"Why should I register a domain name?"

If you use the Internet, you will eventually want your own presence on the world wide web. The net is experiencing a phenomenal explosion as a primary tool of global communications and information. Already 40% of the American public is on line, and the rest of the world is gaining rapidly. Soon it will be inconceivable for a business not to have at least its calling card available on line. It's the cheapest and most far-reaching form of advertising that has ever been devised.

The number of personal web site domains is also growing at at an amazing rate. And it's a small wonder when you consider what you can do with your own domain. Post your interests and hobbies on the web. Soon you will begin receiving emails from others around the world who share your interests. Families researching their genealogy post their web sites and are found by relatives they didn't even know they had. People are making new friends from the four corners of the world simply because of the ease of communications, and the ability of this tool to virtually eliminate distance.

Of course, you can post a web site on third-party domains such as AOL or Geocities. However, the web site address might look something like this:

http://members.webservername.net/hearthland/minnows/~yourname022346/

Face it, no one but you will remember that. And because of search engine limitations, these megadomain sites don't always get indexed very effectively, making it hard for people to find you via a search engine. (Most search engines only index a finite number of pages per domain.) Now, think how much easier and efficient it would be to find your website if your address were simply:

http://www.yourname.com

Registering your own domain name gives you presence on the web that is easy to remember, descriptive, and an enhancement to your professional image. And, if you ever need to switch Internet service providers, you can take your domain name with you, whether across the street or to the other side of the world. You'll never need to reprint your business materials, change your email address, or send notifications to your clients.

And you'll never have someone else's ads pop up to annoy your site visitors, unless of course you're getting handsomely paid for it.

Even if you don't have a web site ready to go, you should go ahead and register your domain name while it is still available. Domain names are registered on a first come - first served basis, and about 6000 new names are registered every day. Registering your domain name now will ensure its availability when you are ready to post your website, and it will prevent someone else from using that name for their domain..