1. What is a Domain Name?
2. Why Should I register a Domain Name?
3. Why should I care if there are names similar to the one I want?
4. What rules do I need to follow for creating my Domain Name?
5. How should I choose between .com, .net and .org for my Domain Name?
6. Are there restrictions on the use of .com, .net or .org extensions?
7. The name I want is already taken. What should I do?
8. What is "Parking"?
9. What is a URL?
10. What about the DNS and IP Addresses?
11. What's the story about Name Servers?
12. What is a Registrant?
13. What is a Registrar?
14. What is the Registry?
15. When will my new domain name be put into the main Registry database?
16. I still have more questions. What should I do?
17. I have suggestions for you. How should I send them?

1.What is a Domain Name?
From a technical point of view, a domain name is a way of giving an easy name to identify and locate computers on the Internet. The domain names are used in the World Wide Web, e-mail and all Internet services. All Internet users can contact you through your domain name. Top

2.Why Should I register a Domain Name?
Domain names are often accepted on a "first come, first served" basis. If someone has registered an identical name before, the registration will be a very complex and expensive process and sometimes it will be difficult to recover the domain name. For these reasons if you have spent a lot of time and money promoting your entity name or a registered trademark, you must register it as a domain name lest that another entity should use it on the Internet, affecting your company's image and trademarks. Getting a domain name registered is the first step to having a real presence on the Internet. Combined with optional web hosting, you'll get a real Internet address in the form of http://www.yourcompany.com instead of being "part" of a provider's web site. Once your name is registered you can also get optional business e-mail in the form of "name@yourcompany.com". Of course, you don't need a web site to have e-mail or vice versa. Top

3.Why should I care if there are names similar to the one I want?
Confusion: If one or more domains similar to the one you want already exist you run the risk that people will confuse your domain name with someone else's. Recognition: If there are other names similar to the one that you want, your competitors may take advantage of the similarity to steal a march on your business. Infringement: Many companies have purchased domain names only to lose them later to the rightful trademark owners because they failed to take the full precautions when registering their domain name(s). Top

4.What rules do I need to follow for creating my Domain Name?
Domain names may be up to 67 characters long including the last four which specify the TLD you select (.com, .net or .org). Only the following characters are permitted in domain names: Letters of the English alphabet in lower case (from a to z). Arabic numerals (from 0 to 9). The dash symbol (-) as long as the domain name does not begin or end with a dash (-). No spaces or other characters are permitted. Back

5.How should I choose between .com, .net and .org for my Domain Name?
The .com and .net extensions are preferred for business. Traditionally, .org domain names have been used by non-profit organizations. Many companies are now registering the same name in .com, .net and .org to fully protect their corporate identities. It is possible that, if you have a successful web site, a competitor could create a similar web site with the same name ending in .net or .org and confuse some of your consumers.Top

6.Are there restrictions on the use of .com, .net or .org extensions?
There are no restrictions on the use of these Top Level Domain extensions. You may use any or all that you wish for the domain names you register. Top

7.The name I want is already taken. What should I do?
If the name you would like is already being used by someone else, think of a variation on that name. Try adding the word "the" or "my" in front of the domain name. Be creative and use a combination of two words instead of a single word. Top

8.What is "Parking"?
If you want to register a Domain Name before you have an active website, you must "park" your domain in order for it to be recognized by the Internet. Top

9.What is a URL?
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. The URL is a unique string of characters that correspond to a unique location on the Internet. The URL may be a Domain Name, a homepage of a website or any other page in a specific website. Back

10.What about the DNS and IP Addresses?
The DNS or Domain Name System is the system of computers and databases that map a specific domain name to its associated IP (Internet Protocol) Address. Each IP Address is unique and identifies a specific computer on the Internet. An IP Address consists of four groups of numbers with 3 digits in each group. The DNS ensures that data which is sent to a specific address arrives at that address and no other. In order to send data to a web address on the Internet, it must have associated with it a unique IP Address. The DNS provides the association between a domain name and its IP Address.Back

11.What's the story about Name Servers?
Name servers are an integral part of the DNS. Name servers are computers that specify the IP Address a particular domain name uses. Typically these computers contain information about many domain names and the IP addresses associated with each one. Name Servers allow users to refer to Internet Addresses by their domain names instead of by their IP addresses, which are strings of numbers. A domain name is a lot easier to remember than a bunch of numbers. Top

12.What is a Registrant?
The registrant is the person or entity who registers a domain name. Often, the registrant is referred to as the owner of a domain name. The registrant is in technical terms the "SLD holder". This stands for the holder of a Second Level Domain. SLD is the technical term for domain name. Top

13.What is a Registrar?
A Registrar is an organization that registers domain names on behalf of a Registrant. Registrars must receive accreditation from ICANN and be technically certified by the Registry before they can register domain names in the Registry. OnlineNIC is an ICANN-accredited registrar. Top

14.What is the Registry?
The Registry is the authoritative database, or master list containing all the domain names registered in the .com, .net and .org Top Level Domain ("TLD") extensions. Each entry in the Registry contains a domain name, showing its TLD, the date it was registered and the date the registration expires, as well as the name of the registrar who sponsored that domain name and placed it in the Registry. The Registry is operated by the Registry Administrator (currently Network Solutions, Inc.) under government contract with the U.S. Department of Commerce.Top

15.When will my new domain name be put into the main Registry database?
Your new domain name will be sent to the Registry in real-time while you are on-line. The response from the Registry will be displayed right away. If your name was accepted by the Registry, the Registry response will be "active" and will indicate the expiration date of your registration. Top

16.I still have more questions. What should I do?
Pleasecontact us by pressing the " Contact Us" button on our site. Fill out the contact form and we will get back to you within 24 hours. Top

17.I have suggestions for you. How should I send them?
We are eager to have your suggestions and comments. Please send them to us using the "Contact Us" button. We will respond to your comments and suggestions by the next day. Top