The first brick that lays the foundation of the pillar of your online presence is a domain name. When we talk about domains, it becomes important to mention top-level domain names (TLDs).

TLDs contribute considerably in the structuring of Internet. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, manages the creation of TLDs, which are operated by different registries. Each registry, like us, pays a fee to ICANN for getting the rights to operate TLDs.

Dot Com (.com)

The ‘.com’ TLD is the king of the jungle of TLDs since 1994. Nearly everyone, from individuals & SMBs to big corporate houses, who steps on the Web wishes to grab a ‘.com’ TLD at the first instance since it stands for ‘Commercial’. It reflects that the site is for commercial purpose. However, now this domain extension has become more or less a ‘defacto extension’ used by almost everyone.

Dot Net (.net)

The ‘.net’ TLD stands for ‘Network’. This is one of the original TLDs mostly used by Internet-specific providers /businesses, such as social networking websites, SEO, web hosting etc. It’s the one of the most coveted domain extensions after ‘.com’.

Dot Info (.info)

The ‘.info’ TLD stands for ‘Information’. This TLD is mostly used by information & resource-based websites, which are not involved in commercial activities. This domain extension can be used for lead generation, knowledge sharing and community building. You can use this TLD for providing information to reinforce your brand.

Dot Org (.org)

The ‘.org’ TLD stands for ‘Organization’. This domain extension is mostly used by non-commercial & non-profit organizations. This TLD can also be used for building your community & leveraging your branding endeavors to win over your potential customers.

Dot Biz (.biz)

The ‘.biz’ TLD stands for ‘Business’. This domain extension, originally created in 2001, is mostly preferred for creating business websites. This open TLD is exclusively for “bona fide business or commercial use”, and has an immense sales pitch.

Dot Name (.name)

The ‘.name’ TLD stands for ‘Name’. This domain extension, originally introduced in 2001, is mostly used by individuals, who use this domain extension to represent their real names, fictional names, display names, nicknames, pseudonyms etc. These days, this domain extension is being popularly used as a web address for Digital Identity applications.

Dot Mobi (.mobi)

The .mobi’ TLD stands for ‘Mobile’. This domain extension, created in 2005 but available for public registration since 26 September 2006, must be used for all mobile-compatible sites as per the standards. This TLD is financially supported by biggies such as Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Vodafone etc.

Dot Tv (.tv)

The ‘.tv’ is a country code top level domain (ccTLD), introduced in 1996 for the islands of Tuvalu. Its intended use is for all entities related to Tuvalu, whereas it’s promoted commercially for television/video sites. However, it can be registered for any purpose by anyone.

Dot Me (.me)

The ‘.me’ TLD is yet again a country code top level domain (ccTLD) introduced in 2007 for Montenegro. This domain extension is being promoted adequately for its global use, and become more like a personal name space. It can be registered for any purpose on the Web. However, it’s being marketed on the Web by the registrars as ‘.ME domains all about you’.

Dot Cc (.cc)

The ‘.cc’ TLD is also a country code top level domain for Cocos Islands, Australia. It was introduced in 1997, and administered by VeriSign as the ‘the next .com’. This domain extension is put to different assortment of sites, some of them especially referring to Cocos Islands.

It is expected that a dramatic change in the creation of new TLDs would be observed in 2010. We hope that many more new TLDs would flow in the New Year on the Internet as well and we shall be able to offer you more of such TLDs.

Currently, LimeDomains is offering 10 major TLDs to its users at mostaffordable prices in the market. Register yours now!

Thinking of registering a domain with the hot keywords “web hosting?” Sure you are. I can read your mind. Well, I was bored today and thought I’d search and see what web hosting domains were available. So, to start my quest, I visited Godaddy and typed in webhosting .com into the search…

Looks like I’m about 15 years too late on that one. Some clever soul reserved webhosting.com back in January 1993 when I was in the fetal stages of Internet growth. Can’t say I’m surprised. If you are, I’ve got some .info’s over in Iceland that I’d like to sell you:). Have you noticed that just about any occurence of the word webhosting + any valuable keyword has been registered by domainers, SEO’s or individual businesses?

But what I really wanted to see was what results the Godaddy domain suggestion tool would offer as alternatives. Here’s what came up:

Is this sad or what?

Some of the premium domain names aren’t that bad but look how expensive they are!

The additional domains, those at regular prices, are the worst of the crop, wouldn’t you say? I mean, who wants to start a web site called “Web Hosting Store” or “Net Life Hosting.” Also, maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem strange to have the word online and hosting together in the same domain name?

So what’s a web hosting sitebuilder to do? I know you’re out there so please speak up and liberate us from the prospect of buying a bad domain.

Will Google Buy GoDaddy?

There has been a bit of buzz about the possiblity of accredited registrar, Google (oh and search engine giant too), buying Godaddy. Could this be possible? Looks Like Google might be lining up to Buy GoDaddy Inc the worlds largest domain registrar, a move that some speculate might help Google remove spam from search engine results. GoDaddy has applied for several patents in the past months. GoDaddy may be trying to attract Google as a buyer.

Read about it here and Here | via digg

The 100 Oldest Currently Registered .COM Domains



The list appears a bit dated (ha, ha, ha), but it is rather interesting to see who jumped on the web early. I was surprised to see domains this old. It won’t be long and we’ll have the attention of antique collectors.read more about this | digg.com story

Have you ever wondered what the world’s longest domain name is? How long can a domain be? It’s limited. It seems that a domain can be no longer than 63 characters minus the top level domain suffix.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.org.uk

thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com

Since the limit is on what precedes to top level domain name, breaking the tie is a matter of who has the longest TLD. In this case it’s .org.uk.

Congratulations!

Someone also attempted to create the longest blogspot domain:

read more | digg story

This could be interesting. Google now allows you to create a personalized start page for your Google Apps for Your Domain hosting! This link is to a screenshot review of the service and setup at Boles University.

read more | digg story

The simple ZoneEdit free dns service allows you to safely administrate DNS, mail and web with dynamic DNS support allowing cable modem, dsl, and dial up users to run web sites on your home pc. ZoneEdit can also be used to run web sites on your home pc. It is similar to XName free dns hosting service.

HostingFu has written a great ZoneEdit Review explaining more.

ZoneEdit.com has led a long history in free DNS hosting service. It is reliable, feature rich and free for the first 5 zones you hosted with them. They do quite a bit more than simply returning you the DNS records.

read more about ZoneEdit | digg story

Donyell returns with yet another outstanding article that explains why your own domain name is important.

With society becoming more and more technology savvy it always surprises me when a business owner wants to jump into running business without having the basics.

10 years ago having a domain name was something to do if you wanted your company to have an upper edge. But now, in 2006, it’s not optional.

Every company big or small should have its own domain name. This should be especially obvious if your company is Internet based, however every company can benefit.

Having your own domain name gives you a certain look of creditability. I’ll give you an example. Who would you rather do business with? An accountant that charges $150/hour whose email address is accountz4u@yahoo.com or an account who charges $150/hour whose email address is Billy@AccountingService.com?

If you think it doesn’t matter, then think again. With all the scams and fraud going on people are getting a lot more careful about who they make online purchases with. Do you want the first thing they see to be your free email address?

This brings me to the point that your company doesn’t have to have a website in order to use a domain name. You can benefit from just using the email account.

Having an email address with your company’s name not only gives you a greater look of creditability, but it also allows you to brand your business. With each and every email you send, your company’s name will be seen.

If you don’t currently have a website, one day you might change your mind and decide to put one up. A lot of people are price shopping and gathering information from their computer before they even pick up a phone book or call directory assistance.

You think you don’t need a domain name because you can have a website that’s free? Big mistake.

Don’t just put up a website on angelfire or geocities because it’s free. Ask yourself, would I trust my personal and credit card information with a company whose website address is www.freewebsitehosting.com/folders/business/sallyscomputers? How creditable is that? Also consider what would look better on a business card. That long web address or www.sallyscomputers.com.

But you don’t have to take my advice. If you don’t want to invest $10 a year for a domain name, don’t worry; your competitor will.