Unfortunately, for those not savvy with the Internet, the notion of getting started can be daunting. Figuring out how to register a domain name correctly can be a tricky undertaking. The Internet and its domain names are governed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN for short. This is an internationally recognized, nonprofit company that is responsible for Internet Protocol addresses, codes and more. It is with this agency Internet domain names and IP addresses must be registered to be valid.
Although ICANN oversees names and registration, it is not solely responsible for it. Instead, it uses a network of registration companies to perform these services for it. These companies range in what they offer and how they handle registration, but in general it's a good idea to have your domain name purchased through one of these companies that will in turn register the name to ensure someone else can't buy and use it.
Typically these companies offer not only registration services, but can also offer web site building, domain hosting and more. These one-stop shops are very popular among site owners and they tend to take the guesswork out of the process.
In general, once a domain name has been registered to a person or company, it is the property of that person or company. Some trademark issues may supercede this in some regions, but it's a good idea for a business to buy up all its possible names and re-register them as necessary to prevent theft.
The reason behind the creation of ICANN is pretty easy to understand. With so many businesses, organizations, agencies and so on across the world using web sites to promote their products, services and missions, the naming conventions could be out of control if there wasn't a central clearing house for this information. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, for example, wouldn't want its site name sold to a marble-collecting club. And the Coca-Cola Company likely wouldn't want Bob's Cola owning its site name.
ICANN offers a number of different extensions to help ensure everyone who wants a domain name or several can protect their interests. Government agencies, for example, have rights to extensions that end in .gov and nonprofits tend to use the .org extension. The famous .coms belong to the realm of corporations and individuals. There are many more extensions as well, each with its own set of proper uses.
If you'd like to set up a web site and get a domain name registered, there are literally hundreds of different companies available to make this a reality. Just make certain you keep up with registration or the name you build your business on could be sold to another at a later date. Good companies will let you know when registration is coming up and the prices generally are more than reasonable.
