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Register Your Internet Domain Name Now by Kathy Dee Zasloff, Executive Director and Ken Kesslin, Technology Consultant PASA, Inc. One step that every organization needs to take in order to participate effectively and professionally in the online world, is to register its Internet domain name. Taking this step right now will give you the time you may need to formulate an effective Internet plan, regardless of your organization's current technology level. Why Do It Now? Most people think of registering a domain name only when they're ready to launch a Web site. But it's better not to wait, because registering your domain name reserves your identity -- your place -- in cyberspace. In our work with nonprofits, we've already seen local organizations that had to use a second or third choice, because the name they wanted had already been taken. There have been widely publicized instances of domain names being purchased from others who were smart enough to register them early. Example: Compaq Computer Corporation recently purchased the domain name AltaVista.com from an individual for a reported $3 million. But you can get your organization's own domain name for only $35 per year -- if you act quickly before your name is taken by someone else. Once you register your domain name, it is no longer available to anyone else. Other Advantages Other advantages to having your own domain name include: How To Do It Follow these two steps and you'll be off to a great start: STEP 1: Register Your Internet Domain Name On the cyberspace frontier, registering an Internet domain name is like staking a claim for your Internet homestead. Right now, Internet real estate is cheap -- you can register a domain name for $70, which covers your first two years of registration fees; thereafter it's $35 per year.. A free service that helps you complete your registration in about five minutes is at http://www.register.com. STEP 2: Explore the Internet Most of us wouldn't consider opening a branch of our organization in a neighborhood about which we had little direct knowledge. So why do many organizations clamor for Web sites, which are primarily online branch offices, before they have explored online neighborhoods? We always recommend that organizations get familiar with the online community by actually using online resources. What You Get When you register a domain name, you buy yourself the time you need to learn, evaluate, and plan your use of online technology. Then, whether it takes you a month or two years to define clearly an effective online plan -- the what/why/how/when of your Internet strategy -- you will not have lost your online identity. Domain name registration reserves your Internet brand name; you can let it sit idle until you're prepared to use it. Great investment, and inexpensive. Bottom line: Register your organization's domain name now. PASA, Inc. (http://www.pasa.org) is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits dig through Internet marketing hype to determine what steps are essential to take now, and what can wait. CommunicationNET (http://www.it4u.org) is a technology project of PASA, Inc. originally funded by the Strategic Alliance Fund. Kathy Dee Zasloff can be reached at kdz@pasa.org and Ken Kesslin at kenny@pasa.org, or telephone (718) 834-9467. |
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