Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Names
2. Why do I need a domain name?
3. What characters can you use in a domain name and how long can it be?
4. What is DNS and how does it work?
6. What are Top Level Domains (TLD) And what do they mean?
7. How can I find out if a domain name is already registered?
8. Do I have to pay for domain name registration?
1. What is a domain name?
A Domain Name is a group of letters, numbers, and hyphens in the form “yourownname.com” or “yourownname.net” where “yourownname” can be almost anything.
A Domain Name should be relatively easy to remember. The domain can be used as the address for your web site and/or can be used as your email address.
2. Why do I need a domain name?
All Domain Names are unique. It is your identity on the World Wide Web. For businesses and organizations, a domain name can help brand your products and services. For individuals and clubs, a domain can identify your affiliations, relationships, or can just be your online personality.
3. What characters can you use in a domain name and how long can it be?
The valid characters for domain names are the alphabet, numbers, and hyphens. Domain names are not case sensitive, therefore YourOwnName.net and yourownname.net are NOT different. A domain name cannot start or end with a hyphen. Special characters such as exclamation marks (!), question marks (?), and underscores (_) are not allowed and there can be no spaces in a domain name.
A domain name can be 67 characters long, which includes the extension. Therefore, if you are using the .com/.net/.org extensions, your desired name can be 63 characters long.
4. What is DNS and how does it work?
DNS stands for Domain Name System and is the system that the Internet uses to find the information on the web. Domain names are registered with a central organization in each country and each domain name is associated with two DNS servers, a primary server and a backup server.
When someone types in a Domain Name into a web browser their Internet Service Provider’s (ISPs) DNS computer looks into its cache for an IP (Internet Protocol) address associated with that domain name. If the ISP does not have an entry cached it sends a lookup query which returns the DNS location associated with the domain name back to the ISP. Once the ISP’s computer finds the IP address it can access the web site.
IP addresses are typically 12 digit numbers which identify a computer on the internet. IP addresses are like street addresses. They refer to specific servers and their physical location on the network. Domain names are like the names on the mailboxes, they are associated with people and with content.
5. What is an IP address?
The Internet Protocol address or IP Address is a numerical identifier for a computer (server) attached to the internet. An IP Address is four numbers separated with periods and is typically a 12 digit number.
6. What are Top Level Domains (TLD) And what do they mean?
The Top Level Domains (sometimes called Generic Top Level Domains) are the last two or three letters in a domain name. Web sites outside of the United States may have two letter country codes (for example: .jp for Japan or .au for Australia).
Top level domain signifiers
.com
.org
.net
.edu – (educational institutions only)
.gov – (government institutions only)
.mil – (military use only)
2 letters – Denotes a country/region of the world
7. How can I find out if a domain name is already registered?
Using our domain search (at the top of this page) you can look up any domain name instantly and find out if it has been taken in the .com, .net, and .org domains.
8. Do I have to pay for domain name registration?
Yes: In order to reserve a domain name, a pre-payment of $25(CDN) per year via credit card is required. The domain owner is responsible for paying renewal fees in a timely manner. If the fees are not paid, ownership is relinquished and the domain may be lost.
