What’s a Domain Name?

If you understand concepts of domain naming, you will be better able to search for the type of information you need, learn how to read an email message for its country code, and figure out if the person sending the email message is from a commercial, educational, military, or non-profit organization. You will also understand the importance of registering a domain name before it is taken by someone else.

Your email address consists of at least 2 parts: "username" and "domain name". My email address is chow@k12science.stevens-tech.edu. Chow is my username and k12science.stevens-tech.edu is my full domain name.

There are six top level domain names with each one indicating a certain type of organization or activity. You will see these domain names used within internet addressing.

6 Top Level Domain Names

.edu (educational institutions and facilities)
.com (commercial and business – most widely used)
.gov (U.S. government agencies)
.mil (military sites)
.org (non profit organization)
.net (large internet service provider)

Sometimes Domain Names also have subdomains to help further define the title. Example: info.k12science.stevens-tech.edu.

Each country has its own International Country Code

Sample:
.jp Japan
.mx Mexico
.ie Ireland

Limited Supply

Domain Names are limited. Like a phone number, only one person can register for it and once it’s taken you will have to choose another. Since requests for domain names are higher than ever before, the sooner your register your first choice, the more likely you will get it. There are places on the web where you can check to see if the domain name you want is already taken. One utility is called "whois".

Registration

There are many companies now that will help you register your domain name with the InterNIC. You will need to pay a registration fee and then annual fee.

Future Domain Names

The number of names available to specify Internet locations, such as web sites and email addresses, will increase and more firms will be allowed to act as registrars for the names, under a plan announced today by the International Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC).

Internet users will have 7 New Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), in addition to the existing ones under which they may register Internet names, when the plan is implemented. The new gTLDs and the intended fields are: