The (Domain) Name Game

Today there is another name game going on — the Domain Name Game. It works like this: when you use a domain name checker to find a domain name relevant to your company, your computer rolls on the floor in laughter.

Sometimes, the checkers go so far as suggesting alternatives. Recently, while trying to find out if my company's name (CCI) was available, I got the following message:

That name is already registered. Here are some other options for you:

staphylococci
streptococci

Just what I need: a domain name identifying my Web design company as a bacteria. That ought to be a sales booster.

The fact is that when clients want a Web site built, they frequently need a domain name. Finding one suitable for their company sometimes becomes the most difficult part of the entire deal. That becomes particularly more difficult if the company has a common name.

Some Definitions

The first step in playing the Domain Game is understanding some of the terms and acronyms associated with it.

• Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI): The company chosen in the 1980s by the Department of Commerce to be in charge of all DNS assignments. NSI was purchased by, and now operates under the name of, VeriSign.
• DNS: Domain Name System.
• ICANN: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a non-profit started in 1998 to create more TLDs and registrars.
• TLDs: Top-level domains, such as .com, .net, and .org.

Some Background

The domain name system began in 1983. The U.S. government awarded a contract to Network Solutions to manage the Web's address system — the .com, .net, and .org addresses.

That meant that only NSI controlled the system, which enables sites to be found by an easy-to-remember name rather than the server's difficult-to-remember multi-digit numerical address.

Some people referred to the deal as monopolistic, and they were correct. Without competition, Network Solutions made millions registering domain names. From that first domain issued in 1985, the number of domains has grown to about 12 million today. That profitability resulted in VeriSign purchasing NSI in 2000 for $16.8 billion in cash and stock.

Prior to that purchase, the lack of competition continued until the U.S. Department of Commerce established an agreement in November 1998 with a non-profit corporation called ICANN to move the registration and control into the private sector.

ICANN has since accredited several new registrars, giving VeriSign competition and cutting its control of the market from 100 percent to below 50 percent. As a result of this competition, there are now lower prices, more TLDs, and a place to go if service from one of the companies is less than desirable.

Thus today we have more options for TLDs, among them three new ones: .info; .biz; and .name. The entire list includes:

• .com for commercial interests
• .net for network service providers
• .org for non-profit organizations
• .edu for educational interests
• .gov for government institutions
• .mil for military installations
• .info for unrestricted use
• .biz for businesses
• .name for individuals
• About 250 two-letter designations for individual countries/regions of the world.

Others in the works, but not yet finalized, are: .aero (for the air transport industry); .coop (for cooperatives); .museum (for museums); and .pro (for accountants, lawyers, and physicians). I would guess that the .pro designation was chosen because .hand-over-your- money was too long.

Presumably in years to come, there will be even more TLDs created that are applicable to even more industries. In fact, it is difficult to understand why such steps would not be taken as soon as possible to help the Internet community.

Another problem is that in the past the rules of domain naming have frequently been ignored for no apparent reason. Companies were able to get domain names that really were not applicable according to the definitions of the domains listed above. That may change one of these days, or at least it would be helpful if it did.

So all of that should make it much easier to get a domain to match your company, right? Yeah, you wish!

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