Domain Name Registration Questions

(URL) Uniform Resource Locator which is a line of text that uniquely specifies a resource such as a complete file. Each computer (called a server) that hosts a web site is assigned it's own unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. A string of numbers and dots. You could type in the string of numbers and dots, but entering and remembering the name is a lot easier. Let the DNS which has special software do the work.

COMMON DOMAIN TERMINOLOGY:

• What is a Domain Name?
• What is a URL?
• What is a TLD?
• What is a Domain Name extension?
• What is DNS?
• What is ICANN?

CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME:

• How long can a Domain Name be?
• What if the name I want is taken?
• What are some tips for choosing a Domain Name?

DOMAIN REGISTRATION PROCESS:

• Who should register a Domain Name?
• What does it mean to register a Domain Name?
• What about registering all three extensions? Should I?
• How long does a registration last? Can it be renewed?
• Where do I get information about the DNS?
• What method of payment can I use with Kristof Creative?
• Why do I have to pay in advance?
• I just registered a Domain Name but when I type it in my browser nothing came up?
• After Kristof Creative registers my Domain Name, then what?
• Are the names we get with Kristof Creative the same quality as interNIC?

DOMAIN OWNERSHIP:

• Can anyone register a top-level domain (.com .net .org .biz .info) worldwide?
• Can I sell my Domain Name?

PRIVACY:

• Will my name and contact information be publicly available?
• Why doesn't my Domain Name show up in whois?

Common Domain Registration Terminology

A Domain Name is the website address by which your product or service can be found on the Internet. (www.YourDomainName.com)

Similar to your home address, a Domain Name is the address that is assigned to you that allows someone to locate you on the World Wide Web. It is your permanent address that can follow you no matter where in the world you might move. This is a very powerful tool for individuals as well as businesses. It allows for email addresses such as (you@your-name.com), website addresses (such as this site) personal and business.

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a line of text that uniquely specifies a resource such as a complete file. Each computer (called a server) that hosts a web site is assigned it's own unique IP (Internet Protocol) address — a string of numbers and dots such as 25.14.144.25. You could type in the string of numbers and dots, but entering and remembering the name is a lot easier. Let the DNS which has special software do the work. A Top-Level Domain (TLD) name is the rightmost set of characters following the rightmost "dot" in the unique name by which a computer is known on the Internet.

View a complete list of Top Level Domains

For information on emerging top-level Domain Names and registrars, see The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

It is the (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, etc.) that follows the Domain Name that you have selected. It can indicate the kind of organization that is hosting the site .com/commercial, .net/network, .org/nonprofit, .biz/business, .info/informational. These are the most common top level extensions used by individuals and businesses today. More and more people are buying all five to protect their name from others taking advantage of their hard work. Anyone can register a Domain Name in any of the five extensions if they are available. Your Domain Name is a long set of numbers that would be very hard to remember so we use descriptive words (URL) and let the (DNS) Domain Name Server software translate the Domain Name into sets of numbers (IP address xxx.xx.xxx.xx) so that a browser can locate your site. Two servers a primary and a secondary DNS. Your Domain Name is considered parked at the servers you specify. When you register a Domain Name with Kristof Creative it is parked free for you until you are ready for it. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a non-profit organization. It is responsible for overseeing the management of Internet Domain Names.

The new long format allows for a minimum of 2 characters up to 63 characters plus the extension. Valid characters are (a-z) and (0-9) and the dash (-) as long as it is contained with in the other characters. It can not be a leading or trailing character. If you use capital letters they will be translated into lower case which is what the Domain Name system (DNS) recognizes.

Considering that over 50,000 Domain Names are registered every day, you may just find that the name you want is already taken. That is why it is so important to register your Domain Name today - even if you may not actually be ready to use it today. The best solution is to just retry another name until you find a name that is available. With Kristof Creative the search is FREE and you can search as often as you like.

Please refer to our page on "Tips to choosing a successful Domain Name" All businesses especially small businesses need to have a presents right now, not necessarily to gain market share but simply to survive and to be compatible in an environment that eventually will be the primary way that buyer and sellers communicate. This is also the way individuals will communicate. You should have Domain Names for both you and your business. More and more people are registering Domain Names for their family while there are still choices. If you are creative and look hard enough you will find a good name. Names are being registered at an incredible rate of over 50,000 a day, but the real rush is yet to come. Some projections are a 93% increase over the next three years.

Registering all the names within your budget that you think you might want in the future is not a bad idea. The cost is a lot lower than trying to buy them from someone else in the future. Besides, if you decide later that you don't want them, you can choose to not renew them and they will go back in the pool of available names. Some names go for big money, example: business.com/$7,500,000, AsSeenOnTV.com/$835,000 very few names sell at this high rate but their is a big market in reselling Domain Names.

When you register a Domain Name it is assigned/licensed to you and associated with a (DNS) computer on the Internet that you designate during the effective period of registration. It's a good idea if you're a business. At today's low prices domain registration is a minor cost compared to the marketing expense over the long term. Someone could cash in on your efforts. If someone else registers the names you could be in a legal fight with no guarantee of success. You know your attorney fees, registration fees in comparison is vary cheap insurance. We have businesses registering many variations of their name. Some businesses have registered as many as 250 Domain Names. Domain Names can be registered for up to ten years - and in some cases, even longer. The registration will expire at the end of the time period you have selected.

You should renew your registration about 30 days before the end of the current term. You will have up to the end of the current term to do so but early is better. You can renew at anytime prior to the end of the registration current term.

There are two DNS fields in the registration form which are optional. You may register a Domain Name without DNS information and Kristof Creative will park your domain for FREE on the servers that we use until you are ready to use it. This will typically occur when you find your web hosting company. Your new web host will supply you with the information needed for your new DNS location. All prices are in U.S. currency with transactions processed with a 100% secure connection via PayPal.

You do not need a PayPal account to pay for services. PayPal will also accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and eCheck payments without opening an account.

This prevents individuals from tying up Domain Names who do not intend to pay. With Kristof Creative low fees their is no need for credit. What if you wanted a name but someone had it tied up for say 30 days, should you find another name now or wait to see if the name is going to be taken or not? Your domain name is just that, a domain name. It is not a web site rather it is a name for your web site. When your web hosting company has your web site ready they will supply you with and address and we can point the domain name to the site. It may take a few days for the routing to point to your new host. There are many things that you can do with your Domain Name.

• Build a personal web site
• Use it for an email site (you@yourname.com)
• Build a corporate presence on the world wide web
• Re-direct it to another web site (URL forwarding)
• Resale your names for a profit
• Start their own online business
• Share photos with family and friends
• Post a daily diary or "blog"
• Display artwork
• Start a club or share their hobby
• Display and sell crafts
• Organize events
• Copyright creative ideas
• Publish their own writing
• Exchange recipes
• The list goes on and on!

All registrars write names to the same registry. Their is only one registry for each of the .com .net .org .biz .info domains. All registrars write to the same one, this includes interNIC. Since all registrars use the same protocol and software their is nothing a registrar can do in regards to the performance of a domain once it has been submitted. Registrars just hold the WHOIS information. If a registrar server should go down for some reason the only thing that could happen is that the Whois information would not be available for a while. With the automated system that Kristof Creative uses the submission is captured exactly as you entered it.

One major point of difference with the service provided by Kristof Creative other then other providers is that Kristof Creative provides an official Certificate of Registration with every Doamin Name.

Domain Name Ownership

Yes. The top-level Domain Names .com .net .org .biz .info Domain Names are available to anyone worldwide. Yes. You have complete control of your names and if you find a buyer you can sell it. Yes. The information that you provide on the registration form (except for your secure payment information) is publicly available on the Whois site. This information has been deemed necessary to facilitate the enforcement of consumer protection, trademark issues and other laws and technical problems and allows for rapid resolution of these problems.

If privacy is a concern, for a small additional fee, youe personal infomration may be selected to be kept confidential.

It usually takes about 48 hours for the registry to activate a new domain. This is referred to as propagation. The amount of time it takes to update the DNS. You should not be concerned about strange messages or no response for a few days. Not all WHOIS searches produce the same results. Just disregard any messages and try again later.