Domain Name Information

Domain Names More Choices than You Think


When you are choosing a domain name you will probably be looking for a .com or maybe a .net. This on the whole is sensible advice, but if you are offering something a little bit different on your website and you want to stand out then there is another path you can take.

First let me give a quick and simple explanation of the different parts that domain names are made up of. Let us start with the top level, this is the end part of any web address such as .com or the myriad of other top level names that are now available. The part next to the top level domain is called the second level domain. The second level domain is the part that you register with a domain name registrar. For my site the second level domain is NameSearchDomain.

The part at the from of the web address is the third level domain, this is excluding the www part. The third level domain is often referred to by your web host as the sub-domain, it is just a sub-domain of the second level domain name. You can set this part up with your web host if it allows you to use sub-domains.

This is a very high level overview of how a web address is made up, there is more to this but for our purposes this is all we nee to know. To clarify here is an example using Google.

  • Second Level - Google.com or www.Google.com
  • Sub-domain - News.Google.com or www.News.Google.com

You do not need to enter the www part of the address in your browser, just typing in Google.com will take you to the website.

Now you know how a web address is made up you can use your imagination to come up with a clever and distinctive web address. If you take a look at del.icio.us you can see an interesting use of the available domain names to spell the word delicious. Here they have registered the domain name icio.us, the us part is the top level domain that represents North America. A sub-domain of del has been created on their web server which completes the creation of a catchy web address.

Why not use the same principal to create your own web address, there are many top level domains to choose from, far too many to list here. As many of the less well known top level domains are not used there will be a lot more domain names to choose from. You can use this method to create a distinctive web address and become more memorable to your visitors.

Allan is the webmaster at NameSearchDomain.com where you can find out all about Domain names.


MORE RESOURCES:

Altria Gets a Hit with Marijuana Domain Name Dispute
Domain Name Wire (blog)
In December I wrote about how Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, had filed a complaint to get the domain names AltriaCannabis.com and ...



Verizon Sues DirectNIC for Parking Expired Domain Names
Domain Name Wire (blog)
Verizon has a filed a lawsuit (pdf) against domain name registrar DirectNIC and related companies, alleging that the defendants parked expired domain names ...
Verizon Suits DirectNic and Sigmund Solares et al. for Cybersquatting – Over ...Domain Name News

all 2 news articles »



Stuff.co.nz

Domain names: Will sex still sell?
Independent
In a Manhattan auction room this morning what was once the internet's most valuable domain name goes under the hammer. Potential bidders won't be allowed in ...
Sex.com auction takes a cold showerCNNMoney.com
Owner Postpones Auction For "Sex" WebsiteAHN | All Headline News
Creditors Turned Off by Sex.com AuctionHard OCP
V3.co.uk -Philadelphia Inquirer
all 535 news articles »


Oneindia

'Dot Com' Internet Domain Name Turns 25
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
(RFE/RL) -- Today marks the 25th birthday of the "dot com" domain name -- the address that for many people defines the Internet. On March 15, 1985, ...
25 years of .com domain namesSan Francisco Chronicle
First .Com Domain Name Turns 25-Years-OldErictric
First dotcom domain names celebrate 25 year anniversarySeekBroadband
Zee News -Coolest Gadget Reviews -Techtree.com
all 198 news articles »


Sunday Buzz Do WaMu logo and trademarks have value?
Seattle Times
Last fall WaMu told the court it expects to get less than $1.5 million for its "non-core" intellectual property: trademarks and domain names that don't ...

and more »


MSN Money UK

world's most expensive domain names
MSN Money UK
Millions and millions of dollars if it's a domain name you've registered and someone else wants it. Millions of us slave away for decades to afford the best ...



TFTS (blog)

Canon set to buy .canon domain name
V3.co.uk
Canon has announced that it plans to be one of the world's first companies to have a personalised top-level domain name. At the moment internet users can ...
Fact Check: UK Registrar World's Largest New Domain Name Supplier?Domain Name Wire (blog)
UK Company Confirmed as World's Largest New Domain Name SupplierPR Newswire (press release)
Canon aims to register the .canon domain. Will others follow suit?Downloadsquad (blog)
AkihabaraNews (blog) -Geek.com
all 45 news articles »


New York Daily News

three businessmen quick to jump on city domain names
New York Daily News
They don't own mansions and skyscrapers; they control domain names. Cahill, a firefighter, bought Statenisland.com for $30000 seven years ago. ...
Larry Fischer and Leland Hardy Featured in New York Daily News ArticleElliot's Blog (blog)
Owner of Newyork.com Will Make Millions When He Sells (Gothamist)Domains Directory

all 6 news articles »


Domain Name Journal

VeriSign Drops Prices on Premium .TV Domain Names
Domain Name Wire (blog)
With steep, registry-set prices for premium domain names, the potential for investment returns was essentially wiped out by the registry. ...
eNom Backs Verisign's .TV Premium Domain Price ReductionsInternet Ad Sales (press release) (blog)

all 9 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006