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What is a Domain Name, and what can
it be used for? This page represents a compendium of the best guides the ePostman has found on Domain names. Simply put, a Domain Name is an 'Internet Address' which can be used as the basis of an E-Mail Address, a Web Site Address, or both. E-Mail Addresses always have the '@' symbol in them, and web site addresses usually contain 'www' For example, if your name is Joe Bloggs, then you might choose to register the Domain Name bloggs.co.uk This can then be used to give you a range of E-Mail Addresses, for example joe@bloggs.co.uk In fact, depending on the E-Mail services you buy, you can have pretty much anything you like before the '@' sign as long as it is doesn't contain punctuation other than a hyphen or a full stop. When you first register your Domain Name on these pages, you will be offered the chance to set up your 'Current Email Address' details. This is very simple. Let's say that you, like many people, use Freeserve as your Internet Service Provider: Freeserve will probably have given you an E-Mail Address which looks like this: joe.bloggs4@freeserve.co.uk This is very useful, but not very cool: your E-Mail Address is carrying the word 'Freeserve' right in the middle! And because you were the 4th Joe Bloggs to sign up with Freeserve, you ended up as 'joe.bloggs4' which is not very personal….. Never fear! Mail Forwarding is here to help! Simply fill in the on-line form, stating what your existing E-Mail Address is, and we'll arrange for all mail that people send to your cool new address to be immediately forwarded to your existing address. This is extremely useful, because anyone who has your existing E-Mail Address can carry on using it and you'll get their messages. But now, in addition, you can give out your new permanent address and any messages sent to it will reach you too! Your new E-Mail Addresses are shorter, more personal, and much cooler. And if you ever change Internet Service Providers, you can just change your forwarding details and your personalised addresses will forward to the E-Mail account with your new service provider.
Choosing a Personal or Family Domain Name So, you've decided to ditch the unfashionable E-Mail Address allocated to you by your Internet Service Provider, and choose a rather cool permanent, personalised address of your very own. How do you go about it? All you need to do is to use the ePostman's Family Name Personaliser A well-chosen family domain name might even assume heirloom status! Don't' forget, if you're not the first person to register your surname, you may never get the chance to do so again!
What do I do if my Surname / Family Name has already been registered as a Domain by someone else? The Internet has grown so quickly, and there has been such a huge demand for names, that many surnames have already been registered. Even owning a trademark on the name is no guarantee that you'll have any legal right to the Domain…. So if you find that the Domains based on your surname have already been registered, you'll need to be inventive! How about a hyphenated name including a surname and a maiden name? The Personaliser gives you easy ways of searching for these options or you might choose a domain based on the first name or initial and surnames of one member of the family - probably the person who uses the internet most e.g. joe@jbloggs.co.uk or joe@joebloggs.co.uk. Alternatively, you might choose to use some geographical indicator. Many families refer to themselves as 'The London Smiths' or 'The Sussex Smiths' so you might register londonsmiths.co.uk Other ways of choosing Domains are to base them on phone numbers, street addresses, nicknames, acronyms, whatever you like. Searching to see which domains based on combinations of these things are available can be fascinating and fun! The 'phone number method' is quite useful, since anyone who knows your phone number can guess your E-Mail or Web Site address, as long as you've told them the formula. It's a bit soulless to have the E-Mail address sandra@01814953333.co.uk but it works!
Choosing an 'Fun' Domain Let's suppose that everyone knows you because of the passionate interest you have in your hobby or favourite team. You might want to create a name based on this part of your personality. In this case, choose something fun and memorable! For example, you might choose one of the following: thebiggestmanufan.co.uk The only limitation here is your creativity! And don't forget, you can have any number of Domains and have them all forward to your main E-Mail account!
Choosing a 'Where I live' Domain You could also have a domain that is based on where you live. Perhaps you have a house with a name or you could use the district, village, town, county, country etc. In this case, choose something memorable! For example, you might choose one of the following: rosecottage.co.uk And don't forget, you can have any number of Domains and have them all forward to your main E-Mail account!
How do I choose the right 'ending'
for my Domain? There are no hard-and-fast rules here. But in general, if it's a personal, family or 'anonymous' domain name, and you live in the UK, you are more likely to find that the domain you want to register is still available if you choose a name which ends with .co.uk Originally this 'ending' referred to UK registered companies, but more recently it just means 'some kind of UK entity' whether it's a person, a company, whatever. The .org.uk ending is meant for non profit making organisations so you should not choose this if you want to make your fortune on this website. There are over 200 alternative endings available in total, but if you find that the domain you want is not available with a .co.uk ending, then try .com and .org - they don't necessarily imply that you are a US citizen or company, since they are often used to suggest an international or global entity.
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