R and D Books
an imprint of Miller Freeman, Inc.
Lawrence, Kansas
1998
The Domain Name Handbook is one of the few current books on the market with comprehensive information about domain names and the domain name registration process. It contains 645 pages and includes a CD-ROM with 214 MBs of useful information such as the process of registering a domain name, as well as templates, InterNIC policies, and international trademark classes.
The book uses a somewhat informal, discussion-oriented style of presentation to present comprehensive information about domain name protocols and policies. It focuses on the role the domain names system is playing in what the authors call "the commercialization of the internet." This easy-to-read book describes the emergence of the internet, the evolution of the current domain name system, and some of the controversies of buying and holding domain names. It also describes current proposals to modify the domain name system.
The book describes domain names as "the new metasymbol of the information landscape. . . the online equivalent of a unique and customized address." Domain names are the recognizable referent that leads us to the location of a web site. They are always in two parts, a unique name followed by an identifier to indicate the type of organization. The two are always separated by a period (also know as a "dot"). The most common identifiers are listed below:
com
net
org
edu
gov
Here are some examples:
easywindows.com
att.net
pbs.org
ucla.edu
whitehouse.gov
Some domain names are well known, like ibm.com or yahoo.com, but most are related to small businesses or non-profit organizations and are likely to be known only to those interested in the particular services they offer.
If you want to register a domain name, it is limited only by your imagination. It doesn't even have to be a company name: it can be generic sounding, like yummycookies.com or treehappy.org. All you have to do is get on the internet, go to any of the sanctioned domain name registrars like www.networksolutions or www.register.com, and pick a name. The book describes all this in its second chapter, titled, "What's in a Name." The chapter serves as an excellent introduction to domain name basics.
Domain names have become one of the key issues in today's commercialization of the internet. When the internet was a tool for government and university domain names were unique to each organization. But today, domain names have become much more important: in a section titled "Namesmithing," the book describes the importance of a domain name to a company with an internet presence. As the book points out, they have become as important to a prospective internet business as a trade name or a patent. And today an internet-based company is known as much by its domain name as by its legal business name. The commercial domain names, especially the .com names, identify not only its business but also its location on the internet. The internet's domain name system, when combined with modern browser software capabilities, will locate a web site based on the title you enter into the browser's location finder. In addition, as search engines have become an important tool for internet users, domain names that mimic commonly searched for keywords have become valuable: recently companies have paid millions for domain names like loans.com or drugs.com. As this book points out, a domain name not only gets a user to a specific address, it can provide a hint of what will be found there.
In addition to domain name basics, this book contains several chapters that delve into the complex and technical aspects of the domain name system. As a result, the book is a valuable resource for both beginners and advanced internet users. And it is an indispensable tool for anyone considering registering a domain name.
