The making of CogitActive and beyond
A domain points to a unique location on the web.
Broadly speaking, domain names are human-readable unique identification sequences that are associated with a computer-meaningful IP address. They are critical for the functioning of the World Wide Web in that they act similarly to street addresses; hence their inclusion in the URL (the address you type into your browser to view a particular website). Actually, a domain name covers additional services as well, such as having an email address that ends in @yourdomainname.com. If you want to understand the basics, or even delve into this topic, you came to the right place.
Given their primary purpose, every domain name has to be unique – this uniqueness being enforced by regulatory agencies. That is why, to register your desired domain name, you will have to use the services of an accredited company, namely a registrar. Now, hosting providers often gives you the possibility to register your domain name (in addition to purchasing a hosting account). However, registering domains and web hosting are completely separate functions. As explained in self-hosting: a hard egg to crack, there is no requirement to keep both services in the same place, quite the opposite.
Now, aside from playing the aforementioned roles, a domain name is part of your branding. In that respect, choosing a good domain name is probably the most important decision when creating a website. A domain name is your identity. Your decision will have an ongoing impact on the value of your site; therefore, a little planning and forethought are necessary to pick the perfect one. You might want to consider checking some recommendations on that matter. You can also find additional tips from my own brainstorming. Last, but not least, making sure that this valuable asset remains yours is just as important as choosing the domain name itself. Check out the posts below to learn more…