Nearly all business people considering the Internet have encountered the term "Domain Name". These are registered by InterNic, the Domain name registration service (see below), at a rate of thousands per week. In 1997 there were over 500,000 names registered with InterNic.

Will the supply be exhausted before you get yours?

Not likely, but many of the good selections are already taken. However, InterNic has been formulating their plans for expansion of the Domain Name formats to make more and various Domain Names available. They are suggesting several new top domain abbreviations which may soon be available.

You need not rush to register a Domain Name, but you should be developing plans to at least gain some experience in the use of the Internet. Usage of the Internet is becoming more common and necessary to businesses. Those who gain their experience early will have a definite competitive edge.

One of the decisions you will need to make when you enter the Internet world is whether to register and own your own Domain Name or operate on a sub-directory of an ISPs (Internet Service Provider) Domain Name. There are some compelling and "mission critical" reasons for owning your own name. More on that later - lets first take a short tutorial on Domain Names.

What is a Domain Name?

In short, a Domain Name in the Internet world is the address of a computer. It can be likened to telephone numbers since it serves the same function - locating the other end of your communications link. In technical terms Domain Names are known as an IP Address and have a structure like this "180.25.156.2". To relocate us back into the real world from the cyberspace of computers, these IP Addresses are aliased using real words which form the Domain Name. "microsoft.com", "internic.net", "disney.com" and "aol.com" are Domain Names that should be familiar to most of us.

Here is the real world Domain Name structure humans recognize and that which is used to register names with InterNic.

"mybusiness.com"

The "com" part is known as the top domain and has been standardized so that you can only select a country abbreviation or a designation as indicated below.

"com" for commercial site
"edu" for educational sites
"gov" for government sites
"mil" for military sites
"net" for service providers
"org" for organizations (usually non-profit)

Most companies will fall under the "com" as their top domain. Country top domain designations are rarely used within the USA.

The "mybusiness" portion is known as a sub domain and is the part that you create. You may create any name consisting of 22 alphanumeric characters including the "-" character.

We suggest that you create a name that is descriptive, memorable, short and one that presents the image of your company. We recommend short only because long names are sometimes difficult to remember, however, some long names may be used when appropriate (i.e "the-blues-music-store.com"). Remember that your E-Mail will be directed to your Domain also:

i.e. "sales@the-blues-music-store.com".

The "sales" part is a description of your choosing. You could have selected "getrecords" instead of "sales" and your E-Mail then would be this:

"getrecords@the-blues-music-store.com".

The new top domains InterNic may issue are "arts", ".firm", ".info", "nom", ".rec", ".shop", and ".web".

How Do I Get My Own Domain Name?

All Domain Names must be registered with InterNic, the Internet body that issues and monitors Domain Names. The cost to register a Domain Name with InterNic is $70.00 which covers the first two years of registration. After that there is a $35.00 per year fee to maintain the name.

The first step in this process is to create your Domain Name choices and check their availability with InterNic. You can apply without verification of name availability but this may delay the approval cycle. InterNic is set up to take and approve applications and payments on-line at their Internet Web Site and the approval cycle has been shortened considerably.

Wait a minute you say - the Domain Name is a computer address so don't we need a computer which is on the Internet?

Yes the Domain Name must be tied to a computer on the Internet, but it does not need to be yours. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) can furnish the computer through a procedure which is called aliasing. InterNic will direct all of your traffic to your ISP who will respond to anyone who requests your Domain Name Address. Think of the ISP as an phone answering service who will respond to all of your company calls using your specific instructions. Your ISP company may reply with a blank Web page or with an "Under Construction" web page while you are developing your Web content.

Most ISPs and Webmasters know the InterNic request procedure and will (except for the name selection) complete your Domain Name registration for a small or no fee.

It is not necessary to obtain a Domain Name to have an ISP host your Web Site. You may operate out of a sub-directory of the ISP. Your address then would look something like this:

"ispname.com/your-business/webpages.html".

Should your Web Site evolve to a significant sales tool in your business there are some dangers in not owning your own Domain Name (see below).

The Importance Of A Domain Name

The above tutorial has provided background information to increase your appreciation regarding the importance of owning your own Domain Name. Registering your own Domain will:

Create a greater Internet image and substance for your company.
If your company does not have an actual computer linked to the Internet,
Internet users will not recognize this fact.

Increase your name recognition - particularly if you select an
appropriate name. Customers will remember your Internet Address
from usage and your printed stationary, cards, etc.

Allow you absolute control of the name and the Internet server to
which Internet traffic is directed. You can easily move to another
ISP or to your own in-house system. There will be no need to
change any of your printed materials, notify clients of any changes or
to alert your Web Site Internet listing services of address changes.

Its like changing your geographic location and taking your phone number with you.

You may elect to use a sub-directory of an ISP Domain rather than registering your own Domain Name. There is the risk that the ISP may fail. If so, your Internet Web Site Address disappears with them along with all of your marketing efforts and dollars that you invested to promote and advertise your Web Site. If you have developed critical business applications, register your own Domain Name to protect your Internet business systems.

Can We Reserve A Domain Name Today?

You can reserve a Domain Name today and not implement your Web Site until some future date. The costs involved to register the name are typically the same as if you were to install a Web Site - except that you incur them sooner.

You would need to register the name with InterNic and pay the $70.00 fee for the first two years and an annual fee of $35.00 per year after the first two years. If you hire an ISP or Webmaster to complete your registration expect to pay between $50.00 to $100.00. If you don't have a computer server hooked up to the Internet, then you will be paying an ISP to host the name for you. Many ISPs will provide this answering and warehousing service at reasonable rates if your Web Site is not yet active.

We believe that many choice names for your business may be created and will be available when you make your Internet decision. Also, InterNic is about to expand the Top Domain choices which would provide for many more creative names.

We believe that the correct choice of Domain Names for your business is important. More important to your future success is gaining Internet experience so that this resource can be employed in the proper manner to make your business more productive and therefore increase your profitability.

Copyright 1998 - Redistribution Permitted
with credits to Marketing Automation Products