choosing your domain name
by julie parker

Name it, and they will come! Well, maybe not, but name it well, and they are more likely to come!

The very first step in planning your own website is registering your domain name. Our domain name, for example, is "wnc-woman.com". The domain name of my web design site is "handwovenwebs.com".

double-u double-u double-u
You notice I didn't say "www.handwovenwebs.com". That will get you there too, but it is SUCH a mouthful ("double-u double-u double-u dot"), and takes up so much space in print! And by the way, you don't need to say "http://". And this thing - / - is called a slash. "Forward" slash is not necessary as all slashes on the Web are forward slashes. So now you will never again have to say aitch tee tee pee colon forward slash forward slash double-u double-u double-u dot mysite dot com because "mysite dot com" will do the trick!

But wait, you protest, how are people going to know it is a website? I answer with a question: What are the three best-known sites? Amazon, ebay, and yahoo, right? Do you ever hear anyone say "www.amazon.com" or "www.ebay.com" or "www.yahoo.com"?

Every once in a while, the "www" IS necessary—there are a few dinosaurs still out there. Just be sure when you get your own domain name to ask that the "www" is optional. [NOTE: When typing a website address (URL) in an e-mail, you will need either www or http:// for the software to automatically make it a link.]

connecting the dots
In the beginning of this new 'parallel universe' called cyberspace, the Internet, or the World Wide Web—dot com, dot org, dot net, dot gov, and dot edu were created, and it was good. In the fullness of time (what, a year or two?) more "dot's" were needed. The best thing to do is to go to netsol.com and click on domain names (the second tab) and you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the various "dots" that are available today.

what's in a name?
Unless you have an unusual name, your name might already be taken. I found out there is already a julieparker.com, for example, when I was looking into dot com'ing my actual name on a lark one day. [I contacted this other Julie Parker, curious to know more about this doppelganger! We had much in common.] You may have to choose something like your name. The name of Sandi's store —The Natural Home—was taken, so she became naturalhomestore.com. It's okay. It is not unusual to have a slightly different name for your website.

It is helpful if people can pronounce your domain name. It is critical that they can spell it! Web browsers are unforgiving when it comes to typos. While sometimes you can't help using a word people are likely to spell wrong (like asheville.com), do your best to select something that people can spell easily.

Think about how people are going to speak your domain name. One of the best ways for people to find you is through word of mouth: "Yes, Anne Bevan's work is beautiful - you can see it at annebevan.com!"

If your name is mtn-meals-in-motion.com, you'll always need to say "that's m-t-n". Avoid that if you can. And about hyphens: some like 'em, some don't. I'm on the fence. We have both "wnc-woman.com" and "wncwoman.com, just to cover our bases.

I find that people have difficulty hearing the S in handwovenwebs. I always have to say handwovenwebZZZZZZdot com. More than one web, I say, just in case they still missed it. It is a nuisance, but I like the name so I live with it.

If you have several words, be sure you run them together on paper (there are no spaces in domain names). Sometimes two words smooshed together make other words—words you may not want to represent you! Have someone else look at your choice to get her reaction to the name.

There may be other issues to keep in mind when selecting your domain name. It is a good idea to consult with your web designer before making your final decision.

NEXT ISSUE: Julie's Top 10 Things NOT to do on Your Website

Julie Parker designed her first website when the only websites were those of government and academic institutions. She began her own Web design business - Handwoven Webs - when she moved to Asheville from DC in 1997.