What the heck is a nameserver anyway? Nameservers refer to a service that runs on servers belonging to a web hosting company that hosts the account that the domain name will point to. Every domain name on the internet must point to an IP address but each IP address can have multiple domain names on it thanks to shared hosting. Entering the nameservers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering lets the big DNS nameservers on the internet know where to find the hosting account for the domain name in question. Without this service, it would be impossible for any computer to find any web page. This is all usually done very quickly – in a fraction of a second.

Whois information is another thing to get knowledgeable about. Whois refers to the owner of the domain name. This information is provided by you when you register a domain name. This information in turn is offered to anyone who cares to search for it. For this reason, it is important to consider privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to falsify domain name information. At the same time, you may use the most generic information you can when entering your domain. If you have a work address and home address, use the work address. If you have a post office box number and a street address, include the post office box number only.

How many years should you consider registering your domain name? I would argue that it depends what you are going to use the domain for. If it is your business name and you intend to be in business for at least the next five years, I would register it for five years. That way, you don’t have to worry about it for a long time. In fact, you can register domain names for up to ten years. If you register your domain for that long, you won’t have to worry about it for a decade. Maintenance and stress free.

Make sure you lock your domain. After you’ve registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. What does locking do for you? It prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorization. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you don’t expressly forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name. Don’t take a chance. Lock your domain name right away.

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for Yowling.com which provides domain name registration services along with web hosting a web site builder. Reprint freely as long as the live keyword link in this article points to our website.

See, what the domain sellers won’t tell you is that the domain name you are purchasing or have purchased can possibly infringe on trademark rights and you can lose that domain name or even worse.

Trademark and servicemark laws apply not only off-line but on-line as well and they even apply to domain names.

Now, a trademark generally applies to goods where as a servicemark applies to services. For the purpose of this article I will refer to trademarks as the same rules apply.

A trademark can be a word, name, symbol, or device and it is used to distinguish and indentify the goods and services from one person or company from that of another.

The purpose of a trademark is to prevent confusion in the eyes of the consumer relating to particular goods and services. Basically, they are in place to prevent unfair competition.

So with that said, just because you purchased a particular domain name it does not necessarily mean you have exclusive rights to it.

If there is a trademark in your domain name, the mark owner has a legal right to send you a “cease and desist” letter and possibly take that domain name away from you.

If you don’t believe a word I’ve said so far then I offer myself as proof because it happened to me. I recently lost one of my domain names under this exact same circumstance.

For legal reasons I can’t tell you the domain name as I agreed to make no further references to it, but there were two words in my domain name that were associated with a trademark.

Now, I wasn’t aware of this when I purchased the domain name. And I definitely wasn’t aware of trademark laws.

Don’t be ignorant on the subject like I was. You can avoid any potential problems by educating yourself and thereby preventing the samething from happening to you.

Don’t make the same mistake that I did!

Do your research before you buy a domain name and make sure there is NO trademark associated with that name.

There are trademark search engines where you can type in a word or a phrase and it will tell you if it is a trademark.

You can visit the United States Patent And Trademark Office (USPTO) website to do a trademark search:

http://www.uspto.gov/

Now, in my case I chose not to fight the trademark dispute and gave up my domain name voluntarily. I felt it just wasn’t worth the time, money and headaches to launch a fight over this.

If this should ever happen to you, you do have rights and there are proper channels to go through to settle the dispute. Contact a lawyer who specializes in this field.

And don’t even think for one minute that this sort of thing can’t happen to you. Trust me. If you have a trademark in your domain name it is only a matter of time before you get that letter in the mail like I did.

There are numerous cases all over the internet concerning disputes over trademark and domain names.

Don’t you be one of them…

If you would like more information on the subject of trademarks and domain names then I highly recommend you visit this website:

http://www.chillingeffects.org/domain

This article and any links associated with it are for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice. As always, speak to an attorney who specializes in this field in the event of a dispute.

Al Martinovic is the publisher of the Millenium Marketers Newsletter where you will find powerful concepts, killer strategies, useful tips and no bull business advice: http://www.milleniummarketers.com

The first step in domain name registration is figuring out what name you want to register. It can be difficult to find a name that you like and one that is still available for purchase. I like to use Dotster.com to help me come up with a name and to check the name’s availability. Simply go to Dotster.com and enter in your idea, for example petnames.com. As you will see petnames.com is taken, but there are other alternative extensions that are available besides .com. There are also additional domain name suggestions for you to consider in the tab on the left.

This process can take a while as you are really trying to find the best name possible. I like to keep a list of available names as I go along and then choose the best domain name from the list when I feel like I have enough good candidates. I tend to have between 20 and 50 good domain name candidates listed.

When you have selected a name, then I suggest you go to a site like GoDaddy.com to save yourself some money on the domain name registration. GoDaddy is currently charging $8.95 for domain names while Dotster is charging $14.95. There is nothing wrong with Dotster, but domain name registration is a commodity service and GoDaddy has a better price. If you want to go even lower, Yahoo! is currently offering domain name registration for $2.99.

Once you have chosen your registrar, then you enter your chosen name and follow the directions to complete the transaction. There will be several pieces of information that you will need to give, like your name, address, email address, and phone number. I suggest you use an email address that you do not ever plan on losing. That way you will always be able to receive contact messages related to your domain name registration. Complete your purchase and you are ready to go. Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of a new domain name!

So what is next? Well now you need to build your site, find a web host, and publish your site to your web host’s servers. Once you have that done, you need to update the DNS entries related to your domain name. Your website’s DNS records are kept with the company where you purchased your domain name registration. Now you are the proud owner of a published website. I have breezed through the whole build, host, and publish process because I plan on providing more details in a follow-up series of articles. Thanks for reading and have fun with your new domain name.

Jason D. Barrett is currently focused on writing search engine optimization articles for KansasCitySEO.com, writing a search engine optimization blog for KansasCitySEO.com, and writing technology articles for ScoutTechnology.com.

They let people easily access you on the internet and brand your emails to your business. You need to own and protect your domain name in the same way you would your business or company name.

These days, your domain name is as important as your business name. It is your identity or address within the online community using the Internet. The speed at which the internet came into being left people confused and perplexed about what domain names were, if they should own one or many, how they should use these domain names and the fundamental question of how much they should pay for the domain names. Let’s rip back some of the myths and look at domain names today.

In the real world, our business has a “real address”. I could come and see you at your business address whether you are a home based business, own a shop or lease an office space. There is a physical address that you are working from.

Likewise to have a successful business, you have a phone number – a set of numbers that people can find you at. Any time they use that series of numbers they will be able to call your number and if you are in, communicate with you.

Your domain name is the online address that people can use find to find you on the internet. When they type in that address, your information, in other words your website, is located there. They can look up that address and see you. In the same way that every physical address and every phone number must be totally unique, your web address or domain name must be unique. There can only be one of each. If there were two every one would be confused.

It is very important that you own your domain name. Think of it like a business name. You seek application to register the business name and every two years you need to renew that name – in other words pay some more money to keep using that name. Your domain name is identical. For Australian domain names every two years you will need to pay to continue to use that name for another two years.

Once you have paid for the domain, you can then list what “computer address” you want it directed to. Think of phone numbers – they go no where until the telephone exchange sets it up in their registry that number “xxxxxxxxx” will connect to your phone at location “y” location.

Your domain name is the same – it goes nowhere until listed within the central registry and told where to connect to. This connection process in phones and websites is similar – someone is making sure they connect the address and the location together. The company helping you with your website should help you to make sure that your domain address “points” or directs people to your website.

Can this address be changed? Yes it can in the same way that my phone number can be changed. For example, when I recently moved office locations, I contacted my local Telco Company, (Telstra), and told them that I was moving and that I wanted my phone number to connect to my new address. They organised in their central registry for the number to now point to a new phone location.

The same is true for your domain address – if you choose to move where your website is located, you can tell the central registry that your new address is at “z” and they will send people looking for your website to that a location to find you. It is quite convenient when you think about it and very similar to what happens in all of our other business functions.

One last point that is essential that you understand. Owning your own domain name gives you the opportunity to use your very own email address advertising your company name. Many people start using a name that advertises the ISP (Internet Service Provider) that they use, for example I might have billsmith@optusnet.com.au or jennyreid@domainking.com.au. With your own domain address you can now have your name followed by your company name. For example my domain is www.solutionsmanagement.com.au so my email address is lbrighton@solutionsmanagement.com.au.

I not only advertise my company web address but when we change ISP’s which we have yearly as their rates fall, we do not have to change all the email addresses that all our contacts use – we simply have them redirected on the central domain registry. It is quick, simple and save heaps of money on new business cards and lost business through people not knowing our email addresses.

Owning your domain name is essential – it is part of business today. You need to keep it paid for every two years and point it to a good website so that you can enjoy the increased amount of business happening online today.

Lea-Anne Brighton is one of Australia’s leading Internet Marketing Experts. Her company, SolutionsManagement.com.au has built over 400 websites with full Content Management Systems (CMS)and many with secure “real time” e-commerce facilities.

Solutions Management has specialised in building websites that have produced strong sales results. Natasha from Surprise Box enjoyed a 400% increase in online sales (from 1-2 sales per month to 1-2 sales per day), with an overall increase to her business of over 70%.

In 2004 Brighton formed the International Web Marketing Institute which holds the patent application on their Search Engine Optimisation methodology. It is blue print that small business owners can use to dramatically increase online sales through strong Search Engine Optimization, (SEO). IWMI.com.au helped Jane from PartyKids.com.au to triple her website visitors and double her monthly sales within 2 months.

Lea-Anne is also the President of the Micro and Home Business Network ( mbn.com.au ), in Australia. NFP with 20,000 home and small business asociates.

1. Not Registered Yet

Many domain names are not available. Someone else may have
registered it for use with their own website. Perhaps a
domain name speculator bought it hoping to sell it for a
quick or high profit.

The ideal domain name would not have been registered yet
and would be available for the less than ten dollars
annual registration fee.

Realistically, you might have to settle for another name.
Alternatively, you might offer to buy the desired domain
name from whoever beat you to it.

2. A Dot Com

If you are operating a business, your ideal domain name
would be one with the dot com (.com) Top Level Domain
(TLD) name extension.

First of all, it is easier for people to remember dot
com names. There is almost an assumption that your
website is dot com.

To ask people to remember your website’s name is bad
enough. If you expect them to also remember that you are
dot something else, expect to lose some traffic to your
dot com competitor.

As well, dot coms generally seem to resell for more
money than other TLDs because they are perceived to be
superior. (If you don’t have a dot com name, was it
because you couldn’t afford to buy it? Perhaps your
competitor had the foresight to register it first.)

Realistically, however, your dot com name may not be
available. You must either pick another name or pick
another TLD extension.

Additionally, there may be reasons why you prefer or
must have a different TLD.

Perhaps you are a university needing a dot edu (.edu)
name. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) might prefer
a dot net (.net) name over dot com. Similarly, a
non-profit organization might desire a dot org (.org)
domain name.

As well, there are country specific domain names
that you might prefer.

As an example, if your business was limited to serving
customers located in Canada, you might want a dot ca
(.ca) domain name.

In most cases, however, it would be preferable to
obtain a dot com name.

3. Short and Memorable

The dream domain name would contain letters of the
alphabet only. It would not have hyphens, underscores,
numbers, or special characters.

The ideal name would be short and memorable. It would
not have spelling errors or anything else that would
make it difficult to remember.

Realistically, sometimes only the hyphenated version
of a domain name is available.

4. A Proper Name

For branding purposes, you should probably use your
business or company name as your domain name. After all,
doesn’t your company name differentiate you from your
competitors?

As well, if you have trade names, product names, slogans,
and so on, you might want to protect them from unauthorized
use by registering them as well. You can simply have your
domain registrar point (or re-direct) these names to
your main site.

You might be tempted to register generic names like
computers.com, flowers.com, or accountingfirm.com.
However, proper names (such as your company’s name)
seem to outperform generic names (such as widgets.com).

For example, when you think about computers, who comes
to mind? Apple? IBM? Dell? You likely don’t think of
computers.com.

So, your dream domain name has not been registered by
anyone else, is dot com, is short and memorable, and
brands your business by its proper name.

RESOURCE BOX:

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,
has been helping clients to earn maximum business
profits for over twenty-five years.

For more information about domain names, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas,
visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

Can you prove it’s yours? Can you get it back?

The sex.com story

One morning, Gary Kremen woke up to find that the domain name sex.com, which he’d registered in 1994, had changed hands and was registered to ex-convict Stephen Michael Cohen. In 1995, Cohen had allegedly written a fake letter with a forged signature to Network Solutions, the registrar. He stated in that letter that control of sex.com was to be turned over to him.

In 2000, the court found the letter to be fraudulent and ruled that sex.com was to be returned to Kremen. Cohen was ordered to pay $65 million in punitive damages and for lost revenue. He never paid it, however, fleeing the US instead.

The story continued with charges against Network Solutions for mismanagement of sex.com. A lower court ruled in 2000 that Network Solutions was not accountable for its negligence in handling the domain. A domain name was not tangible property, according to the judge. In 2003, the US Appeals Court ruled that Kremen did have property rights to the domain. The following year, Kremen reached a settlement with VeriSign, the owner of Network Solutions. While the amount was undisclosed, it was rumored to be over $15 million.

Domains and ICANN

It’s doubtful that any other domain has the value of sex.com. Our domains are valuable to us, though, and we want them to be protected. If they are stolen, we don’t want to spend years fighting to get them back.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) was created in 1998 to help manage domain names, among other responsibilities. At the ICANN website, we read that ICANN “…is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet…and to developing policy appropriate to its mission….”

Developed in 2004, ICANN’s Registrar Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (TDRP) provides detailed steps for registrars to follow if a domain transfer is disputed. Registrars aren’t obligated to follow this policy, and it doesn’t guarantee resolution to domain transfer disputes. However, it provides a suggested policy for registrars to help reach resolutions when domain disputes arise.

Domain theft and ICANN

What should you do if you discover that someone has hijacked your domain name?

First, contact the registrar where you had the domain registered. With evidence that you didn’t authorize the domain to be transferred to another person, that registrar should take the necessary steps to try to return the domain to you.

Unfortunately, some registrars aren’t inclined to make the effort to do this, particularly (but not necessarily) those with a lower profit margin per domain.

If the registrar for your domain won’t take action on your behalf, go to the gaining registrar with your case. This registrar; the one where your domain is now registered; may or may not want to look into the situation, but you can try your luck with it.

According to ICANN’s TDRP, registrars should “… first of all attempt to resolve the problem among the Registrars involved in the dispute….” If they aren’t successful, they should then file a dispute with ICANN.

In this ICANN April 2005 report, the suggestion was made (on page 5) to make the dispute resolution process accessible to registrants. At this time, though, if neither registrar will work to help you or will take the issue to ICANN, the ICANN dispute resolution process isn’t available to you.

Although ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy is intended for disputes over trademarked domains, some registrants have used it to try to get hijacked domains back. You can file a complaint via one of ICANN’s Approved Providers for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

Domains and the courts

The legal route that sex.com registrant Gary Kremen took is open to you as well. Look for a lawyer in the country of the domain registrar who has experience handling domain name disputes.

At this point, you need to weigh the value of your domain with the costs involved in getting it back. The value of sex.com made the legal battle financially worthwhile for Kremen, but many of us would have to stop at this point.

Protecting your domain

Nothing you can do can guarantee that your domain won’t be hijacked. However, you can take a number of precautions to greatly reduce the chances of it happening. For tips on protecting your domain, see the article Information Highwaymen and Your Domain here: http://articles.websitesource.com/information_highwaymen.shtml

About the Author:

Lois S. is a Technical Executive Writer for http://www.websitesource.com and http://www.lowpricedomains.com with experience in the website hosting industry.