On the World Wide Web your domain name is your own unique identity. No two parties
can ever hold the same domain name simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity
is totally unique. If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name
is your own online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online
business card. With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail addresses for
example will have that professional look, being unique to your business. Many
people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their domain name
until they lose it. Once this happens they
soon realize that they have lost their whole online identity.
How does a domain name work? To understand why you need a domain name you first
need to know how a domain name works.
A domain name is an addressing construct, used for finding and identifying
computers on the Internet. Computers use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which
are a series of numbers used to identify each other on the Internet; however,
many people find it hard to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names
were developed so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to
identify entities in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.
For example, the domain name M6.net identifies the company M6.net. When a user
types the domain name M6.net in their browser or sends an email to M6.net, the
Domain Name System (DNS) will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These
are then used by the Internet to connect the user to M6.net’s web
presence.
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.
One thing to keep in mind is assumed spelling issues; if you think up a ‘clever’
domain name such as 1luv4u.com – One Love For You (dating service), people
may type in oneloveforyou.com believing this is the domain name; or oneluv4u.com,
or 1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand problems. In this case the “oneloveforyou.com”
name would be best. Another unfortunate example: Flo Office Supplies –
flooffice.com?
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.
About the author:
Candice Humbley http://m6.net Fast, reliable and affordable Windows 2000 web
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