False Domain Names - Directory Listings and Expired Domains

[sukishan]

False Domain Names - Directory Listings

Some providers will offer you a name under their own name, like:  www.theircompany.com/yourcompany/

This is not a real domain name, it is a directory - and you should try to avoid it.

Directory domains are not desirable, especially for companies.

Typically, directory domains are used for personal web sites and free web sites provided by an ISP, you may have seen www.theircompany.com/~username as an address.

Competition in domain name registration has resulted in a dramatic decrease in pricing, so domain sharing is not common, since it is possible to register a domain name for only $15 per year.
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Expired Domains

Another source for domain registrations is expired domains.

When you register a domain, think of it as a rental, assuming there are no legal or trademark issues with the domain name, you are free to use it as long as you continue to pay the yearly fee (you can now register in advance as many as 10 years). Some people register domains as speculators, hoping that they can later sell them, while others may have planned to use a domain and never had the time. The result is that domains that were previously registered, become available again.

You can see, and search through a list of recently expired domains for free at http://www.dotdnr.com. If you wish to register an expired domain, you pay the same fee as for a new registration.