If you've spent any time at all surfing the internet, then you've seen
a domain name. You may not have known, but you can be sure that you've
seen one.
So what are domain names all about? Here are some common questions and
the answers.
- What is this thing called a domain name?
- It is a completely unique address which identifies a collection of
web pages (generally called a web site) that are publicly accessible.
A domain name identifies your site and allows people to get to it
without knowing the technical details of it's TCP/IP address and so
forth. A good domain name also informs people what your site is about.
- Is a domain name only for web sites?
- No. A domain name also is used for email identification. In
addition, other kinds of systems such as newsgroups and FTP servers are
often identified by a domain name.
- Why is a domain name important?
- If you create a web site, you don't absolutely need a domain name.
In fact, the vast majority of people create a web site on a free host.
These free hosts typically have many thousands (and in a few cases
millions) of web sites on the same domain, each site identified by a
unique name.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.
