registrar). The list of registrars is at http://www.internic.net.
How do I register a domain name?	You can register a domain name through almost any web-hosting service (or other accredited registrar). Note: You must have a hosting service for your site before you can register a name. This is why most people register through a web host: You can register for the name and host at the same time.
How much does it cost?	It costs roughly $100/year to license a domain name. The hosting service usually charges an additional one-time registration fee and a monthly fee for hosting the site even if you don't build it. However, some hosts offer discounted "parking" fees to reserve a site before you actually build it. Note: You can't buy domain names outright; you license them annually.
Does the price vary?	The licensing fee is the same for all domain names within the same registry. Meaning: All .com names will cost the same per year, but .biz names may have a different fee. The biggest variation in price will be for the hosting service. Monthly charges range widely (and so does the level of service).
What if the name I want is taken?	Count on it: The name you want will be taken. It's very hard to find a simple domain name, and the obscure ones are taken, too. Your best bet is to think of a different name altogether, but you could also register it under a different top-level domain (.biz instead of .com). You could add a differentiating word on to the domain, such as seedmagazine.com instead of seed.com, or you could see if the owners want to sell. To find out who owns it, do a "whois" search on internic.net. Often, this only reveals the hosting service, but you can sometimes obtain contact information from them.
What if someone else registers my company name?	If a domain name violates your trademark, you can file suit against the owner. Find the dispute-resolution policy at http://www.icann.org/udrp/.
Should I register more than one version of my name?	Possibly. Many site owners register more than one name to avoid customer confusion. Many sites register common misspellings of their names (genealogy.com also owns geneology.com). Many register the same name under different top-level domains (The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art owns sfmoma.com and sfmoma.org). And some register different variations of the name (The store Williams-Sonoma owns williams-sonoma.com and williamssonoma.com).
Do I have to choose a hosting service before I register my domain name?	Yes. From the moment they're registered, domain names must be linked with a specific server, so the site can be found (how web pages are served, p. 200). However, you can always change hosts later on.

action section: what will you name your site?

Never underestimate the importance of a name. As the first thing users learn about your site, it sets the tone for their experience and helps them understand and remember who you are.

What do you want the name to convey about your site?

1.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

2.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

3.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

4.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

5.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

What are your competitors named?

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

3. _______________________________________

4. _______________________________________

5. _______________________________________

What are some possible names?

1. ___________________________________

This is

generic/dot-com	unusual
combination

2. ___________________________________

This is

generic/dot-com	unusual
combination

3. ___________________________________

This is

generic/dot-com	unusual
combination

4. ___________________________________

This is

generic/dot-com	unusual
combination

5. ___________________________________

This is

generic/dot-com	unusual
combination

Which names are available?

Name

1. _______________________________________

Trademark OK?	Domain Available?

2. _______________________________________

Trademark OK?	Domain Available?

3. _______________________________________

Trademark OK?	Domain Available?

Which name do you want?

Name	Domain Reserved?
1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________