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In the middle
of difficulty
lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein  
Name Your Site - What's in a Name?
by Barbie Hocking ©2005
Once you've decided to set up a new internet site, you register its domain name.  Sounds easy enough.  So, you select a domain registration site and enter the perfectName.  Drat, thatName isTaken.  You enter a secondChoice.  Darned if that name isn't also taken.  Incredibly, you soon discover virtually anyName you can think of is alreadyTaken.  Welcome to the wonderfulWorld of internet domainNames.

As a point of illustration, this article indicates registered domainNames by eliminating the spaces in a phrase.  A link is also provided if there is an associated internetSite.

OnlyOne Name Allowed 
In the ancient businessModel prior to the 1990's, selecting a businessName was aPieceOfCake.  You stayed away from trademarkedNames or names that were in your marketArea.  If a localBusiness was already named JoesGrill, you could name your shop JoesBBQ or JoesPitStop.  If 500 additional towns had a shop with the sameName, it was noProblem.  Your business still had its unique phoneListing in the town's telephoneDirectory.

The internetModel has profoundly affected the selection of businessNames.  Now, only one business in NorthAmerica can have the domain name of GarysIceCream.  Certainly you can use hyphen variations or put "Inc" or "Co" at the end.  But the site that owns the basic name has achieved the coupDeGrace.  A customer won't remember variations of a domain name.

Don't Get Blue 
In the telephone YellowPages, companies often try to get firstListing by starting their name with the letter "a".  They use variations of "AAA Transmission Repair", "A-1 Transmission Repair", and "American Transmission Repair".  SearchEngines haven't eliminated the competitiveAdvantage of an early alphabetic name.  Note that the Retailers Listing on Yahoo is in alphabeticalOrder.  People typically start at the topOfTheList and work their wayDown. 

Companies have become subtler in the alphabet nameGame.  Take theWord "blue" which is atTheBeginning of theAlphabet.  Since blue isn't a blatant "listMeFirst" prefix, it should be a good strategic firstWord.  This cleverThought is unfortunately not anOriginalIdea.  InFact, there is a now a plethora of registered blue domain names.  The following examples are just aTipOfTheIceburg: BlueIce, BlueStar, BlueCouch, BluePencil, BlueCactus, BlueElephant, BlueTent, BlueHair, BlueSkin, BlueRock, BlueCarpet, BlueDream, BlueChair, BlueBox, BlueTooth, BlueAir, BlueButton, BlueFace, BlueWood, BlueCow, BluePlate, BlueGum, and BlueSky.  If you actQuickly, BlueToenail is still available.

What are some some of the most coveted names?  The single words. theTheory is that us feebleMinded consumers can remember a single word best.  Every word used in this article is probably registered.  CheckThemOut on our Domain Registration page.  Should you find one that's notRegistered, hurryUp and grab it.  It's a keeper.  Granted, this article uses mainstream englishLanguage.  But when's the last time you used the following registered domain words in a sentence - putamen, foment, bromine, heaume, maenad, parsimony?  It's interesting that someone who thinks we can't remember more than oneWord assumes we'll recollect this eclectic collection.  closeYourEyes and tryToRemember any of them.

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pickAny two or three letter combination and workYourWay through aaabbbccc - they're allTaken and they're hot.  A wellKnown domain name dispute involves the American Film Marketing Association (AFMA) and AFM.COM.  Read Andy Hasse's Shame on the AFMA to gainInsight into the strategic impetus of domain names.

The Expiration Woes
Domain name entrepreneurs regularly monitor domain names aboutToExpire.  A favored technique of pornoShops, these vultures evaluate names and their searchEngine rankings.  Should a cityClerk or club secretary neglect to renew their domain name, the registration is quickly snatched up and re-directed to a pornoSite.  Unsuspecting visitors receive a surprise and the porno site receives additionalTraffic.

DontMissTheBoat
Our everyday runOfTheMill phrases are plastered all over the internet.  In this dogEatDogWorld, you can't be aDayLate in registering your own domain name.  Don't be yesterdaysNews The internet is lifeInTheFastLane.  You better hopToIt, hitTheRoad, get offToTheRaces, put the PedalToTheMetal, runLikeTheWind and registerYourName asSoonAsPossible.  If noOnElse gotThereFirst, youCanDoIt.

IKnow you're saying to yourself, "OhMyGod, areYouSure?  AreYou, youKnow, puttingMeOn?"  ThisIsForReal!  Sure, there's somethingFishy.   Cybersquatters have grabbed the motherLode.  They know the rest of us are blindAsABat and quietAsAMouse. But toTellTheTruth, according to theRulesOfTheGame, they can be a dirtyRat or bigBully.  In their takeNoPrisoners approach, a birdInTheHand is worth twoInTheBush.

While you brushYourTeeth, takeOutTheTrash, sweepTheFloor, mowTheLawn, runAnErrand, writeALetter, or blowYourNose, timeMarchesOn.  So, quitWhining because it's drivingmecrazyStopDreamin and lookAhead.  Its time to smellTheCoffee, soundTheAlarm, suckItUp, and giveItYourBestShot.  Your domain name was dueYesterday.

DontForget that you've got to bringHomeTheBacon and put a roofOverYourHead.  With aLittleEffort, you can flyLikeAnEagle.  JustDoIt.  You might get coldAsIce or hotAsHell.  DontWorry, it's not as if you're sixFeetUnder.  It's not a badHairDay and you're not onTheHotSeat. 

Just don't register yourName on a dogDayAfternoon.  A lazyDay is a badIdea.  AfterDark will give you anEveningToRemember.  Get a breatheOfFreshAir, then closeTheDoor.  It's also notABadIdea to pourAStiffOne to breakTheIce.  Aimhigh and beforeYouKnowIt, you'll be fullOfIdeas.  With some good horseSense your idea dreamMachine will start rainingCatsAndDogs

TooCool! The impossibleDream is now a DreamComeTrue!  You own a domain name!  Your twoLeftFeet have become happyFeet.  InAMinute you are soundAsleep and sleepingLikeABaby. Once more life is as sweetAsHoney. 

Learning about the sorry state of domain names is quite the eyeOpener.  NoDoubtAboutIt, I think we need a bigger language, Rocky

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