Understanding Domains - Dot Com Information

What is a domain?

When people think of a domain in the common sense, they think of an empire or kingdom or sector of power. In a sense the same is true of an internet domain. People who build the internet are, in a sense, empire builders. The empire they are building is a part of the empire of information. It may be used for good or evil.

A domain is a name given to an address on the internet that is used as if it were an address. For example Miami Airport has an address. But would you give that address to a taxi driver? No, you would give "Miami Airport" as your destination and the driver would know where to go. Domains on the internet act the same way. This page you are viewing now is located at:

http://stormloader.com/members/afsscorp/comwords.html

However there is a domain forwarded to this address. The name of the domain is comwords.com. And so, instead of typing in the long address you can simply type:

http://comwords.com

--OR--

comwords.com

And you would arrive at this web page just as quickly as if you had typed the longer address.

Three principles are involved here:

1 Domain ownership
2 Domain forwarding
3 Using space on a server

The internet is a network of networks. The physical storage part of the internet is, for the most part, done on servers. Servers are computers with huge disks or series of disks that respond quick enough to qualify as internet helpers (providers). Without these servers there would be no internet.

When you put up a web page, the page goes on a server. You have to pay for this or you may get it "free". Of course, it is not really free just as regular television is not free. You pay with your time - allowing commercials to intrude on your page in the form of banners. And some commercials may be things you don't even approve of. Therefore, in most cases, it isn't very practical to get the so called "free" web pages. It's worth it to pay $20 per year (or whatever) the have a page that is free from outside advertising.

After you make your web page you may want thousands of people to visit it. At that point search engines enter the picture if you want internet advertising. At this point you may want to buy a domain to forward to your web page. Why? Because some of the people who run search engines are snobs and will not even accept your page unless you have your own domain.

Another reason for using a domain is for branding. You might ask, "Why do I need branding? I'm not a big company." Branding is not necessarily for big companies. You might just buy your name, like I did. I bought wilyelder.com so that people could simply type in wilyelder.com and press "enter" and arrive at my web page.

And, of course, if you are involved in a commercial venture, there is even more reason to buy a domain. If you intend to buy up used computer mice and re-sell them on the internet, you might want to buy the domain UsedComputerMice.com which will also fit nicely with your key words when you enlist the aid of a search engine.

Okay, I need a domain. How do I know what a good name is?

Rule number 1: Dot com is king.

Always try to get a dot com. If you settle for a dot net, dot org, dot cc, dot ws, or any number of other type domains you may regret it. Why? Because dot com is easier to remember than any of the others. Just think of how many domains you can remember. Most of them will be dot coms.

But what if the dot com I want is already taken?

Unfortunately many people go for dot nets or dot orgs when they find the dot com they wanted is already taken. This is usually not the best alternative. There is usually another way to still get a dot com. For example, if I had found WilyElder.com was not available, I would check for Wily-Elder.com, which would probably be available. I would even settle for WilyElder0.com before getting WilyElder.net. The reason for this is: People trying to remember my domain would, in some cases, put dot com after my name and arrive at a totally different domain.

Rule number 2: Short dot coms are generally more valuable.

Three character domains, such as F76.com are worth over two hundred dollars.

Two character domains, such as 0q.com, are worth thousands of dollars.

One character domains, such as x.com, are worth several million dollars (US Dollars).

So another happy side-effect of owning a domain is: Someone may offer you a lot of money for it.

How do I register a domain?

You can enlist the aid of an RSP (Registration Service Provider) or you can go directly to a registrar. A registrar is a company that is authorized to issue out available domains to any who wish to purchase one. We use the word "purchase" even though the word "rent" would be more applicable because you must pay a fee every year in order to maintain your "ownership" of your domain. This being the case, be very sure that the name you choose is the name you really want.

Rule number 3: Don't register someone else's name without their permission.

Don't register AnnMargaret.com unless you happen to be Ann Margaret. That's rude behavior. It's also called cyber-squatting. Another form of cyber-squatting is: registering the name of someone else's company. This is also rude behavior. Be aware that if you have a dot com that matches with a company name that has been trademarked, the trade mark holder can force you legally to give up the dot com. It's the law.

Generally avoid domains with a hyphen. The exceptions to this rule are: If you already own the non-hyphen version of the domain -or- if competition requires the acquisition of the domain (Don't get carried away with this one!)

How much should I pay for a domain that is available?

An average economical amount to pay for a domain is from ten to twelve dollars, depending on how user-friendly their menus are. Be sure to look at the total picture of what an RSP (Registration Service Provider)or registrar may charge. Ten to twelve dollars is an average price for a dot com for a year. Be sure to check and see if they provide free email forwarding and free URL forwarding. Some charge extra and thereby make the original package of relatively less value. Compare the RSP who charges $20 for the dot com, $2 for email forwarding, and $3 for URL forwarding, the total comes to $25 per year. This is not a good deal. You can easily buy dot coms for $12 or less and have URL forwarding and email forwarding included in the package. There are some RSPs who will register a domain for seven or eight dollars. However their menus and user interface are, many times, less than what you might desire. In fact, some are absolutely impossible to navigate. There are some RSP's that charge less than $7. Usually this involves holding the domain only -- not using it. Should you ever buy one of these domains? Yes, if your are intending to hold it for a year or more before using it. And when you get ready to use it you can transfer it out to an active RSP or registrar. One word of caution. You may want to test the system out with just one domain and see how easy it is to transfer it to another registrar after a year. Don't buy lots of domains through these "holding pens" unless you are sure you can transfer them later. With some Registrars this is mission impossible. So test it with one domain and you have little to lose.

Some registrars are evil. Check with people you know and find out what reputation a registrar has before giving them your money. Here's the evil some of the registrars are guilty of:

1 Overcharging (all the way up to thirty-five dollars).
2 Hoarding (setting up road blocks when you try to put your domain into a decent registrar).
3 Refusing to unlock a domain (to squash a transfer).
4 Maintaining a non-user-friendly interface that prevents owners from selling their domains or transferring their domains.
5 Refusing to answer their emails when they get complaints.
6 Requiring the domain owner to jump through several hoops (multiple red tape) before allowing a domain to be transferred to a less predatory registrar.

By the way, locking a domain can also be done for a good purpose. In fact the original purpose for locking a domain is to make it safe from domain hijackers, people who try to steal other people's domains electronically. An ethical registrar will lock a domain only when the domain owner requests it. And an ethical registrar will unlock a domain when the domain owner requests it. There should be no charge for this service. It takes less than 30 seconds for an RSP to lock or unlock a domain.

There are plenty of good registrars and good RSPs to work with. You don't have to work with the bad ones.

After I get a domain, should I request it be locked?

If you are happy with the registrar you are using and expect to do your renewals through the same registrar, then you should request a lock on your domain. This will prevent hijacking by internet thieves.

Are short names always more valuable?

Short domain names are almost always more valuable. For example, I sold g14.com for $1,842.00 ( Year 2002 US Dollars). However g14club.com sold for less than $30. Given a choice, you should always try for a short domain. UsedMice.com is better than HeresSomeUsedMice.com. Meaningful words are generally better than non-meaningful words. Jokes.com is better than j24rr.com. It's better to have a domain that doesn't have to be explained if spoken instead of written, such as: b4tax.com, c4u2.com, i8u8.com, food4u.com, etc.

If I realize my domain is being held by a predatory registrar, what should I do?

It's a good idea to transfer domains away from a predatory registrar at least a month and a half before the domain expires. The reason is: Some registrars will drag their feet long enough so that the domain will expire while it is in their registrar. In this situation you will end up having to pay for one more year of renewal before being able to extract the domain away from them. In transferring the domain find a good registrar to put the domain into. If you are inexperienced at finding a good registrar, get a friend to help you. Then notify the new registrar that you are ready to transfer the domain. They will have a menu that will allow for the transfer. You will have to open an account with them and provide them with the usual information: name, address, country, post code or zip code. The most important part of the information is the email address you list for the Administrative Contact. This is the email that will be used to verify any transfers. Also check to make sure your email matches up in the Administrative Contact for the old registrar. Otherwise they may send the verification request for the transfer to the wrong email address and the transfer will not go through.

If I let my domain expire, will I be unlikely to get it back again?

It depends. First of all, the real expiration date is usually 40 days after the published expiration date to allow for a grace period. When a domain expires the likelihood that you can get it back again depends on how much in demand it is. For example, if u0.com expired there would be at least 5000 people waiting to grab it as soon as it is available. However, if DrBrownsChiliPepper.com expired, it would likely be available 4 months later, presuming it never became a popular brand name. Short names (three characters or less) are taken immediately as they become available. As the internet grows, these short names can only go up in value. Therefore the demand is high.

Should I become a reseller for a registrar?

It is an excellent enterprise for anyone who likes working with domains. And as a bonus, you will be able to get your own domains at a discount. Be sure to check out the registrar ahead of time so you don't waste time and money with a predatory registrar. Generally registrars that deal honestly with their customers will deal honestly with their resellers.

When you find a good registrar stay with them, lock your domains and renew all your domains with the good registrar. Always maintain a written record of your id names and passwords if they are difficult to remember. If you do happen to forget a password, the registrars have a link you can click on in order to be mailed the password. This can be tricky, however, if you have changed email addresses. For this reason you need to begin using email forwarding as well as domain forwarding. For example, if you own LindaBanks.com you can have it forwarded to your email address so that your virtual email address can be Linda@LindaBanks.com. That will be much easier for your friends to remember. And through the magic of forwarding your permanent email address is portable. You are not stuck with one email provider. You can finally be free from AOL or any other provider that tries to keep you trapped in their system. There is not need to continue paying high fees for low grade service.

-wilyelder

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Responsibilities for Domain Names

Let's Buy or Renew Dot Coms (Domains)
Tired of buying or renewing dot coms (domains) from a robot that doesn't solve your problems?
Here Is the Answer!

Buying, holding, maintaining and renewing a dot com (a domain) should not be a complicated task. Unfortunately most registrars are not user-friendly. And most have robots to try to solve your problems when they arise. This is no good.

We have a better way. Deal with humans, not robots.

When you buy or renew a dot com with us, you will get a real email from a real human telling you about your new dot com or your renewal and how to maintain it. If you experience problems your email will go to a human, not a robot -- a real human! And a real human will reply!

The big guys charge $35 for a dot com. We charge $16. And renewals are only $16. And you get value in return for your money.

STEP ONE
The first step in purchasing a domain from us is to read rule number one, and then read rule number two and then send us an email with the words: "I Agree" on the subject line In the message part of the email you may tell us what dot com (what domain name) you are interested in. If you want us to search to see if it is available, we will do so and let you know if it is available. If you have already searched and know it is available you may simply indicate you are ready to purchase. If you wish to renew a domain for another year, just indicate the name of the domain you wish to renew. We will reply by email and start the process for you.

STEP TWO
Step two is the actual purchase or renewal of a dot com (domain name). If you choose to purchase on ebay you may CLICK HERE, opening Step 2 in order for you to make the purchase.

--OR--

If you choose to pay by check, you may simply send a check for $16 made payable to:
AFSS Corporation
# 246
3512 E Silver Springs Blvd
Ocala, Fl 34470
United States

STEP THREE
In step three, we will notify you that your dot com is registered and supply you with the password by which you may access your domain and take ownership of it.

Any time during the process you are welcome to inquire by email as to the status of your dot com. You will receive a reply from a human. We think this is a better way. Dealing with robots is frustrating. Dealing with humans is better.

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Bookmark this page so you can easily return!
Do you have a question about dot coms (domians)?
Click here to Email a dot com (domain) question!

To find out why you should use LetsBuyDotComs.com CLICK HERE.

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