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Do you need a website or web pages ? Three years
back, a straight answer could have been difficult, but not today.
It is unequivocal 'Yes' for most businesses, specially those who
are seriously considering e-commerce.
Owning a website is considerably easier and cheaper
today than it was even a few years back. It is also quite cost effective
to have a website-catalog than printed one. In this article we discuss
the first step in marking your presence in the Internet - your own
domain name.
What is domain name ?
A domain is a unique identity on the Net - something
like brand name or trademark. However, what makes it different from
trademark or brand name is that the domain name is also your address
in the Net. Every registered domain name has a unique number associated
with it called IP (Internet Protocol) Number, using which a computer
can locate your website from million others. For example, 'infobanc.com'
is a domain name and its corresponding IP number is 203.54.15.1
While we humans find it difficult to remember long numbers, computers
can communicate only through numbers. So the dual use of domain
name and number make the identification process simpler for both
human and computer.
How does the Identification Process Work ?
You enter an Internet address or URL (Universal Resource
Locator) http://www.infobanc.com Now - http stands for Hyper Text
Transfer Protocol. This is the protocol, or set of instructions,
the browser is to use to handle what's coming up. What's coming
will be hypertext, thus the need for hypertext transfer protocol.
That makes sense. "://" is some leftover UNIX command which means
"everything that follows should be handled this way." Put the two
together and you can see that the beginning is saying "The following
address is to be handled using hypertext transfer protocol." "www.infobanc.com"
is the actual address. In Internet lingo it's the URL (Universal
Resource Locator).
Now what does the computer do to identify that part
of Internet known as 'infobanc.com' ? Somewhere between you and
the site you want to find is something called a DNS server. That
stands for a Domain Name Server. It has a really, really long list
of domain names and the corresponding IP numbers. Usually, the ISP
that you have your page on, has its own DNS server. If not, they
are attached to one close by. The DNS server reads the text you
put in, changing that text into the corresponding IP number, then
sends the request off and into cyberspace. Have you ever put in
an address and received a message back that the server you requested
didn't have a DNS entry? Well, now you know what that means. The
DNS server can't find a number that lines up with the text you entered.
Who Allots these Numbers ?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) is a technical coordination body for the Internet. Created
in October 1998 by a broad coalition of the Internet's business,
technical, academic, and user communities, ICANN coordinates the
assignment of domain name and corresponding IP numbers.
How do I Register a Domain name ?
First of all, you need to find out whether the domain
name you want for your business is available. whois database, available
with every domain registrar, helps you find the domain names available
for your business.
Once you decide the domain name, visit any of ICANN
accredited Registrars. The worldwide list of ICANN accredited Rregistrars
is available at http://www.icann.org/registrars/accreditation-qualified-list.html
The fee varies from USD 10 to 35 per year, depending
upon the registrar you select. If you wish to pay in Indian Rupee,
select an Indian Registrar. The Domain Name Buyer's Guide at http://www.domainnamebuyersguide.com
performs the service of ranking these registrars on the basis of
price and the terms of their contracts. The site also includes Consumer
Alerts about particular issues of concern to those choosing a registrar.
Key Points to Remember While Registering a Domain
Name
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There are several top level domain (TLD) names
like .com .net .org .biz .name etc. However, the most desirable
and sought after are the .com domain names. If you are unable
to get a satisfactory .com domain name - try .biz (business)
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An interesting feature of web-based business is
that, for the most part your address is your name. So, if your
company is 'Durga Exports', prefer domain name durgaexports.com
or durga-exports.com
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Though long domain names are acceptable now, select
a name not longer than 8 characters. If its long, break it up
with '-' (e.g. glass-beads) or a number 'ties4family'
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Always make sure that you and only you are the
'owner' of the domain name. Each domain name has multiple contacts
associated with it - make sure that you are the 'Administrative
Contact' and 'Billing Contact'. Your consultant or ISP could
be the 'Technical Contact' but certainly not 'Administrative
Contact' or 'Billing Contact'.
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If you wish to change your Registrar, you can
always do so.
Related Links:
Source: FAIDA
- Newsletter on Business Opportunties from India and Abroad
Vol II, Issue 17; September 26' 2001
Author :
Dr. Amit K. Chatterjee
(Amit worked in blue-chip Indian and MNCs for 15 years in various
capacities like Research and Information Analysis, Market Development,
MIS, R&D Information Systems etc. before starting his e-commerce
venture in 1997. The views expressed in this columns are of
his own. He may be reached at amit@infobanc.com
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