| This is the second of eight articles about website | | | | perfectly serviceable address and it has the same |
| design. Our discussion will deal with some of the | | | | function as is sometimes useful to match up a |
| issues which need to be considered when | | | | domain name with its IP Address, or vice-versa. |
| developing a new online presence. You may have | | | | This is commonly done with a utility called |
| already thought of some of these, but perhaps | | | | "dnslookup". There are many dnslookup |
| there are probably things which you haven't even | | | | "gateways" scattered around the Web.Now we'll |
| considered.In the last article, we gave some | | | | examine the name itself. Domain names have at |
| thought as to what the company wants to do | | | | least two parts, separated by a dot or period.The |
| with its online presence. This article discusses | | | | part after the dot is called the Top Level Domain |
| what kind of name the online business will have, | | | | (TLD). The Top Level Domain serves to broadly |
| or "What kind of 'dot' do I need."The Company | | | | categorize the name as to its type or purpose. |
| The Great American Widget Company is a | | | | Common TLDs include .com (commercial), .org |
| manufacturer of widgets, that common household | | | | (organization), .edu (educational institutions), .net |
| item that many find indespensible. Until now, | | | | (networks), .gov (U.S. government) and .mil (U.S. |
| however, Great American has been a 'brick and | | | | military).Today, however, you can be a .net even |
| mortar' business. With the founder's son just out | | | | if you are not a network. (MyCompany.net |
| of college, he is looking forward to expanding the | | | | Sounds big and important, doesn't it?)There are |
| company's business on the | | | | also hundreds of country TLDs, such as .us |
| .net | | | | (USA), .fr (France), .de (Germany), etc. These are |
| .org | | | | in more general use outside the US.Additional |
| .biz | | | | "generic" TLDs (gTLDs) have been proposed and |
| .us | | | | will probably come into general use by sometime |
| .tvWhat's with all the dots! What kind of a 'dot' | | | | in 1988. Domain names ending in .firm, .store, |
| do I need?Good question! First, let me say that if | | | | .web, .arts, .rec, .info, .nom and possibly many |
| you're in business and wish to advertise your | | | | others will become widespread on the Net. All this |
| products or services on the Net, you must have | | | | is due to the exponential growth of the Internet |
| your own domain name and a good hosting | | | | and the continued quest for meaningful |
| provider. Keep your domain name as simple and | | | | names.Addresses ending in .com are by far the |
| focused as possible.A marketing maxim that if | | | | most common at present; they're generally |
| you're advertising to the general public, is that it is | | | | intended to be commercial in nature, although at |
| vitally important to present a simple, memorable | | | | present the .com TLD actually serves as a |
| message. Web addresses are no exception to | | | | catch-all for virtually all domain names that don't |
| this. A well-chosen domain name can be absolutely | | | | fit the other, more specific TLDs.The part of the |
| essential to your enterprise on the Internet. Some | | | | domain name before the dot is the Second Level |
| of the words used here may be new to you and | | | | Domain (SLD). If you're registering a name, you |
| sound "technical", but don't worry about it - just | | | | have considerable freedom of choice in what this |
| think of it as background material. And, as you | | | | will be. So long as the name you choose does not |
| get more familiar with the web, it all comes | | | | already exist under the same TLD, and is not |
| together.Okay, that said, let's talk about the | | | | obviously a famous trademark owned by |
| different types of domain names, and "Just what | | | | someone else, its registration is generally allowed. |
| is a domain name?"In simple terms, a domain | | | | An SLD can contain up to 24 characters: letters, |
| name is a human-language equivalent of an | | | | numbers and dashes are allowed.Databases of |
| address on the Internet. The text for the name is | | | | domain records are maintained by InterNIC, the |
| called the URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. The | | | | primary name registry on the Internet in the US, |
| URL for the ABC news organization is The name | | | | and by a variety of similar agencies throughout |
| actually represents a number, or more correctly a | | | | the world. Accessed through a utility program |
| series of numbers, roughly comparable to a | | | | called WHOIS, these databases are easily |
| telephone number. Like a telephone number, an | | | | accessed from throughout the Net. There are a |
| Internet address is unique and no two are the | | | | number of sites that permit you to look up DNS |
| same. And, like a telephone number, it serves to | | | | information, the most common of which is you |
| connect "callers" to one specific place on the | | | | may do well to remember that your own domain |
| Net.There are advantages to using names instead | | | | registration will become a publicly-available WHOIS |
| of just the numbers alone. The most obvious is | | | | record. For instance, perhaps you have a phone |
| that people can more easily recognize and | | | | number or e-mail address you'd rather not share |
| remember a meaningful word than a long string | | | | with literally the entire world... The company that |
| of numerals. The website is located at | | | | registers your domain name will usually offer a |
| 199.181.132.250, which is the IP address for the | | | | means to keep your information private.If you |
| site. That number is called an IP Address, meaning | | | | are thinking about getting a domain name of your |
| Internet Protocol address. Internet Protocol is a | | | | own, use the link below and see if it is available |
| standard for network communications, which is | | | | for you. Or you can try different combinations. |
| used throughout Net.Another, major advantage is | | | | And when you find the right one, you can register |
| that a domain can be moved to a new machine, | | | | it right away so your neighbor doesn't get "your" |
| where it will have a new number, but the name | | | | name! You can check out names you like |
| will remain the same. The DNS (Domain Name | | | | here.Richard Hill makes it easy to learn how to |
| System) records are simply altered to reflect the | | | | use an autoresponder, showing what they are |
| change, and access to the domain continues | | | | and how to get the most out of them. Click Here |
| unchanged.An Internet domain may be the | | | | to get your copy of the Free eBook |
| "home" for any number of things: web sites, | | | | "Autoresponder Cash Flow NOW!".© 2005 |
| mailboxes, files for downloading, even entire | | | | Richard F. Hill - All Rights reservedRichard Hill |
| computer networks. You see domain names as | | | | makes it easy to learn how to use an |
| part of practically every Internet address. In the | | | | autoresponder, showing what they are and how |
| e-mail address info @ (a mailbox), the domain | | | | to get the most out of them. Go to to get your |
| name is In the Web address (a web page), the | | | | copy of the Free eBook "Autoresponder Cash |
| domain name is Occasionally, you will see the | | | | Flow NOW!". |
| numeric address instead of the domain name. is a | | | | |