Domain Name Blogger

The Internet is an endless spring of entertainment, commerce and information. Unlike traditional mediums like print, TV and radio, the web promotes interaction by enabling everyone with a computer to access it. Each of us encourage that use by an endless line of designers, programmers and hosts who are to assist with our websites. But, you’ll never make it if you don’t have the perfect domain name for your site.

Here are few steps in creating a domain name:

Make sure that the domain name doesn’t confuse potential visitors. Strive for a site name that sounds exactly like its spelled so you don’t need a search engine to find it. With most basic words already registered, be prepared to get creative, mixing words together or coming up with an appropriate onomatopoeia.  

Try to come up with an original name that will catch up the attention of the viewer. The names Google and Yahoo really don’t reveal much about two of the web’s most visited sites  but they’re easy to recall and short on syllables, making it easy for first-timers to find.  

Commit to securing a “dot com” name.  

Head over to your favorite domain name registrar. Don’t get too discouraged when you discover that most fabulous names are already spoken for. It takes time out in order to test the widely-held view that ‘all the best names are gone. In the space of two months, nearly two hundred domain names are registered and one hundred and ninety of them being dot coms.

Domain name registrars are companies accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and by a national Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD) authority to register Internet domain names.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has authority over Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). An example of gTLDs includes .com, .net, .org and .mobi. ICANN does not have authority over Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD), though it is quite common for domain name registrars to offer ccTLD registration services as well. Most registrars provide DNS hosting service, but this is not required and it is considered a separate service.

In 1999, there was no Shared Registration System (SRS). The Network Solution (NSI) operated the .com, .net, and .org registries, and was the de jure registrar and domain name registry operator. Registrars formed another link in the food chain, introducing the concept of domain name sales, effectively introducing the wholesale model into the industry. NSI followed suit, forcing the issue of separation of Registry and Registrar.

In October 1998, the growing domain name registration business and other interested parties; Network Solution (NSI) had an agreement with the US Department of Commerce was amended, requiring the creation of an Shared Registration System (SRS) that supported multiple registrars. On November 30, 1999 the Shared Registration System (SRS) officially opened under the supervision of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Since then, over 500 registrars have entered the market for domain name registration services.

End-user alone cannot register and manage their domain name information with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).A designated registrar must be chosen to have one’s domain names registered and managed with ICANN on their behalf. Prior to 1999, the only .com registrar was NSI, but after the approval of the SRS, this opened up the opportunity for other companies to be designated as registrars.

A domain registrar is a company or individual who is accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) or by a national ccTLD authority to register Internet domain names. ICANN insures that all registered names are unique and map properly to a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. It is the numerical address of the website that tells other computers on the Internet where to find the server host and domain. Some domain registrars can act as affiliates under accredited regsitrars, but they are not offically accredited by ICANN themselves although the body they report to or are controlled by is.

In 1999, there was still no Shared Registration System (SRS) with only Network Solutions operating the .com, .net, and .org registries, and was the de jure registrar and domain name registry. However, several companies had set up as de facto registrars including NetNames, who invented the idea of a commercial standalone domain name registration service in 1996. Registrars formed another link in the food chain, introducing the concept of domain name sales, effectively introducing the wholesale model into the industry. NSI followed suit, forcing the issue of separation of Registry and Registrar. It was in or around October 1998 when the NSI’s agreement was amended requiring the creation of an SRS that supported multiple registrars.

Domain registration is accessible to the public via a registrar. Fees and services differ from company to company, but the process is very affordable. Before a domain registration can be approved, the new name must be checked against existing names in the DNS database. The online registrar provides a field into which you can enter your desired name hierarchy. Several examples are .com, .net, .org, .name, .info, .biz, and with so much more. If the name is not yet taken, it means that it is still free to use for domain registration. During the process, the applicant will be required to give contact information that will be publicly available through the WHOIS database and all registrars require that all of the given information must be accurate and true. If someone doesn’t want to provide their personal information, there are some registrars that will act as a proxy, supplying their information in place of your own as the contact for the domain. In most cases there is a fee for this domain privacy service and possible drawbacks to balance against the ability to maintain individual’s privacy, one must read the Terms and Conditions carefully before deciding to opt for a domain by proxy.