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What is a domain name?
The address web surfers use to find your
web site. It's also your website's unique identity and once
registered, no other party can use it on the internet.
Why are there domain
names?
Computers connected to the Internet use
IP (Internet Protocol) numbers (e.g., 122.344.55.56) to locate
other computers. It would be difficult to remember these
long strings of numbers to locate a site, so domain names
were developed to translate IP numbers into easily remembered
names.
How do I use a domain name?
A domain name is used in two ways--for
a web site's address and for email.
Why do I need a domain name?
In some ways, a domain name is similar
to a customized license plate. Many organizations and individuals
find it useful to have an email or web site address that
is similar to their company name or products.
Having your own domain name allows you
the ability to receive email at a customized email address.
If your organization's name is For Example, Inc., you could
register the domain name "forexample.com" and have the email
address "yourname@forexample.com". Your customer would also
be able to access your organization's web site by typing "www.forexample.com" into
their web browser.
Some experts say that soon the entire English
dictionary will be registered as individual domain names.
If you do not reserve your name (or a variation of your name)
now it's likely that someone else will register the domain
name you want in the very near future.
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If the domain name you wish is taken you
can do one of two things. Go to the web site and find the
email address of the owner and email them directly. Or look
up the owner information in the database--again use the domain
name search engine at WHOIS and
find the owners's name and email listed.
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How do I search for a domain name?
Start by using our "Domain Name Search
Engine" -- Domain
Search. This powerful search engine performs a live database
look up of millions of domain names to see if the domain
you wish to register is available.
What does a domain name cost?
Namesdirect.com charges $30/year. The greatest
benefit of using Namesdirect.com is our incredible free services
package.
What does the services package include?
It includes an "Under Construction" web
page, "parking" for your domain, Web Site Forwarding, Email
Forwarding and unlimited email addresses.
What is email forwarding?
Let's say you, "John Doe", register the
domain name JohnDoe.com through Namesdirect.net. All email
sent to JohnDoe.com will be automatically forwarded to your
current email address so you needn't spend the money to park
a web site. Click
here for email forwarding.
What is web site forwarding?
Web Site Forwarding sends anyone trying
to go to your URL (http://www.your-domain-name.com) to your "real" website,
wherever it may be on the web. Click
here for Web Site Forwarding.
For example, if "ABC Trading Company" had
a free website at: "http://www.aol.com/members/pages/abctrading/index.html".
Forwarding would set up "www.abctrading.com" to point to
that web page. It is like Call Forwarding on your telephone
and your visitors will find themselves automatically at your
web site.
Who can register a .com, .net or .org domain
name?
You can use any of the the .com, .net or
.org "extensions" that are available.
How do I construct a valid domain name?
A domain name can have up to 67 characters
long and includes the 4 characters in .net, .com, or .org.
These characters are letters, numbers and hyphens. An example
of a valid domain is "money.com". You don't need to add in
the "http://www." portion of a web site's address when registering
your name.
Special characters like the underscore
( _ ) or an exclamation mark (!) are not permitted. Domain
names cannot contain spaces or begin or end with a hyphen.
Domain names are not case sensitive - for example: "NamesDirect.com" is
considered the same as "namesdirect.com".
Invalid characters are: ! @ # $ % ^ & *
What if the domain name is already taken?
Try registering another version of the
name, a different extension or try using a hyphen (-) between
words.
For example for Big Toy Company try:
bigtoycompany.com, net or org; or
big-toy-company.com, net or org.; or
variations like--bigtoyco.com, bgtoycomp.net, etc.
How do I pay for a domain name?
Make payment by credit card through our
secure online registration forms. We accept Visa, Mastercard
or American Express. Or fax in your registration request,
including your full contact details, billing address and
your credit card number and expiration date to: 360-397-1966
Where do I find the legal terms and conditions?
Click here to
find the terms of use.
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