What is a domain name ?

A domain name is an 'Internet address' in the form of a unique text name. Domain names make it easy for people to find and contact you on the Internet. A typical example of a domain name is
www.owencateringservices.co.uk

From a technical viewpoint a domain name is a way to identify and locate computers connected to the Internet.

A domain name must be unique, no two organizations on the Internet can have the same domain name. A typical domain name consists of a second-level and a top-level domain, such as "yourcompany.com".

Each domain name corresponds to numeric IP addresses which are used by the Internet to transmit data. The Domain Name System matches domain names to IP addresses so that users of the Internet only have to remember domain names, not numbers. For example "yourcompany.com" might correspond to the IP address 205.127.13.25

Why do I need a domain name?

To keep ahead of your competitors. By registering your own domain name and using a personalized email address you will be one step ahead of your competitors and will impress your clients and suppliers with your professional presence on the Internet.

A domain name allows your customers to find you at your unique root address on the WWW. Using a domain name will make your web site more accessible to your visitors whilst giving you a more professional profile.

You may wish to register a particular domain name in order to secure it for future use (before someone else does). You should secure a good domain name now even if you are not ready to use it. Nearly 17,000 names are registered every day. Any delay may result in you losing out on your ideal name and having to settle for something less appropriate in the future.

WHY CHOOSE US?

	The easiest way to search and register names We have designed our registration facility to be the most efficient, user friendly and up to date system available on the Internet today.
	Fast, flexible & intelligent search & register system Search and register multiple domains of different types (.com, .co.uk, .org, .net, etc) all at once. Our unique intelligent search facilities remember all your search items and, once you've finished your search, allow you to select the ones you wish to register.
	Extremely competitive prices and discounts We offer discounts on multiple domains and unlike other registration companies we have no hidden charges or catches.
	Customer Service We provide comprehensive customer support 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.
	Extensive experience & expertise in all Internet corporate services. We've become a premier corporate Internet services provider with a diverse and impressive list of clients (from charities to Blue Chip corporations).

Can I register anything as my domain name?

Yes …… and no. Theoretically you can register anything, in practice there are restrictions; for example: If the name you have chosen is already registered (rather like company names, they cannot be duplicated). You cannot register names already registered as copyright i.e. McDonalds: You cannot use words likely to cause offense or that are abusive. Words of less than three letters are normally refused registration.

Choosing a domain name

You would like your company to be generically associated with a concept. For example, if you are in the business of selling step-ladders, you might want a site called "step-ladders.com" You would like a domain name to reflect your cool personality. You would like to indulge in a bit of speculation/investment at a relatively low price. Everybody else has one, so why not get one too? Once a domain name has been established, "subdomains" can be created within the domain. For example, the domain name for a large company could be "bigco.com" and within this domain, subdomains can be created for each of the company's regional offices. The structure for this is:

hostname.subdomain.second-level domain.top-level domain

For example, tiger.newyork.bigco.com

describes a single host computer named tiger, in the New York office of the Bigco Company. Not all domain names will have a hostname and subdomain. In addition, more than one subdomain can be assigned

I have seen domains ending in .com, .org and several other things, what's this all about?

In a nut-shell, these suffixes are issued by the various registering authorities around the world. The most common are those of the USA. The regulatory body for US registrations is the InterNIC. The following are their most common suffixes.COM Designed for commercial entities. .com rapidly became the top-level domain for business. Today, anyone can register a Web Address in the .com domain.

EDU is for 4-year, degree granting colleges/universities.

.NET Designed for organizations directly involved in Internet operations, such as network providers and network operation centers. Today, anyone can register in the .net domain.

.ORG Designed for miscellaneous organizations, including non-profit groups. Today, anyone can register in the .org domain

In the above example which has a .co.uk domain extension, the .uk part specifies that the country designation in the UK (United Kingdom) and the .co part specifies the type commercial, intended for commercial businesses. There are thousands of domain extensions in use around the world. Although there are restrictions on the use of the majority of domain extensions (for example a country's regulations may stipulate that you must own a business with permanent residency in that country in order to use a domain extension belonging to that country), there are are many domain extensions for which there are little or no restrictions.

Who owns the domain name?

You do, if you register yourself. You have complete control over your domain.

How long can I keep a domain name?

Indefinitely, while you do not violate our terms and conditions. In case you are doing something wrong we will make our best effort to contact you by e-mail before deactivating the domain.

Once registered, is the Domain Name mine for life?

Yes, providing you pay the annual renewal fee to the regulating authority

The domain name I want is taken, what can I do?

You can contact the owner of that domain. Or, you can try different variations of the requested name. For example, myname.com, my-name.com or any other variation of what you want. Remember, information to the left of the com is not case sensitive so variations in capitalization will not work. MYname.com won't work if myname.com is already taken.

I don't want a web site but I do want my own domain name as my email address - is this possible?

Yes it is - and many of our clients register their names for this reason