Objectives To uncover the best ways to decide upon a website name. To determine the process of detecting which website names are available for use. To discover the procedures for registering a website.

Main Menu Introduction Choosing & Registering

Web Names Are the name users will type into a search engine, address bar or click on to be directed to a certain web page Are to a website as an address is to a house if houses did not have addresses it would be hard to find the right one; this the same for web pages Are also known as domain names

Web Names Can be explained in three sections a background and explanation choosing and registering a web name managing a web name

Web Names Mask the real complexity of finding websites on the Internet Are all connected to an IP address web names are easier for users to remember every computer connected to a network (the Internet) has an IP address Internet Protocol (IP) address: the number system used by the Internet to identify individual computers and other networked devices

IP Addresses Can change over time when computers change locations or when website server computers are switched Are comprised of numbers only Can identify the region and country of the computer connected to the Internet

IP Addresses Consist of four numbers separated by periods each number in the sequence can be any number from zero to 255 If you wanted someone to find your website and then remember it for further use would you name it 123.5.54.25 or johnswebsite.com?

Web Names Are unique and cannot be used twice this is why users must register their web names Are tied to the IP address of each computer and website

Web Names Play three roles: host name domain name top-level domain (TLD)

Host Name Example: Take for instance the web name www.nike.com®. Is the www Is set by the domain owner

Domain Name Example: Take for instance the web name www.nike.com®. Is the nike Functions as the unique segment of the name Can contain only alphanumeric characters from the English alphabet is able to contain a few characters from non-Western alphabets

Domain Name Does not allow punctuation except the hyphen (-) Referred to also as the second-level domain Should reflect the content or purpose of an organization’s website

Top-Level Domain Example: Take for instance the web name www.nike.com®. Is the .com or other suffixes include .org and .net Can indicate the country the website originated in, such as the United Kingdom is .uk and China is .cn Can also be called an extension

Domain Name Example Domain Name www.nike.com® Top-Level Domain www.cityoflondon.gov.uk® www.ebay.com.au® Host Name Top-Level Domain Domain Name

Domain Name System (DNS) Servers Connect domain names and IP addresses Permit users to send e-mails and view websites without typing the IP address for each one Are most commonly located on an Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) Server Internet Service Provider: the company providing Internet service each month to users and collects fees in exchange for the service

Domain Name System (DNS) Servers Have two related functions: hosting information discovering information from another DNS server

Domain Name System (DNS) Servers Host information and contain web pages example: When a user registers a domain name with a DNS server, the server will have this web page accessible to any user or other DNS server requesting it

Domain Name System (DNS) Servers Discover information from another DNS server example: A user requests information from a DNS when typing in the address for a web page, and the DNS returns the appropriate web page to the user even if it is not contained on the particular DNS. The chances are the web page is not contained on the particular DNS.

Domain Names Should be based on the purpose of a website Should be original Will be associated with your organization for a long period of time choosing domain names is a long-term decision

Domain Names Once established, become confusing to users if changed Reflect the nature of your organization Should be versatile also specific enough to allow users to come to conclusions from just the name

Domain Names Should be based on purpose businesses should choose domain names primarily consisting of their company name if this domain name is already in use, try adding “company” or some unique characteristic if your company name is already taken, check for copyright or trademark information

Domain Names Should be based on purpose individuals creating domain names and websites should use either their name or a name pertaining to the content of the site organizations and non-profit organizations such as churches or charities usually choose a domain name ending in .org

Domain Names Should be original picking names similar to other website names can create confusion among users if the name is not original, the similarity could possibly direct traffic away from a site and toward another the easiest way to research a domain name online to see if it is in use is to type it into a search engine and investigate the results

Choosing a Domain Name Example: Choosing a domain name such as www.eatpeanuts.com for a website selling organic peanuts could create a problem for users. When the word peanuts is typed in the Google® search bar, the first website appearing is dedicated to the characters of Peanuts® the cartoon featuring Snoopy. This could easily cause viewers to get distracted and direct traffic away from your web page.

Registering a Domain Name Begins after the user has chosen the correct domain name once the correct, unique domain name is established, a user should establish the proper Top-Level Domain (TLD) to use also referred to as extension registrar: person assisting registrants in registering domain names with the registry registrant: person or organization accountable for the website being registered registry: organization or entity responsible for the domain names and information contained on them

Registering a Domain Name Example: Services Registrants Registry money Money services Registrar (Middle Man)

Common Top-Level Domains commonly used for commercial sites commonly used for commercial sites .net .net commonly used for network sites .org commonly used by nonprofit organizations .org commonly used by educational institutions utampa.edu .edu

Common TLD uses Top Level Domain Use .com short for commercial; intended originally for commercial use but used for other common purposes .net short for network; used by ISPs and for other random uses .org short for organization; used by organizations and individuals .edu short for educational; used by educational institutions .gov short for government; used by government institutions .mil short for military; used exclusively by military organizations .name intended for personal use .info short for information; used by organizations strictly for information on a subject .biz short for business; used by businesses .museum intended use exclusively for museums

Registering a Domain Name Is crucial to the Internet because it ensures each name is only used once Is overseen by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to regulate uniqueness a list of accredited registrars can be obtained from the ICANN website Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN): nonprofit organization responsible for DNS management, authenticating registries and related topics

Registering a Domain Name Should be used to account for misspellings and incorrect TLDs users do not necessarily have to register only one domain name if a user had the incorrect domain name and your site was registered under a few, then users would still be directed toward the page even if they misspelled the domain name  

Misspellings &TLD Mistakes Example: You create a website and decide the domain name and TLD to be iamawesome.com. When you register the name with a registrar try to register it under iamawesome.com and the following names to account for misspellings and TLD mistakes: iamawsome.com <- left out the “e” iamawesome.net<- incorrect TLD ianawesome.com<- changed the “m” to “n,” a common mistake iamawesome.org<- incorrect TLD

Registering a Domain Name Costs between approximately $7 and $30 depending on which registrar is used Usually has a time limit associated with it for example, you might pay $10 to register your site for 10 years Is thoroughly explained on the registry’s website

Sources Take Control of Your Domain Names by Glenn Fleishman Peachpit Press® Pub Date: May 29, 2007  Microsoft® Expression® Web Step by Step by Chris Leeds Publisher: Microsoft® Press® Pub Date: November 16, 2007

Sources http://www.oreillynet.com/onlamp/blog/2004/03/behind_the_name_the_domain_nam.html  “Network Solutions Is Sued Over Sale Of Domain Names” The Wall Street Journal® By Christopher Rhoads 2/26/2008  www.ip-adress.com http://www.webupon.com/Hosting/Top-level-Domain-Names-A-Comprehensive-Look.99799

Acknowledgements Production Coordinators Amy Hogan Jessica House Brand Manager Megan O’Quinn Graphic Designer Melody Rowell Technical Writer Jessica Odom V.P. of Brand Management Clayton Franklin Executive Producer Gordon W. Davis, Ph.D. © MMXIV CEV Multimedia, Ltd.