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Advocacy Services
- Getting Connected - Domain Names
This document provides information on why and how to register an Internet domain name for your organization.
What is a domain name?
If you're reading this online, you're already familiar with Internet domain names perhaps without even knowing it. An Internet domain name is essentially the unique, "user friendly" name for each machine connected to the Internet; they make it easy to keep track of people, organizations and businesses who use these machines for email, the World Wide Web and other Internet services. In email addresses, the domain name is everything after the "@" symbol in an address (i.e. in "[email protected]",
"hotmail.com" is the domain name). In web addresses, domain names usually found after the "www", as in "www.hotmail.com." Again, "hotmail.com" is the domain name. These friendly names mask a more complex numbering system used to keep track of the hundreds of thousands of machines on the Internet.
Domain names, like street addresses, are unique; each machine has a unique name that no other machine on the Internet can use. To keep all these domain names straight, they are managed by an organization in Virginia known as Network Solutions. Network Solutions maintains a large database listing all the domain names currently registered by companies, non-profits, educational institutions, etc.
Why should I register a domain name for my organization?
Two important reasons. First, registering a domain name enables you to establish a recognizable presence in cyberspace that you can use for your Web site (www.myorganization.org) and for email addresses ([email protected]). This helps people find and recognize you on the Internet, and helps establish the online identify of your organization. Second, having your own domain allows you to "move" your Internet presence to another Internet service provider without having to change
your email or Web address on business cards, letterhead, and other materials. If you find a better service provider, it is fairly easy to move your information to the new provider's server and arrange for all inquiries to your domain (emails and Web browsings) to go to this new machine. This portability in a time of ever-changing Internet rates and services makes sense for groups that are planning to be online for the duration. Again,
Domain names must be unique, and they are being allocated on a first-come, first-served basis by Network Solutions. Even if your organization is not ready to make the leap to individual email accounts for every staff member and to the World Wide Web, registering a domain now that clearly reflects the name of your organization will prevent others from "taking" this name later. As an example, if another organization had already secured "onenw.org" as their domain, we may have been forced to select
"one.org" or "1" as our domains. Still workable, but not as easy to work with.
How do I register a domain name? How much does it cost?
Domain names are administered locally by Internet service providers (i.e. the company that provides you with your email account and/or Web site), who work directly with Network Solutions. To register your domain, do the following:
- Select a domain name that closely matches the name of your organization or is otherwise easy to recognize as representing your organization. Shorter domain names are generally better (saves on keystrokes!). For example, when we registered a domain for USHCR, we selected the domain name "onenw.org".
- To see if anyone has already claimed that domain as their own, connect to the Network Solutions
Registration Services
Web site and check the proposed name against their database by using their "WHOIS" query engine. Type in your preferred domain name ("enviro.org", for example) and hit the search key. If it returns a match, you're out of luck: someone else has already registered that name. "No match" means that the name has not been taken, and it is probably yours to register.
- Next, contact your local Internet service provider and tell them you'd like to register a domain. Registering a domain name costs $35 per year, with the first 2 years payable in advance (i.e. $70 for the first two years). The service provider may add a small fee for this service. This is also a good time to talk to them about costs for establishing a Web site and email addresses with this domain name.
- Within a few weeks, you'll receive notification from Network Solutions and/or your service provider that the domain name has been registered. Domain names are not for everyone, but for those health care reform organizations who are confident that the Internet is (or will be) a key long-term tool in their work, we believe it makes sense now to register a domain. Even if you don't use it for a year, the name will be yours to use when you're ready.
For more information
- Network Solutions' Registration Services
- http://www.networksolutions.com/
� U. S. Health Care Reform. All
Rights Reserved.
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