Thinking Of A .com

I have my .info domain until 2011. I was thinking of getting a .com.
Would it help out a bit? I dont really know about domains too much.
So its it worth having more than one domain for one site?

 

Personally, the only time I take a domain that is NOT a .com is when it's a name that I really really really want and the .com is taken.

If it's for a business (and forums are a business), if I think of a domain that the .com is available but the .net, .org, etc. are still available, I pass it up and go on to the next name.

The thing is, when people remember domains, or even if it's typed out in front of them, they will generally type .com

And if they ONLY remember the name and not the extension, they will type .com.

So I would highly suggest that you invest in a .com

If the name you currently have is available as a .com, get it.

 

Thanks for the information man. I will see if i can get it by next month.....

 

Please delete the domain you want from your post immediately.

I only say this for your own protection, especially if you can't purchase it right away!

Upon further review...I just looked that domain up and it seems to be taken.

Where are you searching domains?

 

Thanks, i just did....

 

Where are you searching for your domains?

 

LOL, i just type them into my browser.

 

That's not exactly accurate, lol.

Try sites for buying domains, like Browser Update Page, or general information sites like Whois.net - Domain Names. Those will not only tell you if it's taken or not, but when it's due to expire, if it is.

 

Garsh My .com is taken. =/
Maybe a .org?
Even a .net?
Which is better?

 

I would go for domains in this order

.com
.net
.info
.org

etc.

Personally I register through domain discover. And do all checking for availability with iptools.com

 

Actually, I'd suggest this order:

.com
.net
.org
.info

To be honest, a dot-info should be your very last resort.

 

meh, I'd go like this

.com
.org
.net
.info

But only to be different.

domain extension doesn't matter to me, its all how you can market, and SEO it to me, and if you're good enough at both of them, any domain with potential is worth it.

 

I have to add my :2cents: in on this one. My husband has been buying and selling domain names for the last two years and he has started to teach me a thing or two about what makes up a good domain name.

First and foremost - get the .com. If the .com isn't available ask yourself one question, "will my site ever depend on people directly typing in my domain name into their address bar?" If the answer to that question is yes, then you need to take a look at some other options for a domain name where the .com is available. As Chani said before people only remember .com. Perhaps in the future they won't, but for now they associate the internet with .com. If you rely totally on SEO to bring people to your site then maybe the name doesn't make that much of an impact, but that is VERY rare.


If you determine that the domain is perfect and you want to go with a different extension that is your choice to make. However, before deciding on which extention is right for you think about what type of a site you are building and how will the extension align with that site.

• .net: Network - "This is most commonly uised by Internet Service Providers, Web-hosting companies, or other businesses that are directly involved in the infastructure of the Internet."
• .org: Organization - "Primarily used by non-profit groups or trade associations." I used to work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and our site was mdausa.org.
• .info: Information - Is for credible resource Web sites and signifies a "resource" web site. It's the most popular extension beyond .com, .net, and .org."

(Quotes above came from Internet 101 Choose Domain Name)

To get you a feeling for my thoughts on this subject, I just purchased a domain name for a non-profit that I am assisting in establishing. Even though the proper thing to do is to use the .org name, I also bought the .com and .net names. The .com and .net names will redirect to the .org name.

HTH,
RR

 

Thank you for explaining it a little more clearly than I did.

I also want to add that you should only search for domains at REPUTABLE companies' websites. Some of the more shady companies will register all domains that are searched for, regardless of if you buy them or not.

My own personal recommendation is Namecheap.com - Cheap domain name registration, renewal and transfers - Free SSL Certificates - Web Hosting - Free URL Forwarding, e-mail forwarding and DNS services are included with our cheap domain names registration service

But there are others out there.

 

Thanks guys, but i will think of buying the domain from my hosting provider.
$2.99 for the domain

 

Ugh...

That's another one of those situations that in general is considered a no-no.

For the most part, you should try to keep your domain and hosting through different companies.

Example: When I first started a website, I went with Yahoo. When I quit that hosting, THEY retained the registry for MY domain name, and I lost it forever.

Things like this can and do happen all the time.

I know $2.99 is enticing, but I would stay away from that situation...personally.

 

Don't do it, try to save for another week or whatever and shell out the $9 bucks most registrars charge.

Use coupon code Hello5 if you're using GoDaddy to save a dollar or so.

 

Yeah, search for "GoDaddy coupons" on the internet, and the first pages of the results will give you legitimate codes to get discounts. Trust me, I've done that for all of my GoDaddy domains. You won't pay $2.99, but $6.99-$9.99 isn't bad either.

DEFINITELY avoid getting the domain through your hosting. Chances are, if they offer it for that low of a price, you're bound to run into trouble down the road. I made the same mistake for one of my domains, where I got it through 1and1's panel after I already bought hosting. Lost the hosting, lost three domains, one of which wasn't even mine. I eventually got it back, 10 emails and 6 months later.

 

Alrighty, i will try out the suggestions, Im also thinking of changing my forum name. Would that help a bit?

 

Finding (and using) a more unique domain name could indeed have an effect on the growth of your community. Did you have any new names in mind?