Archive for Getting A Domain
01.11.10
Posted in Getting A Domain at 2:13 am by admin
What should you do to make my internet domain registration a reality? You and I both know that the first necessary step in gaining an internet presence is to have a domain name. With so many advertisements for internet domain registration and hosting agencies, it can be difficult to know exactly what you should do to get your website up and running and out where everyone can get to it. Just take a deep breath and together let’s work through the steps.
The first step in your internet domain registration is to choose a domain name. The name you choose can be just about anything you want, as long as it is not already taken. The rules are not complicated for what is allowed. You must use only letters, numbers, and or hyphens and is limited to 70 characters. However, you should consider fewer characters so that people will be able to remember the domain name. Also, they are case insensitive so capitalization does not matter.
The next step is to determine where you are going to perform your internet domain registration. All domains must be registered, and that can only be done by a certified registrar. There are, literally, hundreds of certified registrars out there that can do an internet domain registration for you. They amount they charge for their service can vary a great deal as well. These companies are closely regulated, but they are allowed to offer internet domain registration through third party companies. If you do choose to act through a third party registrar though, you will likely pay more money.
In most cases, internet domain registrations is for at least a year. If you like, though, you are allowed to register your domain name for up to 10 years at a time. The majority of companies charge you less per year for a longer registration. So if you are positive you are going to be on the web for a while, you may want to consider a multiple year internet domain registration. In addition, you will find that if you register a large number of different domain names, you can save money as well. With that in mind, if you do have several domains, it can be very cost effective to transfer all of the names to one registrar. Check them all out first, though, and find out who will offer you the best deal.
If you want to build a website to give yourself a presence on the internet, there are steps you must take. One of the first and most important of these steps is to get your internet domain registration out of the way. It helps if you have an idea of how the process works. Since there are hundreds of registration services available, be sure to shop around and to check for primary registrars. Working through a third party can get expensive and it is money you don’t need to spend. Also, try to get an idea of how long you think you will be around. Buying more years and more domains will also save you money. Going into the internet domain name registration process, just have all of your ducks in a row and it should be a breeze for you.
If you would like to view more of my personal articles on domain names, please visit my computing site.
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01.10.10
Posted in Getting A Domain at 8:37 am by admin
Perhaps you already know that it is possible to get a free
domain name. However, have you ever wondered how a country
can afford to give away its domain names for free? Why
would a country just give away its domain names instead of
charging for them?
1. Free Domain Names from Dot TK
It is possible to get a free top-level domain name from
Dot TK (www.dot.tk).
According to their website, “Dot TK is a joint venture of
the Government of Tokelau, it’s communication company
Teletok and Taloha, Inc., a privately held company. The
Government of Tokelau has appointed Taloha, Inc. as the
exclusive registration entity.”
Of course, for free .tk domains, ownership remains with
Dot TK. This means that you can’t sell it. As well, there
are other restrictions and disadvantages of free .tk
domains, including:
- You can register only a maximum of three free domain names;
- You need 25 visitors within a ninety day period;
- You need to have existing web content somewhere so that
your dot tk name can be forwarded to it; and
- Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the
case, you may have issues with navigation (bookmarking or
finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.
For serious business use, you might want to pay the
nominal cost for a domain name.
2. Why Do They Offer Free Domain Names?
Still, it is free. Why would they do this when they
could make money from the sale of domain names?
According to their website: “Why does Dot TK give away
free domain names? We believe that the Internet was
supposed to be ‘Free’. Meaning no charges, payments or
expected return favors.”
3. How Can They Afford to Give Away Free Domain Names?
This logically leads us to our next question: How can
they afford to give away free domain names?
Dot TK makes money from paid domain names, including
some special and trademarked names.
To help support Dot TK, you can optionally have an ad
displayed on your website. Thus, they do receive some
advertising revenue from this. However, the big money
would be in the sponsorship by large corporations.
4. Other Free Top-Level Domain Names
By the way, this is not the only ccTLD (country code
Top-Level Domain) that gives away some domain names
for free.
As just one example, cg is the ccTLD for the Republic
of Congo. Each of its citizens and lawful residents
are allowed one free .cg domain name.
5. Free Subdomain Names
Additionally, subdomain names are also available for
free. For example, eu.org states on their website
that their goal “is to provide free subdomain
registration to users or non-profit organizations
who cannot afford the outrageous fees demanded by
some NICs, especially in Europe.”
As well, nr is the ccTLD name for the Republic of
Nauru. You can receive a free subdomain name from
co.nr. Thus, your domain name could be something
like yourcompany.co.nr.
Why do countries give away free domain names? They
want their citizens and others to be able to enjoy
the benefits of domain name use without cost being
an issue. It can also be a promotional method
designed to get the word out about their ccTLD.
How can these countries afford to give away free
domain names? Advertising revenue and the sale of
paid domains are two ways of funding free domain
names.
RESOURCE BOX:
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,
has been helping clients to earn maximum business
profits for over twenty-five years.
For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas,
visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
For more information about domain names, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html
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01.06.10
Posted in Getting A Domain at 2:32 am by admin
Choosing a domain name is a very important first step for anyone starting a business on the Internet. This name is the first impression that strangers are going to have about you and your business. You are going to need to give this decision some real thought.
It is very likely that you have a name in mind already. Something catchy, perhaps? Something that has meaning to you. Maybe you always wanted to name your business after you grandchild, or your favorite pet. I strongly urge you to reconsider.
In the very informative book, The Invisible Touch, Harry Beckwith has some unique ideas about naming a business. He touches on saying your proposed name out loud, slowly. How does it really sound? He cites the name Facial Aesthetics. Sounded out slowly, it becomes ‘fa shil ass thet icks’. Doesn’t sound so good now, does it? Get opinions from others, and then really listen to what they have to say, objectively.
The next thing to consider is whether or not your name says anything about your business. Some years ago, I was friends with a lady who had a business named “Heather’s Feathers”. So, what do you think that this business sold? Feathers? Birds? Bird products? Nope, it sold emu oil. And Heather was her 4 year-old daughter’s name. Consider what you would think of when you see a business name.
You may love your family name. If you are thinking of naming your business after yourself, however, you really need to give it some thought. I have never forgotten these two businesses, whose names I saw on billboards years ago: Crouch Equipment and Tick Insurance. Now you may say to yourself that I remember these names after years. True, but not for their products or their service!
You also run a risk if you choose a name that is too, let me say… mystical. You may know what you mean when you name your business Mystic Blue Nights, but how many other people will?
Don’t choose a domain name that reads like a book. It is difficult for the average person to remember long domain names. It may be descriptive to get lowcostdiabeticrecipesforalloccasions.com, but it is not going to be memorable, and you run the risk of people misspelling it and not being able to find you. Watch out for the use of dashes, too. People don’t expect them, so instead of visiting your site, Pickles-R-Us, they could wander to your competitor ‘pickelsrus’ instead. Trying to be clever and tweak a competitor’s name could backfire on you.
If the name that you really want is not available as a .com, go and look at the .com site before you choose .net, or one of the other extensions that are becoming available, such as .info and .tv. People think .com first, and if they are looking for you and put .com in by mistake, you sure don’t want them to end up at some porn or hate site.
You are going to have to live with your choice of domain names for a long time. Take your time and choose wisely.
About The Author
Sibyl McLendon is the owner of Spirit Web Design http://www.spirit-webdesign.net. She has been designing sites for 3 years. Visit Spirit Web Design for useful information on website marketing.
webmaster@spirit-webdesign.net
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