The domain name business is crazier than ever, or if you're in it, better than ever. But nothing drives me crazy as much as inconsistency or deception. Get ready. :)
The Search
Better-Whois.com wants you to do your domain name search there. Why? As that link tells you, it's because now that we have multiple registrars, each guy keeps his own database and doesn't show other names. Really? I do most of my searches still on the Network Solutions site. They show me every name out there, and even tell me, in most cases, which registrar has the name if not them. Boo on you, Better-Whois.com.
TLDs
There is a TLD that's your best pal and you don't even know it. :) A TLD, or "top-level domain" is the com in .com. We have generic TLDs (gTLDs) and international ones, like .uk or .au. So the second level domain is, in many cases, what you are registering. That's the word or characters that comes before the TLD. Some countries have second-levels you have to use, like .co or .com, .org, .ac, and the like to designate what kind of name it is (supposed to be). So the smallest you can get for a company in the UK is yourname.co.uk.
We've been hearing for years that new gTLDs, like .web, .shop, or .firm, are coming out. We know that the people in charge, ICANN, are working on something because they are assigning new international ones; .ps was recently assigned for Palestine. Meanwhile, I can't even begin to guess when any new names that really work on the internet will be out there. Some people are selling them anyway, so look out.
"Missed out on the .com race?"
WorldSite is the group selling the .ws TLD. Depending on how long your name is, registration fees range from $35US to $500US per name. Originally meant for Western Samoa, WorldSite is selling .ws names not as an OK alternative, but as the bloody second coming. Their site, seen in this screen shot, says that a .ws name is actually "better" than .com. Really? Then how come we don't see toyota.ws on their commercials? The problem here is that .ws has no branding of its own. "dot com" means something to most people; in fact many don't even know there is anything else out there. .ws doesn't mean anything to the general public, at least not yet, which means while .ws doesn't stand out of a crowd, it may confuse your target audience more than anything. I bet a lot of people type in yourname.ws.com since they think everything has to end in .com. :)
