<\/p>\n

I.  Domain Names Defined<\/strong><\/p>\n

    1.  What is a domain name?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         A<\/strong> domain name is an easily remembered replacement for the actual I.P. (Internet Protocol) address where your website data is stored. For instance, let us just say that the data for your website is located on a web server with I.P. address 70.250.150.177. Now just think how inefficient and messy it would be if people had to remember and type this series of numbers into a web browser just to find you!<\/p>\n

         T<\/strong>hankfully, the domain name replaces the awkward, hard to remember and mysterious 70.250.150.177 I.P. address with something that is user friendly and easy to remember such as www.ImpactSocialMedia.NET.<\/p>\n

         T<\/strong>here are many good reasons why we use domain names instead of I.P. numbers. This technique makes it easier for people to remember. It also helps search engines since the domain name can contain keywords and phrases that are relevant to the content of the website. Last but not least, it serves as a memorable and recognizable label for branding, putting a face, name, theme or purpose to your website data.<\/p>\n

    2.  How are domain names acquired?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         A<\/strong>lmost always, domain names are purchased. It is also a possibility that a domain name could be transferred to you at no charge or alternately you may receive a domain name as an inclusion with other purchased services.<\/p>\n

         D<\/strong>omain names can be purchased directly from a variety of suppliers and you also have the option of having a person or entity purchase one on your behalf. You can also purchase a domain name from an investor or owner and it is possible that the negotiated price could range from cheap to extravagant. The pros and cons of the different purchase options will be discussed in more detail later on.<\/p>\n

         L<\/strong>astly, domain names can be acquired via theft! Yes that\u2019s right, it is possible for someone to steal a domain and it has in fact really happened. By no means are we suggesting that anyone should steal a domain but we do want to make you aware of this fact. This will be discussed a bit later when we talk about setting up a domain name with the \u201clocking\u201d feature turned on.<\/p>\n

    3.  How do domain names work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

         S<\/strong>ince the domain name is the unique identifier for a particular website, it is a key component in the handling of incoming data requests and\/or the proper routing of internet traffic.<\/p>\n

         H<\/strong>umor me briefly and put on your imagination cap and imagine a very young girl is riding in the mini-van with her mom. The young girl then says to her mom, \u201cHEY Mommy, I wanna go to Paw Paw\u2019s house!\u201d Of course the young girl does not know that Paw Paw\u2019s house is at 3737 Fake Street, Raytown, Missouri 64133, she only knows that it is her desired destination.<\/p>\n

         A<\/strong>t this time Mommy complies with the request, engages her memory cells and steers the mini-van in the direction of Paw Paw\u2019s house where they safely arrive in the driveway in just a few minutes time. As they pull into the driveway the young girl exclaims, \u201cYIPPEE Mommy we\u2019re at Paw Paw\u2019s house!\u201d<\/p>\n

         I<\/strong>n this analogy, Mommy is the DNS (Domain Name Server), the young girl is the person surfing the web with an internet browser, Paw Paw\u2019s House is the domain name and lastly, 3737 Fake Street, Raytown, Missouri 64133 is the I.P. address of the website data. Are you with me so far?<\/p>\n

         D<\/strong>NS\u2019s have the job of knowing the I.P. location of your website data and they also associate and connect your domain name to that data and location. Thusly, when a person types your domain name into a browser window the DNS\u2019s route them with the correct path until they reach your website.<\/p>\n

         F<\/strong>or everything described above to work properly a few things will need to be done. When the domain name is purchased, several things need to be setup and one of those things is the entering of the proper DNS settings for your website. This information is then propagated out so that no matter where someone is located they can quickly navigate to your domain name. We will discuss in more detail the setting up of a domain name and DNS settings in just a few.<\/p>\n

    4.  The types of domain names<\/strong><\/p>\n

         D<\/strong>omain names can be divided into their respective parts. The top most part or first level is called the TLD or Top Level Domain. This would be the portion such as .NET, .ORG, .COM etc., etc.<\/p>\n

         T<\/strong>he second part or level is the part that immediately precedes the TLD. In the example ImpactSocialMedia.NET, \u201c.NET\u201d is the Top Level Domain and \u201cImpactSocialMedia\u201d is the Second Level Domain.<\/p>\n

         A<\/strong>n additional part or level can exist as a Third Level Domain and this level is also often called a \u201cSub-Domain.\u201d In the example ImpactHelp.ImpactSocialMedia.NET, \u201c.NET\u201d is the Top Level Domain, \u201cImpactSocialMedia\u201d is the Second Level Domain and \u201cImpactHelp\u201d is the Sub-Domain. Sub-Domains are not limited at the third level and can be extended too many levels as needed such as fourth, fifth, sixth etc., etc.<\/p>\n

         Note: <\/strong>Keep in mind that each domain level is separated by a period.<\/p>\n

         T<\/strong>he ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is in charge of the Top Level Domains and it can allow outside entities to manage the sale and registering of domain names.<\/p>\n

         T<\/strong>here are many types of Top Level Domains at the moment and as time moves forward more and more of them will be introduced. Since there are hundreds of TLD\u2019s we will not make mention of every last one but instead will focus on those that are most common in the U.S.A. at this time.<\/p>\n

         Top Level Domains in Alphabetical Order<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

TLD<\/th>\n	Focus<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
.BIZ<\/td>\n	Business<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.COM<\/td>\n	Commercial<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.EDU<\/td>\n	Educational<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.GOV<\/td>\n	Governmental<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.INFO<\/td>\n	Informational<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.MIL<\/td>\n	U.S. Military<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.MOBI<\/td>\n	Mobile Devices<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.NET<\/td>\n	Networks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.ORG<\/td>\n	Organizations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.PW<\/td>\n	Professional Web<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.TV<\/td>\n	Television<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.US<\/td>\n	United States<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.XXX<\/td>\n	Adult Sexually Explicit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
* Page Rank by Alexa<\/a> *<\/td>\n	<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n  <\/p>\n          T<\/strong>he next domain level to discuss is the Second Level Domain. The different name possibilities for Second Level Domains are nearly limitless and it is based on the choice of the purchaser. The name choice for the Second Level Domain is limited to a total of 64 characters and this includes the 4 or 5 characters contained in the period and TLD.<\/p>\n          I<\/strong>n other words the TLD .NET takes away four characters from the 64 character limit and .INFO takes away five. The only other limitation is that the name can only contain a combination of letters, numbers and hyphens.<\/p>\n          N<\/strong>o other character types are allowed and no spaces are allowed either. When entering a domain name into a browser it does not matter whether you use upper case or lower case letters, you will still be directed to the same domain name.<\/p>\n          T<\/strong>his means you can use upper case or camel case letters when displaying your domain name and the link will still work. This can be helpful to display a domain name for maximum impact on advertising or other Medias.<\/p>\n          A<\/strong>n example would be that you could display the domain name impactsocialmedia.net as ImpactSocialMedia.NET or ImpactSOCIALmediA.net and it will work just fine if clicked or typed in a browser.<\/p>\n     5.  How long do domain names last?<\/strong><\/p>\n          W<\/strong>hen purchasing a domain name the minimum time it will last is one year. Many of the domain name sellers allow longer purchases that can range from two to as many as ten or more years.<\/p>\n          I<\/strong>f a domain name is allowed to expire for whatever reason there is no guarantee that you can rebuy it. This means that due to an oversight you could permanently forfeit a domain name so beware of this potential hazard.<\/p>\n     6.  Setting up domain names and DNS<\/strong><\/p>\n          U<\/strong>pon purchasing a domain name there are a variety of steps that must be taken and we are going to cover those now. Upon purchase, you should have a login ID and password that will allow you secure access to manage your domain name(s).<\/p>\n          T<\/strong>he first step will be to record all of the contact details for the domain name. This is a critical step as this will make a legal record of who the owner is and how to contact them. It will also allow for the recording of other points of contact for the Administrative, Technical and Billing. Be sure to include your properly spelled full name, full address, email, company name if applicable and your telephone number.<\/p>\n