1. Getting found: domain names, user names, #hashtags MARK 430 WEEK 2

2. What is a domain name (website address)? A domain name is made up of two elements that when put together must be unique – A top-level-domain – A second-level domain A domain name resolves to the numeric IP address of the web site on a web server via a Domain Name Server (this service is usually handled by the company that hosts your website) The Domain Name System - controlled by ICANN in the US (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)ICANN In Canadian, domains are managed by www.cira.ca (Canadian Internet Registration Authority)www.cira.ca Each country in the world has a similar system Many resellers of domain names now, but they must be certified registrars – eg. – local ISP (Shaw, Telus etc) – Internic.ca (just one example) Internic.ca – many others

3. Two ways to get one: register a new (or expired) domain name or purchase an existing one Purchase the right to use the domain name for a certain period and register the name Cost per year is around $15 for a name not already registered (cost is variable – sometimes free with a hosting package) You can also buy a name from its present owner – the trade in domain names is now no longer as hot as it was a few years ago – Although toys.com was sold in 2009 for $5.1m and sex.com sold in 2010 for $13m – Domains for sale on eBay Domains for sale on eBay – Be aware that “the internet never forgets”

4. How important is your domain name? VERY important It is a key piece of branding for your firm Think about all the places it will be seen and heard (print materials, on the side of a bus, business cards, emails, search engine results, online and offline advertising, TV and radio, personal conversation etc) Think about how people will use it – Write it down – Memorize it – Key it into a browser – Click it – Say it out loud A domain name is made up of two elements that when put together must be unique – A top-level-domain – A second-level domain

5. Choosing a domain name – Top Level Domains Decide which Top Level Domain(s) you want to register Types of TLDs (Wikipedia)Wikipedia Generic TLD USA only (restricted) TLD Country code TLD Internationalized Country Code TLD Generic TLD (gTLD) expansion Information about domain names (especially new gTLDs from ICANN (video 6 minutes) Information about domain names (especially new gTLDs from ICANN Country codes with liberal usage policies used for domain “hacks” or available to be licenced for commercial usage eg.:available to be licenced for commercial usage Twitch.tv (using the TLD for Tuvalu) Twitch.tv http://postach.io/ (using the TLD for the British Indian Ocean Territory) http://postach.io/

6. Selecting a “second level” domain name The TLD and second level domain name pairing must be unique It will be difficult to get the name you want – creativity needed to find a domain that is: – descriptive and/or memorable (includes your keywords) – user-friendly (no hyphens) – you can say it over the phone – not too long (shorter is better) – not too difficult to spell – not too close to an established name – isn’t already in use in another TLD with dodgy content Remember you also need to protect your brand – think about registering common misspellings and derogatory domain names

7. Staking claims to domain names and social media usernames Consistent web presence is important Domain names must be unique On many social media sites usernames must be unique As part of your domain name search you should also check availability of usernames on key social media accounts Register usernames even if you have no intention of using the social network service at the moment

8. USERNAMES ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

9. Rule 1 – claim all usernames for all social media services Do this for every social media service you can think of (including those you know you will never use) Stops other people from taking them Keeps a consistent identity across all of your web presence Ideally the username will be the same as your own web domain (with pretty much the same “rules”) This may be very difficult to achieve (but try!)

10. Rule 2 – ….see Rule 1

11. Get a Vanity URL for sites without unique usernames Many sites require unique usernames – usually the URL includes the username The ones that don’t require a unique usernames are the ones that require a real personal or organization name (Facebook, LinkedIn) – These offer a personalized URL or Vanity URL that is UNIQUE (so claim it as soon as possible) How to claim your vanity URL for your Facebook page Customizing your Public Profile URL on LinkedIn

12. Getting a username verified Facebook verification – only for celebrities, public figures, sports teams, media and entertainment (not local businesses) – Facebook doesn’t say what you have to do to qualify other than you have to be “notable” Facebook verification – Or maybe just keep on putting out the content like this guythis guy Twitter verification – proactively verifies “key individuals and brands” Twitter verification – The account “must be connected to a company domain email address”. – The account “must be actively tweeting and have a complete profile, including the user’s real name, bio, photo and a URL link”

13. Usernames and trademarks Just as with a domain name there is no clear legal “right” to trademark protection in a username – the question that is asked relates to whether or not there could be “confusion” Username squatting and “brand jacking” are common (with the objective of selling the name to the copyright holder) Twitter policy on trademark violation Twitter policy Facebook statement on trademark violation Facebook statement A local example is @BCFerrys and @BCFerries where the parody account was suspended by twitter@BCFerrys@BCFerriessuspended by twitter

14. SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES AND METADATA

15. Fill out ALL aspects of the profile Your objective is to be found – including being found by people who don’t know you exist Use your most important keywords – those that will be used by people searching for your product or service on social media sites themselves – Remember that twitter and Google recently entered into an agreement for Google to index tweets

16. Facebook Business Page Profile Read the rules and follow them – for example some tips on profile Cover Photosprofile Cover Photos Customize! – How to create custom tags for your Facebook business page How to create custom tags for your Facebook business page

17. Twitter profile Business profiles are the same as personal profiles so you need to “look like a business” – Create a profile for your business Create a profile for your business Important to use key words in your profile description (bio) to get found – 160 characters Use a “pinned tweet” for extra space to say something about you Look authentic! Twitter has a very different culture than Facebook

18. #HASHTAGS

19. What’s a hashtag? Hashtags are hyperlinked words that form a way to indicate a topic so that posts can be followed and connected – via link, search, trends, lists etc Started on twitter in 2007 and have been adopted by some other social networks – Support for hashtags varies on different networks How Hashtags work on Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, and Flickr (Ann Smarty. Moz. 2015) How Hashtags work on Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, and Flickr Hashtags must have #nospaces (otherwise they will not be made into a link)

20. Two main hashtag strategies Piggyback on other relevant hashtags as a way to get found – You can use a hashtag in a tweet to add to a conversation – maybe your tweet will be seen by people following the more popular hashtag DO THIS ONLY IF YOUR TWEET IS RELEVANT TO THE HASHTAG Or create your own hashtag – short is best as they use up characters (remember no spaces!) – Great for conferences, events, and twitter chats – Check other uses of the hashtag – nobody owns it Useful tool for checking hashtag usage - HashtagifyHashtagify