Do I need a domain name?

So what if you've got a hobby site on a free host, and have a long name? Typos by potential visitors are likely. It's also going to be difficult to tell people verbally how to get to your web site.

You can get round this with a "shortcut" or "redirect" name. For example the Pram Club site that I run for my church is on Tripod UK, who doesn't allow domain names on their free package. The site name is http://members.tripod.co.uk/ghbc_pramclub - imagine reeling that lot off over the phone (especially that underscore!).

To avoid the problem, I've got a short cut name, http://come.to/pramclub which redirects browsers to the real address and is easier for me to say and for visitors to type. Some providers of redirect names are: http://www.v3.com/ http://tinyurl.com/ http://www.zeroweb.org http://www.shorturl.com/

For more information on how domain names work (in plain English!), visit InterNIC at http://www.internic.net/faqs/authoritati...

You can also get information at http://www.icann.org/faq/#howregister - the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, who manage the domain name system.

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