# 4 - Registering Your Own Domain on the World Wide Web

Registering Your Own Domain on the World Wide Web

By Chris Maher

If you are contemplating selling your work online, you should definitely get a domain name of your own. As of July 2001, Netnames reported more that 36 million domain names have been registered, and if you wait, someone else may get that great name you thought up. I know, it happened to me.

When I was first putting stuff up on the web I thought up the name ArtOnTheWeb.com, but I waited 2 months to register it, and found someone beat me to it by a week.

To check and see what names are still available you can click here. Just enter the names you are interested in and see if anyone has taken them yet. Once you've found a good name, go ahead and register it. If you checked the name through the link on this page, we will help you register the name. (For tips on choosing a great domain name, click here)

The registrar we use is eNom. They are the world's 6th largest ICANN Accredited Domain Registrar with over 750,000 domains registered. In addition to lower prices than their larger competitors, they also offer world class customer service. I highly recommend them.

One point to remember. Trademark law has been applied by the courts to settle domain name disputes. If the name you choose is later found to be someone else's registered trademark, they can take it away from you. For a good overview of legal and marketing perspectives relating to domain names, read The Top Ten Cyber-Commandments of Web Site Domain Names. Then check the Patent and Trademark Office's article BASIC FACTS ABOUT REGISTERING A TRADEMARK to learn how to trademark your name and protect yourself from future infringement.

There are now many different top level domains you can buy. Domains ending in .com, .org, .net, .cc, are available. I still think that your first choice should be a domain name ending in ".com" This is by far the most popular "top level domain" to register a commercial site in. Indeed, to use anything else at this point may introduce an element of confusion.

I recommend you get your domain name registered as soon as possible, even if you don't plan to open your own web site for sometime. Or someone else may be known by your name on the World Wide Web.

This page last updated: 09/02/04

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