Domain Registration Without Copyright Violation

Domain Registration Without Copyright Violation
By: Stanley Spencer

[Word Count: 704 words] [Viewed: 147 time(s)]


The selection of a domain name registration is one of the most important features in the development of a web site. Domain names are representative of the address for a web site, and disputes over domain names are becoming more common with increased penetration of Internet.

Various factors have led to a crisis of domain names and this, in turn, has led to a rapid increase in the reported cases of infringement of domain registration. A number of companies have taken legal action against other companies or individuals over alleged copyright violation of the domain names.

There are some basics that you should understand before choosing a trademark or domain registration:
1. Use of two similar trademarks should not confuse customers about the products or services
2. If there is a legal conflict over use of similar trademarks, the first user is likely to win the case
3. The later user would to give up his claim if he cannot prove his point and may have to pay the first owner damages.

You should apply these principles to your domain name registration process.

There are some basic guidelines for choosing a domain name:
1. You must be able to justify your reason for using the name. Your domain name should principally consist of a name you are using as a trade name, trademark or corporate name.
2. It is better to select more than one name since you are not sure about the availability of the required domain name.
3. If the domain name that you are looking has already been registered but there is no content being displayed at the domain, try to find out the details of the owner of the domain. It is possible that he/she may be genuine and have yet not published any content.
4. It is also possible that the owner does not plan to create a web site but is willing to give you the domain at the original price. You must confirm that the seller has ownership rights for that particular domain name.

Choosing a domain name registration that is same as or quite similar to another well-known trademark, may lead to legal action. The regulations governing these issues are dealt by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

It is very likely that you would lose right of your domain registration if you have intentionally chosen a name similar to another domain name so as to confuse potential visitors to the site. For example, if your site deals in consumer electronics goods made by a Samsung competitor, do not choose the name "samsungbusiness.com" since a court is most likely to pass a verdict that you selected this name to divert attention of Samsung customers.

There could be others reasons of losing a domain name registration:
1. You have never carried out any business under that name
2. There is no person in your company similar to that name
3. You are planning to sell that domain name to your competitor for financial gain

If your domain name is same as your name then you may be allowed to continue to use it, inspite of the fact that it is similar to someone else’s domain name. But the usage of such a name is governed by certain condition set by court. For example, Mr. Suki Nokia, who runs a cosmetics business, may be allowed to use the domain name "nokia.kr" but he would barred from using his site to demonstrate any electronics-related information or advertising.

In the traditional world, two companies may have the same name if they do not conduct a similar business. For example, Roxy Electrical and Roxy Laundry can coexist comfortably. However, in the web world, both Roxies cannot own the "roxy.com" domain name. The laundry Roxy could register under "roxy.laundry" and the electrician under "roxy.electrical."

A very useful tip is to buy all three of the top level domains - .com, .net and .org. You should buy all possible misspellings of your domain name before anybody else takes advantage of this fact.
The most appropriate way to choose a domain name is to satisfy your own marketing requirements but at the same time do not conflict it with anyone else's domain name.

Copyright © Active-Domain.com

About the Author:
http://www.active-domain.com All rights reserved.
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How To Really Profit From Domain Names

How To Really Profit From Domain Names
By: Stephen Pope

[Word Count: 550 words] [Viewed: 226 time(s)]


Have you heard about domain names that sold for over a million dollars? Inspired by this, you imagine registering a great domain name, hanging onto it for a while, and then selling it off to become the next multi-millionaire. It could happen, but don`t count on it!

First of all, many of the truly great domain names are already taken. Second, the dot com bust took some of the wind out of inflated domain name prices. (If you sell your domain name for millions of dollars worth of stock in a publicly traded dot com flop, what is the name really worth?)

The cybersquatter buys domain names totally on speculation. Sometimes he will register names of famous brands, companies, or individuals. Time and again, these domain name speculators learn the hard way that they must respect intellectual property rights. They hope that some large corporation will pay big bucks to them for the use of the company`s own (already trademarked) name. Instead, they end up with threatening letters from a law firm for their attempts at extortion.

However, you can still make money from domain names if you are sensible in your approach. Here are some suggestions on ways to profit.
1. Affiliate Programs: Use your domain name to promote an appropriate affiliate program. Either redirect to the affiliate site or write a review that links to them.
2. Informational Sites: Create content and then profit from it by earning advertising revenue through Google AdSense or a similar program.
3. Redirect to Your Own Site: Some reasons you might want to do this include preventing competitors from using a particular domain name and benefiting from searches some users perform by domain name. (For example, if they wanted to order flowers, they might just type "flowers.com" in their web browser. You could get some traffic and sales this way.)
4. Product Sites: Create your own or sell someone else`s product appropriate to your domain name.
5. Park Your Domain Names: You might feel that your name has real potential for resale value. There are companies that will allow you to park your domain on their servers, advertise that your name is for sale, and split advertising revenue with you.

The trick is to generate traffic for your domain name. That traffic in turn will create revenue. Then, when you go to sell your domain name, you will have a few things going for you.

First, you will have a fully developed website. A fully constructed building on a piece of land increases the value of the real estate property. Similarly, the value of your domain name is enhanced by a complete and operating website.

Second, you have traffic. Just as a shopping mall with no traffic results in no sales, so a website must have traffic to generate income.

Third, you have income. An income property, such as an apartment building, can be appraised on the basis of its income (as well as other factors). Similarly, the gross income, net profits and cashflow of a website have value. For example, if someone offered you $1,000 for your domain name and website when it was generating $10,000 per day in profits, you would likely laugh at him.

You really can profit from your domain name investments by adding value and properly developing your web properties.

About the Author:
Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For further information about domain name profits and other Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit

http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html
Read more articles by: Stephen Pope
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

How to get the best de-domains

How to get the best de-domains

by Hans-Peter Oswald

Who is visiting www.domainregistry.de/de-domain.html will be surprised: One can see live the deletion of de-domains.

Visitors, who come to the website www.domainregistry.de/de-domain.html of ICANN accredited Registrar Secura, will have a big surprise: They can watch live the deletions of de-domains. The CEO of Secura, Hans-Peter Oswald, explains:" It's almost like domain television.You see live, how de-domains are going to become free for registration . You see at once in real time all de-domains, which have been deleted by the German Registry, the DENIC."
Then comes the next surprise. If you click at the deleted de-domain, you can order it at once.

The next surprise is: There is a second list with deleted de-domains, which have a Pagerank equal or greater as "1! The pagerank shows how easy it is in the web to meet a website. The algorithm of the pagerank was created by Google Founder Larry Page, therefore the name "Pagerank".

Interested private persons, companies and "domainers"can catch deleted domains by ICANN Registrar Secura at many Top Level Domains.

-com-domains
-net-domains
-org-domains
-eu-domains
- at-domains
- ch-domains
- li-domains
- de-domains
- info-domains
- biz-domains
- us-domains
- be-domains
- cc-domains
- ws-domains
-ca-domains

Secura cooperates with a lot of other registrars in this field, in order to get a high success.

Secura offers this service for catching deleted domains at success basis. The submission of the application is free. The winner of a domain pays 120 EURO per successful domain registration. This includes the monitoring, catching and the registration during two years.

Everybody can backorder these top level domains at

www.domainregistry.de/domain-monitoring.html.

Marc Mueller https://www.domainregistry.de/de-domain.html

https://www.domainregistry.de/domain-monitoring.html

About the Author
Author is CEO of ICANN accredited Registrar Secura

Claiming An Infringement On Your Domain Name

by Richard A. Chapo

A domain name is your address on the web, which can make it vitally important. So, what do you do when someone tries to move onto your yard?

If you work on the web at all, you know that domain names can be very similar. This raises the question of when one domain crosses the line and infringes on another. The issue is often brought up with larger commercial sites when others register similar domains.

A claim for domain name infringement is governed by the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy issued by ICANN. As a domain owner, you might be surprised to learn you have consented to this. It occurred when you purchased your domain, although you probably didn't read the terms and conditions associated with your purchase.

To prove your domain is being infringed upon, you have to prove certain things. They are as follows:

1. You must prove the domain name in dispute is identical or confusingly similar to a trade or service mark you have registered. In simple terms, this means you must show the other guy is using a domain that most people would associated with your business. If I have a trademark for ZipIt and someone is using a NET suffix of this, it is confusing for the public.

2. You must also prove the owner of the other domain has no rights or legitimate interests in the domain.

3. Finally, you must prove domain name is registered by the other party and being used in bad faith. Indications of bad faith include the other party tried to sell it to you or one of your competitors for more than they paid for it, the other party has done this repeatedly to other companies, the other party registered the domain in an attempt to intentionally steal your clients.

If you decide to pursue an infringement action, it is always handled as a binding arbitration. This essentially means the dispute is heard by a panel of arbitrators and their decision is binding upon you and the other party. The advantage of this is it tends to be less expensive than going to court, but your damages are limited to an act instead of money. Specifically, the panel can only issue instructions for the offending domain to be canceled, modified or left alone. The panel cannot award any monetary damages.

At the end of the day, using the infringement arbitration provisions of the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy provided by ICANN is a good choice if you just want to terminate a domain you feel is infringing upon yours. The key to the dispute, however, is the fact you need to have a trademark or service mark first in most cases.

About the Author
Protect yourself with a domain name purchase agreement

from SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com.

Domain Name Renewal Woes

Domain Name Renewal Woes

by Candice Pardue

Domain name renewal might sound simple, but with so many scams going on, it's definitely a subject worth mentioning. If you fail to renew your domain name properly or within a certain amount of time, you could lose it to someone else and never get it back - no matter how hard you've worked on your website. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that your domain name stays right where it needs to be - in your domain name account!

Early Domain Name Renewal Recommended

It is recommended that you renew your domain name as early as possible - before its expiration date. The registrar (or domain name registration company) should send you a reminder of when it is due for renewal. But emails can get lost or stuck in spam folders easily. So it's wise to do your own scheduling for domain name renewal.

If you own multiple domain names, keep a list of all your domain names, their individual expiration dates (if each was registered at a different time), and your personal account information for your domain name registrar. You will likely need to log-in securely to an account to renew your domain name and pay the renewal registration fee.

Secure Your Domain Name for Longer Periods
If you own a domain name that you plan on keeping for many years to come, you can save money now and time in the future by signing on for a longer duration of domain name registration. For example, some domain name registrars are offering up to 10-year registration at a tremendous discount per year. You will pay a little more up front, but save dollars in the long run. Also, this frees you from the yearly domain name renewal for 10 years!

Use Renewal Time to Re-evaluate
When your domain name renewal time comes around, use that time to re-evaluate your website situation. Perhaps you've changed to a new hosting company since registering your domain name. You might consider moving your domain name to that company to make things easier in the future. During the renewal period, this is a good time to make the switch without wasting part of your yearly fee.

You might also use this time to register another domain name or two that will complement your business. You can package your registrations together to save money on each domain name.

Automate to Avoid Domain Name Mishaps
Many domain name registrars allow you to automate your domain name renewals so you won't have to be reminded each time. This is an automatic credit card charge billed to you during renewal time. Be on alert still with this system. No system is flawless, so you should still be mindful of when your renewal time is to ensure that your domain name gets renewed on time.

Start with the Initial Registration
If you're brand new to this whole domain name registration process, keep the following tips in mind. Register your domain name at a trustworthy company. Cheaper is not always better. Keep your domain name account information in a safe place on your hard drive as well as in your office, written or printed as a hard copy in case you lose your computer information.

When renewal time comes, you will need your account login and password to access your domain name information for renewal. Registrar companies are usually very strict when it comes to domain name security, so you might have to give an arm and a leg to get your password back if you lose it!

Keep these tips in mind when domain name renewal time comes around to ensure lasting success online!

About the Author
Candice Pardue is a professional web content writer http://www.selectwriters.com/. Go to http://webmastercourse.com/subscribe/ for a free 7-Lesson Web Beginner's Minicourse and learn web design from start to finish.

You Can Easily Lose Your Domain Name

You Can Easily Lose Your Domain Name

A key element in Internet marketing is your domain name. Just think of the time, money and effort you put into creating and marketing your Web site . Also consider everything that has your domain and email address. Imagine if you lost your domain name. What would that cost you, not only in time and money, but lost opportunities?

Every Web site owner should have a check list of maintenance activity for their site on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. One of the items on your yearly checklist should include checking your domain name.

Years seem to fly by and you may have registered your domain name for a two or three years so you don’t worry about when it expires. You may also have a false sense of security because you feel that the company you bought the domain name from will inform you. You’re right, the company will inform you, but it is not fool proof.

Keep in mind, depending on which company you used, if their main business is registering domains they probably don’t care if your domain expires. Many of these companies have backorder options. Backorder options gives someone the ability to backorder your domain so the very second your domain expires it is registered with the person that backordered it. It may not seem legal, but it is.

In addition, the company that backordered your name can be kept anonymous – even if they end up with your name. Your name can be sold to someone else that may never use it and you may never be able to find out who has it. Just think about it. An unethical competitor can backorder your domain name and if you are not careful they can own it and sit on it just to keep you from having it. Or they can try to turn around and sell it to you for thousands of dollars and it’s all legal. Not ethical, but legal.

When you registered your domain name you most likely included your contact information, but has that changed? Is the email address still valid and do you check it often? If you’re like me, you probably receive hundreds of emails a day and many go straight into your spam folder and get lost. You should not expect the company that your registered your domain name with to call you. They won’t.

Each year you should check the status of your domain name. Have some sort of system to remind you such as a tickler file or an email alert. When you check on your domain name you may want to check to see if there are other domain extensions available such as .net or .mobi. You may not want to use these names right now, but they are inexpensive, so it’s worth buying them.

Be sure to register your domain name with a reliable company. Also, make it easy on yourself and consider registering it with your hosting company. Our hosting company’s main business is hosting. Registering domain names is a value added service. It may cost a few dollars more to register the domain name with them, but the convenience of having all the information at one location is extremely valuable. We are able to go into our hosting account information and on the dash board see when the domain names expire.

Your domain name is a valuable asset to your company. The age of a domain name also plays into rankings for search engines. Just image if you lost your domain name and everything you will have to do to change it or the cost of trying to get it back. Consider the cost of reprogramming your site, reprinting everything that has your domain name and not to mention any online ads you have running. Losing your domain name will cost you thousands of dollars. It is something you do NOT want to go through.

Patricia Hughes is president of an

Internet marketing firm, ePlus Marketing,

(http:/www.eplusm.com) based in St. Louis.

For more other tips on Internet marketing see her company's website.

How a Beginner can Find a Domain Name and Hosting Service

How a Beginner can Find a Domain Name and Hosting Service

by Candice Pardue

This quick guide to domain name web hosting will help you understand the process of hosting your domain name online. Finding and registering a domain name is one thing, but you still must host your domain name. Web hosting is similar to "renting" space on the Web, either by the month or year. You rent that space according to the size and needs of your website.

There are several ways to do this. One way might save you time, while others save you money. Some methods offer short-term benefits while others offer long-term benefits. Read below before making your choice about domain name web hosting.

Already Registered - Now What?
If your domain name has already been registered with a registrar or domain name reseller, then you have two options. One, do nothing. Leave the domain name's registration right where it is and pay the bill each term. You can find domain name web hosting elsewhere. You'll have two separate bills with two companies - one for domain name registration and one for hosting.

Two, you can find a Web hosting provider and transfer your domain name registration to that company. This will enable you to have everything billed with the same company. Keep in mind that if you registered your domain name before you secured Web hosting, then your bills might come at different times. The domain name renewal will be billed at one-year intervals (or anniversaries) from the date of registration. If you secure it for more than one year, it will renew on that date within the next two or more years.

Finding a Domain Name for Sale
You might find a great domain name for sale online that really suits your business. Beware of possible pitfalls before buying. First, check to be sure what type of company owned that domain name, and that the domain name was not banned for illegal practices online. This is crucial for the future of your business because the domain name might never get listed again with the major search engines if it was banned previously.

If you purchase the domain name, this doesn't always mean that you are "registering" the domain name. This just means you're buying the name itself from the previous owner or a broker. It means you're free to register the domain name. So, check beforehand to see what's included in your purchase. The domain name for sale might be $100 or $10,000, depending on its popularity and demand, but you still might be required to register it after the sale.

Advantages and Disadvantages
There are advantages and disadvantages to registering a domain name with your Web host. An advantage is you'll have all of your information, billing, and passwords with only one company. This helps eliminate confusion when it comes time to renew your domain name. You might even receive a free year of domain name web hosting and registration by signing on.

The disadvantage is that you might pay more for your domain name in the long run. And, some hosting companies just aren't savvy when it comes to domain name registration services even though they offer great Web hosting services.

Take the above information into consideration when registering your domain name. Domain name web hosting and registration can be an easy process if you know what to expect.

About the Author

Article written by Candice Pardue, Corporate brochure writer

http://www.webmastercourse.com/writing-services.

Go to http://webmastercourse.com/subscribe/ for a free 7-Lesson Web Beginner's Minicourse and learn web design from start to finish. This one's for beginners...

Ten Good Reasons To Register A Domain Name Today

Ten Good Reasons To Register A Domain Name Today
By: Sunil Tanna

[Word Count: 753 words] [Viewed: 216 time(s)]


Lots of people will tell you that you either don't need a domain name or all the good ones are already taken. I don't agree, I find (and register) good domain names on your regular basis, and I think they're more than worth the money (you can register domains for less than $20 per year).

1. LONG URLs
If you don't have a domain name for your web site, you'll have a long URL, something like http://members.yourisp.com/~yourcompany or perhaps http://yourcompany.yourisp.com/
Now that doesn't look good on a business card! What's more, your customers and prospects probably won't be able to remember it.
On the other hand, if you get your own domain name, you'll have an easy to remember URL, that looks professional and is easy for folks to remember.

2. MOVING WEB HOST
When you have the type of long URLs I referred to in point 1, your URL is tied to your web host or ISP. What happens if you change hosting company? What happens if your hosting company goes out of business (it happens)? Answer: Your URL changes, which means you may have to reprint your stationary and any promotion efforts that you've already done and most likely wasted.
On the other hand, if you get your own domain name, you can take it with you (and make it point to your new web host), if you change hosting companies.

3. EMAIL ADDRESSES
When you get your own domain name, you can set it up so that you have email addresses containing your domain name. For example, yourname@yourcompany.com
Doesn't that look a lot more professional that an ISP, hotmail or yahoo address?

4. SEARCH ENGINE POSITIONING
If you get a domain name contains keywords that describe your site's topic it can help boost your search engine rank (and thus help you get more visitors).

5. SEARCH ENGINE INDEXING
Search engines can sometimes be sensitive beasts. For example, they don't like being spamdexed with lots of junk pages, and to stop it they either penalise sites which contain junk pages, or may place limits on the maximum number of pages that can be indexed per domain.
If you don't have your own domain name, other people's web sites who simply share the same hosting service with you, can cause your site to drop down the search engine results - or even disappear from search engines completely!
On the other hand, if you have your own domain, you won't have these kinds of problems: you're responsible for and only affected by your own web site's content.

6. DIRECTORIES
Lots of folks don't consider a site serious, if it doesn't have its own domain name - and that includes some directory editors.
Go look for yourself in Yahoo! and see how many commercial sites you can find which don't have a domain name... Answer: Not many.

7. CREDIBILITY
When new people encounter your business through the web, they only know you from what they see. Do you really want to look some fly-by-night who can't afford $20 per year to register their own domain name?

8. PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
When you register a domain name, it identities you (or your business). Do you really want somebody else grabbing domain names that identify you, your business, your products, or (if applicable) your trademarks?
Sure, if somebody else does register a domain name that infringes your rights, you might be able to call the lawyers in, and perhaps get it back... but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to avoid this hassle in the first place by registering the domains yourself?

9. TYPOS AND MISSPELLINGS
When people type in URLs, they sometimes can make typing errors or misspell the URL. You might consider registering the most common spelling errors of your URL, so that these people still end-up at your site (ask your web host if you need help with setting this up).

10. INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE
Some people have made a lot of money registering and trading in domain names. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that provided that they don't infringe others' trademark or proprietary rights ("cybersquatting").
So there, exactly as promised, are the 10 good reasons to register a domain name... but I'll add one more, and it's a reason that you should act today:

11. GET IT FIRST
As already mentioned, domain names are being registered at a truly incredible rate. You know what that means? If you wait, the domain name you want could soon be taken - so register it today.

This article is Copyright (C) 2005, Answers 2000 Limited.

About the Author:
This article was written by Sunil Tanna of Answers 2000. For more information about domain names, and several advanced (and free) domain search tools, please visit http://www.domaincavern.com/
Read more articles by: Sunil Tanna
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Search Engine Optimization - Search Engine Friendly Domain Name

Search Engine Optimization - Search Engine Friendly Domain Name
By: Endar WS

[Word Count: 343 words] [Viewed: 233 time(s)]


Having your own domain name is now become so important. It is not only representing professional and credibility of your company, but it is also make your url being indexed by search engine much easier.

There is another important role of domain name that being forgot by web masters.

Search engine friendly domain name is influencing in search engine placement. If you do want to get the top in search engine, then name your domain with this kind of domain name:
1) Use domain name that represents prior keyword of your site. This is very important step in optimizing your web site. At least, this step has 2 positive impacts on your site:
# Your domain name will be much easier to be being remembered by visitors, since your domain name represents prior keyword that they want to know.
# You will have good positioning on search engine because url has it's important roles for search engines. This kind of url is also called with url-keyword.
For details about url-keyword, you can read our free guidance in SEO-ing web site.
This kind of url will also influence PR of your site, since another web sites which want to link to you are forced to enter your prior keyword as url in texts-link on their web page.

2) Abbreviate some words with numeric:
Eample: 2 = two
4 = for
This will also makes your url in good positioning on few search engines that sorts url based on initial-numeric domain name.

3) Make your domain name as short as possible. Long domain name will only makes your url difficult to remember and easily being forget by visitors, so this should be avoided. In the opposite, using short url-keyword will make your url memorize-able.

4) Use Popular TLD only as much as you can. The reason why it is recommended is, because popular TLD not only will make it easy to remember, but it also represents credibility of your business.

5) If your url consists more than a single word, then use minus (-) sign as the separator. This will avoid misspelling, mistype and make ease in spelling.

About the Author:
Endar is a SEO copy-writer. Visit his site for the more info about effective search engine optimization to make your site listed on the top of free search engine. http://www.2search-engine-optimization.info
Read more articles by: Endar WS
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Information On Domain Names

Information On Domain Names

By: M6.Net Web Hosting

[Word Count: 651 words] [Viewed: 269 time(s)]


It’s been two years since John started his online business. He is very much satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago. Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting. Like him there are many John’s out there who are in search of information everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with domain names.

What is multiple domain hosting?
Many times you will see that a web host offers multiple domain hosting. In simpler words it means that on buying an account you will have the ability to get multiple websites. For instance, if the plan provides you with five domain names, you can use one domain for your website and you will still have four domain names leftover to use. The advantage of this scenario is that you can resell these four domain names to your clients.

What is Domain Parking?
If you are planning to build up a website and have decided on a name for it you then must purchase that domain name from a domain registrar: i.e. your domain name gets placed on a name server so that you can use it later on. This is known as domain parking. Even if your website content is not ready, it’s better to park your desired domain name. Otherwise, it might be possible that in future somebody else acquires that particular domain name.

What are sub domains?
Sub domains are ‘third level’ domains in the sense that they are used solely to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root directory, but to access them a special URL is used.
For instance, http://www.m6.net is a regular URL without a sub domain.
http://features.m6.net is an URL with the sub domain name: "features".
Here the:
.net: is the first level domain,
m6: is the second level domain,
features: is the third level domain

For how long does a domain name belong to you?
Generally when you register a domain name it is registered for a minimum of one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and fast rule as such.

What is Domain Renewal?
After one year you need to renew your domain name so that your website doesn’t get lost. Generally when your domain is about to expire your domain registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the domain renewal.

What happens when your domain name expires?
When your domain name expires you can renew it within one month. If you don’t renew it in this period it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is then available for purchase again at a normal price. Getting a domain name out of redemption phase is like buying fifty domains as it can cost around $200!

How to find out the owner of a domain name?
To find out the owner of a domain name, use the WhoIs search tool on the Internet .For E.g. Go to http://centralops.net/co/ and type the domain name under Domain Dossier. It will show you the name of the registrant/domain’s owner/web host.

What is WhoIs record?
WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can enter an Internet entity (e.g. a domain, a network, some hosts) and it will give detailed information on the domain registrar, the owner of the domain, and respective DNS records.

About the Author:
Priyanka Agarwal Hosting evangelist http://www.m6.net
Read more articles by: M6.Net Web Hosting
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Domain Name registrars - which one?

Domain-name registrars – which one?

By John Gibb [ 13/08/2006 ]
[ viewed 94 times ]

You’d think it’d be easy to find the cheapest domain name registrars. Unfortunately, it isn’t. There are simply so many different pricing structures, and a lack of any central comparison website, making a true comparison impossible. In this article, I will look at some common pricing methods, to help you decide which kind of registrar will be best for you.

The first thing you should realise is that most of the companies out there saying they’re domain registrars really aren’t. In order to become a registrar, you have to pay a hefty fee to each one of the registries you want to sell domain names in. Even at high volumes, it takes years to make this fee back. To avoid this high start-up cost, most companies out there just buy domains wholesale from properly registered registrars, and resell them at a small profit. For this reason, the best way to save money is usually to get as close as you can to the original source of the domains. Don’t get stuck in the situation where what you’re buying has been resold three times over – research the company and try to move up the chain.

At the same time, you should notice that the more domains you buy, the cheaper they are. You should use the same registrar each time you register a domain name, and try to register in bulk if you want lots. You will also save a lot of money if you register for more than one year – ten-year domain registrations are actually shockingly good value, for example.

Besides all this, there are all sorts of extras that your registrar can charge you for. It’s up to you to decide how many you want. The various privacy guard services that stop your name and address from being made public are often good value, especially if you think your site might be controversial. Buying hosting at this point, however, is always a bad idea, as the deals you are offered by your registrar will never be as good as the ones you could get from an independent web host.

About the author:
John Gibb is the owner of domain name resources
For more information on domain names check out http://www.domain-names-resources2k.info
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Branding Your Business (or Yourself) with Your Own Exclusive Domain Name.

Branding Your Business (or Yourself) with Your Own Exclusive Domain Name.

By Jim Neessen Neessen [ 20/03/2007 ]
[ viewed 28 times ]

It’s hard to see why anyone today would NOT want to register their own personal domain name. This is your piece of “Internet Real Estate!” Grab the perfect name, word or phrase that best describes you or your business. Registering a domain name is easy, very inexpensive and can greatly increase your level of professionalism. This is especially important if you are advertising an affiliate program or replicated website. Sub domains and trailing slashes “/” can weaken your image.

Also, instead of a long URL (web address) like:

"http://www.ipodiums.net/members/proleads/newmember.html", you can register something short and catchy like: "www.ProLeadCapture.com". Of course, you'll have to see if your domain choices are available. This brief article will address some of the benefits of registering your own domain, tips on choosing your domain name, and ideas on how you can get the most out of having your own personal domain name.

BENIFITS of having your own Domain Name:
• Eliminate the "/" from your website address and make it shorter
• Brand yourself and your business… and look more professional
• Easier to verbalize and remember (when telling someone to visit your web page)
• Looks better in print (on business cards, labels, letterhead, etc.)
• Brand your email address to match your domain name (ex. if your website was "www.yourdomain.com", you can use the following as your email address: "info@yourdomain.com" or "yourname@yourdomain.com"). Most domain providers offer free e-mail forwarding with your domain registration. You can use your domain email and have your messages forwarded to your primary email account. (ex, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.). You’ll want your prospects to see YOUR domain name in your e-mail address, instead of giving “AOL” free advertising.

TIPS on choosing a Domain Name:
GOOD Example: "www.ProLeadCapture.com"
BAD Example: www.Generating-efficacious-Leads-4-U.ws
• Keep it simple, short & easy to remember
• You may want to avoid numbers and letters in place of words (like in the example above). If you verbally give someone your website, you'll have to remember to tell them to use the number "4" and the letter “U” instead of the words "for" and "you".
• Try to use words or name that are easy to spell ("efficacious" may be easily misspelled and therefore you might lose a customer. For example, "Google" also registered "Gooogle.com" just in case someone typed an extra "o" and they didn’t want users sent to another site).
• Avoid hyphens ("-"). Unless you are only using the domain for Internet marketing, where prospects are only clicking links, people who type your domain may leave the hyphens out and inadvertently go to a competitor's website instead.
• Try to get a ".com". This is the most common extension. If you can't find a ".com" with the name you want, the next best option would be a ".net". But, make sure that a competing site isn't using the ".com", because people you send to your site may mistakenly go to someone else’s website instead. A ".com" should always be the first choice. I would rather settle for a longer domain name than choose a shorter one with a different extension. The following are some of the most common extension choices available: ".com", ".net", ".org", ".info", ".biz", ".ws", ".us".

IDEAS on how you can get the most out of your Domain Name
Once you register your domain name, you can easily “Forward” it (or re-direct it) to any URL web address you want. Most domain providers have free forwarding services included with their basic domain registration, which, by the way, should NEVER cost you more than $9.99 per year (unless you’re adding on web hosting). If you have a replicated website or an affiliate page, you do NOT need web hosting because you’re just forwarding the domain to a page that is already being hosted on the web.

Another FREE service that most domain providers offer is “E-mail Forwarding”, which I like to call “E-mail Branding”! This lets you brand your email address with your domain name. This way, every time you send an email to someone, you are advertising your domain… and your website. For example, if your domain was “www.YourDomain.com”, your email address can be “YourName@YourDomain.com”. And, you don’t have to get another email address. Your “domain e-mail” will simply forward all your e-mail messages to your “AOL” account (or whatever e-mail service you are using). It looks much more professional to have your “domain e-mail” and your “domain website” on your marketing materials than displaying a free e-mail address, like AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc..

Generally, with “e-mail forwarding”, you have two options: “Catch All” or specific e-mail forwarding addresses. There are pros and cons to each:

PRO: With “Catch All”, if someone sends an e-mail with anything before the “@” sign, it will still get forwarded to your main e-mail account. This is especially beneficial if someone misspells your name in your e-mail address, because the message will still get forwarded to you. For example, if someone sends an email to: "John_Do@yourdomain.com" instead of "John_Doe@yourdomain.com" it would still get delivered.

CON: "Catch All" e-mails are more susceptible to being SPAMMED because SPAMMERS can easily get a list of domain names and just put common words like "info" or "contact" in front of the "@yourdomain.com" expecting that many of their solicitations will get delivered.

SUGGESTION: Use a "Catch All", but only advertise a single e-mail address. This way if someone misspells the word before the "@" sign, it will still get through to you. And, if you find yourself getting too much SPAM with other words being used before the "@" sign, you can always switch back to a single e-mail forwarding address using that single word. This way you'll be able to stop the SPAM and won't have to worry about missing e-mails from all the other e-mail addresses you might have advertised. Another tip, if you're not using a "catch all", is to avoid common words that SPAMMERS use to SPAM domain names. For example, "info@yourdomain.com", "webmaster@yourdomain.com" or "sales@yourdomain.com". You may want to use something less common, like your first name (ex., "Jim@yourdomain.com"). This way if someone sends SPAM to "info@yourdomain.com" it will NOT clutter up your inbox.

There are still lots of good “.com” domain names available. Take your time looking for those that are just right for you… and grab them while you still can!
(c) Copyrighted by: www.iPodiums.Biz

About the author:
Jim Neessen is the CEO/Owner of "iPodiums.Biz" - a customizable LEAD CAPTURE page system for promoting ANY product, service. or business opportunity. The "iPodiums" lead capture pages are currently being used by Internet marketers & independent reps from over 100 different companies world-wide. For more information on how you can easily set up and customize your own lead capture page for less than $5/month, please visit iPodiums at: http://www.iPodiums.Biz
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Tips on how to keep your domain name safe from theft

Tips on how to keep your domain name safe from theft

By Ken Wilson [ 07/03/2007 ]
[ viewed 93 times ]

If you want to register domain names online, you are required to do it through an authorized domain name registrar. This is an organization or company and it provides services for domain name registration for the public. To keep your domain name safe, you need to take some precautions. Authorization for these services comes from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, an organization that concerns directly Internet governance. A registrar can also get an authorization from its government, in order to register names for domains within a specific country code Top Level Domain name extension, or ccTLD. The responsibility of a registrar is the creation and maintenance of a WHOIS database for its own customers.

To register domain names may be a more difficult task to complete, but you can do it for sure. After the registration, there is still work to do in keeping that name safe. Numerous calls and emails made everyday concern companies who lose control or ownership of their domain names. The common problems that occur after you register domain names are due to your own employees, third parties, vandals and others. There are some helpful tips that can protect your domain name from these people.

When you register domain names, the information you send to the registrar must be correct in order to control your domain. Many companies hire web developers or Internet service providers for securing the names of their domains and for developing their websites. However, the general recommendation is to avoid such situations. You should never allow third parties to register your domain name without instructions and oversight. You must control the information you send to the registrar, in order to have any control over the name of your domain.

When you create your account with the registrar, you also establish the account number, login name and password. You should keep these a secret at all times. The password you use should contain letters, numbers, and uppercase and lowercase characters in order to keep it safe from hackers. If you forget the password, you can easily recover it. All changes to the domain account occur through the e-mail address of the registrant. If there is another email address that is trying to modify the information in your account, the registrar will not consider it valid. You should not use the e-mail of an employee or partners for registration, because in case of a difference of opinion and if that person leaves the company, you are in trouble.

You should always lock your name. If you want to register domain names online, you are required to do it through an authorized domain name registrar. This is an organization or company and it provides services for name registration for the public. To keep your name safe, you need to take some precaution. If the registrars receive a transfer request from a third party, they will send you a confirmation e-mail. If you fail to respond to that e-mail and the domain remains unlocked, the authorization for the transfer comes automatically. If you lock the domain, this will never happen. You should watch out for spam e-mails that pose as your registrar and be very careful when you respond to any information requests about your domain by mail or email. Ninety percent of them are frauds.

Do not forget to renew the registration of the name. If the e-mail is wrong, you will not get the notice for renewal and you will lose the name of your domain. You should check the information in the WHOIS database regularly to be sure that the contact and email information are accurate. If you would lose the name of your domain, some might have purchased the rights for the name of your domain in case it expires. This happens because it has a built-in traffic and they can use it for their own purposes.

The best way you can protect the name of your domain is by law. In case you lose control of the name of your domain, you can call an attorney that specializes in this area. Domain names are valuable assets for companies. Nevertheless, in order to avoid the interruption of the activities and the loss of substantial revenues, you can approach the problem from a different legal point of view. You can establish that name as a trademark. The laws concerning domains concern directly the trademark rights you have in using the words for naming your domain. This will give you a substantial advantage for keeping the name of your domain.

About the author:
When you register domain names, you establish something valuable to the company. Your domain account can be a great source of income for you and therefore you should do anything to protect it. If you follow these guidelines, you will never lose your domain name.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

What to do when choosing a domain name

What to do when choosing a domain name

By Ken Wilson [ 06/03/2007 ]
[ viewed 93 times ]

Domain name registration has become rather difficult these days because most top-level domains like .com, .net, .org etc., are already starting to fill up. Therefore, finding a short name that is easy to remember and relates to your website, product or services can be rather challenging. Something that can help you in choosing a domain name is removing the excess word standard that many have come to rely on lately. Websites that have names a mile long are available and easy to register for very cheap prices. However, what are the chances for someone to remember them or visit them frequently?

There are some things that you should not do when choosing a domain name. You should not use more than three words when naming your domain. The name you want for domain registration should be right for your business, but should also make a catchy statement that most people tend to memorize and popularize. Many registration sites offer alternative suggestions when searching for the name you desire. These scripts use dictionaries for processing synonyms and antonyms of the words you included in your search. If the name you have searched is not available for domain registration, they will suggest other similar names. You can use such tools when you want to find the appropriate name.

You should not hyphenate the name of your domain. People tend to forget names with hyphens, because the brain focuses on letters when associating names and tends to ignore the symbols. If a domain registration name is very appealing, but is already used, there is no recommendation stating that you should use hyphens to keep that name. Nevertheless, if you cannot go around using hyphens, you should try to limit the name you use for domain registration to two words separated by a hyphen.

Another thing you should avoid when searching for a domain name is using numbers. Some people use numbers for the entire name. Numbers are rather difficult to remember for most people. Consequently, using them as a website address is not very efficient. All websites have an IP address consistent of a large string of digits. Memorizing all the IP addresses of the domains you know is not as handy as their names and it would defy the purpose of the DNS. If you would plan to use a number for registering domain names, you would be better off using a static IP address from your web provider.

These are the most important things you should not do. However, some aspects might work in your best interest. You should pick a domain name that is similar to other popular domain names. Contrary to common beliefs, this can be a useful tool for getting free traffic to your website with the help of “hit and miss browsers”. There are people who accidentally or intentionally misspell the name of a popular domain. This happens because they want to see if there is registration for the name or if a similar website exists. Others just omit or add a letter or two when typing. This enables them to visit your site. Obviously, this is beneficial for you. When using the similarities of the names as a tool, you can also register the same name but with another extension like .biz, .name, .info and others like that.

Another way you can increase the effectiveness of your website is by mixing and matching common web words found in thousands of popular domains. These words are ‘internet’, ‘online’, ‘web’ and ‘e’. Given these guidelines, the domain name you choose should be consistent of short, popular words and phrases in order to make it efficient.

About the author:
The most important part of the domain registration process is choosing the domain name. The guidelines presented in this article should help you choose the appropriate name for your website. The right name will generate traffic that will help your business blossom.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

The Importance of Domain Names

The Importance of Domain Names
By Camber Clenney

You’ve decided to take the plunge and develop a website. Maybe you already know exactly how you want it to look or know someone that can design it for you. While this is extremely important, have you thought about registering a domain name for your site? Domain names are another piece of your websites brand. Without a cohesive branding effort you will have bits and pieces but not a complete package. What is a domain name? A domain name is the address of the website and email used by customers to find you company. Domain names replace IP addresses (unique numbers) because they are easy to remember. A domain can contain numbers, letters, and hyphens up to 67 characters. Now that you understand what a domain is, why is it important?There are many reasons a domain name is important. Listed are just a few of the key reasons:

• Uniquely identifies your website. Two companies cannot simultaneously hold the same domain name
• Domains are quickly becoming synonymous with the business itself, like Amazon or eBay.
• Gives your business a professional look
• Can result in better search engine traffic
• Allows you to also have email addresses from you domain name (i.e. you@your domainname.com)
• First thing most customers will come across if they find you online
• Increases businesses name recognition

now that we have seen some of the benefits, let’s look at some tips on how to choose your domain name:

• Choose a name that is easy to pronounce
• Domain name should be as short as possible
• Always choose a .com name if available
• Make the name MEMORABLE
• Relate the domain to your businesses name and the products your offer
• Choose a name that is easy to remember

Domain names are inexpensive and there is no reason not to have one. You can also register several domains and point them all back to your main site to increase traffic results. Remember these tips when you are looking to register a domain and you are sure to come out ahead of the competition.

About the author:
Camber is a technical writer with interests in website design, Internet Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization. For more information visit at http://www.bestwebsitedevelopment.com