A domain name is your global Internet address. Anyone in the world that has Internet access can reach Deerfarmer by simply entering http://www.deerfarmer.com into their browser. "Deerfarmer.com" is our domain name that we own and no one else can use it. Domain names are usually assigned on a first-ask, first-get basis.

Internet domain names are regulated by each country. Other than the United States, domain names registered in other countries have a two letter identification as part of them, e.g., steppingstones.ca (Canada), deerfarms.com.au (Australia). USA domain names end in .com, .net or .org. These domain names are available to anyone; other countries' domain names are usually only available to those that live or have a presence in that country.

So if you are even remotely considering having a presence on the Internet at some time in the future for your deer or elk farm, association or other related business, it is a good idea to "tie up" or register a domain name as soon as possible so that nobody else takes it. Ideally, you will want a domain name that is the same as your farm or business name. And this is where the problem lies. Often, your name is similar to another business and thus is already taken. (I often advise people getting into a new business to pick a business name that still has a domain name available, and register them both at the same time!)

So, how do you know whether a domain name is taken? With the Internet it is easy.

1. To see whether a domain name in the United States ending with .com, .net or .org is available, go to http://www.domainnameregistration-srs.com/cgi-bin/whois.cgi  Type in the domain name you want to register and click the "Submit Query" button. If the domain name is already taken, it will show you information on who has registered that domain name. You can try variations including the 3 different endings until you find something that is available.

2. To see whether a Canadian domain name is available, go to http://www.cdnnet.ca/search.html  and enter the desired domain name.

3. In Australia, a good site that allows you to search for domain names, as well as providing information on the relevant rules and regulations for that country is http://www.super-hosting.com.au/domains.htm 

4. In New Zealand, the New Zealand Internet Registry Ltd. has the information you need to register a domain name in that country. Their website is at http://www.domainz.net.nz 

Here are some of the rules for .ca, .com, .net and .org domain names.

1. Two to 63 characters long – don't even think of using all 63 characters. The length (recently increased from 26 characters) now allows you such names as "mydeerfarmovertherebytheriver" and increases the number of domain names that can be registered. However, my advice is to keep it short as possible – long names are easily misspelled and people will have trouble finding your site.

2. No spaces or special characters are allowed – hyphens are permitted but cannot end or start your domain name. This means you can have "my-deer-farm-over-there-by-the-river". Should you use hyphens to separate the words in your domain name, e.g., my-deer- farm, instead of mydeerfarm? Up to now the most common practice has been NOT to use hyphens. However, hyphens do make it easier to read and remember long domain names. As well, there is some strong evidence that search engines will pick up a hyphened word in their search. Since domain names are used by search engines to determine higher placement in search results, this alone may be a good argument to use hyphens. Also, mydeerfarm.com and my-deerfarm.com are two different domain names. Using a hyphen can sometimes give you an option if a certain domain name you want is taken. However, you also have to take into account whether visitors will forget to type the hyphen and go to the other site. Also, be wary of trademark violations.

3. Numbers are allowed, but not obscene names or trademarks owned by organizations. Names that may cause confusion may not be used.

After finding a domain name for your farm or business that is still available, how do you register it?

1. In the United States, Network Solutions ( http://www.networksolutions.com ) had a monopoly until just recently. Now there are numerous companies that allow you to register a domain name right on-line. You can still do it at Network Solutions but their annual registration fee is $35/per year with a minimum of two years to begin with.

I use directNIC ( http://www.directnic.com ) out of Louisiana and have been happy with their service. You go to their website, set up a free account, and for a $15/year fee per domain name can register domain names to your heart's content. (I have been known to wake up in the middle of the night with a great domain name, run to my computer to check its availability, register it and then go back to bed). Occasionally, you will need to access and update your registration (for example, if you change web hosting companies), so select a registration company that allows you to do it easily.

2. The situation in Canada right now is a mess. For years, the University of British Columbia had been acting as the Canadian registrar of domain names. Domain names were free. As of November 1, 2000 the service is being taken over by the non-profit Canadian Internet Registry Authority ( http://www.cira.ca ). In turn, CIRC is licensing other companies to do the actual registrations. Fees for a Canadian domain name now range from $25 per year to $100 per year so shop around. A list of Canadian registrars can be found at the CIRA website.

The good news about changes in Canadian domain names is that now anyone living in Canada or having a presence here can use the .ca domain name. Prior to the change-over, unless you were federally incorporated, had offices in several provinces or the domain name was a federally registered trademark, you had to use the province in your domain name, e.g., mybusiness.on.ca

I am using Domainsatcost.ca ( http://www.domainsatcost.ca ) to register Canadian domain names. After an evaluation of the registrars available, this company seemed to offer the best combination of price ($25/per year) and automated service. So far, the service seems to be okay.

3. For Australia and New Zealand, visit the websites mentioned above to register names in those countries.

Should you use a US or local country domain name? If you are doing (or expecting to do) business at an international level, a .com domain name is the way to go. If you feel that a country identification will be a marketing advantage, than go with a country domain name.

Registering a domain name does not give you much intellectual property protection. You may want to consider registering a trademark in the countries where you plan to do most of your business. Again, the Internet makes it easy for you to search and register trademarks on-line. For more information on trademarks in Canada and the United States, visit http://www.steppingstones.ca/library/patents.htm 

If you are having someone else register a domain name on your behalf, be sure that they register it in your name. We have had problems with companies that design websites refusing to give up (i.e., transfer) a domain name when we wanted to take our business elsewhere. This is also true if you have a company design a website for you. MAKE SURE the contract specifies that you (not they) own all the rights to the content on your website.

When you register a domain name, you reserve it by "parking" it. To use your domain name on a website or as an e-mail address, you still need the services of an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or web hosting company. Once you rent space from a hosting company, you can set up a website, "point" your domain name at it, and set up your e- mail addresses using your domain name. You CANNOT use your domain name for a web address or e-mail address if you have a website on someone's else website such as Deerfarmer.net – you need to have your own website (which of course costs more).

In the deer and elk industry there are still some good domain names available, especially for the industry associations. I strongly recommend that you register your desired domain names as quickly as possible while they are still available.

If all this sounds too complicated for you, e-mail or call us, and I will be happy to register a domain name for you at our cost. But don't wait, or you will be disappointed too!