design, this column focuses on Internet domain names.

Often the first step in designing a Web site is deciding what domain name

you want to register. This is the www.some- thing.com that people will type

in to find your Web site.

First of all, as defined by Network Solutions, a domain name is "An

addressing construct used for identifying and locating computers on the

Internet. Domain names provide a system of easy-to-remember Internet

addresses, which can be translated by the Domain Name System (DNS) into the

numeric addresses (Internet Protocol or IP numbers) used by the network."

In other words, every computer on the Internet is assigned a string of

numbers called an IP address. The domain name is an easy-to-remember word,

or some letter-number combination that directs us to a specific string of

numbers.

A domain name is also seen in Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). This

refers to the standard naming scheme that has been developed for files on

the Internet. The difference is that a URL is the entire Internet address

(including http://www. for example) while the domain name is just the name

and .com. When talking about the address of a Web site, most people use the

terms URL and domain name interchangeably, while technically, the domain

name is only a part of the URL.

When you begin thinking about registering your domain name for your

business, it is important to come up with a name that reflects your business

name or industry.

The company in charge of registering all domain names is Network Solutions

(http://www.networksolutions.com). Right from their home page, you can use

their search tool to check for available domains. They only charge $35 per

year to register the name and they require the first two years to be paid up

front.

Another option for registering domain names is Register.com

(http://www.register.com). When searching on their site, they offer an

easy way to see who owns a particular domain. So, if you feel like making an

offer on an existing name or just want to see who the owner is, that

information is just a click away.

Unfortunately, domain name buying and selling has become a huge business.

People have recognized that large companies may be willing to pay huge sums

of money to have a specific name.

These "cyber-squatters" go out and register names which they think will be

popular at some point down the road. When a big company is finally ready to

commit to a Web site, the cyber-squatters cash in, selling the name to the

company with a giant price tag.

With the promise of a $70 investment turning into hundreds, thousands and

even millions of dollars, nearly every word in the English dictionary has

been registered.

Granted, trademark laws are filtering down through the Internet and you

can go to court to reclaim your name, but these laws are still being

hammered out, and not many businesses like the thought of a long, expensive

court battle in any situation.

So, be prepared to be flexible and creative when selecting domain names.

If you totally strike out and don't find any of your options to be

available, there is still hope. We are all used to hearing about .com, but

.org and .net are also options available to you. Originally, these were

planned to be reserved for organizations and computer networks, but today,

they are open for anyone to register. You may also see .gov and .mil, but

those have been reserved exclusively for government and military domain

names.

Sunday, October 8th, this series will continue with a detailed review of

site design options.