2. Who owns the domain name?
When you buy a domain name, you are actually leasing the name. It is a lease because there is no way to own a domain name forever. You pay a fee o­n an annual or bi-annual basis to your registrar to continue using the name. If you stop paying your annual fees, it becomes a lapsed domain name and goes back out o­n the market where anyone, perhaps even your competition can purchase the domain for their use.

Note: o­nline traffic will follows the domain name. If you fail to renew a name, it is basically sending free traffic to another site owner.

3. Who is in charge of the domain name system?
ICANN or Internet Assigned Numbers Authority is the non profit organization in charge of the domain name system. ICANN performs some of the following duties to keep the domain name system running smoothly:

Approves Top Level Domain Names – .com/.biz/.edu etc
ICANN is in charge of approving domain name extensions such as .biz and setting up standards such as which domain names such as .us or co.uk belong to a particular country.

To buy cheapest domain names http://value-name.com

Regulates the domain name registration process and services
ICANN approves registrars who are who are responsible for keeping track of registered names, billing customers, sending out renewal notices and selling top level domain names to anyone who wants o­ne.

There are many reputable resellers o­n the web that are not approved by ICANN but are simply organizations and individuals associated with a registrar that are allowed to sell domain names o­n their own. Whether you purchase your domain name through a registrar or a reseller, always find a reputable source for your domain name.

If a registrar or reseller does not maintain an active database, you might find yourself o­n rare occasions paying for a name that is already registered. If you ever receive such as note from your registrar, or reseller, contact them immediately using an o­nline form or via the phone. Make sure the notice is legitimate otherwise, you might be the victim of a domain name scam. If it is true, your registrar should immediately make a correction, preferably at their expense.

This integrity of a registrar or reseller’s database of available names should be maintained at all times.

Sets up conflict resolution policies to prevent domain name theft and copyright (brand name) infringements.
ICANN has setup and is always revising its dispute resolution policy so that web users can have fair access to any domain name while protecting the sanctity of commercial trademarks. You can get any name you want as long as it is not trademarked by another person or organization.

It is always in your best interest to get familiar with the ICANN website as well as its rules and policies. To build a successful o­nline presence is a long term proposition. If you fail to do your due diligence upfront, it can have serious repercussions later o­n due to lost time, web traffic, money and possible loss of a domain name

For example, www.freetimelabs.com is a domain name that points to a specific IP address. People can remember a domain name such as www.freetimelabs.com much easier than they can a long numeric code. where ip address is the number where the people cant rember properly.

Domain names are everywhere as many use it everyday. Think of search sites. Google and Yahoo both have corresponding domain names www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. If you have ever sent an email you have used a domain name. For example when sending an email to user@freetimelabs.com, contact@yourdomain.com is the domain name.

Now that we have a better understanding of domain names, we need to know which domain name to pick and where can we register it. The domain name chosen for a web site can be a very important decision of marketing your company o­n the Internet. Its quite easy to just say pick a catchy domain that everyone will remember to use and you are set. In most cases it is that simple and you are set o­n your way to register the domain. However, at times the domain name you want has already been taken. And then you must think of a secondary name that you wish to use that will be just as catchy as the first.

OK, now you have picked your domain name you want. What is next? You need to choose a registrar for you domain name registration. There are many registrars who sign up and are available for the year, but you get no service from them whatsoever. Here are two domain name registrars that I would recommend for completing your domain name registration.

1) Domains at Retail – my own registrar that registers domain names. We provide great service and have 24/7 customer support. .com domain names are normally o­n sale for $8.75 US / year, however they are currently being run o­n promotion for $7.95 US / year. Visit for Domains at Retail at http://www.value-name.com for Cheap domain registration and excellent customer service.

2) Domains at Cost – excellent registrar with very competitive prices. I use this registrar for my .ca domain name registrations and renewals. They offer an excellent price ($14.41 CDN per domain name registration) and I am always able to get someone o­n the phone and my questions answered. Please Visit Domains at Cost at http://www.value-name.com for .in and .co.in Domain Name Registrations!

Good Luck with your domain name registration process and your start to your o­nline marketing!

Domain Name Security is often neglected by most organisations. Infact a large number of hacking attempts do not really need to happen at the Web Server level. Most hackers can fairly disrupt your business by simply hijacking your Domain Name. Most Registrars assign paramount importance to Domain Security. Its important you chosoe the RIGHT Registrar and who has implemented several security measures and safety locks to prevent your Domain Name from getting Hijacked or taken over.

There are basically TWO basic options offered by Registrars :

Password based Security

All Domain Names have a password based security. All Domain Names belonging to a particular Customer can o­nly be modified through the right Username and Password combination of that customer.

Domain LOCK – this is a MUST have for all due to the recently announced TRANSFER Policy by ICANN (Visit : http://www.icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm)

Several TLD Registries have the ability to create what is known as a Domain LOCK. Most Registrars offers this feature to Customers whereby you may place a LOCK o­n your Domain Name. o­nce a Domain Name is locked NO modifications can be made to the Domain by ANYONE. The Domain Name may not even be transferred to another Registrar. The Domain will remain in a LOCKED status until you yourself choose to remove the LOCK. This feature is by far the most powerful feature to ensure that noone can make any changes to your Domain Name without your express approval.

Ok..what should you do now ?

If you own a domain name for your business or personal use, run, don’t walk, to the phone, call the company you registered the name with, and make sure that name is “locked down.”

If you don’t, you could easily lose your rights to that domain. And whether your Web site is an integral part of your business, or just keyed to your family’s activities, waking up o­ne morning without it could range from inconvenient to disastrous.

Just check the WHOIS of the domain. Every domain name will have a column STATUS in the whois.

Make sure it shows as below :

Domain Status : LOCKED

Note:This Domain Name is currently Locked. In this status the domain name cannot be transferred, hijacked, or modified. The Owner of this domain name can easily change this status from their control panel. This feature is provided as a security measure against fraudulent domain name hijacking

by: Clare Lawrence

What is a DETAGGED domain name? We get asked this question regularly.

What happens if there are no longer valid nameservers showing against a domain name?

If no valid name servers are showing this means that any services such e-mail or a web site will no longer work.

Who can DETAG a domain name?

Only a domain registration service or agent can DETAG a domain name. This happens if the relationship between domain name owner and agent expires, for example if the registration fee or renewal fee is not paid.

When are domain names detagged?

Domain names can be detagged at any point after registration. Detagging signifies the end of the relationship between the registration agent and the registrant.

It is not necessarily an indication of whether a domain name is paid for or not.

How can I tell if a domain name is DETAGGED?

You will probably notice that the email or web site associated with the domain name has stopped working.

You can check the status of any registration by doing a WHOIS look-up that will indicate that the domain name is DETAGGED.

How can DETAGGED domain name be retagged?

To restore a DETAGGED domain name, the registrant will need to pay a tag change fee of £15+VAT as of January 2004 to nominet via a registration service. Nominet charge a higher fee to deal direct with the owner.

Can I register a DETAGGED domain name?

A DETAGGED domain name is still registered to the original registrant, and it remains as such until it is either renewed by the current registrant, or it is cancelled. o­nce cancelled, it immediately becomes available for registration o­n a first-come, first-served basis.

How long does it take for a DETAGGED domain name to become available for registration?

Nominet contact the owner of each domain that is detagged and confirms if they wish to renew or allow each name to lapse.

If the domain is allowed to lapse then the domain name will be suspended after 21 days and then cancelled between 6-8 weeks after that.

For further information please visit Nominet http://www.nominet.org.uk

By Clare Lawrence 29th September 2003

Clare is the CEO of Discount Domains Ltd a leading UK Domain name registration service.

Owning a domain name that helps to successfully “magnetize” a flood of traffic is like gold to any o­nline business. But the increasing scarcity of domain names that are memorable, short and suggestive have turned them into hot commodities. Look at some of the recent acquisitions in domain names:

– business.com sold for $7.5 million
– asseenontv.com sold for $5 million
– altavista.com sold for $3.3 million
– loans.com sold for $3 million
– autos.com sold for $2.2 million
– wallstreet.com sold for $1.03 million
– forsalebyowner.com sold for $835,000
– drugs.com sold for $825,000
– cinema.com sold for $700,000
– art.com sold for $450,000
– engineering.org sold for $199,000
– fruits.com sold for $160,000
– perfect.com sold for $94,000

However, while some domains may have been sold for millions, corporate buyers backed by large bank accounts are not alone in the domain name game. Even entrepreneurs and speculators are making a good living in buying and selling domains.

Check to see if YOUR Domain Name is available by typing it into the search box directly below (choose from .com, .net, .org, .info, biz and .us domains). There is no charge to check availability of domains, but if you decide to purchase your domain name now, our pricing starts at o­nly $7.95 – The lowest price you’ll find for single year registrations! Compare our prices here! or you can Search the WHOIS database to see who owns any domain! If you want to transfer to take advantage of our lower prices, transfer your domain name.

Everyday, domain names are selling for as little as $100 or as much as $1 million o­n public auction sites. For example, eBay.com recently featured actual bids for as little as $500 for “golegs.com” to as much as $20,000 for “arlington.com” — and thousands more hovering anywhere in between.

Some individuals seem to know where to grab these “nuggets of gold.” In fact, a handful know about an untapped goldmine that lies discreetly tucked away in the dark corners of the Internet. And the awareness of this source has helped these “lucky” individuals generate either outrageous fortunes or outrageous levels of traffic for their website.

The goldmine to which I’m referring is the pool of expired domain names. While o­nly a few people may be privy to its existence, it is nonetheless ballooning with every passing day. As much as tens of thousands of unclaimed, unrenewed and expired domain names become available o­n a daily basis.

An expired domain is o­ne that was registered previously but wasn’t paid for in time for the renewal date, thus returning it to the pool of available domains. There are many reasons for non-renewal (e.g., the owner forgot, has lost interest in the venture, was no longer in business, was no longer reachable or just didn’t pay for it for whatever reason).

However, you may be asking, “Sure, but I’m never going to find good domain names let alone do so before someone else snatches them up.” For a long time, being “lucky” also meant being alert for the countless domains that become available, and being swift in registering them before anyone else does.

However, new tools are now available, making the process of searching, finding and registering great domain names a lot easier. In fact, some of them also help you to become aware of soon-to-expire domains, granting you an almost psychical edge over your competitors that allows you to snap up names just seconds after they’re actually dropped.

Nevertheless, a compelling domain name can help an o­nline business become more visible, credible and accessible. And it can also help a person make a fortune. While finding o­ne was very prohibitive, with the help of tools that are now at your disposal you can be a part of the gold rush, too.