Choosing a
Domain Name

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Tips
provided by Jumpline.com, offering web hosting from $14.95. Visit http://www.jumpline.com/ for
more
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If you wish to have a
presence on the web, your domain name is one of the most important decisions you
will need to make. It is the center of your Internet identity and makes it
easier for people to find your site. What types of things should you take into
consideration when choosing the name that will represent you on the web?
Jumpline.com offers these tips.

Keep it
short
Although some places allow you to register a name with up to
63 characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able to remember
it. Try to register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will
associate with your site. The general rule of thumb is, keep it under five
characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)

Dot
What?
There are many different extensions available right now. For
businesses, we recommend a .com suffix. It is the first extension that most
people try when searching for a site. Also, since it is one of the oldest
extensions, .com shows that your business has been around for a while and that
you have a well-established presence on the web.

Avoid Trademarked
Names
There are two really good reasons for this. First, it's not
very nice. We have all heard the stories about the zany guy who thought ahead
and bought "some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com" and sold it to the
company for enough money to retire on. But, remember that those companies, like
yours, have spent lots of time and money creating their brand, and what goes
around comes around. Also, companies are no longer opening their pocketbooks to
get their names back. They are calling their lawyers.

Register Your Domain A.S.A.P.
Domain names are being
snatched up faster than candy at the St. Patrick's Day parade. You must register
soon unless you want to get stuck with "the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net".
You do not have to have a web master or an e-commerce department or a web design
consultant or... Heck, you don't even need a web page. Just get out there and
register before you loose the opportunity to get the name you really want.

One May Not Be
Enough
Sometimes, it isn't a bad idea to register several similar
domain names. If you have "yourname.com", register "yourname.net" so no one else
takes it. You can register your full company name and a shorter, easier to
remember version. Some people even register common misspellings of their
company's name. (You don't need a separate web page for each. Several domains
can point to the same site.)

Character
Types
Just a reminder. Domain names can only use letters, numbers,
and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain names are not case
sensitive.

Ask
Around
When you have settled on several available name choices,
see what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make perfect
sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Is your domain easy
to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name?

Don't Shell Out Large
Amounts of $$$
At one time, companies were able to get away with
charging reservation fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. Recently, it was
decided that other companies should be able to compete to sell domain names.
This has lowered prices dramatically. To see how much, check out http://www.jumpline.com/ where you can
register your domain for $20.