The Internet is an increasingly popular communication vehicle for companies and individuals alike. Any person or company who wants to sell a product or service, convey a message, or simply show the world how cool they are can do so on the Internet. Some skeptics shy away from the web because of its global distribution and fear the cost of delivering their message to the masses will be equally as great. They’re wrong. Compared with commissioning an ad agency to develop and distribute your message, the Internet is an inexpensive way to get your good word out.

“But do I really need it?” the doubters whine. “How do I get it?” “How can I protect it?” All very good questions... keep reading.

Let’s start with the basics. A domain is identified by a domain name—a long, unintelligible numerical address that means everything to a computer but absolutely nothing to you and me. To make it easier for people like us to remember, the numerical address is given an alphabetical alias. Think of it this way: Rather than memorizing (123) 456-7890 as your friend’s phone number is California, wouldn’t it just be easier to call it “Josie’s phone?” Now, just like Josie’s phone number, a domain name—like MODEweekly.com—is divided into parts.

Although it comes at the end of the address, “.com” is what is called the top domain, telling the web surfer what kind of site it is, while “MODEweekly” is the sub-domain. The full domain name gives you a unique Internet identity so that people can recognize you or associate you with a particular idea, like a customized license plate.

Now, do you really need a domain? Well, if you or your company supplies a particular good or service you want to be associated with or simply has an important message that could impact someone or how someone does something, you do. Using the Internet as a communication vehicle is kind of like owning a car. If you’re content having other people take you where you want to go, that’s fine. But if you want to get where you’re going yourself, using something that’s yours, it’s a wise investment.

Once you’ve conquered the dilemma of whether or not you or your company wants a domain, you need to know what kind of domain is right for you.

There are six general types of domains:

.com is for commercial, for-profit people and organizations.

.edu is for four-year, degree-granting colleges/universities. (Schools, libraries, and museums should register under country domains.)

.gov is for U.S. federal government agencies. (State and local governments should register under country domains.)

.net is for network infrastructure machines and organizations.

.org is for miscellaneous, usually non-profit organizations. (Organizations that clearly don’t fit in any of the above.)

.us is for hosts of federal government agencies, state government agencies, K-12 schools, community colleges, technical/vocational schools, private schools, libraries, museums, city and county government agencies, as well as home computers.

When making this decision, it’s also very important to find out if the name that you want for your domain is available. You can find out by doing a search on InterNIC’s Whois database (http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/whois). This database contains records for all of the domains registered with InterNIC as well as information on over 200,000 networks. If you find a match for the name you want while doing your search, sorry, it’s taken—try again. If you don’t find a match, you’re in luck and you can register the name for yourself or your company.

Finally, you’re ready to register your domain. First, make sure you have a connection to the Internet. Companies that provide Internet connections are (logically) called Internet Service Providers, or ISPs. Check the yellow pages for a listing of ISPs in the Harrisburg area.

Some ISPs offer help with domain names and may even handle the entire process for you. Talk to your provider to determine your options.

To register your domain, you must complete a domain name registration template which is used to get the information needed to process your registration and add your name to the Whois database. The template is available in different formats, depending on your need. A plain text version is available via the web or an ftp site. If you don’t have web access or prefer a single page form, you an retrieve the text version, complete the form and send it to the InterNIC via electronic mail. For those (myself included) who like idiot-proof forms, the InterNIC has a template interface that takes you through the form section by section, checking each part as you fill it out for errors or incomplete information and alerts you of any problems before you go on. Both the text and web versions can be found at http:/rs.internic.net/help/templates/html. When registering, its important to provide complete and accurate information. Incorrect information can cause problems—like submitting the wrong address will prevent you from getting a bill, and eventually result in the termination of your domain. You’ll also need to provide three contacts—one for technical, one for administrative, and one for billing. Generally, the registrant is listed as the administrative contact. When you’ve finished filling out the template, e-mail it to hostmaster@internic.net. The request is then automatically processed and assigned a tracking number, which will be sent to you in an e-mail acknowledgment. It’s that simple!

Simple, sure, but how much does it cost? Again, compared with what you could pay someone else to develop and market your name in another medium, it’s painless. The InterNIC charges $70 per year for a domain. This fee is unavoidable and non-negotiable. If you don’t have access to the Internet and InterNIC’s electronic forms and you hire someone to register your domain, add about $50. The experts at www.igoldrush.com say $50 is the reasonable ceiling for a registration service. You should not have to pay a monthly or annual fee to have your name “reserved” or “put on hold.” If a registration service charges more than $50, either they’re tacking on extra services or you’re being taken. Check with the registrar to verify what their cost covers. Also, a word to the wise: Some registration companies will put themselves down as the organization for your domain, therefore meaning that they OWN your domain. This is like a lawyer who helps you with the paperwork on your house and writes him/herself in as the owner. The best way to avoid this is to complete the registration yourself or just make sure all of the correct information is included in the registration template.

So once you’ve checked that no one else is using your name, you’ve registered it, and paid the bill when it arrives, the domain is yours.

Now if you register a domain for your company—a Fortune 100 company that manufactures patented widgets and brings in about $5 billion a year—you might be concerned about security for your domain. Actually, protection is as easy as the registration process. The domain name is guarded by the administration and/or technical contact associated with the name and provided in the registration template. Each contact can use the template to assign a password to the domain record. Remember, like MAC card passwords, it’s best not to use something obvious, like the company name. If you are the sole contact, make a password no one else will know but you can remember. Conversely, if more than one person (you) will be accessing the domain record, make it something you can all remember, but again—nothing obvious. Also, it might be a good idea to change the password every so often, just in case you
get hacked.