CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME

As the Internet has grown so has the demand for descriptive and effective domain names. Companies scrambling to build an electronic presence have created an overwhelming surge in domain name registrations. Today, an estimated 19 million names have been registered and thousands more are added every day.

Your name is important and you need to rely on a company who can get you started quickly and efficiently. Registrars.com is one of the world's leading ICANN-accredited domain registrars specializing in top-level domain registrations. With superior customer service and a proven track record, we will help you make a name for yourself on the Internet.

Internet use is growing quickly. FTP, e-mail, the World Wide Web: businesses are fast finding these tools indispensable in today's lightening-paced world of marketing and technology. Although the payoff may sometimes seem uncertain, more and more companies are using the Internet and developing "websites" to sell and advertise their goods and services.

Developing a website requires an address, or IP, for customers and visitors to locate the site. An IP address as a domain name identifies a company and its location in much the same way a telephone number defines a location. Unlike telephone numbers, however, the Internet does not have area codes to increase the number of times the same number or identifier can be used. Domain names then are registered on a first come, first served basis.

Once a domain is successfully registered by a company, it is entered into the "Shared Registry System" by Registrars.com and the domain name then becomes accessible to Internet users worldwide.

Because there can be only one registered owner of a domain name, the first of such businesses to register the domain will be the owner or holder of the name. Latecomers must choose a different domain name.

A company's domain name is the front line of their electronic presence. Whether their image is stayed and secure, or new and cutting-edge, what a company chooses in a name will reflect greatly on the public's perception and reaction to their site. Start-up companies often choose abstract names to describe what they do and then turn that name into a logo that is marketable. In contrast, many companies that are already established in the "brick-and-mortar" world prefer to build on their already-visible and established name. Domain names made up of the traditional trade names of such a company have the added benefit of giving customers more ease of recognition, and this is especially important in the virtual village of some 300 million users that comprises the World Wide Web.

Because a domain name identifies the electronic presence of a company, using a company's name or trademark is very important. Before adopting a domain name, a comprehensive review or study should be performed to determine whether your choice of name conflicts with any registered trademarks. If your intended market will extend beyond the U.S., you should also conduct an international search. Note: an international search should always be performed before any trademark is advertised internationally, such as on the Web.