What is a domain name?
A domain name is used to make the network addresses of computers easier to remember. If you have a web server that provides web pages
to your customers, it will have an address that looks something like 192.168.243.54. Addresses like this are hard to remember, so
domain names are used to make them easier to access. A "domain name" is very much like a listing in a telephone directory. It shows
a connection between a name and a number. Domain names are stored in central databases to make them easily accessible worldwide.
When you "have your own domain", you have actually paid to have a listing in a domain database. These listings are not permanent,
and the maintainers of the databases collect money in return for maintaining the listings. A customer pays an annual charge to a
domain registrar, and can associate a domain name with the current location of a particular computer.
Where do I get my domain?
You will have to find a registrar or domain reseller in order to acquire a domain name for yourself. Historically,
most of the common domains were originally available from Network Solutions, at a price of $35 US per year, with a
two year minimum purchase. Over time, other registrars have entered the market, and their pricing and features
have made it much more worthwhile to shop around. As of 2005, a smart shopper can find a domain for between $7 and $10 US
per year. Some specialty domains have much higher annual pricing, while others, such as .info have had very low (or
even free) pricing in order to attract customers.
How do I find the right registrar?
You can't answer this question until you've figured out exactly what type of domain you'd like to have. There are many
different flavors of domains, including .com, .net, .org, and many others. These different domain types are known as
top-level domains or TLDs. You have to pick a TLD before you can purchase your domain.
Choosing a TLD
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