Domain name

For the biological concept see Taxonomic unit.

A domain name is essentially a signpost on the Internet. Every website you've ever been to, and every email you've ever composed, has used a domain name in its address. Once a domain name is registered to a person or company, it is that person's to use exclusively as long as they continue to pay the yearly renewal fee.

What's the difference between .com, .net, .org domain names?

Originally, the three letter extensions after the dot (or Top Level Domain/TLD) were meant to denote whether the domain name was being used for business (.com) charity/non-profit (.org) or for a technology based company (.net). However, with the explosion of the Internet (and specifically, the world wide web) as a new business medium, the lines were blurred, and companies and individuals alike started cross-registering domains (ie. Me.com, me.net, me.org) just to protect their interests. Now, .com, .net, and .org names (the generic Top Level Domains) can be used for any purpose.

When registering a domain name, why do I have to fill in my personal contact information?

ICANN is the international governing body for all domain names. ICANN requires every registrar to maintain a publicly accessible WHOIS directory displaying all contact information for all domain names registered. Therefore you are required to fill in your real contact information when registering a domain name. We will also use your email address as the primary contact information for important matters like renewing of the domain name. If you would like to protect your privacy and do not wish to disclose your personal contact information, you can consider using “Private Domain” service.