Domain Names: What You Need to Know
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If you are thinking of creating a company Web site in the future, register an Internet domain name for the
company now.
Almost every business will be on the Internet in the future, so make sure the company's name will be
available as a domain name when the time comes -- by reserving it now.
Having an Internet domain name lets E-mail be sent directly to the company's name, instead of through an
on-line service or Internet Service Provider (ISP). It also lets the company host as many Web pages as it
wants under its own name, instead of through the listings of an on-line service or ISP.
Domain names, such as http://www.companyname.com, are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
The company can register any name it desires that is available -- but names are going fast, and a firm that
does not act quickly risks losing desired names to competitors.
Registering a domain name is easy. Most ISPs will do it free or at low cost as a service for customers.
If you don't have an ISP and still want to reserve a name, contact Network Solutions at www. netsol.com. The
cost of the domain name registration is $119 for two years.
Make a gift of an Internet domain name to a grandchild or other family member.
A domain name is an Internet address, such as www.grandchildsname.com.
The recipient may use the domain name for the rest of his/her life -- for business, fun or both -- and be
reminded of you as he does.
The domain can hold a Web site of any size for any purpose, and receive E-mail sent to the child's own
name. With Internet technology exploding, it's impossible to imagine everything it might be used for in the
future.
You can easily obtain the name yourself through the central registry service at www.networksolutions.com,
888-642-9675... or www.register.com, 800-899-9723. The process is simple and quick.
Cost: From $35/year.
Alternative: Contact your Internet Service Provider. Most register names for customers.
Names are being claimed very quickly, so don't delay. Note: If a name you desire ending in .com is taken, the
same name ending in .net or .org may still be available.
When you are having trouble accessing your new website, don't call tech support yet. It may be a simple
domain pointing problem. After registering your domain name, the next step you must make is to make sure
that you point your domain name to the nameservers of your host. The nameserver is usually denoted by NS1.
yourhost.com and NS2.yourhost.com - the NS part is simply the acronym for NameServer.
After you successfully bought a webhosting account, your webhosting provider will usually send you an email
containing all the important information regarding your account - they will also include the NameServers to
which you must point your domain name to.
What if I forgot to point the domain to the nameserver, what will happen?
In case you got too excited and forgot to point your domain name, the worst thing that could happen is that
your website will not be found. A business website that cannot be found... hmm.. That's money going down
the drain.
If you forgot to point your domain, your email address in that domain e.g. yourname@yournewdomain.com
won't work because, well, they can't be found.
You do not need to worry however, pointing your domain to your host's nameservers is easy. You simply
logon to your domain account and pick the modify domain command and substitute it with values that your
host has given you... then wait 2 days max (domain propagation)
There you have it, keep your cool if you cannot access or find your new website, you may have just gotten too
excited and forgot to point your domain to your hosts nameservers.
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using your PC. Topics range from cleaning your PC to tweaking system settings.
Also tech news that matters to you or, your business. This site is dedicated to those who are having trouble
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on this site although there is also a section for them as well. Take the time to visit my website and I hope I
am able to help you out.As your Internet business grows, the value of your domain name increases. The
issue of a domain name trademark should move to the top of your list. You need to guard against
unscrupulous competitors that may try to incorporate your domain name in their meta tags to obtain search
engine rankings under your name. If you have a domain name trademark, you can go after these individuals
and compel the search engines to remove their listings.
What Is A Trademark?
A trademark is a distinctive item that is used to identify a logo, product, device, package or service. The
trademark identifies the item as being provided by a particular firm. To protect these items you can obtain a
mark from the patent and trademark office that prohibits others from trying to gain economic advantage from
your mark.
Domain Name
The patent and trademark office views domain names in a unique way. The office views the “http://www”
element as a part of the file transfer process, not your domain name. The “.com”, “.net”, etc., designations are
considered top-level domain identifiers and are also disregarded for the purpose of a domain name
trademark. For example, our domain name is http://www.sandiegobusinesslawfirm.com. If we submitted the
domain name for registration, only the “sandiegobusinesslawfirm” portion would be considered for a mark.
Locators Cannot Be Registered
A domain name is a locator for file pages. When you type in your domain name, a server locates and displays
files. If a domain is used solely for this purpose, it will not be granted a mark. Instead, the domain name
must be incorporated into the site. For instance, Amazon is recognized as an online bookstore and the site
actually has the word “Amazon” on every page. Since "Amazon.com" is more than a locator, Amazon can
apply for and receive a trademark. If Amazon used the domain name, bookstore.com, the company would be
able to register “Amazon”, but not “bookstore.”
Generic and Descriptive Terms
Domain names that are generic or descriptive in nature cannot be registered because they fail to designate a
distinctive product or service. For example, “sandiegobusinesslawfirm” is comprised of generic terms and
describes who and where we are, to wit, a San Diego business law firm. This domain name cannot be
trademarked. The same result would occur with bank.com, book.com, advice.com, etc.
You may be thinking, “What about ‘Coke?’ "Coke" is a trademarked term because it is a distinctive term for a
soft drink product. It just so happens that a brilliant marketing plan has convinced most people to refer to soft
drinks as “cokes”, even if they actually prefer another brand!
Trademarks are an important factor in protecting your Internet business. Armed with a trademark, you can
keep competitors from pulling traffic off the search engines when people search for your site.
