Generic domains
You must be all familiar with the most popular domain extensions on the web - .COM, .NET, .INFO, .ORG, .BIZ, .NAME, .MOBI, etc. They are all known as generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and are open for registration to all users worldwide, regardless of their sitizenship, residence or age.
All international domains have their formal purpose, for instance, .COM is intended for commercial sites, .NET for network companies, .ORG for non-profits, .BIZ for businesses, .NAME for personal pages, .MOBI for mobile-device optimized sites. Nevertheless, most of them, with the exception of .MOBI, can be used for any type of websites. Their growing popularity and easy-to-spell syntax have made them a preferred choice among users.
Country-code domains
If you are wondering why there are so many (over a hundred) domain extensions on the web, the answer is that almost any country in the world, including small islands, has its own top-level domain. The list is really impressive. You can find extensions from .ZA for South Africa to .NL for the Netherlands. The country domains are a great way for companies and organizations to target their local audiences more closely. It is important to know that each country has specific registration rules for its official domain, so you should always check them before you choose your country domain.
However, many country domains like .CC, .ME, .TV, .WS, .BE,have appeared to be really attractive for registration, due to their speaking-for-itself spelling. For that reason, most of their countries have granted registrars the right to promote their domains as international extensions and even as new fresh alternatives to the popular but ‘running out of stock’ generic domains. Thus, most people today do not even know that these domains were originally intended to be country-code domains!
|
