names that seemed to infringe on a copyright. However, a claim that any one particular company is entitled to a domain name that uses only generic initials seems a little farfetched to me.The whole point here is that the supply of com', org and net domain names is quickly dwindling. One option is to not use any of these domain name extensions. How is this possible?
Virtually every country outside the United States has been assigned a unique extension to indicate a domain name from that particular country. For example, British domain names end in uk. You don't have to live in another country to register a domain name there. In fact, there are online outfits that'll handle the whole thing for you.
Register.com is probably the biggest player in this market. In addition to the usual US. domain names, Register.corn can register over 20 other domain name types. One of the most noteworthy is the .me extension, which was intended for domain names in the country of Moldova. Apparently due to the fact that this makes an ideal domain name for a medical practice, annual registration fees for one of these names is a high $299 per year.
If you're looking for something new, you might want to consider registering a domain name with NU Domain Ltd. ( http://www.nunames.nu ). This US. company is the exclusive registrar for domain names ending in nu. You can probably think of some neat stuff to do with an "NU" domain name, and at $60 for two years, these domain names represent a little better deal than Network Solutions, too.
No matter what domain name you register, registration doesn't automatically make your new domain name usable; it simply gives you the right to use it. You still need an Internet provider to host the do- main name. By hosting your domain name, your Internet provider, makes. sure that you get the e-mail sent to you using your domain name, and that when people type your domain name into their Web browsers, they really reach your Web site.
This brings up a couple of important issues. First of all, most Internet providers don't host your domain name for free; there's usually a monthly charge involved. That means if you plan to actually start using your domain name, you have to figure this into the total cost. If all you're looking for is a clever e-mail address, it may not be worth the money.
Second, every Internet provider in the country is set up to handle .com, .org and net domain names. However, I can't guarantee you that the same can be said for all of these other oddball domain names. If you have an Internet provider and you're thinking of registering, say, ra.gs for your clothing resale Web site (.gs being the domain name extension for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands), you'd better make sure your Internet provider can host it for you.
Today you have more domain name options than ever before. But just as with anything else, more options mean more decisions, and more decisions mean more opportunities to screw things up. If you want to play it safe, visit Network Solutions and register a good, oldfashioned domain name If you want to be a little creative and adventurous, go ahead and register some other type of domain name. Just make sure you have all your technological ducks lined up so you can actually use your ingenious creation.
Kim Komando is a nationally syndicated talk radio host, computer editor of Popular Mechanics and author. Visit Kim on the Internet at www.komando.com or send e-mail to, can listen to Kim Sundays, noon to 2 p.m. on 910 KFYI-AM.